4. Smoke and Shadow, part 1 (AtLA comics) -- OK, this one actually sort of begins to redeem the Ursa storyline that so disappointed me in The Search. ( Spoilers! )
I had to split mine, too...hamsterwomanFebruary 4 2016, 19:58:55 UTC
with all the WHAT DOES THE MILK SIGNIFY of the veretian politics,
I just wanted to say, there was at some point a line -- I don't even remember if it was in Laurent POV or Damen thinking about what/how Laurent is thinking -- where I stopped and thought to myself "BUT WHAT DOES THE MILK SIGNIFY" and laughed out loud for like a minute XD
and maybe Damen’s speech to introduce Paschal would have actually gone smoother, since we’d have not known it was an asspull.
I do think it's implied that Damen sort of somehow figured it out that Paschal had some actual information -- though presumably not WHAT actual information he had, since fratricide by proxy or any other kind of pratricide still seems to be beyond his ken. But, like, that would've been easier to swallow if he hadn't spent the whole book being oblivious to things that had been clear to readers since book 1. *sigh*
Speaking of public gifts, do you think Laurent was ba-thump/hearteyes at this whole engagement bracelet? :DD I think his roleplay side shoulda been pleased, lol
Ahaha, yes, I think so! Also, engagement slave bracelets, awww.
They are referring to some roman-empire-like past, right? but none of us can remember if it had been introduced before cp3
Yeah, that's what I got, too, out of the mention of [whatever] ruins. But I can't remember it being brought up earlier, either... but I could see tht being something seeded in book 1/2 that I just missed in the general worldbuilding and getting used to all the place names.
and maybe see how this whole slave issue will be addressed - it was Damen himself who emphasized how much a part of culture it was.
Yeah, exactly. Having a line like that, and then a Solemn Vow about how he will end slavery and then nothing... not even HOW he is planning to go about that, seems weird and handwavy to me as well.
PS. I just noticed your tag *looks into the camera like in the office* XD
because it didn't even cross my mind that he could be disabled by this (even long enough to prevent stabbings) because I was pretty sure he would get to kill somebody physically in the end well, then, it just might be me and my forever griping about fiction handwaving damage/consequences/sloppy setups and resolutions (ie korra) :P
Possibly because that was the last time Damen was actually competent at something in the book, it feels like. so much bitter yes to that GRRR. also he had to be told by Guiom why Laurent missed Charcy and was wounded? wow mega.
Like, what was the Regent doing in Ios BEFORE Laurent gave himself up to him to have a trial? (I mean, aside from the fundamental question of what he was doing in Ios, period.) Yup this is what I meant. There is sense of urgency, which seems to be primarily driven by the fact that they know Regent is dangerous - but no specifics? - so I bought the urgency, which means the whole public engagement with whips and best slave forever bracelets and displays of jealousy with sports and Isanders were just - put there. Pretty much like unnecessary Laurent-in-Akielon-dress before he went to crossdress and later show up in pants anyway.
Re:domino reaction of suck, I think she tried to sort of explain that no one is exempt from punishment for violence in Kingsmeet with introducing a story about it FIVE LINES BEFORE but like. No. I do not appreciate. It was a lazy attempt at a setup in a lazy plot twist. Similarly the former empire introduction - too late! too horcrux!! (Oh and btw, I forgot to mention it earlier - but I am so going to be paying attention to Jokaste and Nikandros in book 1, because I did remember Jokaste as brown-haired and not Laurent doppelganger, and there was zero mention of any personal attachment to Nikandros, he was just "one of his father's kyroi" and I was left with a firm impression he's some middle-aged uncle figure and not his bloody bff).
Re: I had to split mine, too...hamsterwomanFebruary 6 2016, 01:50:18 UTC
forever griping about fiction handwaving damage/consequences/sloppy setups and resolutions (ie korra) :P
No, I think that's fair, but I think it's also something that this series in general shrugs off pretty easily. Like, I kept expecting Damen to have some more serious aftereffects of being flogged to literally within an inch of his life and later injuries than "oh, Paschal massaged some salve in and it was fine". Which I'm fine with in a romp, honestly.
Pretty much like unnecessary Laurent-in-Akielon-dress before he went to crossdress and later show up in pants anyway.
LOL but Laurent-in-a-chiton was vital fanservice! :P (I found that fairly cute, though -- you know, the literary equivalent of a character on a romcom walking into a wall when they see their date all dressed up for the prom or whatever.)
It was a lazy attempt at a setup in a lazy plot twist.
Yup.
and there was zero mention of any personal attachment to Nikandros, he was just "one of his father's kyroi" and I was left with a firm impression he's some middle-aged uncle figure and not his bloody bff
Yeah, I also got a similar vibe, but I don't remember if Nikandros comes up in Damen's thoughts, where I would've expected said warmth, or just in stuff he says to Laurent, where he would be trying to downplay any personal attachment with uncharacteristic subtlety
I don't remember Jokaste's hair color, tbh. I can't recall if it was mentioned at all, or just implied with Damen having a thing for blondes, but I don't remember it being explicit? Very curious to see what you find, though! I hope it's not a retcon, that'd be silly.
Re: I had to split mine, too...ikel89February 8 2016, 09:13:33 UTC
*nods* I agree that Damen's injuries were also hand-waved, but I think I was more ok with that because of the whole superhuman strength angle - to the extent where I was fully expecting him to pull the knife from his body and throw it as Kastor at the end :P Laurent seems more breakable (pardonning the unintentional facilitation of uke cliches) - we see him trautamized, bruised, god knows what, so it didn't seem unreasonable that he should be handicapped like this, too - after all , he makes it his specialty, this ability to come back from very disadvantageous positions.
the literary equivalent of a character on a romcom walking into a wall when they see their date all dressed up for the prom or whatever heh yeah, the narrative inevitability. But as far as execution goes, I thought bits like Laurent grumbling that it wasn't only wrists and ankles that offended his Veretian sensibilities, or - better even - that scene where Damen accidentally obeys an order that wasn't directed at him. All that AWKWARDDDDD comic faces come to mind :DD (no, but I really thought that was a very neat episode :D)
I think if on reread there is nothing indicating Nikandros as a friend, I am calling this a - well, not retconning, but belated slapping of this bff backstory on a random character. I cannot believe Damen would completely treat Nikandros as "one of his dad's kyroi" with what we know of him now.
Re: I had to split mine, too...hamsterwomanFebruary 8 2016, 16:48:59 UTC
Damen's injuries were also hand-waved, but I think I was more ok with that because of the whole superhuman strength angle - to the extent where I was fully expecting him to pull the knife from his body and throw it as Kastor at the end :P
Ahaha. But, yeah, you're right, he's shown to be physically superhuman in other respects, so bouncing back from stuff like that does feel more expected.
that scene where Damen accidentally obeys an order that wasn't directed at him. All that AWKWARDDDDD comic faces come to mind :DD (no, but I really thought that was a very neat episode :D)
Oh, thank you for reminding me about it! I also loved the scene, and had it marked down, but of course my Kindle ate my notes. That episode does beg for illustration -- I hope some comes along! XD
I do think Nikandros as bff was sort of tacked on at the end... You'd think that, even in grief at his father's death and rage and/or denial at Jokaste and Kastor's betrayal, Damen might consider how a BFF would feel about his disappearance, more than "well, he tried to warn me" -- so I would've expected him to show up earlier in Damen's thoughts. Possibly he does, and then that would be nice, but I have no recollection of him at all. (I understand the limitations of a serially-told story, but since this went through some opportunities for rewrites, stuff like this should not be hard to seed up front with a line or two, I would think...)
I just wanted to say, there was at some point a line -- I don't even remember if it was in Laurent POV or Damen thinking about what/how Laurent is thinking -- where I stopped and thought to myself "BUT WHAT DOES THE MILK SIGNIFY" and laughed out loud for like a minute XD
and maybe Damen’s speech to introduce Paschal would have actually gone smoother, since we’d have not known it was an asspull.
I do think it's implied that Damen sort of somehow figured it out that Paschal had some actual information -- though presumably not WHAT actual information he had, since fratricide by proxy or any other kind of pratricide still seems to be beyond his ken. But, like, that would've been easier to swallow if he hadn't spent the whole book being oblivious to things that had been clear to readers since book 1. *sigh*
Speaking of public gifts, do you think Laurent was ba-thump/hearteyes at this whole engagement bracelet? :DD I think his roleplay side shoulda been pleased, lol
Ahaha, yes, I think so! Also, engagement slave bracelets, awww.
They are referring to some roman-empire-like past, right? but none of us can remember if it had been introduced before cp3
Yeah, that's what I got, too, out of the mention of [whatever] ruins. But I can't remember it being brought up earlier, either... but I could see tht being something seeded in book 1/2 that I just missed in the general worldbuilding and getting used to all the place names.
and maybe see how this whole slave issue will be addressed - it was Damen himself who emphasized how much a part of culture it was.
Yeah, exactly. Having a line like that, and then a Solemn Vow about how he will end slavery and then nothing... not even HOW he is planning to go about that, seems weird and handwavy to me as well.
PS. I just noticed your tag *looks into the camera like in the office* XD
:D
Reply
because it didn't even cross my mind that he could be disabled by this (even long enough to prevent stabbings) because I was pretty sure he would get to kill somebody physically in the end
well, then, it just might be me and my forever griping about fiction handwaving damage/consequences/sloppy setups and resolutions (ie korra) :P
Possibly because that was the last time Damen was actually competent at something in the book, it feels like.
so much bitter yes to that GRRR. also he had to be told by Guiom why Laurent missed Charcy and was wounded? wow mega.
Like, what was the Regent doing in Ios BEFORE Laurent gave himself up to him to have a trial? (I mean, aside from the fundamental question of what he was doing in Ios, period.)
Yup this is what I meant. There is sense of urgency, which seems to be primarily driven by the fact that they know Regent is dangerous - but no specifics? - so I bought the urgency, which means the whole public engagement with whips and best slave forever bracelets and displays of jealousy with sports and Isanders were just - put there. Pretty much like unnecessary Laurent-in-Akielon-dress before he went to crossdress and later show up in pants anyway.
Re:domino reaction of suck, I think she tried to sort of explain that no one is exempt from punishment for violence in Kingsmeet with introducing a story about it FIVE LINES BEFORE but like. No. I do not appreciate. It was a lazy attempt at a setup in a lazy plot twist. Similarly the former empire introduction - too late! too horcrux!! (Oh and btw, I forgot to mention it earlier - but I am so going to be paying attention to Jokaste and Nikandros in book 1, because I did remember Jokaste as brown-haired and not Laurent doppelganger, and there was zero mention of any personal attachment to Nikandros, he was just "one of his father's kyroi" and I was left with a firm impression he's some middle-aged uncle figure and not his bloody bff).
Reply
No, I think that's fair, but I think it's also something that this series in general shrugs off pretty easily. Like, I kept expecting Damen to have some more serious aftereffects of being flogged to literally within an inch of his life and later injuries than "oh, Paschal massaged some salve in and it was fine". Which I'm fine with in a romp, honestly.
Pretty much like unnecessary Laurent-in-Akielon-dress before he went to crossdress and later show up in pants anyway.
LOL but Laurent-in-a-chiton was vital fanservice! :P (I found that fairly cute, though -- you know, the literary equivalent of a character on a romcom walking into a wall when they see their date all dressed up for the prom or whatever.)
It was a lazy attempt at a setup in a lazy plot twist.
Yup.
and there was zero mention of any personal attachment to Nikandros, he was just "one of his father's kyroi" and I was left with a firm impression he's some middle-aged uncle figure and not his bloody bff
Yeah, I also got a similar vibe, but I don't remember if Nikandros comes up in Damen's thoughts, where I would've expected said warmth, or just in stuff he says to Laurent, where he would be trying to downplay any personal attachment with uncharacteristic subtlety
I don't remember Jokaste's hair color, tbh. I can't recall if it was mentioned at all, or just implied with Damen having a thing for blondes, but I don't remember it being explicit? Very curious to see what you find, though! I hope it's not a retcon, that'd be silly.
Reply
the literary equivalent of a character on a romcom walking into a wall when they see their date all dressed up for the prom or whatever
heh yeah, the narrative inevitability. But as far as execution goes, I thought bits like Laurent grumbling that it wasn't only wrists and ankles that offended his Veretian sensibilities, or - better even - that scene where Damen accidentally obeys an order that wasn't directed at him. All that AWKWARDDDDD comic faces come to mind :DD (no, but I really thought that was a very neat episode :D)
I think if on reread there is nothing indicating Nikandros as a friend, I am calling this a - well, not retconning, but belated slapping of this bff backstory on a random character. I cannot believe Damen would completely treat Nikandros as "one of his dad's kyroi" with what we know of him now.
Reply
Ahaha. But, yeah, you're right, he's shown to be physically superhuman in other respects, so bouncing back from stuff like that does feel more expected.
that scene where Damen accidentally obeys an order that wasn't directed at him. All that AWKWARDDDDD comic faces come to mind :DD (no, but I really thought that was a very neat episode :D)
Oh, thank you for reminding me about it! I also loved the scene, and had it marked down, but of course my Kindle ate my notes. That episode does beg for illustration -- I hope some comes along! XD
I do think Nikandros as bff was sort of tacked on at the end... You'd think that, even in grief at his father's death and rage and/or denial at Jokaste and Kastor's betrayal, Damen might consider how a BFF would feel about his disappearance, more than "well, he tried to warn me" -- so I would've expected him to show up earlier in Damen's thoughts. Possibly he does, and then that would be nice, but I have no recollection of him at all. (I understand the limitations of a serially-told story, but since this went through some opportunities for rewrites, stuff like this should not be hard to seed up front with a line or two, I would think...)
Reply
Leave a comment