#basically the moral of this story is you should watch “stop making sense”
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and you may say to yourself: "my god! what have i done?"
and you may tell yourself: "this is not my beautiful wife!"
and you may tell yourself: "this is not my beautiful house!"
and you may ask yourself: "well, how did i get here?"
time isn't holding up, time isn't after us, time is a pony ride!
(images described in alt text)
#gravity falls#fiddleford mcgucket#LETTING THE [FIDDLEFORD FRI]DAYS GO BY#“sir it's tuesday” i know. my computer has been busted for two weeks so i couldn't post them when i wanted to. just let me have this#again still new to alt text. i like being a little bit silly but let me know if it gets in the way of accessibility#artwork of the damned#uhhhh yeah this is actually something ive kind of wanted to draw for years now#favorite guy + favorite band = prime high-effort meme material#also. for the record. yes i have a mcgucket playlist. yes it has three talking heads songs on it. no none of them are “once in a lifetime”#also also i know that the lyrics in the description are in the wrong order. it's on purpose. i put them backwards for dramatic effect#also also also i'm pretty sure the “time is a pony ride” line is not actually sung on the album version of the track#but if you listen to/watch the live version from “stop making sense” you will hear it!#as well as hear a much more satisfying ending to the song imo. rather than it just fading out it has some really nice vocals#basically the moral of this story is you should watch “stop making sense”#if you made it to the end of the tags: congrats! you win a prize! the prize is permission to reblog this post
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Indulgence - Yandere!Fallen Angel!Hongjoong
Yandere AU & Fallen Angel AU - First Person POV
Genre: Mature, Smutty Themes, Internal Monologue
Pairing: Hongjoong X Implied Chubby!Fem!Reader
Words: 2,038
Warnings: Religious themes and imagery, the typical angel/demon bs, heavy sexual themes: masturbation, voyerism. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.
A/n: Ngl, this was way darker in my head lmaooo. Anyways, Feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy!~
The Twelfth of The Feral Drabbles
Really? Broad daylight? You certainly are a wild one, aren’t you? Maybe that’s why I love you so much.
You know, it hasn’t been easy since the fall, but you have truly made the pain I first experienced worthwhile. I’ll even let you in on a little secret…
I fell because of you.
You: you’re captivating, did you know that? I’m not easily impressed, but there’s just something about you that drew me in from the very first moment I laid my eyes upon you. One of His creations that puts even the most beautiful of us to shame. You should be protected, and kept away from those unworthy to gaze upon you.
After all, I’ve always been taught: nothing less for the best!
I will keep you safe. I will worship you like you clearly deserve. You need me, just as I need you. After all, I no longer have to worry about those stupid morals or duties down here. Only you.
From my experience, humans tend to… indulge in their more primal desires at night, but you? Anyone could look into your room right now and see what it is that you’re doing. Really, you’re lucky I’m here to make sure that that doesn’t happen. No one else can see the way your hands trace over such delicate curves. No one else deserves to watch as your chest stutters with every hitch in your breath.
I only wish it were me in that room making you breathless instead.
One of the various reasons I fell, My Beloved, was due to my desire for you. You make it increasingly hard to control myself around you, not that I’ve ever seemed to have any sense of control around you to begin with. I’ve long since ached to feel your touch on me, to know what those hands feel like tugging on my hair, cupping my face so tenderly, and maybe even squeezing my ass…
Well, you get the point.
I want you, and I will do everything in my power - or rather, with the power that still remains inside of me - to make you mine.
I’ve truly never given much thought to indulgences before- no, wait, that’s a lie. I promised myself I would stop lying to you. You deserve my truth, and only my truth. You’re the only one that does. Everyone else can go visit Uncle Luci downstairs for all I care. You are the only one who matters to me now.
Anyways, I digress… Indulgence. What a strange word. To even so much as imply that basic wants and necessities are something to indulge in is completely abhorrent. Every person’s needs - angels, demons, humans - are different, and to act like an indulgence for one is completely natural for another defeats the purpose.
My brothers down below revel in the more sinister indulgences, while those stupid, ‘holier-than-thou’ chickens I once belonged to would shun them, even though the majority of us would do the same damn things. Isn’t it interesting, Beloved, that one is revered while the other is feared? What makes demons worse than angels for doing the same, horrific things?
Ah, but enough about my family trauma… Let me now focus on you.
Oh, I suppose in my tangent, I zoned out for a little there. You’ve certainly been busy in that time, not that I’m complaining.
No. Never. I could never fault you for anything.
Unless you tried to run from me. Or you decided to fall in love with another. Or you wanted to leave me.
Okay, so just don’t do anything bad, and we’ll live- what do you humans like to call it again? Oh, ‘Happily Ever After.’
Really, I’m just lucky that you decided to move out to the countryside. You don’t have many neighbours, but really, Beloved, you never know what kind of monsters can be lurking in the shadows. Fear not, for I am here to watch over you. Always.
And gaze upon you, I do…
Such beauty…
Such marvellous wonder…
Look at how those beautiful thighs part, practically begging for me to be between them right this very moment. Look at the way your legs tremble, and you’ve still yet to touch that gorgeous cunt of yours.
It’s a shame really. I should be the one giving you such sweet release. You shouldn’t have to do this on your own.
No! Don’t cover your mouth with your hand! Let me hear you!
Oh my… That was close… I almost smashed my hand through your window, Beloved. Do you see what you do to me? I told you I can hardly control myself around you, but you can’t blame me. You just have such a strong affect on me…
Such a perfect scene spread out before me, and you want to taint it by muffling your sounds? What am I supposed to do with myself if I can’t hear what you sound like whimpering and whining for me? How is that fair?
I want to know everything about you. I want to consume you in the best of ways, just as you have enraptured me with your very soul. Let it shine beside my own, a brilliant white to contrast my now scorched wings. Wings that now brand me as a Fallen with their blackened feathers.
Black feathers are meant to be a sign of shame amongst my kind, but all I can feel is pride. You have given me hope for a new life, and I would fall all over again if it meant spending even one second with you.
I love you, My Beloved, and nothing will ever change that.
So, please, won’t you open up to me?
Yes… That’s it, Beautiful, just like that. Cup those gorgeous breasts for me. Imagine that those are my hands holding you so. Feel my fingers pinching your nipples, my tongue flicking against your skin.
How I long for the day where I can finally touch you. I want to be able to bring you to new heights, and show you pleasures that you’ve never even dreamed about. You should be taken care of with the utmost attention, and I promise you that that is what I’ll do. I’ll take my time worshipping every dip, every curve of that wondrous body of yours. I’ll make you sigh my name like a prayer, nothing but the most intricate of praises delegated unto you from my lips.
Fuck- spread those legs for me. Let me see all of you in your glory. Let me discover my own personal heaven on earth in you.
My Beloved… is this all for me? Is the way your essence drips out of you because you long for this, too? It must be. There’s no other that could make you this wet, no other that could have you trembling just from the mere thought of them and what they could do to you.
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one able to affect the other like this…
Oh, Beloved, you really are putting on a show just for me! It’s like you can read my mind!
Perhaps… No. I shouldn’t be so bold.
Then again, after everything that’s happened, why shouldn’t I be? I have long since submitted to the fact that I am yours, and you are mine. There’s no doubt about it, not when I feel this strongly for you.
I must get closer, this glass separating me from you is burdensome. I need to see you, unobstructed. I need to be able to hear your every sound, unfiltered.
I suppose I should be grateful for my wings now, the black blends right in to the shadows my brothers downstairs revel above all else. I’ll admit, I’m not quite used to hiding in corners. We angels typical love standing out, but for now, I’ll lie in wait. It’s much better for the both of us this way. Besides, you wouldn’t be able to see me even if you tried.
Oh, Beloved, look at you… How the mere sight of you, hand teasing at that gorgeous pussy, nearly brings me to my knees. The way your lips are parted as little breaths escape you while your eyes flutter shut and your nose scrunches is the most captivating sight I have ever had the pleasure to behold.
My only wish is that you could see the effect you have on me. Like you, my whole body is heating. My hands tremble, and my legs shake. Hell, even my wings cannot help but flutter in anticipation as I sneak my own hand down the front of my body. I’ll allow myself the pleasure of touching myself in time with you. I’ve only ever dreamed about it a countless amount of times before, anyways.
Dearly Beloved, won’t you give in to yourself? Give in to any and every desire you’re currently thinking about.
Touch yourself for me…
That’s it, Beloved, let me hear the wet drag of your fingers through that dripping cunt. I want to drown in your pleasure with you, don’t hold back.
Now I see why you covered your hand with your mouth…
It truly is hard to keep quiet when there’s such a temptation spread out before oneself. You are the greatest temptation I have ever known, and if I didn’t stifle my moan just now, you would have know that someone else is in the room with you. Well, we can’t have that, now, can we? You’d get scared and stop what you’re doing, and I wouldn’t be able to comfort you when you needed me most.
Fuck- there is no sound more holy than the breathless way you whine from such a simple touch.
Does that feel good, My Beloved? Are your fingers enough, circling over that delicate little clit of yours? Wouldn’t you rather feel mine? What about my tongue? You’d let me have a taste of that intoxicating nectar that flows from your pretty cunt, right? You’d let me get lost in you for however long I’d like? I’ll always give you everything you could ever want, My Beloved. My fingers, my tongue, my cock. Everything.
All that I am, is yours, Beloved. I hope when the time comes, you can say the same for me.
Oh, Beloved… do you know how fucking sexy you are when you moan like that? Do you know how it makes my heart stutter to hear you get lost to your own pleasure; how my cock aches for you? You must, otherwise you wouldn’t be tempting me like this.
I’m honestly embarrassed by how close I am already. I’ll have to work on that if we are to make love all night long when the time comes. And it will. I will make damn sure of it.
For now, why don’t you come for me? Rub that little clit, and come for me. Don’t hold back now, I want to see you. In all of your raw glory.
Yes, yes, yes, that’s it! Don’t stop now, Beloved. Let me hear you scream for me!
Fuck- I can practically taste you on my tongue already… look at that gorgeous pussy, just fucking fluttering in bliss.
So beautiful, and all mine.
Wait a second… I taste… blood.
Oh, I suppose I bit into my hand to keep myself quiet while I came with you. No worries, I’ll heal in the blink of an eye. Getting to see you come apart like that for me, though… priceless.
I wish I could stay, but I think one of my wings knocked into one of your picture frames on the wall, and I think you heard it despite the blissful haze that still clouds your mind. The last thing I want is to get caught like this. It’s not proper of me.
Really, what would you think?
I hope you didn’t catch that soft giggle of mine as I left your room, My Beloved, and I certainly hope you don’t discover any of my feathers I may or may not have left behind for you. If that’s that case, and you finally learn of my existence, my devotion to you… well, whatever on earth would I do?
#cultofdionysusnet#yandere hongjoong#yandere ateez#yandere kpop#hongjoong smut#hongjoong scenario#hongjoong imagine#ateez smut#ateez imagine#ateez scenario#kpop smut#kpop scenario#kpop imagine#kpop au#fallen angel au#chubby reader
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LO RANT:
Can we just talk about how incredibly insensitive and blissfully ignorant some fans are about trigger warnings for these very heavy and touchy subjects? Listen I’ve never been so disappointed in my damn life about this stuff, how are you going to read a comic about all of this heavy stuff that happens to people in real life yet also want people who’ve been affected by said topics to shut up or disengage from the comic completely. Y’all are giving this grown woman too much coddling at this point and it’s distressing, Rachel is a grown woman and it’s not like anyone forced her to put these topics into her story she understands (I hope but I say this loosely) that these discussions can be harder to experience for some people rather than others which is why trigger warnings exist and why you give your millions of fans who all come from very DIFFERING experiences than your own a trigger warning to warn them so their day won’t be demolished.
People have a right to call that shit out and if you don’t need the trigger warning good for you, stop acting like these people are insulting the comic by asking for one. It’s not like people are asking her to make a whole around the world trip in one day they are simply just asking for a damn trigger warning. I’m getting so extremely tired of Lore Olympus fans still not getting or even trying to understand this, these people understand that this comic handles serious things but just because Rachel has been “forgetting” the trigger warnings and they don’t want her allowing her fans to go head first into disturbing content doesn’t mean they want their hand held. Also, for the people saying that they should know when those scenes come up you make no sense anyways because you really can barely tell when scenes like these are coming without a trigger warning. The Demeter thing took me by surprise, so did Hera’s story, so did Demeter’s backstory, so did Hades’ shitty apology, etc. The amount of times that I got blindsided by serious topics such as those being dropped into the comic is way too fucking many to count so please don’t try and hide behind that excuse. There’s millions of fans out there who don’t expect shit like this just because you’ve been studying Lore Olympus and got down the mannerisms of the characters before something disturbing or traumatic is coming up doesn’t mean others do.
I’m sorry if I come off rash or meaner in this post I’m just extremely over this whole thing. I am a person that needs trigger warnings as well and last night I watched a video, thinking it would be funny, that ended up harming me. It was a “health” video and it was basically someone telling the viewers that regular human things happening to you is a sign of a painful death, I remember being so mortified that I felt my blood running cold and my heart pounding in my ears. If you didn’t know I’m very anxious, paranoid, and an overall hypochondriac so I don’t do well with shit like that coming up and randomly making itself known. I know many people probably wouldn’t care but I just wanted to let you guys know why trigger warnings are so useful and important to those that need them. Last night my body entered flight or fight mode just by that video alone and I was absolutely panicked, I was in so much distress and it was all because of one video. It only takes one chapter without a trigger warning to trigger worser things than that and we should all be mindful of that fact.
Again, sorry if all of this is aggressive or mean I didn’t mean anything by it I just wish that fans did better. It’s sad seeing them put down others for genuine concerns and it’s even sadder that Rachel does not do anything about it. There’s only so much toxic positivity you can fill up before there’s no real community left and there’s way too many fans who deserve at least a trigger warning with these things it really doesn’t take long to make and it could genuinely save people from these experiences such as mine.
Moral of the story is if you don’t need trigger warnings don’t bag on people who do, they’re not sensitive you just don’t share the same experiences as them and you don’t know what their background is at all. Be mindful that everyone isn’t you, respectfully.
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What season of SPN makes you the most feral? What are your headcanons about it?
Hi Anon!
Sorry it took me so long to answer, usually I’m quicker with asks. First, I needed to think about my answer. Then, my internet went down (ugh). Now, I’m on a work trip.
I don’t tend to have a lot of headcanons for SPN, and the ones I have, I mostly think of in the moment as I’m watching or they are pretty common (for example, Ben is Dean’s kid).
Anyways, after thinking about it, I think the season(s) thst makes me the most feral is the Season 2 & 3 combo. I have to put them together because of the reversal of brother worry that flows so well: Dean worrying obsessively about Sam (and being alone) until the worst happens and Sam actually dies, so Dean sells his soul for Sam because he can’t bear to be without him, so Sam worries obsessively about Dean (and being alone) until he starts throwing some of his morals out the window (metaphorically selling his soul) to try and save him, but the worst happens and Dean dies. These seasons have so many brother feels, then being mistaken for a couple (which I always find amusing), and pain. It all hurts so good.
There are a couple of things that make me feel especially “feeral” in this era.
In “In My Tine of Dying” Sam can sense Dean’s soul (love this), they talk to each other using a “talking board,” and Sam tried so damn hard find a way to save (in a short window of time) Dean, and Dean (who worries that he needs Sam more than Sam needs him) never remembers how worried Sam was for him and how much he watered to save him. I hate that he doesn’t remember. As far as I can tell, when Tessa returns his memories of that time (in Season 4), she only returned the parts involving her, not the parts where Dean saw how much Sam loved him (This is up there with Sam and Dean not knowing the phone call was tampered with in Season 4, for me).
“What is and What Should Never Be” pretty much twists my heart from start to finish. Dean having everything “apple pie” he could want, but none of it being worth it if Sam doesn’t love him (beyond in the “he’s my brother so I have to love him” but NOT like him sort of way). The acting in this one is good too. We get a very different Sam, and Jared plays how different he is from normal Sam and how weirded out he is by Dean trying to show any affection towards him really well. We get to see Jensen play a cute and happy Dean, then we see his heart breaking when he realizes he can’t stop hunting if it means people will die, and I love/hate the more subtle heartbreak of him seeing Sam back away from him. I just … love this episode. (Also, … “What are you calling me bitch for?”).
Everything about Meg!Sam, and Dean saying he’d rather die than kill Sam. Pure gold.
“Mystery Spot,” the whole episode is just fantastic. A tiny hesdcanon I have for this episode is that there was at least a day where Sam tackled Dean to the bed (non-romantically) and just refused to let him up, clinging to him like a koala in desperation because Dean dies every time he leaves the room, or does basically anything. Dean struggles at first but then just lays there and takes it, maybe awkwardly patting Sam’s arm. He is both kinda weirded out, but also secretly happy with how much Sam obviously cares about him. But, of course, it being Mystery Spot, Sam probably accidentally kills him somewhere in there.
One last thing I think of often is, I wish I could see Sam succeeding and saving Dean in the Season 3 finale. It bothers me so much that he couldn’t do it after how hard he tried, and the lengths he was willing to go to, and it hurts seeing how much his “failure” and losing Dean tortured him. Dean ended up inflicting the exact pain on Sam that their Dad did on him by selling his soul for him and dying for him, except worse. Also, I actually like the Angel story line in Seasons 4 to 6, but I loath it after that, except for a few exceptions. So, if Sam had saved Dean, we might have been spared angel politics thst went on for too long, as well.
Anyway, I’ll stop it there because my answer is getting away from me.
Thank you for your question, Anon ❤️.
What season(s) make you feral?
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KBH RANDOM RANT
I'M BACK... at least I try to post more often. Streams will also come more regularly (surely...).
I'm slowly getting back to work so my time is still very limited. I thought this was a good time to bring back my random rants about fandoms since I just revisited an old classic from my childhood.
YEP we're talking about Kim Possible one of the most ludicrous fictional universes I've ever seen... In a good way!
First up: This show is FUDGING 22 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR... I'm really getting old...
The funny part about that is it was made during the peak of the 2000s... and you really notice that.
The language that most teenagers use in this show is so stereotypical for that time it feels so nostalgic even watching it XD
Anyway, let's get the obvious out of the way. I know this is supposed to be a kids cartoon and I know that I'm an adult man but that doesn't stop me from watching it.
So, why is this show so great?
Good question! Its primary charm probably comes from its simple comedic attitude of telling a story.
The characters are so ridiculous that you should never be able to take this show seriously simply because most of their actions or the situations around them don't even make sense. This show just requires you to take in its vibe and go with the flow. I mean... a teenager knowing 16 forms of Kung Fu and saving the world on any given occasion is nothing that can possibly make sense. Don't forget: "Anything's possible for a Possible!"
Let's get into the characters:
Kim is your basic teenage girl, and she's here to save the world. You can't stop her 'cause...
Okay I'll stop xD
Apart from her being an ass-kicking girl boss, her main character traits are kinda the things you expect from a main character. She saves the world out of sheer will to stick to her morals. In short: she wants to help people. That obviously doesn't always work out and she sometimes ends up judging people by what they are instead of who they are. On top of that, she gets jealous easily.
BUT she is brave, smart, and makes usually good choices in the heat of the moment (except when it comes to love xD), and is otherwise very mature for her age.
Well... the opening song didn't lie. She really is your basic teenage girl. That doesn't mean she isn't cool xD
Well, obviously I can't end it without talking about the man and his very smart and hungry naked little friend.
What makes this show so funny is well... its ability to deliver comedy simply by a character existing and Ron Stoppable plays a big part in that.
He is pretty much a normal guy who just happens to be Kim's childhood friend and later somehow steals her heart xD
He is an absolute doofus. He is silly and rarely takes anything seriously. He is also lazy and loves his favorite junk food joint Bueno Nacho.
Despite all that he still cares for his friends, his naked mole rat Rufus, and usually learns a very important lesson after an episode.
He accompanies Kim on pretty much every mission and is usually more of a hindrance than a help. Despite all that Kim still loves him in her own way. And he also saves the day a couple of times, so it's not like he is a complete slob.
Rufus is just the cherry on top. Both of these guys are hilarious and I was honestly surprised by how much I laughed watching this show.
I could go on and on but I'm gonna try to finish up this post here before it gets too long xD
Even though every episode has kind of a similar structure, it never gets boring. The villains, the side characters... all of them add something very unique to the table. You just throw some characters together and boom the story kind of writes itself XD
Season 4 was my absolute favorite part of the show since guess what ... that was when Kim and Ron started dating and BOY DO THEY MAKE A CUTE COUPLE.
Ahem... anyways. I do not regret watching all 87 episodes in the last 2-3 weeks. If you're looking for a comfortable. goofy and funny way to escape reality for a moment I can only recommend this old classic.
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Tag Game: 9 Favorite Characters
I was tagged by @anyboli, @asha-mage, and @spectrum-color (Stop! stop! I’m already tagged!)
Aladdin (Disney’s Aladdin)
This is definitely where my love of the rogue-with-a-heart-of-gold archetype started. Lay the blame squarely at his bare feet. I watched all the sequels including the direct-to-VHS Aladdin and the King of Thieves.
2. Mat Cauthon (the Wheel of Time series)
He’s 12 different literary/historical/mythological references slapped together, chained to a lovable rogue archetype, rolled in accessories, doused in foreshadowing, and given #vampireproblems. He probably has ADHD and dyslexia and definitely has anxiety. I’m obsessed with him and I have the essays to prove it.
3. Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag (the Wheel of Time series)
Liking Mat is the gateway drug to liking Tuon, at least in my case. She’s so fucking weird and mysterious and infuriating and I really wanted to understand her and her role in the story. Then I wanted to figure out how to fix her. Now I still want all that but also I want to make her worse, make her make other people worse, and just generally Put Her In Situations. She is endlessly fascinating to me and I want to chew on her until I rip out her squeaker. Then I will put in another squeaker and the process will begin again. My username, originally chosen because somebody else snagged matrimonycauthon, has very appropriately become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
4. Ael i'Mhessian t'Rllalielu (the Rihannsu series)
No one should be surprised that I love Diane Duane’s take on the Romulans, and Ael is the archetypal honorable Romulan type that Star Trek originally introduced. As the aunt of the Romulan Commander in the Enterprise Incident (the Federation steals technology from the Romulans) she has good reasons to hate Captain Kirk and the Federation personally- but as the tagline says, when there is no help from her friends, she turns to her enemies. She’s the star of the Rihannsu Star Trek novels: start with either My Enemy, My Ally for the first book or the omnibus Rihannsu: The Bloodwing Voyages.
5. Tertius Lydgate (Middlemarch)
I was trying to sum up what I like about him and I think it’s something about the quiet tragedy of good intentions and ambition getting banally corrupted by unquestioned systems, practical considerations, and bad but personally inevitable choices. If you’ve ever worked in nonprofits or a b-corp, you may recognize yourself in Lydgate in a way that will make you uncomfortable. Or maybe it’s just me? Anyway, go read Middlemarch. It is always the right time in your life to read Middlemarch.
6. Tau-Indi Bosoka (The Masquerade series)
I’m love them! Tau-Indi is such a sweet person, and they follow a favorite character arc of mine: characters whose assigned or chosen role is to be the best representative & highest expression of their specific ethical and political milieu, and then they experience or learn something that forever disqualifies them from their former role, and then they have to keep on existing and build their sense of morality and place in the world from the ground up, on firmer foundations than the ones they started with. Also an excellent foil to Baru.
7. Miriam Beckstein (the Merchant Princes series)
Merchant Princes is basically an isekai story where a biotech journalist finds out she’s a long-lost heir to a group of alternate-universe-teleporting refugees. It’s not actually very fun for her at first, but she’s making it work. I love competence porn and she definitely delivers, and there’s also a very sweet slow-burn romance tied up with her funding and leading the socialist revolution of yet another alternate universe.
8. Glimmer (new She-Ra)
Glimmer? She’s just my bisexual teleporting deeply morally questionable power fantasy, it’s not that deep. Also she’s hot and I love her hair.
9. Mark Pierre Vorkosigan (Vorkosigan series)
What an incredible foil! Every time I read him I’m so impressed by how fucked up he is and how hard he’s working to figure out who he is and develop in a direction he chooses. Control issues, daddy issues, sexuality issues, identity issues… he’s an entire wall of magazines and I think he’s just great.
Tagging: @unmarkedcards @veliseraptor @ameliarating @gunkreads @liesmyth and anyone else who wants to do it
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CHOUJIN X, CHAPTER 35 THOUGHTS.
Chapter 35 shows Tokio’s separation from his friends, and the themes of nihilism Ishida weaves into his manga. The central conflict between Tokio and his best friend Azama early on where one of them is referred to as the vulture and the other the lion is a reference to Nietzsche’s philosophy. The lion in particular is one of the three metamorphoses Nietzsche lists in Thus Spoke Zarathustra. In this chapter, Tokio is embarking on his journey through those three metamorphoses which symbolize the three stages of life and development.
1. The Wilderness
Thus spoke Zarathustra is a work in which Nietzsche expounds upon several of his key concepts, including the superman, self-overcoming, and nihilism. The main theme of Thus Spoke Zarathustra is the portrayal of values as either creative and life-affirming, or ascetic and conformist.
The basic idea Nietzsche puts forward in his work is that all ideology, rules and morality of any given society are created rather than inherent. Which means morals and laws and commandments don’t come from gods, they come from human beings. They are the inventions of human beings and enforced by human beings.
Nietzsche’s idea that there’s no inherent morality isn’t suggesting that morality doesn’t exist, or that there are no rules therefore you can do whatever you want, but just that you should not blindly follow the rules. Nietzsche refers to Christianity as the “old morality”, which someone has to shed away in order to be someone who can create their own morality.
Which is why Choujin X primarily being a superhero manga, where characters with super powers fight villains, follow the law and save people as heroes of justice is such a good place for a Nietzschean dissection of morality.
From the start Tokio is identified as a character who basically has no ideals, he begins the manga making no decisions for himself, and just copying whatever Azama does.
Azama is a believer of justice unlike Tokio, who puts a lot of work into studying and martial arts because he believes in his own personal justice. Azama’s introduction in the manga is even the classic saving a woman from a thug attacking her scenario that’s featured in many comic book superhero stories, but what’s important about that scene is TOkio is the one who stumbles upon the woman in trouble and even though he knows he should do something he just sits there and watches waiting for Azama to come help. That says a lot about Tokio’s character, he has no morality or ideals he fights for he’s just a shallow copy of Azama’s ideals.
If the central theme of Choujin X is what Choujin do with their superhuman powers, then Tokio despite suddenly being given power and more power than Azama. Yet, Tokio stays the same old pathetic and indecisive person.
Which is why Tokio needs to go through these stages of metamorphoses, because up until this point in the manga he still had not developed any ideals of his own and instead borrowed from both Ely and Azama at the same time. He was still following the old values. Which makes sense why his separation from Ely and Azama is necessary for his growth into his own individual.
Nietzsche’s three metamorphsoes parallel in Thus Spoke Zarathustra follows three stages. The camel, the lion, and the child. The first stage begins with the camel is suddenly burdened. Nietzsche gives several examples of what those burdens are, but it all boils down to self-examination.
“Why is it heavy? So asketh the load-baering-spirit; then kneeleth it down like the camel, and wanteth to be well laden. What is the heaviest thing, ye heroes? asketh the load-bearing spirit, that I may take it upon me and rejoice in my strength.” (Thus spake Zarathusra).
It’s hard to think for yourself, and it’s easy to follow others. This is the state Tokio was in just before he was told of his potential destiny as the one to stop the destruction of Yamato.
He’s still chained to another person’s belief system. Which is why while Tokio disappearing from Azama and Ely’s life is a little bit selfish and hurtful, it’s also something that was probably necessary for Tokio’s development as an individual.
Nietzsche states the thing that camel does to move onto its next development is to separate itself from others and retreat into the wilderness.
“All these the heaviest things the load-bearing sprit taketh upon itself; and like the camel, which when laden, haseneth into its wilderness.”
(Thus Spake Zarathustra)
Which mirrors the necessary journey that Tokio akes this chapter, to venture into the wilderness and separate himself from others so he can become strong and independent enough to carry his own burdens. In response to Tokio suddenly realizing that he has great power and potentially a great destinty to save Yamato as a choujin and because of that he needs to become someone responsible enough to carry those things.The next phase is the lion.
Which is most likely the stage Azama is at right now. At the stage of the lion , you begin to create your own morality.
All values have already been created, and all created values - do I represent. Verily, there shall be no “I willl” any more. Thus speaketh the dragon, My brethren, wherefore is there need of the lion in the spirit? Why sufficeth not the beast of burden, which is renounceth and is reverent? To create new values - that even the lion cannot yet accomplish: but to create for itself the freedom for new creating - that can the might of the lion do. To create itself freedom, and give a holy Nay ecen unto duty;for that, my brethren there is need of the lion.
(Thus Spake Zarathustra)
Therefore, Azama who already has his own convictions and idea of justice was already at this stage, whereas until this point Tokio was only ever playing catch up to him.
We see the chapter end with Tokio’s journey into the wilderness, because he needs the might of the lion to begin to create his own values and think for himself. The third stage would be child, where Tokio is essentially reborn as a new person, his own person rather than a shallow copy of other people.
Which is why the ultimate goal in this manga is to become a “Choujin” (the direct translation of this word in Japanese is superman), which relates to the nietzschian idea of the ubermensch.
Nietzsche puts forward we follows these stages of metamorphosis i order to create the ubermensch or superman. Having gone through an old morality, creative spirits can shed the influence of others and ultimately create a new way of being in the world. Such a new being would involve not only a new perspective, but a new set of values with their own rationale.
“There was it also where I picked up from the path the word “Superman” and that man is something to be surpassed. THat man is a bridge and not a goal - rejoiciing over his noontiedes and evenings, as advances to new rosy dawns.” Thus Spake Zarathsutra
Tokio’s journey into becoming the superman has nothing to do with becoming the smartest or the strongest, but learning to be his own person and think for himself without following others.
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Okey, I confused with mobius arc a d personalities actually I confuse with all tva personalities. Let's little recap mobius 'empathy and pitty' in season 1.
He showing some sympathy tona schild in ep 1 by make him laughing but them he well let the child died
Then with loki, he claim they are friend but when actually they became friends? When he keep down him and keep remains loki that he is his jailor
Mobius very much aware that what he did, he literally tell loki he didn't care as long he have some power and he said it with very casual and no forced. He didn't want to know if he was wrong, he keep obey it was because it's easy things rather actually for good reason
The only reason he Rebel to tva it was because turn out he is not special brinh, he just a human that easy tossed away when no need it anymore, there's no remorseful or guilty or apologize that out from him
Let's side by side him with he in season 2. Well in season 2 he short of showing some 'guilt ' and turn out the reason he have 'pitty' to childrens it was because he was a dad.
The rest he still sound like an idiot that trying sound smart but look more stupid everytime he open his mouth like in season 1
Oh, let's not forget loki time slipping to first time them meet and asked mobius advice. This part actually make me more confuse with his actually personalities. In this scene mobius said that he choose his burden for greater good
Ummmmm did we see same mobius? Because he literally not care about greater good, he keep obey it was because he got power, and peoples that actually got burden they never look to relax like him, he showing no remorse at all. So that is not burden, I don't belive that.
I meant if he belive what he did for greater good he will showing some remorse but well he not showing any of that on season 1 , like hwr self that claim what he did for greater good and a mercy he showing to much happy and glee for someone claimed that.
So, no. Non in tva doing it for great her good, they probably belive but come on they have brain and eyes to see that what they did basically useless and only doing more harm to multiverse.
And please stop claiming but hey are innocent and right while in reality they are not
have not seen season 2 will not be watching season, because from everything I've heard about it they keep trying to justify the fascists rather than just admitting these characters were cruel, did terrible things and believed a lie when it convinced them. Like they keep trying to write it so in-universe the circumstances justified the characters. But from a real world viewer perspective I don't care about the in-universe circumstances. I think it's messed up to write a story where fascists are excuse because they thought they had a good reason instead criticising that mindset or at the very least exploring why someone would think like that. Made worse by the unbelievably tonedeath advertising and merchandising of season 2 which seem to be endorsing the TVA.
But moving on to Mobius I have said this many times, all his kindness is conditional and performative. He never shows regret for his action only not getting what he wants. If you cut out episode 3 and went directly ep 2 to ep 4 Mobius sounds outright delusional, because he forcing Loki to work for TVA, and through out episode 2 Mobius is distrustful and hold the treat of death over his head.
This goes into the show not just bad morals but complete lack of morals or sense. Loki has no obligation to Mobius or The TVA, not only is he being forced to go along with them, THEY'RE THE BAD GUYS! There is nothing wrong in any sense with running away from them. And what makes it worse is that Loki, truly and genuinely never betrayed Mobius. He ran off to pursue Sylvie, the thing he was brought on to do. Sure, Loki had alternative motives or at least he claims to. But who cares because they don't even have a chance to manifest again why should we care the episode where Mobius calls Loki a bad friend who betrayed him is the episode where see the TVA pull a child from her home, arrest her and presumably forcibly stripped her of her clothes. Why should we care Loki fled from these people just because Mobius spared him? Are we suppose to agree or sympathize with Mobius and think Loki is in the wrong for his actions? and not just view Mobius as a deluded cruel fascist.
The ironic thing is Mobius ends up having more narcissistic traits. Mobius the one he thinks he is just entitled to thing, friendship, loyalty or praise. He is the one who refuses to admit wrongdoing, doesn't even seem to comprehend being in the wrong and refuse to apologize. Even when Sylvie corners it has to be forced and even then, he says it in a way where he refuses to admit wrongdoing on his part. Mobius is the one who aggrandizing himself while tearing down others.
Mobius tears Loki down and mocks him but then says he could be good and that suppose to make them friends. It's terribly written and when you step back and look at it, it keeps getting worse
Anyway the next episode of EMH is going to kick off the Kang arc so that will be an interesting trip
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Dijkstra/Isengrim, Triss/Philippa
Well oopsie whoopsie, I did basically immediately fall asleep after reblogging that ship game last night but lol
Dijkstra/Isengrim
What made you ship it?
I'm working on an entire essay at the moment of "why I ship it and you should too" but in brief, they're both ugly, snarky, intelligent, and devious outcasts who did objectionable things and in any other story would have probably ended up as villains and gotten their comeuppance. But they're not villains and also not heroes, and they ultimately end up discarded by the powers that be when their usefulness ends. If they'd met a year earlier, they would have dismissed or outright killed each other without a second glance. They're equals from opposite sides of a conflict that ultimately had no sides. And there's something about that understanding they have in their Lady of the Lake chapter that is just soooo deeply important to me.
What are your favorite things about the ship?
I love that witty banter is a given, that a lot of things are said without being said, and that they're both fiercely loyal and stubborn characters who would easily turn that loyalty toward one another but also likely consistently irritate one another with how stubborn they can be. I love that they're equal partners. I love that Dijkstra's a big tall fat ugly guy and that Isengrim's also ugly and disfigured and it's the first thing anyone notices about either of them. I love the thought of these two old men, both of them capable of great violence and rage toward those who have wronged them and indifference to the suffering of those they feel deserve it, being domestic and almost cloyingly romantic with one another. Just. The gooiest, softest romantic domesticity two old men in love have ever known, and they also could wreck your shit in an instant if you wrong or threaten them.
Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?
I don't really like the direction CDPR/the games chose to go with Dijkstra's character and so usually chose to ignore it. His character design? Wonderful. Innovative. Excellent. Show-stopping. Exquisite. But his storylines and motivations... have very little to do with his book character and I don't really like them. Book Dijkstra isn't ambitious and especially post book canon after getting burned, I don't think he'd give a shit about politics or power.
Triss/Philippa
What made you ship it?
Triss' character arc is one of my favorite's in the whole book because it's so... she's terrified and she's convinced she's doing the right thing and she's insane and she's compassionate and she's emotional and she's traumatized and she's trying to cling to anything that makes any kind of sense in a world that doesn't make sense. And Philippa is so radically her opposite in every sense and also, I don't think she's every really wholly loved anyone but maybe for a little while wants to love Triss and maybe she does. I love the ship as an inevitable tragedy, like watching a car wreck that you can't look away from.
What are your favorite things about the ship?
Honestly I just really love morally dubious lesbians doing questionable things. I love that Philippa brings out the worst in Triss that was there before her and that she is convinced doesn't exist, and I love that maybe Triss could bring out the good in Philippa even for a moment. Also, the imagery of a bird of prey and her gentle, rabbit-soft lover... Triss getting pulled in by her dangerous, seductive allure and Philippa getting pulled in by her supposed delicate fragility hiding claws... They're not some great love story, but they do have strong potential for the messiest codependent yucky absurdity with a lot of hard kink and rare soft moments.
Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?
Maybe not that unpopular of an opinion, but I think Philippa being a lesbian was not some progressive move by Sapko or even a very genuine character decision but really just a big joke (most of his characters are ultimately big jokes though, the whole story is a bit of a joke). I don't think Triss/Phil was intended to be canon but just accidentally looks that way if you squint. Death of the author though, that yucky lesbian is ours now.
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theres a massive difference between creating 'problematic' content bc you genuinely think its hot, or don't see how it's an issue, or you just want to rile folks up, versus creating content that deals with dark/serious/taboo topics that doesn't stop every 5 seconds to go 'THIS IS OBVIOUSLY BAD AND GROSS'
the idea that people can only make art/stories/etc about bad stuff if they expressly and only depict it as bad is fucking stupid ngl. using CSA as an example, victims often love their abusers, abusers often genuinely think what theyre doing is morally fine, victims often dont realise theyre being abused whilst it's happening. artists and writers should be allowed to depict these scenarios and get into the headspace of characters feeling these emotions without people saying they 'condone' something. depiction =/= glorification and that holds true even when the depiction is from the POV of a character who doesn't think or realise that the bad thing theyre doing and/or experiencing is bad. or demanding that the artist divulge a bunch of their own personal irl trauma so others can decide whether or not its 'valid' for them to make that kind of content.
i agree with the notion that we should all be critical of the content we create and consume regarding dark topics and take a moment to think about how it may be interpreted by different people but like,, could you imagine an action movie that has every character pause and adress the camera to explain how guns are bad and should be restricted? if an action movie has a lot guns, a lot of good guys using guns, a lot of guns used to pull off cool stunts, does that inherently mean the director thinks irl guns are awesome and everyone should have one?? fucking of course not. if you personally dont wanna watch a movie where guns are portrayed in a positive light then thats totally fine, but you dont get to argue that the director somehow condones mass shootings just bc he didnt include a scene of someone talking about how guns are used for bad stuff too.
sorry for leaving this hugeass rant in your askbox but basically tl;dr ppl need to get better at nuanced thought, critical thinking, and curating their own experiences in regards to 'problematic' content.
Yeah that makes a lot of sense
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Demon
Demons are evil, insidious, predatory, and incredibly dangerous. You need to have a precise algorithm for dealing with them, know every word, every rune, every spell. His mentors greeted him with these words, the yellowed pages of every possible textbook, every ancient teaching and scroll, these words were engraved in his mind like a mantra. The knowledge of the only true, basic knowledge, the confirmation of which was woven like a thin, blood-red thread through his life. You must not let a demon come closer to you than the boundaries of the protective circle allow. Because demons will undoubtedly hurt you as soon as they get the chance. Nathaniel knew this.
Bartimaeus, however, was different. Bartimaeus didn't fit into any of these theses, any book paragraphs.
Bartimaeus waited for him with a haughty look of displeasure on his face. Bartimeus answered every summoning in a flash. Bartimaeus grumbled that one day Nathaniel would kill himself when he sat too long over his work papers. Bartimaeus could spend hours telling another story that had been gathering dust for centuries, and Nathaniel could not admit that he could really listen to him as long as he talked. Bartimaeus smiled at him wild, with all his teeth, but there was something about the gesture that made Nathaniel forget what was just being said every time. Bartimaeus knew thousands of songs and melodies, singing them in his ear when he was busy working hard. Bartimaeus would sit next to him on some nights, quietly whispering what an idiot his master was, involuntarily touching his arm. Bartimaeus had a whole collection of stupid jokes, throwing them out to Nathaniel at the most important moments, forcing him to gather all his willpower to keep from bursting into a fit of laughter. Bartimeus questioned every single book Nathaniel read. Bartimaeus knew his house by heart, walking through the rooms as if it were his own home, and for some reason Nathaniel had no power to stop him. Bartimaeus would stand in the kitchen for long periods of time, preparing Nathaniel's breakfast, even if he told he was only going to poison him. Bartimaeus had seen him standing in front of the council chamber, composed and confident. Bartimaeus had seen him confused and crying on the floor of his office, in moments when he hated himself especially much. Bartimeus knew him as a rich and successful minister of information. Bartimaeus knew him as a small, stupid, vengeful boy in shabby clothes. Bartimaeus read his mind, understood his movements, and anticipated his actions.
But Bartimaeus was not human.
Bartimaeus despised any rules and restrictions, repeatedly persuading Nathaniel to cross the line of white runes. Bartimaeus did not understand specifics, did not understand why his feelings should have a name. Bartimaeus changed forms like a second skin, without any sense or reason. Bartimeus caught him with the look of black, bottomless eyes, in which if you stumble, you will fall and drown. Bartimeus despised clear words. Bartimaeus was analyzing every touch. Bartimaeus soared through the sky like a free bird that cannot be locked in a cage, but only watched as it flies farther and farther away, without the possibility of selfishly grabbing it and bringing it back to you. Bartimaeus did not know the rules of law and morality. Bartimaeus looked at this world through his own prism of years, passing on a part of this knowledge to him with a single thought. Bartimaeus laughed softly, but clearly and raspily, so that Nathaniel's heart stopped for a second. Bartimaeus floated in the sunlight, dissolved in the moonlight, resembling a full-fledged particle of matter of the universe, the canvas of the sky and stars. Bartimaeus squeezed his shoulder as if he wanted to crush every bone in it. Bartimaeus kissed him, not caring much about place and time, making Nathaniel merge into the darkness, forgetting all past questions. Bartimaeus was lowering his bar lower and lower. Bartimaeus made a mockery of his dignity. Bartimaeus mocked his norms. Bartimaeus fascinated by the mere fact of his existence.
Bartimaeus was so unique, special, only one in all known universes. And he ultimately belonged to him.
#bartimaeus#the bartimaeus trilogy#bartimaeus sequence#bartimaeustrilogy#nathaniel#bartimaeus trilogy#nathaniel underwood#bartnat#nathaniel bartimaeus trilogy#GOD I LOVE THEM AAHH#SO MUCH#It's illegal#outlaw I'd say#*sound of ironic drums*#Barty is not human and we have to remember that#Don't shove the poor djinni into your human limitation
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Top five musicals?
Thanks so much for asking!!! There's definitely a lot more over which I've completely obsessed over the years and presently than just the top five, but these have stayed pretty consistent for me:
5. The Producers: Should I have been allowed to see this as young as an age as I was? Probably not, but in my family, Mel Brooks kind of took precedence over 'age appropriateness', and so it's been since woven into my DNA! Structurally, it's pretty much perfect, which is fitting for a love letter to Broadway. The score is pretty much perfect, and the fact that That Face was written about Anne Bancroft absolutely melts me just the same as Where Did We Go Right? and Keep It Gay leave me in stitches. (To say nothing of the absolute setpiece made out of Springtime for Hitler.) There's not a single skippable song, every joke lands wonderfully (including the updates from the original film!), and every character is an absolute joy to watch. I know there's debate as to whether the gay jokes have aged well, but imo Roger and Carmen are arguably the most moral - and lovable - characters in the show. Likewise, there's really no other musical that ends Act One with the protagonist saying "I got this" and solving a major conflict by having sex with an entire chorus of old ladies for money.
4. Wicked: Yes, yes, the quintessential "I was an outcast girl in the 2000s" musical, but it holds up!! There's a marvellous spectacle and such a strong focus on women and female relationships (which you really, really don't get in way too many shows), and a truly engaging fantasy setting with contemporary yet instantly classic songs by the incomparable Stephen Schwartz. It's a reinterpretation of a classic that'll make you look at it completely differently, and For Good still hits different. Also, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished is like...Epiphany: For Her! We love to see it! I love the magical and stage effects, and done right, the ending always tugs at the heartstrings.
3. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: There's nothing quite like the joy of being told in no uncertain terms you're not supposed to watch something, and sneaking to watch it anyway, but that's how 10 year old me got introduced via the Burton film, and subsequently found the Hearn/Lansbury proshot online - and the rest was history! This is probably my favourite score in any musical - Sondheim pulls out all the stops, and it is just gorgeous to listen to - seriously, go listen to the 2012 London Revival version of God, That's Good or any version of Kiss Me/Ladies In Their Sensitivities, or the triumphant build to the end of A Little Priest. This tale of Victorian vengeance, squalor, love and loss and deceit is delightfully ghastly, with a truly complex leading lady in the form of Mrs. Lovett, humour that still holds up, and a sense of foreboding that no other horror musical has ever quite reached. I absolutely love how it explores the fears of dehumanization through industrialism while juggling the man-devouring-man plotline, hope versus cynicism, and hypocrisy. And so, so, so much blood. The foreshadowing is Greek Tragedy levels, and I literally can't get enough of it. Absolutely the show that got me through my angsty teen years.
2. The Phantom of the Opera: Is not only still there, inside my mind, but is largely responsible for a good portion of my personality. Seeing it as a bookish twelve year old is basically the quintessential brain-rewiring experience, and my tiny chatterbox self was left in absolutely stunned silence for several hours after leaving the theatre. (I then proceeded to never shut up for it for the following thirteen years, so.) The music is the absolute best of Andrew Lloyd Webber's work, and it's still the biggest visual treat of any show - those stunning sets and those gorgeous costumes are the best in the biz and absolutely transport you into the heart of the story. The play-within-the-play elements of the operas pastiching various popular operas are so delightful, and Masquerade is one of the absolute greatest sequences in theatrical history. The spectacle, the dancing, the effects...pure magic. And of course, it really is the gothic romance in my mind, complete with a truly compelling, admirable, and fierce heroine. And yes, I do still cry at the appropriate moments.
Les Misérables: There really is no other choice but this one. I was lucky enough to see the revival with Norm Lewis as Javert (greatest performance ever!) as a kid, and though much of the plot was lost on kid!me, I stayed with it before getting back into it something fierce in middle school. The book is my all-time favourite book, and the musical is an absolutely incredible feat in adapting All That. The word 'epic' has been run into the ground, but there's no other word to describe the show. The constant reprises of melodies to indicate the cyclical nature of both the narratives and the themes of injustice and unrequited love is absolutely masterful (also, the use of the exact same melody for Valjean and Javert's soliloquies, one for the birth of a new life, the other a death after being unable to accept one! unbelievable), and paired with the turntable, is something incredible. The songs are unforgettable, the characters stand the test of time and still resonate for a reason, and it successfully gets me to laugh, cry, and cheer every time. It may not have invented the Act 1 Multi-Part Reprise Finale, but by gum, it perfected it. It's really the perfect musical in every sense of the word, and it all comes down to how a single act of kindness can change everything.
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4, 5, 11 a d 20. Be salty af 🤣
i walked right into that one didn’t i? 😅 okay salt ahead
4.) who is your least favorite doctor? why?
i think no one will be surprised with this one, probably thirteen, for a multitude of reasons mostly due to the awful writing. i don’t connect with them at all and unfortunately they have not grown on me over time. one of my big grievances with them is the complete lack of relationship between them and the companions (which is a big influence on how i rate doctors - i think five suffers from this as well) i could forgive bad writing/ stories a lot more if the i was invested in the characters and unfortunately this era scores zero on both accounts. also the inconsistent morality is hard to watch as well.
5.) any complaints about the show?
a big question without going into specifics. like every fan, i have many, blanket complaint this era, goes without saying 😅. i can critique/ complain about any era so i’ll (try) be fair and give some for each.
classic who (i know there are different eras within classic but for simplicity im grouping it) - (bigotry of the time aside) pacing of stories mainly, (obviously this is a product of its time so i don’t hold it too harshly and accept it for what it is) also companion exits are very underwhelming and marrying them off for reason to leave is 👎
rtd - more personal taste, but russell’s tendency to up the ante in every series finale is not my cup of tea. once you get to ‘all of reality is at stake’, i’ve lost my investment in the story. also his obsession with a certain companion. i like rose don’t get me wrong, but russell couldn’t seem to let her go throughout his whole era.
moffat - (many lol) mainly his treatment of his female characters is awful, complicated plots/ arcs, doesn’t understand the concept of death, the amount of body comments through this era, also a niche one but the overly large time skips in the doctor for little reason, seriously 4 and half billion years is taking the piss
chibnall - (it’d be quicker to say things i liked about this era lol) lack of any depth of character, lack of sense of morality, bad dialogue etc etc.
11.) least favorite companion?
the cop lol 💀 or basically any of the fam although this is more from a writing standpoint (im sorry im very harsh on this era 😅). i think ch*bnall’s take on the companion role is an insult to the show. the companion has never been background furniture just to give the occasional line. no the companion does not always have to save the day but they have always been characters in of themselves which contributes to the stories and plot. the doctor/ companion relationship is also essential to the show which is basically non existent in this era too. yaz unfortunately makes it to the bottom because she has been here the longest without adequate contribution. a three season companion should have way much more going for them.
20.) if you could change anything about the show, what would it be?
im gonna take this as changes to the show in general, to which i would say (obviously budget and production restrictions aside) definitely need to go off earth more, and definitely need an alien companion. wish list things, i would say having longer seasons (stop reducing the episode count bbc!), exploring the tardis more (seeing the companions’ bedrooms), also i’d give the master a long term companion.
#thanks for the ask!#asks#i swear i love this show i swear#also im sure a lot of my critique is recency bias come to me five years ago and id be tearing m*ffat to shreds#ask tag
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THE ASOIAF BOOK REVIEW.
The Main Series, Best to Worst:
1.
A Storm of Swords
It’s interesting how Dany, Sam, and Brienne both express the same idea in Storm, that the strong should protect the weak. This is a central idea within Storm: authority.
In Storm, Jon is plunged into a world without rules, and yet he still follows the rules which commanded his life before him.
Robb is forced to make morally dubious decisions in order to protect his reign, as does Dany.
Davos undermines the authority of someone he’s sworn to help because it’s the right thing to do.
However, heavy is the head that wears the crown, as we see how responsibility weighs on Robb, Edmure, Cat, and Dany.
Dany and Jon and Davos are forced into these very ethically messy situations. These situations place them in the center of arguments concerning power and freedom.
The book does not answer these questions. Is Ygritte right that everyone should be allowed to do whatever they want? Is Jorah right when he argues the ends justify the means?
Who knows.
Moving on. Storm sticks out from the rest of the books due to its pacing, as pretty much every chapter advances both the arcs of the characters and the plot.
For such a great novel, it might have the weakest prologue, in my opinion. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t have the suspense of Game, the fantastic character building of Clash, or the beautiful mysticism of Dance. However, immediately after that, we get Jaime I and the banger chapters start coming and they don’t stop coming.
Jaime’s story is very close to perfect. As stated, his dynamic with Brienne is fantastic, and his arc is perfectly paced and extraordinarily satisfying. It’s impressive how Jaime goes through such a monumental change in just nine chapters, and it still feels real. Plus, the adventure he and Brienne go on is a legitimately fun adventure where you don’t know what will happen next. All of the foes they face are interesting and test them in unique ways, it rarely wastes time in unnecessary details, and did I mention how well Jaime and Brienne play off one another?
Arya’s chapters work just the same, with all of her little stops being intriguing, distinct from one another, and helpful in moving her character arc along. It does get a bit annoying how long it takes for her to meet Dondarrion, but if I couldn’t stand being impatient, then I wouldn’t read this series. Arya at the end at the Crossroads is the perfect culmination of her story so far, with both her internal and external conflict coming to a head.
This is probably Jon’s best book, as every chapter of his is insanely intense. Undercover stories are always interesting, and they are made all the more interesting when the undercover agent falls in love with someone. They’re made even more fascinating when his undercover adventure makes our undercover agent question his worldview. There is not a single dull moment in these chapters. Jon is always in danger, always going through a dozen moral quandaries and character conflicts, and there’s always something really cool going on with the Wildlings. There really does not seem like there’s a way for Jon to get out of this situation, and that fills the chapters with a huge amount of suspense.
Plus, Jon’s relationship with Ygritte manages to work despite how little time it’s given, capturing this feeling of rebellious young love.
It is a bit weird that Jon’s story has multiple climaxes to it. Him choosing to stay at the wall is the climax of his arc so far while Stannis defeating Mance is sort of the climax in the sense that it’s the height of the action. Basically, the internal and the external conflicts in Jon’s story are resolved at different times.
Dany’s chapters are decent, I guess. They have some nice character moments for Dany, some fun action, and it’s satisfying to watch Dany slowly rise to power.
However, her chapters suffer from how under-developed Slaver’s Bay is as a location, and how uninteresting every character is (except for her and Meissandei).
Also, like, obviously the oppressed group needs to be oppressed, but can you at least have them be defiant? The image of oppressed groups simply being helpless little guys who can’t do anything is an outdated storytelling device. Give us an Unsullied who isn’t completely loyal. Don’t make everyone Dobbie. The reason why Meissandei is interesting is because she seems to be the only enslaved person who isn’t completely obedient.
We should feel more for these characters than pity. Pity does not humanize someone- humanity does.
And, as I said, Slaver’s Bay is a location with lots of cool facts and history and buildings, and yet, it doesn’t feel nearly as alive as Westeros. On the surface, Slaver’s Bay is far more interesting than Westeros, as Westeros is very similar to many other fantasy locations. However, Westeros shines because of how detailed and meticulous George is with his world building. We don’t just get a few lines on the religion, we see how The Faith affects characters like Davos and Catelyn, and we see the same for those who believe in the old gods.
All of this means that we get what the people of Westeros are about. However, we never really know what traits the Ghiscari value, how the citizens of Slaver's Bay the world, or how their culture affects their behavior. I definitely don’t know much about the Ghiscarin religion.
Worldbuilding is essential to Song, as the destruction of feudalism is also a deconstruction of the fantasy genre itself. However, Dany’s chapters aren’t really deconstructing the society she is in.
Dany does shine in these chapters, however. I like the part where she is badass, cries alone in her room, and then continues being badass. It’s such a mood. Plus, caring for everyone because she
It is also good writing to have such a moral character be put in a moraless environment.
Still, everything in Mereen and Astapor, while extremely important to her character, feels like a sidequest whose only purpose is to get more loot so Dany can do the main quest. All of the other chapters in ASOS manage to weave character and plot progression really well, but it’s difficult with Dany. Apparently, George originally planned on her invading in the second book, and you can kind of tell from how stretched out her story feels. And this time could be spent fleshing out the side characters and the world, but there isn’t even any flesh to flesh out. There’s no meat on the bones! The events in Mereen and Astapor probably wouldn’t feel that way if we were more fully engrossed in the world.
Also, I can list a million differences between The North and the Riverlands, but the only difference I can think between Mereen and Astapor is that Mereen has a pyramid.
Moving on, Cat’s stuff is fantastic. Duh. The drama works. The characters are all fantastic. The Red Wedding is one of the most effective moments ever. If I haven’t sung these praises then I already will. Pretty much all of her chapters deliver a trillion different excellent character moments.
I wish I could have had the experience of reading Storm without knowing that the Red Wedding would happen. However, it was still just as shocking and powerful, and it never loses its impact with every reading. The tension leading up to the chapter always reverberates in my bones.
Bran’s chapters are simple, with only a few characters, and all of these characters are really fun to watch.
The vibes of these chapters are a mix between a post apocalyptic and childlike quality often only found in Studio Ghibli films. Bran and Meera and Jojen and Hodor and Summer are alone in this expansive world. Freedom is simultaneously wondrous and terrifying, as is magic and also growing up. Of course, a big part of growing up for many people is gaining freedom and having to deal with that freedom, because it means you have no safety net to catch you if you fall.
Like with many other character’s stories, there’s always danger within Bran’s chapters.
My problem with Bran’s story is that they end suddenly halfway through the book. Every other character gets a pretty fantastic final moment, but Bran is just kind of forgotten about. That’s easily my biggest complaint about this book.
Davos’ stuff is very good. He’s a great character in great company, and his story fits snuggly into this thematic tapestry the book weaves. As I said previously, Davos is making a similar decision to the one Jaime once did, breaking an oath to serve the greater good. Davos reading the message from the wall to Stannis is another example of how good this book is at giving us a culmination of a character’s arc. Davos also has a lot more agency in this book then he did in Clash, which means he’s a lot more active, making decisions which actively affect the story.
Sansa’s stuff is very good. She’s in a situation where she’s completely alone and at the mercy of everyone around her, and even those who seem to be helping don’t really help her. Her story has the tragedy which the death of innocence brings.
Sam’s first chapter is some of the most intense and gripping writing in the entire series, and so is his second and third. It’s pretty much non stop action, broken up by some angst, and that is exactly what I want out of a story. Sam is the perfect character to be put in this extremely harsh environment, and seeing him get out of it is satisfying because he fucking rocks. The dude is doing the most impressive stuff ever all the while hating himself, and that is very relatable.
Also, his chapters, and the book as a whole, also make good use of beginning the chapter in media res and then going back in time to explain how the characters got there. There’s no reason why I like it, it’s just a fun bit of styling.
Sam’s arc in this book is pretty much perfect, with him meddling in the election making a perfect culmination.
The first half of Tyrion’s story is alright, but then Joff dies and shit gets wild. Tyrion’s entire messy, complicated arc comes to a head in a few giant, extraordinarily impactful, scenes. Those final Tyrion chapters are filled to the brim with some of the best moments of the series, whether they be Tyrions “I wish I had enough poison to kill all of you” speech, the battle between Oberyn and the mountain, and Tyrion and Jaime’s confrontation.
Tyrion’s entire trial feels like the nightmare of an insecure person, where everyone comes and mocks you and you have no one to depend on. It’s interesting to compare it to Jon’s predicament occurring at the same time. However, Jon has all of these people who do stand by him, and Tyrion does not. It’s funny how Tyrion spends all of Clash gaining power, but he never built up an actual support network or whatever, so everyone just kind of abandoned him (except Jaime, and Podrick I suppose, maybe Garlan would have helped him if he had asked).
It’s sad that not only are Tyrion’s loves all paid for, so are his friendships.
Basically, Storm has all of the traits of ASOIAF at its peak. The character drama is heartbreaking, the magical and realist elements are blended beautifully, the story has never felt more huge yet more interconnected, and every chapter ends on a cliffhanger. The political aspects are as intriguing and layered as they always are, the action is intense and biting, and every character is used perfectly.
Every character’s journey goes through multiple phases. Jon spends the first third of his story undercover, then he’s caught in a tidal wave of violence, and then Stannis the Mannis shows up and he gets elected. It’s the same with everyone else. Storm is not a story which stays in one place for long, and as such, it has a chaotic, whirlwind feeling to this. However, there is a controlled, almost mathematical, method to this chaos, with every character beat placed perfectly within the story. The pacing never abruptly changes its speed, and every chapter is placed so as to perfectly juxtapose with the chapters next to it.
One thing George is consistently great at is testing his characters, both in terms of ethics and resolve. Each character in Storm is put into a situation which is the most challenging to them specifically, whether it be Jon’s commitment to his oath being tested, Dany’s leadership skills on trial, or Sam needing to depend on his courage to survive.
Storm also uses its structure of multiple POVs excellently. We see Arya thinking that Cat might not want her back, and then we see Cat going through absolute mental hell because Arya is missing, and it’s absolutely tragic. Tyrion wishes he was Jaime, and then Jaime has to act like Tyrion to save Brienne.
There’s also Tyrion’s relationship with Sansa, which makes excellent usage of this device. We see how both are equally miserable for completely different reasons, and boy oh boy is it painful to read!
One of the best uses of multiple POVS is when Sam meets up with Bran. It is one of the most satisfying moments of the entire series. I love when two characters in a story who don’t know that they’re connected meet up. It’s like a story showing off how sprawling it is.
The multiple POVs also make moments like Stannis saving the Wall feel well set up and satisfying, instead of just a deus ex machina.
In fact, the whole book is full of satisfying moments.
In the previous books, Ser Dontos gives Sansa the hair net, Mance Rayder is constantly mentioned, and justice for Elia is discussed. It’s here where all of that comes into play, and all of the threads collide to make all of these really satisfying moments.
It’s insane how this book manages to feel like one cohesive whole, and that’s mostly because George never lets the story get too big, with everything connecting and influencing each other.
Everything the series has been building up with Tyrion’s relationship with Tywin, the Freys, Roose Bolton, the Bloody Mummers, and a million other things come to their head, and each is executed perfectly, all of them coming to a pretty logical “conclusion”. All of these plot lines move with a quick feel, events leading to other events like a line of dominoes. This is not a story where events just happen, everything is a natural reaction to what has come before, and Storm represents this perfectly.
Another interesting thing about Storm is that it really loves the trolley problem. Robb chooses to kill Rickard Karstark because he thinks it’s necessary for him to continue ruling. Tywin defends doing the Red Wedding because it meant less people would die in the long run. Stannis ponders killing Edric to save the world.
Hell, Stannis has a conversation with Davos about killing Edric immediately after Tywin has a conversation with Tyrion about the Red Wedding.
Storm isn’t just about power and authority but specifically the morals of power and authority. These ideas are not pondered and examined so much as they are fiercely argued with both words and actions, the characters heatedly debating their opinions. This is a positive statement, it makes the book feel lively and energetic. We get all of these characters with different ideas on the same subject, and watching the clash is very entertaining.
A theme throughout these books has been whether or not the ends justify the means, if doing something bad in pursuit of something good is alright. Ned seems to believe the ends justify the means. In Game, he tells Arya that doing something dishonorable such as lying is alright if it's in the pursuit of something honorable, like saving the life of a dog or whatever they’re talking about in that scene.
In Storm, we see that Jaime has similar ideas, as that was his logic with killing Aerys II.
If I so chose to, I could complain about how this book has no real climax, with the Red Wedding being the most intense part of the book and only coming in the middle. However, climaxes are a made up concept, and I didn’t really mind when reading this book.
ASOS has a sense of finality to it, despite being the third book in a seven part series. That’s because it feels like many of the characters have completed an arc. Jon has gone from a little emo boy to a Lord Commander, Arya from a feisty tomboy to a vengeful killer, Jaime from a jerk to a jerk willing to work on himself, Tyrion from a comedian to a vengeful killer, Cat from alive to dead, and Dany from a helpless girl to a competent leader in her own right.
Not only do all of the plotlines in this book fall in place, they all fall into place in the most satisfying ways. Everything from the Purple Wedding to the Red Wedding to Petyr pushing Lysa out a window to Sam meeting Bran feel like half a dozen different plotlines crashing into each other, all of them leading to these pretty perfect character beats.
To recap,
Catelyn’s chapters are everything great about this series.
Arya’s chapters are everything great about this series.
Jaime’s chapters are everything great about this series.
Jon’s chapters are very quickly paced, stuffed to the brim with all the action, intrigue, and character dilemmas one can want.
Bran’s chapters all showcase the classic Bran formula to success, but his story has no real ending.
Giving Davos agency makes his story far more interesting.
Sansa’s chapters are as good as they are in Clash.
Sam’s chapters have something in them for everyone, whether one wants magic, political intrigue, angst, action, horror, or pretty descriptions of nature.
Dany’s chapters have the same issues as all her books, but she’s still a fun character to follow.
In conclusion, I’ve said everything I’ve needed to say.
2. A Feast For Crows-
This book has some of my favorite and least favorite stuff.
Brienne’s chapters kick butt. They’re slow, but simple, and the interesting characters coupled with the dense tapestry of themes makes it worth it. Plus, the slow pace makes the brutal moments feel extraordinarily gripping. The story rewards you for your patience. Seeing Brienne savagely massacre three people in Brienne IV is one of the most satisfying moments of the series because George very slowly builds the tension, faking you out a half dozen times. The agony of losing Dick Crabb and the amazement of seeing Brienne in action is definitely worth the four chapters of build up.
The slow pacing also allows every event to be given its proper weight. Brienne gets to stew over Dick Crabb and the men she’s killed.
You really feel the toll this journey is taking on Brienne is, even if that means having a page devoted to trying to find an inn. But, that’s the point. Brienne’s mission is simple, but she keeps getting involved in all of these annoying misdirections. It definitely communicates this specific feeling of stress and monotony which is very hard to express.
There is a wonderful, almost hypnotic, atmosphere to Brienne’s story, with all the descriptions of ruins and seascapes. It really places in Brienne’s shoes, and we feel what Brienne feels. Brienne VII, where she fights Rorge and Biter is one of the most impactful chapters ever. Biter eating Brienne’s face is not the most brutal and disgusting thing that has happened in this story, but I can think of very few things which feel more brutal and disgusting (except maybe the Red Wedding). This isn’t just because of how well it is written, but also because of the chapters of set up, with Brienne having this desire to prove herself and all these anxieties about failing and this and that.
Also, stories where people aimlessly wander through ruined and scarred lands are some of my favorites. It also really helps that all of the characters journeying with Brienne are fantastic, and we’ve already had many books to familiarize us with this section of the world, so it’s fun to explore it. We’ve spent about half of the series in the Riverlands and the Crownlands, so we already know the general vibes of the place. Despite this, George still manages to introduce us to tiny little pockets of which we haven’t seen yet like the Quiet Isle or Crackclaw Point.
The story also works great at showing us the real cost of the war by placing us on the ground, making the effects of the war more visceral. Most importantly, this all has an effect on Brienne. This makes it different from, say, Tyrion’s chapters in Dance, where he seems rather apathetic to what is going on in Lys or whatever. And, if the main character doesn’t care, then why should we? George makes the right move by tying a lot of what is going on to Brienne’s past by having characters like Randall Tarly and Hyle Hunt, as well as having everywhere she goes or everyone she meets affects her character in some way, from everything from Dick Crabb to that bathtub which was annoyingly small. Despite how stretched out the story feels, I legitimately can not think of a single moment that could all be cut. Even if everything doesn’t move the plot forward, it’s really crucial for our understanding of Brienne as a character, and it makes all of the emotional parts of her story feel like you’re being bludgeoned by a baseball bat.
Plus, it’s perfect that Brienne goes out looking for Sansa and instead finds Lady Stoneheart. Now that’s what I call Subversion that Ties Perfectly Into the Themes of The Piece.
Most importantly, Brienne’s story tackles a huge amount of different subjects, discussing religion, war, gender, sexuality, and a million other things and then ties them all together in this subversion of a knight’s quest to save a damsel.
Moving on, Cersei's chapters are nothing but fun, as she slowly spirals into insanity, all the while failing at everything. She’s a fantastic character to see the world through the eyes of, and her paranoia makes the already cutthroat world of politics all the more spicy.
Every chapter tells us a little more about Cersei’s character and has some of the funniest moments in the series.
Sansa’s chapters are full of fun political shenanigans and a large cast of quirky characters who all bounce off each other really well. There’s a great mix of intrigue, humor, and drama as Sansa slowly learns the ropes of political espionage in this new environment. The Eyrie is a fantastic location, with its beauty and isolation, and it gives Sansa’s story a very contained feeling. This makes sense, as Sansa is in this very pretty prison. Sansa is simulatenously free and more trapped than she’s ever been, and this sends her character in a really intriguing direction.
Sam’s stuff is alright. Aemon’s death is obviously very sad, and that one chapter in Oldtown is nice because Oldtown is a fun place to explore. Sam’s constant self hatred does start to get tiresome after a while, especially considering the fact that his character seems to actively revert. At the end of Storm, Sam seems to have found a new sense of bravery, and then it’s gone. Sure, progress isn’t always linear, but it feels like Sam is just back to who he was at the beginning of Storm.
However, Sam is in good company. There’s lots of very minor characters, like the captain of the Cinnamon Wind and his daughter, who are very fun and add a lot of vibrancy to the world. George also plays with a lot of time in Sam’s chapters, like the one with Aemon dying constantly jumping back and forth. Usually, George will usually start in the middle of the action and then flashback to what happened before, but with Sam’s chapters in both Storm and Feast, we’re actively pinballing around, till there’s not even really a present- if that makes any sense. This has a cool effect.
Arya’s chapters are quite slow, but I don’t mind because it means we can just soak up the awesome setting. Arya is a 10 year old member of a death cult/group of immortal face changing assassins, how can that not be interesting? Plus, Arya’s character is just so fun and layered, it’s hard not to be invested in her struggle with identity. Once again, Song always knows the perfect place to put their characters. Of course the character obsessed with identity and revenge is in a place which offers her the ability to commit vengeance while stripping her of all of her identity.
Bravos is also easily the most developed place in Essos, being a mix of New York and Venice. Half of the chapter “Cat of the Canals” is just Arya drinking the city in and it works because Bravos is just so vibrant, full of fun pockets of worldbuilding, a forest of delights. I could spend an entire book learning about the Bravos and the temples and the Titan and the courtesans and the mummers and everything else.
Moving on, Jaime’s story is full of fantastic side characters, but the star of the show is still Jaime, who is just a delight to follow. He has one of the funniest inner monologues, and it mixes very well with how angsty his inner monologue can also be. All of the fun characters Jaime meets along the way really help move his character along, whether they be Lancel or Genna or Emmon Frey or Lyle Crakhall or that one lady who corrected her grieving daughter’s grammar.
Plus, if you remember my character ranking, I already talked about how making Jaime have to do a siege is fantastic for his character growth.
Everything else in the book is Eeeeehhhh. As I’ve said or will say, The Dourne Plot is boring as all hell.
George asks a lot of us with the Dourne plot. We’ve just had three books with a very large cast of characters, and then we’re plunged into a new pocket of the world and introduced to a dozen or so new characters. Dourne isn’t an uninteresting place, it is just that we are going to compare it to places such as the North and King’s Landing which we already know a lot more about.
Not only that, but the characters are also far less developed and fun than the characters we already know. I really don’t care about Arianne and Areo Hotah and Arys Oakheart.
The worldbuilding feels similarly lukewarm. Dourne is very interesting when it’s off to the side, but when it’s the main focus, it just comes across as the rest of Westeros but with feminism and spicy food. We never hear about unique traditions or anything of that sort. We do only have four chapters in Dourne in this book, so we don’t get any time to explore this world.
However, here is a much bigger problem I have with the Dorne plot:
Feast is all about people failing, but at least most people's failures still have consequences. While Brienne’s quest to find Sansa and Arya fails, her discovery of Lady Stoneheart is going to mean a lot for her and Jaime. While going to Oldtown was basically a futile journey, at least Sam is in Oldtown, a place where he can get information.
All that The Dourne Plot accomplishes is killing off Arys and getting Myrcella’s face cut up. I suppose Arianne learns some lessons along the way, but as I previously stated, I don’t care. Dourne’s future in the story is going to be helping Young Griff. That’s all we needed. Oh yeah, I guess the Darkstar plot is going to go somewhere…I guess. Maybe it will affect the larger story of the books, who knows?
It’s possible that Winds will eventually make all of the Dorne plot feel worth it, but until then, I’m still pissed off at it.
It also doesn’t help that half of the Dourne plot is actually the Dourne plot. The first chapter, the Areo Hotah one, is just here to set the scene, even though the Sand Snakes introduced in the chapter do very little in Feast going forward. Arianne and Arys Oakheart are barely in this chapter, so much of The Soiled Prince is dedicated to setting them up
Not only that, but many of the other important players, Arianna’s friends and Darkstar, are introduced in the Queenmaker, so we have to spend half of that chapter doing introductions. As a result, introductions make up most of the Dourne plot.
After the Soiled Prince and the Queenmaker, the actual meat of the story, we then get The Princess in the Tower, which is basically just an epilogue to the story, featuring Doran dropping a massive exposition dump whose purpose is mainly to set up how the Dourne plot will continue. All in all, it feels like the Dorne plot is just set up. I guess you could say that contradicts what I said before about the Dourne plot seeming meaningless, but the actual story of the plot feels meaningless, with its only purpose being to set up Arianne’s role in the Young Griff plot to come.
Despite all of this, the Dorne Plot is way too quick, not giving enough time for us to actually get to know the characters or the world. That’s because it’s basically a side plot. We can’t spend dozens of chapters on a side plot introduced more than halfway through the story. However, the Dourne plot demands more time. I’m not sad when Arys Oakheart dies because I don’t know him, and the dynamic between Arianne and Doran isn’t even flushed out at all. All throughout the story, motives are uncertain, we never get a true feeling of what Dorne is actually like as a place, and the plot feels kinda contrived at some points, like when Darkstar just decides to kill Myrcella because he wants a war because…he’s jealous of Arthur Dayne? With more chapters, the world can be developed a bit more, and we can be given actual reasons for everything.
That’s because George had to introduce a whole new section of the world, with a whole new cast of characters, in a minimum amount of chapters. As a result, we get a lot of information and developments crushed into a very small amount of time.
This rapid speed causes a lot of minor problems which I’ll discuss in the chapter ranking.
Moving on, there is also The Iron Islands plot in Feast. Many of the problems with Dourne are here, and yet I don’t mind as much.
George asks a little less with us for the Iron Islands plot, as we have been there before and met our three POVs, if only briefly.
It helps that the Iron Islands is muuuuch more interesting than Dourne. It’s vikings mixed with Lovecraft mixed with Klingons, and it’s fantastic. Every aspect of the Iron Islands, from the architecture to the traditions to the way food is prepared has these very specific vibes baked into it, and you can just tell George was having fun coming up with stuff like Naga’s Ribs and The Seastone Chair.
Plus, the events of The Iron Islands Plot were significantly set up during the previous books, and the Iron Islands plot does feel like a natural evolution from what we hear in the previous two books. If that wasn’t enough, the mystery surrounding Euron’s character is more than enough to grab my attention.
Also, what the Iron Islands Plot sets up seems really interesting, filled with magic and intrigue. In contrast, I don’t care about whatever vengeance Doran has planned. There’s no real reason, even though I suppose all of those who wronged him being dead may be a factor. I simply don’t care about Doran and his goals. However, I do care about what Euron has planned because it seems very interesting, as he’s an evil warlock pirate. Basically, what I’m saying is that the rule of cool applies to the Iron Islands plot. Sometimes, it’s as simple as that. The Iron Islands plot has better characters, a more interesting setting, no cringey sex scenes, a much cooler action scene, a far greater atmosphere, and it fits more naturally in with the story. It also helps that it actually holds influence elsewhere in Feast, playing a part in Cersei’s story.
There’s a sense of mysticism and horror in The Iron Islands plot and an atmosphere of dread. There is both suspense and mystery. It gives the whole thing an energy, as well as stakes that aren’t really present in the Dourne plot.
The Iron Islands plot is similarly quick, being five chapters long, and yet, it never feels like we’re cramming in a huge amount of stuff into a small amount of time. That’s because it’s a fairly simple story, and a very focused one, centering itself around Euron and the choosing of a new king.
The Reaver also works much better as an ending note than The Queenmaker. The Reaver is full of action, and it feels like a climax. The Queenmaker is half uninteresting angst section and half exposition dump. I like angst, but in order for the angst to work, I need to care about the character.
Anyways, in two different chapters in Feast, two different peasants boast about having distant highborn ancestry, and I think that’s interesting.
Despite Feast being a bit of a mess, I’m still very grateful that it exists. Of the 45 chapters, 26 are from the POV of a woman, making this the only book in this series to be mostly from the female perspective. This means the book deals with gender the most of the entire series. All of the female POVs approach gender in a very different way, showing us this spectrum of experiences.
Gender is also important to many of the male POVs. Jaime feels emasculated due to the loss of his hand and because Cersei cheated on him. Sam is a man constantly haunted by the abuse he received for not appealing to his Dad’s standards of masculinity.
Victarion is this epitome of stereotypical masculinity who’s also really depressed and a total coward.
In Feast, see how patriarchy doesn’t work in just one way, it’s a spectrum of causes and effects, with many victims.
I would argue that if Feast were to have a central theme, it would be gender. In the character ranking, I talked about how the election of Euron
I guess it does make sense for Dourne to be here, as it is a place where gender and sex are seen very differently. Not only that, but it deals with this idea of pro-women movements failing because they’re still based in patriarchal ideas. Arianne convinced Arys by saying that Myrcella would make a better ruler than Tommen because she doesn’t cry and acts a lot more stoic. This relates to Asha, who constantly shows her strength by attacking the masculinity of men around her, saying they have no dick or calling them girly in some ways, and Asha also shows her strength by mocking the idea of being traditionally feminine, like with the joke about an ax being her baby.
Obviously, it’s alright for a woman to not be stereotypically feminine and be proud of it, but what Asha is doing is making the claim that she is strong despite being a woman and not because of it. She’s also continuing to display this myth that traditional masculinity equals strength.
Believers of this myth include Victarion, Randall Tarly, and Cersei, who is constantly putting down other women.
We see the consequences of this belief in the Iron Islands plot, when Euron uses these myths of masculinity to get himself elected.
It’s clear that one can’t fight fire with fire in order to deal with bigoted ideologies.
However, I still think the Dourne plot is boring.
There is one more problem I have with Feast. Some of the best parts of Song are when there’s a POV chapter sandwich. For example, during the Battle of the Blackwater we get a Tyrion chapter, then a Sansa chapter, then a Tyrion chapter. You know that shit is going down when that happens. However, that does not occur in Feast, which leads me to believe that shit does not actually go down in Feast.
Going back to positives, Feast is one of the best anti war narratives in how much pointless suffering we see results from war. An idea which is reinforced multiple times is that the Small Folk do not care who the king is, nor who they are fighting for. They just want to survive.
However, the stories are all sung about the important figures, the kings and noble knights. The reason we see two different commonfolk boasting about being part noble is that being noble makes them important.
Another theme which Feast focuses on is this idea of history repeating itself. Aeron thinks about it, Arys and Arianne discuss it, and it plays a key part in Cersei’s story.
Another note I have is that purposefully unsatisfying stories are very hard to successfully pull off. However, most of Feast’s plotlines are those kinds of stories. Somehow, almost all of these plotlines are quite enjoyable, which says volumes about how good George is as a writer.
To recap.
Brienne’s story is a masterpiece of character writing and world building.
Cersei’s chapters are as delightful as they are intelligent.
Jaime’s story is everything we’ve come to expect from the series, with an eclectic cavalcade of characters bouncing off each other in a fun world.
I can say the exact same with Sansa’s chapters.
Arya’s story benefits from simplicity, a fantastic main character, a well thought out location with a great atmosphere, and loads of magical intrigue.
Sam’s story is perfectly alright.
The Iron Islands plot shouldn’t work, but it does.
Dourne bores me to tears.
3. ACOK
The prologue to ACOK is the perfect tone setter for this book: a sad, regretful old man tries to do something, fails, and then dies in an embarrassing fashion.
The prologue is also some of George’s most beautiful prose. The description of Dragonstone and the comet is so mystical and otherworldly, it manages to fill you with the same sense of awe that magic does, but there isn’t even any magic.
The prologue also has some pretty concise writing, as we’re introduced to a huuuuge amount of characters in a short amount of time.
Really, the first couple chapters are all bangers. The device of the comet is perfect, tying all of these desperate points of view together. It shows how our characters, despite how different they are in every conceivable way, are all united by this shared sense of wonder and awe. There’s a line from The Outsiders about how everyone looks at the same sunset, and this reminds me of that. However, ASOIAF makes sure to show us that everyone sees the comet differently. Some see it as a sign of fortune, others as a good omen, and a few merely see it as a shiny thing in the sky. Many of the characters specifically see it as being good for their side, including supporters of all of the five kings. The descriptions of the comet are fantastic in pretty much every chapter, and George always manages to tie it into what’s going on in the chapter itself.
However, after the first 8 or so chapters, the book starts to drag on. It seems like we’re done setting the stage, but then the stage keeps on being set, and it feels like a lot of these characters aren’t moving forward.
It is in the middle of the story where the pace starts to pick up, and so do the fantastic character beats.
Arya’s chapters in this book place her character in a perfect position. She’s forced to grow up very suddenly. The freedom of adventure is now hers, but she keeps finding herself unable to be truly free. All of Arya’s chapters in ACOK and ASOS are mostly Arya escaping from some authority figure and then falling under the control of another authority figure. I think that’s great!
Arya’s chapters also do a fantastic job of showing us the horror of war from the ground.
Sansa’s chapters are filled with horror and angst. Just like Arya, Sansa has been given everything she’s wanted, as she’s now engaged to a prince. However, she’s now in a world where her actions have consequences, and those consequences matter. She’s forced to guard her tongue and control her emotions like she’s never had to before. That’s what growing up is all about.
Davos’ chapters in this book aren’t anything special. The characters of Davos, Stannis, and Melissandre are really fun. However, Davos doesn’t have much agency, and as such, he’s mostly just watching what’s happening, with his actions not really affecting the story. Having a character who doesn’t affect the plot can make a story rather tiresome.
Dany’s chapters in this are boring. She mostly spends wandering around aimlessly. The House of the Undying part has some great imagery, but that’s mostly it. You can skip all of her chapters in that book and it would change very little. Barely any progression is made in her arc, which contrasts extremely sharply with the AGOT, where she goes through a really well done arc that changes her immensely but doesn't feel rushed. It doesn’t help that Dany has very little in the way of character conflict in this story. The climax of her arc is the House of the Undying, and she does not make any decisions in the house. There’s no path she chooses to take. What she thinks at the beginning of the book and what she thinks at the end is the exact same.
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Tyrion’s chapters are a fucking delight. It is so fun to watch this clever and witty guy play this political game. The other players of this game, like Cersei and Littlefinger and Varys, are also fun to watch. Unfortunately, they have some of the worst sex scenes in the entire series. It’s annoying when the first two thirds of the chapter has some clever plots filled with intrigue and the second third is just Tyrion boinking Shae for ten pages. They add nothing to the story, and are just unpleasant to read. Obviously, Tyrion’s angst about Tysha and how it affects his relationship with Shae is interesting, but the sex scenes focus mostly on just the sex, with Tyrion usually thinking about Tysha afterward.
This might be Jon’s weakest book, as he doesn’t really go through an arc in it. The big decision he makes is killing Qhorin Halfhand, but I feel like that’s something Jon at the beginning of Clash would also do.
It’s also one of the more slower stories, with a lot of wandering and discussion of Mance and events that don’t happen in this book. It’s not the worst thing ever, but it does feel Jon’s chapters are mostly just set up for the next book.
Theon’s chapters are much more quickly paced, as Theon goes from being on Robb’s side to pretending to kill Bran and Rickon. Theon’s monologuing is filled with personality, and watching this scummy person slowly getting what’s coming to him is fantastic. Theon can not stop taking Ls in this book, and it’s both fun and extremely tragic.
However, this book is really made by two POVs: Brans and Catelyns.
If you remember my character listing, I mention Bran’s role in this book quite a bit. This book is all about Bran learning to deal with responsibility and being away from Cat and Rob and it explores these ideas of growing up perfectly.
Then, there’s Cat's story. Oooh wee. This book features Cat just drowning in grief, but she is kicking and screaming and thrashing and it just hits you in the feels.
Cat II, ACOK is a masterpiece for this Brienne quote alone,
“Winter will never come for the likes of us. Should we die in battle, they’ll surely sing of us, and it’s always summer in the songs. In the songs, all knights are gallant, all maids are beautiful, and the sun’s always shining.”
(Catelyn II, ACOK)
Bran III to Catelyn II in ACOK is one of the best two chapter punches in all of ASOIAF. We go from Bran being bummed out at a party, watching all of the northern adults have a good time. Then, we have Catelyn being bummed out at a party, watching all of the sothron children having a good time. It is in this chapter that Catelyn talks to Matthis Rowan about how Renly and Brienne and Loras and all the young folk are “children of summer” who are excited to grow up, but they will soon find out how shitty adulthood is. That’s an important theme in this series, as that is what happens with Jon, Bran, Sansa, and Arya.
ACOK is a book of juxtapositions, and I think that’s what makes it work so perfectly. The insane horror within the Riverlands is juxtaposed by the festive mood within Renly’s camp, and that’s juxtaposed with the sour nature of Stannis’ camp.
We get five kings, all flawed in their own way, and all seen through the view of someone else. Theon’s homecoming is juxtaposed with Catelyn’s homecoming which is juxtaposed with Tyrion’s return to King’s Landing.
ACOK is also a book full of angst. Pretty much every character (except for Dany, and also Davos sort of) spends the entire book absolutely miserable and in love with the past.
Arya’s chapters are a journey through hell.
Bran is a lonely outcast in Winterfell, forced to only watch as everyone the merriment and excitement around him. Bran is defined by being a watcher, and how much he hates that. However, we do see that there is some good to that. He is good at reading people and learning about them. His choices of meals to send to others are based around observations he makes.
Theon is also outcasted, in a sense of complete culture shock.
Sansa is insanely outcasted, in a situation where she has no one to talk to and no shoulders to cry on. She is deprived of what she needs the most, which the story loves to do.
Tyrion is Tyrion. He’s angsty in every book, but he’s very contemplative in this, constantly thinking about Tysha.
Catelyn.
Jon is actually doing alright.
The result of all of this is that ACOK is a very empathic book, but it’s also kind of plodding. We’re in the middle of this extremely intense war, but we spend so much time on the character’s unresolved trauma. It can be annoying.
However, it does match what the characters feel. A lot of them are on the outside looking in, feeling frustrated about their lack of power.
I have one big complaint I haven’t already mentioned.
The Battle of the Blackwater serves as a fantastic climax for the story. Unfortunately, there are twelve chapters after it. A lot happens in these chapters, but after the Blackwater, I find myself just waiting for the book to wrap up. I feel like maybe Theon, Jon, and Dany’s last chapters could have been moved up to right before the battle. That way, we would only get chapters which focus on the consequences of the battle, as well as Bran’s chapter, which fits well as the ending.
However, Clash easily makes it up with its highs.
I would say that the beginning of Catelyn VII is one of the most emotionally devastating parts of Song, as that is the chapter where Catelyn has learned about the fake deaths of Bran and Rickon. It’s not difficult to make a woman mourning the loss of her two sons sad, but George rubs salt in every wound. Her grief over her children connects to her grief over Ned and her father, the way she had all of these responsibilities as a child, and everything the book has been doing with her character. It’s like all of Catelyn’s chapters in this book secretly build up to this barrage of brutality. Without Catelyn’s angst about how she’s far from her children and how she had always needed to be strong and her relationship with religion, this chapter would not hit as hard as it does.
And man, does it hit hard.
Cat’s entire life is falling apart in front of her eyes, and she’s basically in the worst possible scenario, and there’s no one she can talk to. She is completely and utterly alone. Everyone else (except for Brienne) is having a good time at the party, and being miserable when everyone else is happy is the worst possible feeling.
Really, every chapter from Bran III to The Battle of the Blackwater is gripping, as the chapters are pretty action-heavy. Theon’s story slowly builds to this epic crescendo of bad decisions, Arya is forced into an unknown dangerous situation which is perfectly designed to test her where every chapter ends on a cliffhanger, and the Blackwater pushes the characters of Sansa, Tyrion, and Davos almost to their breaking point, with all of them having their moments of bravery. Also, the descriptions of the battle are some of George’s finest prose. The way wildfire is described should be put in a museum.
A problem someone could have with Clash is that many of the characters don’t change a huge amount. Jon, Sansa, Davos, and Tyrion spend the book having their upcoming arcs being set up. They all make very important and character defining decisions, but these are decisions which they could have also made in the beginning of the book. Meanwhile, Dany…knows more, I guess.
Obviously, what happens to these characters in this book is important. Jon becomes less trusting of the watch because of Craster Keep, gets in touch with his inner warg, and kills Qhorin. Davos doesn’t speak out and gets punished for it. Tyrion does something kind of heroic and gets punished for it, with all the credit going to someone else. The thing is, these events don’t factor into our character’s decisions until A Storm of Swords.
There are exceptions.
Catelyn changes a lot, in that she slowly descends further into despair, and then when she’s at her lowest of lows she finds her strength and makes a decision she definitely would not have made previously. That last moment of her asking Brienne to give her the sword is the perfect final note for her.
Theon slowly descends into despair, but refuses to step up to the challenge, falling further into his own vices.
Arya and Bran both learn confidence, with Bran regaining his will to live.
This does make Clash stand out from Game and Storm, which has some fantastic character arcs. However…I don’t really mind a huge amount. Even if these characters don’t change, all of them are placed in really interesting situations which reveals a lot more about who they are. Plus, the characters who do change go through very well written arcs. I’ve already sung my praises of Catelyn’s story, Theon’s descent is written with huge amounts of nuance and realism, and Bran’s final realization that he’s glad he’s alive is one of the most satisfying ending notes imaginable.
I think one of the things which makes Clash very notable is that it focuses heavily on religion and belief. The comet is an obvious example of this, with everyone seeing this natural phenomenon and applying their own beliefs to it. A dozen different metaphors are made out of this one object, and so many people use this phenomenon to back up their own beliefs.
The comet is a bit like a story which everyone is reading and has different interpretations of it. The comet is also like the folklore of Planetos, as so much of it is different interpretations of the same thing, like how Azor Ahai and the Last Hero and The Stallion Who Mounts the World are probably the same person. Goddamn, the comet represents so much.
As the story moves on, we see how grief changes the religion of Cat. Her returning to the lands beneath the neck means she’s in a place where there are multiple different septs, as opposed to her life before. The other character who seems interested in the Faith of the Seven is Davos, who is also another “follower” type character. Davos keeps saying he isn’t religious, but he keeps finding trouble with what Melisandre is saying.
Tyrion provides an opposing view of religion, with his cynicism and atheism.c
With Bran, it’s not about religion but about belief in magic, as Lewin and Jojen pull him in two different directions. Magic does become sort of like a religion to Bran in the end as he uses it for comfort in a similar way to Catelyn using the Seven.
Meanwhile, Sansa uses religion as a shield with the God Grove or whatever it’s called.
Jon and Arya both interact with heart trees.
While religion is definitely present and explored in Feast, it is not viewed through a personal lens as it is in ACOK, where many characters actively grapple with their own religious beliefs.
This is best described with Harrenhal and Saltpans.
Harrenhal is mentioned frequently in Clash, in Tyrion, Sansa, and Cat chapters, and it actually appears in Arya’s story. While Harrenhal has little to do with the Faith of the Seven or the old gods, it has everything to do with belief, as it is always accompanied by talk of ghosts. This belief is very important to Arya’s arc, as she becomes the ghost in Harrenhall, and it helps connect her to Sansa, who also uses religion as a shield and also becomes a part of a story by becoming Jonquil. Harrenhall is also a bit similar to the comet, as people view the ghost stories in different ways.
The massacre at Saltpans, meanwhile, is mentioned many times in Jaime, Cersei, and Brienne chapters in Feast. This is an event where hundreds of followers of the Seven are brutally murdered and raped. This very clearly deals with religion. However, this event does not make any character question their faith. Instead, it influences the story in political terms, with the characters having to deal with reactions to the event.
Basically, Clash is interested in examining belief while Feast is interested in how religion affects the world.
Anyways, to recap:
Catelyn’s chapters are a ceaseless thunderstorm of grief and angst as heartbreaking as they are engrossing.
Arya’s chapters are a never ending parade of action and cruelty.
Tyrion’s chapters sparkle with political intrigue which lets our clever character shine.
The chill and simple nature of Bran’s chapters give us time for some fantastic Bran moments.
There are very few dull moments in Theon’s chapters, as the character we follow is an explosive one making extraordinarily terrible decisions with extraordinarily terrible consequences.
Davos is a great character surrounded by other great characters, which makes up for his overall lack of agency in the story.
Jon’s chapters are a bit slow, but the intriguing locations and characters make up for that.
Dany’s chapters are pointless drudgery, except for the House of the Undying, obviously.
In conclusion, Clash slaps.
4. A Game of Thrones.
This is a really tight story. We’re introduced to this new world, a huge cast of characters, and a whole lot of intrigue and mystery all within 800 pages or so. The amount this book manages to accomplish in such a small amount of time is legitimately impressive. Good job, George.
This book’s “simplicity” does make it one of the most readable of the books.
Plus, the climax is gripping all the way through, with it feeling like every emotional thread is coming to its peak. It’s also one of the few books here that actually feels like it had a real climax, but this is a book, not a movie, so it doesn’t really matter. It still has a very consistent pace which never lets the story drag.
Not only that, “For the first night in over a hundred years, the night came alive with the sound of dragonsong” is one of the best closing lines of any book ever.
I have very few complaints with Thrones. I guess the pace does occasionally slow down a bit, especially with a lot of the later Bran chapters. Also, you can tell George had not clearly thought the world out yet, so we end up with the Valyrian steel dagger and Joff and Sansa chasing “a shadowcat back to its layer”.
A problem with this one is Game is that it feels less…”thematically cohesive”, shall we say. ACOK is very focused on belief and religion, contrasting religious characters like Cat and Davos with more cynical characters like Tyrion and Theon, and then showing characters in the middle like Arya and Bran. ASOS is interested in power and power dynamics, with Dany and Robb learning to wield power, Jaime and Tyrion losing power, and Jon struggling with freedom. Gender plays a key role in AFFC, both in the perspectives of the female and male characters.
However, AGOT and ADWD don’t have a central idea at their heart. Sure, they both deal with identity and gender and power and trauma, but there’s nothing to centralize and tie this all together. ACOK ties together its narrative through the use of the comet, everyone looking at it and taking different beliefs from it. ASOS centralizes its narrative by having almost every POV character either interact with a monarch or be a monarch, and also almost every character makes a big life-changing decision at the end, as well as having two weddings that go badly, two characters falsely imprisoned, two duels, et cetera. AFFC centralizes its narrative with almost every character dealing with gender, repeating these ideas of the repetition of history and of the aftermath of carnage, and also by having most characters fail in some way.
It’s stuff like this which keeps the series from feeling messy, but it’s missing from AGOT and ADWD. Thankfully, while AGOT’s themes might be all over the place, its plot is not.
AGOT doesn’t have a huge amount of POVs, and most of the characters are tied up in the conflict at the start of the War of the Five Kings. Almost every character is at Winterfell at the party in the beginning and almost every character gets to react to Ned’s death (or, if they’re Ned, they’re the one who does the dying). That is actually one of the strengths of AGOT, almost everything feels all tied together, with the plot unfolding in a series of reactions like a complicated maze of dominoes. This is the book where different POVs interact with each other the most. It would be impossible to read just a single character’s POV chapters and have it make sense (except for Dany, I suppose), which does make the plot feel more “contained”.
It also helps that about 50% of this story takes place in either Winterfell or King’s Landing.
Despite my issues, pretty much every character’s arc works perfectly.
Ned’s chapters are the series' first taste of political intrigue, and it handles it perfectly. Song understands that to have good political intrigue, you need to make us first care about the characters in the political situation, set up clear stakes, and add a touch of mystery. Also, you can’t get too bogged down in the details, remembering that everything must be tied back to the characters' conflicts. It’s this stuff which makes Council Meetings about taxes on wine and ships being built not just interesting but fascinating.
It’s also very enjoyable to tour through Ned’s mind. Everything he’s encountering ties very well into his past, whether it be killing Dany, visiting Robert’s bastards, or just talking with Bobby B. We don’t really care about who murdered Jon Arryn, but we do care immensely about Ned and his struggle.
Dany’s chapters are her tightest story, with her going through a very efficient arc where she gets agency. Her last chapter has some of George’s finest prose, as the birth of dragons is given the exact amount of gravitas it deserves. We’ve had more than ten chapters building up dragons, and their introduction at the very end of the story does not disappoint, as the descriptions of Dany going in and out of Drogo’s funeral pyre are absolutely enchanting.
This is probably Bran’s weakest book, as he isn’t really…doing anything. With his last couple chapters, his only purpose is just to give us an eye into Winterwell. However, I like Bran a lot, so I don’t mind just hanging out with him.
As I discussed in my character ranking, Jon’s character arc is very tight and satisfying, and our introduction to the world of The Watch is fun.
Arya’s chapters have a very fantastic build to them as the situation in King’s Landing gets worse and worse. However, it’s also definitely her weakest book, as she has little in terms of inner conflict or introspection.
Sansa’s chapters have the same problem as Arya’s, as Sansa isn’t dealing with much, mostly just watching tourneys and eating lemon cakes. However, her chapters are still enjoyable on a reread because they set up so much.
Cat’s story goes through many phases, which does make it interesting, as she’s always on the move. The amount of ground covered by her story makes it feel quicker than some of the character plotlines which just stay in one place.
Tyrion is just being Tyrion. He’s a great character at his most charming and likable. I guess you could also say that means he’s also at his least interesting. However, the people he encounters and the places he goes to are all very interesting. We also get some neat battles in his chapters.
Overall, AGOT is the book which I have the least to say about. That’s good in the sense that it has very few flaws but bad in the sense that not much of it is outstanding. I don’t feel the need to recap my thoughts.
5. A Dance With Dragons
A Dance With Dragons is a very messy book.
If you asked me what the three greatest strengths and the three greatest flaws in this story were, I’d say the greatest strengths were the characters, the worldbuilding, and the prose. The greatest flaws are the pacing, the complexity, and the weird sex scenes.
Dance had all of these strengths and flaws on full display.
Let us again go character by character.
Dany’s chapters are boring.
Now, Dany’s chapters in Dance do explore her character well by putting her in a difficult situation where her morals are tested and there seems to be no escape. That on its own works well. However, there are some problems.
First, her chapters are stuffed with side characters and a lot of them barely get time to make an impression. There’s Hizarh Loraq, Daario Noharis, Galizza Golare, Skahaz Mo Kandaq, Reznak Mo Reznak, and fifteen others. Some are better than others, but most have very bland personalities. A result of this is that a lot of the character’s blend together. There are so many, it’s impossible to keep track, and almost all of them have very unusual names which are difficult to remember. I know that last part is a bit silly, but it did affect my ability to remember who was what. Simply put, her chapters in Dance are way too complicated.
It feels like her chapters have all of the moving parts of everything going on in Westeros, but crammed together into a little more than a dozen chapters.
The extremely slow pace of Dany’s chapters in Dance doesn’t help any of this either. There are definitely some very good moments. Her final chapter is great simply because it’s just her chilling. I know I just complained about the slow pacing, but slow pacing is only really a problem in certain contexts. Brienne’s chapters in Feast are slow paced, but I’m fine with that because her chapters are much simpler. What I mean is that slow pacing works best when everything is simple (mostly). Dany’s last chapter works for me because it’s her meditating on her life, and there’s a nice atmosphere, and we get a bunch of cool symbolism and imagery. In most of Dany’s other chapters, she’s thinking about whether she can either trust someone we don’t care about or someone else who we also don’t care about. It’s sort of like Dany’s story is fast paced when zoomed in, as something’s always happening, but when you zoom out, you realize that all of this stuff together forms a very slow moving plot. I think that makes sense.
Other than Dany’s final scene, there are some other great moments, like the man with the dead daughter, Dany comforting Missandei, and Drogon breaking loose, but these are diamonds in the rough.
It’s not “bad writing”, as it does accomplish everything George wants to do in terms of character progression and themes, but it is tiresome and tedious reading.
One thing they Dany’s story does show is how difficult writing this entire series is, as George has to juggle all of these plot threads, tie them together with character arcs and consistent themes, and all the while make sure it’s all logical and “realistic”. It can pay off in fantastic ways, but it can also lead to George writing himself into corners, which is the entire Slaver’s Bay plot. Dany is spending so long there, and yet, the only essential part of it plot-wise is that Dany needs to build her forces so she can conquer Westeros. However, it would be out of character for Dany to leave with the slavery thing being unresolved, and it wouldn’t make much sense if the slavery thing did resolve quickly. So, she has to stay in Mereen and go through all of these shenanigans. I don’t know what else George could have done, but I do know that the Mereen plot is extremely boring. Sure, it pushes Dany’s character forward by forcing her in this very tricky moral situation, and there’s a lot of questions it raises about the ethics of cultural interference and authority, but I just want her to go to Westeros. Plus, all of this would work better if it took place in an interesting place where at least half of the characters are interesting.
Plus, George himself has commented on how convoluted it is, talking about the “Mereneese knot”. Just as an example, I looked at the Wiki page for Dany II ADWD, and 19 characters appear, 31 are mentioned, and 56 places and terms are mentioned. That’s too much!
Moving on, let’s talk about Tyrion’s chapters! They’re also mostly pretty boring. Tyrion V and IV are the exceptions, mostly because those are the chapters where Tyrion spends the entire time with Young Griff’s crew, who are all fantastic characters. I don’t mind spending time doing nothing when we have all these fantastic characters. However, when Young Griff’s crew are absent, the story has to be carried by Tyrion, and also sometimes Penny. Sure, Tyrion is a great character, but that doesn’t mean squat if everyone else, other than Penny, is just a middle eastern stereotype.
Plus, for much of Tyrion’s journey, I was just waiting for him to get to Mereen. They say it’s about the journey, not the destination, but the journey was very uninteresting for the most part, as way too much time was spent on long descriptions of random locations in Essos. Young Griff’s crew were great, but most of the other minor characters he met along the way were on a spectrum from bland to annoying, and most of the places he visited were your generic middle eastern inspired fantasy setting.
Plus, the chapters are extraordinarily slowly paced, and it doesn’t feel like they have to be, like with Brienne in Feast. They just feel like George really likes Tyrion and wants us to spend a lot of time with him- even if nothing is going on. If the time spent apart from the plot built Tyrion’s character or gave us insight into what the book was saying then it would be fine, but that time is instead mostly taken up with filler.
Indulgent is the key word to explain Tyrion’s chapters. We’re constantly indulging in long, very pretty, sections of prose going on about how the Rhoyne looks, or the history of Volantis, or yadayada ya. Sure, it’s very well written prose, but it becomes an absolute slog.
Song is always interested in the details of everything, but we don’t need a two paragraph description of a ship, or summaries of three different books in a bookshelf, or ten different food descriptions in one chapter. We also don’t need four different conversations every chapter, three of which don’t tell us anything but how clever Tyrion is. About half of Tyrion’s story in this book actually has some use.
From the perspective of Tyrion’s character and the themes of the story, which I suppose are the most important parts of all of this, I have no complaints. Tyrion’s descent into darkness is realistic, horrifying, and intriguing, and him slowly piecing himself back together thanks to Penny is just as exciting. However, it’s easier to interact with themes and characters if you’re reading something interesting.
It doesn’t help that when Tyrion finally gets to Mereen, the chapters do become very plot-focused. However, this plot is the Mereen plot, which I have already stated to be boring. These last two Tyrion chapters are almost entirely devoid of interesting character moments, and almost entirely consist of discussions of the complex political situation within Mereen. I couldn't care less about the Yunkai or Qarth or this sellsword company or that.
I would be lying if I said there weren’t some fantastic moments in Tyrion’s chapters. Many of these come from Tyrion himself, as he is still a fantastically written character. Tyrion thinking about Jaime and Tysha in Tyrion V is heartbreaking, him apologizing to Penny is nice, and him arguing that his price as a slave should be raised is hilarious.
Basically, Tyrion’s chapters have some of the 20 best moments in all of Ice and Fire and 120 of the most boring moments.
Moving on, let’s talk about Quentyn. His chapters do end on a purposefully unsatisfying note, and new POVs this late do feel weird. However, Quentyn does encounter a lot of crazy stuff, and he does only have four chapters. Does that mean I like his chapters? No. They do feel unnecessary, both to this book and the larger story as a whole. His only purpose to the larger story seems to be freeing the dragons and maybe getting The Tattered Prince hired by Dany.
You know, many people cite slow pacing as the problem with Feast and Dance, and while that is occasionally true, many parts of these two books have the opposite problem. Quentyn’s story is a perfect example of this. Cletus Yronwood is apparently Quentyn’s best friend, and they have this really deep connection. However, we do not have the time to build the two up as companions. In fact, we don't get any time with them at all, as Cletus is already dead. We simply get a flashback with him dying. Was that scene intended to be sad? Because it’s not. We do learn more about Cletus, but it comes after we learn of his death. While I like non-linear storytelling as much as the next guy, sometimes it’s nice to show events in order.
The non- linear storytelling plays a big part in all of Quentyn’s chapters, and it gets very old very quickly. It ends up feeling like very little actually happens in each chapter. Quentyn is in the same place at a chapter’s beginning as he is with his chapter’s ending, except for his final chapter. Like, even though a huge amount happens in each chapter, at the same time, the plot doesn't really advance. It’s very…weird. The jumping around through time makes his chapters seem like a PTSD flashback. Do you know the album “Loveless”? It sounds like how Quentyn’s chapters feel, and while Loveless is one of the best Shoegaze albums ever, it is not the kind of vibe I want a low-fantasy book to have.
Quentyn’s chapters are really messy and full of so many jarring and dissonant tones, with really silly comedy and very dark settings thrown together. There’s no structure to them, no pattern or reasoning.
The idea behind Quentyn’s story is that it starts out full of optimism but then slowly sours, but we start out with it already being sour and get the optimistic part in scattered flashbacks. This means that Quentyn’s story is one without a beginning.
It doesn’t help that about 1/4th of Quentyn’s chapters is worldbuilding. Sure, so much of the stuff in Essos is really cool, like the sellsword company with the stilts, but I’m here for a story.
It feels like George is trying to push as much as he can into every chapter in Essos in this book. It’s like a Jackson Pollack painting but every color is a vibe. We get some mysticism, some whimsy, some grimdark, and some snark.
Also, while Tyrion and Dany’s chapters are anchored by their characters, Quentyn’s chapters have Quentyn. Now, I ranked Quentyn rather high on my character list because I do think he is a good character, but he’s definitely not a great character like Dany or Tyrion. While I’m not a huge fan of Dany and Tyrion chapters, they have many moments that are absolutely necessary for moving their characters along. Sure, Quentyn does go through a bit of an arc, however, we already got this arc with Theon.
We will get to stuff I like, but before that, I have to talk about Barristan’s chapters, which I do not like. The best part of the Mereen plot is watching how all of this affects Dany. Barristan, on the other hand, is very much so detached from all of this. He’s trying to redeem himself, yes, but nothing about Mereen connects to his past experiences or trauma like it does with Dany.
As a result, much of Barristan’s chapters will have him do some action within Mereen and then think of something completely unrelated. With most character POVS, their internal monologues contribute to the story, but with Barristan, it feels like they’re interrupting the story. One of the largest examples of this is when Bloodbears throws a decapitated head in front of Hizdarh. Barristan thinks a bunch about how different kings he knew would react to getting a head tossed their way, and after that, he grieves a bit because he knows the guy whose head got chopped off. It’s a very delayed grief, and it just feels strange, and it’s also never mentioned again. The whole internal monologue could just be taken out of the chapter, and it wouldn’t change anything.
Not only that, but Barristan is also an outsider to Mereen, just like Dany, and the perspective he gives isn’t much different than Dany’s. While Dany wasn’t raised in Westeros, she’s clearly familiar with their customs, as is Barristan, so both of them experience similar cultural issues.
I feel like it would be cool if Barristan’s POV was replaced by Grey Worm’s. Sure, I ranked Grey Worm low on the character ranking list, but George is a great writer, and he could have made Grey Worm interesting. Basically, I just think it would be nice to actually get the perspective of a slave, someone this is affecting. Maybe that’s the point. There are many stories which specifically don’t show the perspective of the victims of some sort of oppression. However, Song is all about having different perspectives, and Barristan does not give us a new perspective.
Now, I had a lot of negatives about those four stories, but I swear I like this book.
Moving on to stuff I enjoyed, Jon also had many chapters. Jon’s internal conflict in this story is similar to Dany’s, with both of them shirking their mental health in order to be effective leaders. However, Jon’s chapters were much easier to read as he’s in an interesting place with more interesting people and a more interesting external conflict.
Watching Jon forsake fun and friends hits because I like Jon’s friends, and the tough ethical decisions he made hit harder because I was invested in the story of the Wildlings and the wall. I also enjoyed watching him deal with Bowen Marsh and Stannis and Tormund.
Song likes talking about stuff that’s romanticized, whether it be war, romance itself, or, in Jon’s case, overworking. Jon is overworking himself, and he’s stretching himself to his limits, like when he swordfights three people at once. Jon is on that grind set, and it’s making him miserable.
It’s honestly astonishing how Jon goes through a new character arc every single book and every single character arc builds on each other, as his ideas of duty fight with his longing for human connection. Despite him encountering similar delimnas, the context they’re in is always changing, which means they never feel repetitive. Jon’s chapters are always some of the easiest to get through. They’re fast paced, never too complex or too simple, flush with cool characters and world building concepts.
Moving on. Joncon’s two chapters are fun as hell for the following reasons:
A., he’s just the kinda guy who’s fun to watch. B., his supporting cast is very nice. C., the plot actually moves forward, and events occur which have ramifications and change the story.
There’s also Asha. Her chapters are fun, I guess. Great characters, fast pacing, and a huge sense of dread are all I need.
Bran gets three chapters, and every single one of them slaps. They’re packed to the brim with dazzling mysticism, beautiful atmosphere, and perfect character work. It’s Bran at his peak, as it’s Bran at his bleakest. These chapters are also blissfully simple. There is no politics, no scheming, no massive ensemble of characters. Now, I do quite like the politics, scheming, and massive ensemble of characters. However, there’s something so gratifying about a chapter which is just three people in a cave with a bunch of nature spirits.
Also, George is just going ham with his prose in these chapters. The descriptions are eloquent and poetic, but it never feels like he’s being indulgent, as it all builds an incredible atmosphere. George takes a slightly different writing style with some characters, and with Bran, he rarely wastes time. While the descriptions are abstract and otherworldly, they’re also quick. For example,
“Their voices were as pure as winter air.” (Bran III, ADWD)
This style of prose makes sense, as Bran is a child. There is a definite sense of child-like wonder and awe to Bran’s chapters. The world is strange and confusing, but also really intriguing.
There’s also a lot of abrupt transitions in Bran’s chapters, with the book itself feeling like it has a low attention span, like a child. We go from Bran’s warging into Summer, and then boom! Bran’s asleep, and then boom! Bran’s having a talk with Meera and Jojen about the dream he just had. I quite enjoy this, as it gives the chapters a nice pace. This could be annoying if what was going on was complex, but it’s so simple and contained, it works.
Not only that, but these three chapters give us loooads of worldbuilding, but it never feels like information is being dumped on us, mostly because the worldbuilding is all awesome. There are paths underground that go to the “very center of the earth” where even the singers/Children of the Forest fear to tread? That’s awesome! Leaf tells us that, and she does not elaborate, which makes it even more awesome!
There are so many fantastic little moments. One of my favorites is when Bran has to try not to have an emotional breakdown because Jojen and Meera are going to see a river without him is the most relatable thing ever.
In case you forgot, when the three of them are in the cave, Jojen and Meera go to see a river, but Bran is left behind because they’ll have to climb to get there. Bran says “alright” and stays behind. However, on the inside he’s melting down because this reminds him of how he used to be able to climb. “Part of him wanted to shout at them for wanting to leave him. Part of him wanted to cry. He was almost a man grown, however, so he said nothing.” (Bran III, ADWD)
Note the phrasing, “leave him”. They are technically leaving him, but only for an hour or so. This makes it seem like they’re abandoning him.
Wanting to scream and cry over this minor thing is a very 8 year old response. However, most 8 year olds would express this violent rage and sadness outwards, whereas Bran bundles it up inside because he wants to be mature. This is basically all of Bran’s character summarized. He comes off as being mature for his age, but he’s really still a child, a very sad child. While this is in the context of a traumatized 8 year old not throwing a temper tantrum, it can be relatable to anyone currently in the “growing up” stage of life. I think a lot of people can relate to being forced to act more mature than they really are because of the situation they are in.
The fact that I’m putting all of this analysis into such a minor moment shows how dense Bran’s chapters are.
I could go on, but I’ll save the rest for the character ranking.
I should probably move on to Theon’s chapters. His stuff is absolutely fantastic. We all know it. There are no dull moments. The sense of terror and dread is ever present. Watching someone slowly piece themselves together and pull themselves out of this dark space is kind of inspiring honestly.
I have already talked about Theon’s chapters in the character ranking, and I will go into more detail in the chapter ranking. There is no need to repeat myself or say the same thing multiple times or say what has already been said.
Moving on, I almost forgot about Davos’ chapters. I like Wyman Manderly, I like Davos, and I have no complaints.
Moving on, there are a bunch of characters with only one or two chapters.
Areo’s one chapter has all of the problems with his chapter in Feast, and it feels even worse in this book with how little it affects every other chapter in this book. I see why it wouldn't have fit in with Feast or Winds, but it still feels so weird to go to Dorne for one chapter and then leave.
I guess I could say the same about Jaime’s one chapter, but I won’t, because Jaime’s chapter is really entertaining, and the events of it are talked about in Cersei’s two chapters.
Speaking of which, Cersei’s chapters have everything great about her chapters in Feast. We have a fantastic character in a harrowing situation, what more can one want?
Miss. Melisandre’s chapter is perfectly cromulent. It has some cool magic stuff going on, and George is great at showing extremely precarious situations. We know that the relationship between the Wildlings and the Nights Watch at the Wall is going to fall apart, we just don’t know when. This makes everything going on the Wall full of dread and suspense. We’ve also had three books to explore the politics of the wild and the watch. We know both groups very well, and that’s an important part of making the conflict interesting.
Moving on, Arya’s chapters are just like her chapters in Feast, and they have all of the good stuff from that.
Victarion’s two chapters have him on a boat with monkeys, and he’s angry, which leads me to believe that they’re actually just an Aguirre: The Wrath of God reference. Anywhoo, I don’t like really like them all that much because they are so fucking slow-paced, and he is the third character who goes on a journey to Mereen. Maybe Victarion’s chapters are actually a Berserk reference, because he’s on a boat, and I just want him to reach his destination.
There’s also the prologue and monologue. The prologue is an A+ from me, because of course it is. This is non-linear storytelling being used well, replicating the way the character is feeling. As opposed to Quentyn’s chapters, there is still a sense of present time, that being the time right before Varamyr’s death. Not only that, but Beyond the Wall is waaaay more interesting than Essos.
Finally, the epilogue is also quite nice. It has lots of political intrigue, and it lets Varys be the sexy evil drama queen he was made to be.
As you can see, there are a LOOOOT of POVs in Dance, and that’s a problem.
The first three books feel actively constrained and limited by the POVS, and the limits make it fun. There is lots of stuff we wish we could see, but we are blocked out from it. This can add mystery, like with the shadow baby, or it can reflect the way the characters feel.
However, with Dance, we have 15 POV characters, not including the prologue and epilogue, and many of these characters only have one chapter, meaning that their character doesn’t go through an arc in this book. Areo appears, sees some plot relevant stuff which will influence his next book, and then he’s gone. He does not go through an arc.
We also get many characters whose POVs are only there because the plot needs it, and that just feels…messy. It’s like the characters are more tools than anything.
Feast also has this problem, but it's even worse with Dance, as it has more POV characters, and more that only appear in one or two chapters. It doesn’t help that Dance is Song at its largest in scope, with a dozen different locations. It doesn’t help that many of these locations are in Essos, a very boring place.
To summarize:
Bran’s chapters are Song at its peak in terms of character, worldbuilding, and atmosphere.
It is impossible to put Theon’s chapters down because of how brutally intense and intensely brutal they are.
Cersei’s chapters are fun.
Arya’s chapters are fun.
The great character work, worldbuilding, and fun ensemble of side characters make Jon’s chapters a thumbs up from me.
Asha’s chapters are fun.
Davos is a cool dude doing cool stuff. Yippee..
Jaime’s one chapter is fine.
Melisandre’s one chapter is fine.
Tyrion’s chapters showcase some extremely brilliant character writing but they are extraordinarily tedious except for when he’s hanging out with JonCon’s crew during Tyrion IV, V, and VI.
Areo Hotah’s chapter is a slog.
I don’t care about Victarion’s dumb arm or his dumb boat or his dumb monkey issues.
Dany’s chapters have great character work but are also a huge slog.
Quentyn’s chapters are a dense haze of worldbuilding which never seem to end.
I hope Barristan gets his nutsack stuck in a blender in The Winds of Winter.
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People being unable to make the connection that yaz and 13 have left it too late actively Because they’ve had an unhealthy uncommunicative relationship and have both ignored things they’d rather not deal with, both consciously and unconsciously, and that this fits into a running theme of the era where people who aren’t upfront and honest and instead bury themselves away are hurt by it and hurt those around them, whereas the honest and truthful like Graham and Ryan are happy and fulfilled, and that their complaints that ‘this is unhealthy why are they putting them in a relationship’ are absurdity because the point is that they Do care for each other but Do have an unhealthy interpersonal relationship and that this has shot them in the foot, and if they’d been honest and open earlier they could have had proper time together.
The Point Is It’s Unhealthy And It’s Gone Wrong Because Of It. This is not peppa pig age level television, showing something done badly is as much of an object lesson as showing something done right.
The point is, they are not putting them in an actual romantic relationship. They are saying they aren’t in one and the reason for that, despite their feelings, is their own doing. The unhealthy part, believe it or not, is actually an era long theme being used to make a point and illustrate a moral! You should watch some time.
Think of the two married blokes in Praxeus, they’d separated because of a lack of honesty! Graham had to set them straight... Well, Honest. To put them back on the path. They failed when they did not communicate and succeeded when they did. Object lesson, simple but effective.
You are failing to make the most basic of deductions in that none of this is an accident, it was all on purpose. How can you complain that they’re putting two characters with such an unhealthy relationship in an actual relationship because it’s bad, while in the same breath bemoan them waiting to put them together for so long because it was a massive mistake and poor writing? Your statements are actively contradictory.
The show’s narrative makes sense, the wider arc Yaz and 13 are walking fits in with the overall themes of the era, it’s not just there for its own sake, it’s carrying the plots that have been here and established since S11, this is another example of said themes that is just using the leads as vehicles, that’s all.
You need to stop assuming that being in love with somebody means it’s a story about happily ever after, white picket fence and wedding cakes. You’re up in arms about a bad relationship portrayal because you seem to think it’s Meant to be positive despite everybody and their mother being able to say it’s messed up. If the writing is showing something messed up, and if the viewers perceive it as messed up, why, exactly, would anybody’s assumption be that it wasn’t intentionally written as messed up and was a big old accident?
Sometimes a duck is just a duck.
i literally don’t care what clowning y’all are on but do so many of u Have to put it on My Posts to make it my problem??? jeez
#dw shit#you have all been So obnoxious today :))))))))))))))))))))))))#peoples extreme need to make chibnall out to be a bumbling idiot only managing to write#nuanced and critical plots because he did it accidentally#makes Them look dim#if you look at a duck and call it a goose that ain't the show's fault#and maybe you don't like ducks but that still doesn't mean ducks are bad#hate to break it#i myself hate geese and like ducks#but that's called preference baby#and geese are evil but people can like 'em if they want#dw meta
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Eternals would have made a lot more sense if the romance primarily focused on Druig and Makkari.
I know it was an "accidental" ship but it makes sense. They were devoted to the mission and were kind of adventurous hellions who distrusted humans. Druig's conflict between using his mind-controlling abilities to keep humans from hurting each other and staying passive because it's morally wrong and against their mission is way more compelling than Ikaris deciding to either be an emotionless robot who is only devoted to what his robot God tells him or a sociopath who viciously attacks anyone who gets in his way. I could see Makkari basically staying on the ship and letting him do his thing because she understands why he's compelled to but isn't willing to join him. And then years and years go by and he doesn't come back, until he does and they agree to join forces. And then we get a sex scene that's actually worth watching.
Ikaris would work more as a celibate soldier boy who is above petty little concerns like love. His personal relationship with Sersi doesn't really sway either of their perspectives and we're not told how they managed to be together for five thousand years with such wildly divergent belief systems without ever being pulled on a new direction one way or the other at any time. We're not told why he decided to leave and never come back instead of have a conversation with his wife about how her life's work was futile, but that does illustrate that they had little in common to hold them together and didn't have great communication skills anyway. More to the point, he never really tries that hard to get her back. Why would he? They're being uploaded to the next planet in a few days. He's like to preserve the good memories, but their life as an superhero power couple is long over.
Ikaris is a religious fanatic. He loves Arishem more than he could love anyone or anything else, including Sersi. He's willing to commit extreme acts of violence to serve his master, and he doesn't deserve to be given brownie points for stopping short of physically attacking his estranged wife.
Sersi and Ikaris is not an epic love. It's actually quite pathetic. It should have never have been a thing.
If Sersi and Ikaris are just friends during the entire story, the same conflict will arise between them without having to explain why they were together so long despite having nothing in common and his willingness to keep huge secrets from her. Take out the montages and direct Richard a little differently during his two "love confessions" (you can still miss your friend and want to preserve your memories together without being in love with her and it makes more sense for a friend to only want that and reject all talk of a resumption of your romantic relationship as opposed to an estranged husband) and literally nothing will change.
Now we have Dane, who despite the protestations of certain GoT stan groups, is in a romantic relationship with Sersi. Ikaris seems to mostly exist as a romantic obstacle when it comes to him, but we can tweak that. Sersi feels pulled between her old life and her human ties to him and that doesn't require a romantic rival to make that a plot point. Sersi obviously cared for him and knew a great deal about his family, so this was a serious relationship despite multiple stans arguing otherwise. I'm not sure how much evidence is required to indicate to them that it exists. So Sersi not having an estranged husband but being an immortal robot alien is still weird enough on its own.
Druig and Makkari have shared values, goals, and actual chemistry, and come to each other's aid when threatened. Makkari's howl of outrage and attempt to beat the shit out of Ikaris when she thinks Ikaris has killed him was more indicative of a true romance than we got from any of the other three couples...until you get to Dane picking up that demon sword on Sersi's behalf that, is.
Drukkari forever. Should have been the whole story.
#eternals#drukkari#even marvel is backing away from ikarsersi and jumping on the drukkari train#so any stans who think a potential sequel is going to continue a ship that fell completely flat is likely out of luck
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