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#like every time I read a section from her POV I just thought ‘she’s autistic’
eclipsedrawsthings · 2 years
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Ok so I just finished Wyrd Sisters the other day
Someone PLEASE tell me I’m not the only one who reads Magrat as being autistic I cannot find anyone else talking about it and it was so clear to me please someone tell me it’s not just me—
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aesarctic · 7 years
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Lord of Shadows, by Cassandra Clare
I finished this book a month ago, but I finally finished the review
Lord of Shadows is the second book of The Dark Artifices series, by Cassandra Clare. However, there are a ton of books that should be read before hand. If you’d like a guide, I have one.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Read on Goodreads
FOR THE SUPER NON-SPOILERY PEOPLE (Like me): I enjoyed this book more than the first one; it didn't take long for me to get hooked. Definitely a 95% rating. I can't say anything more, since it's the second book in the series, and to get to this point, you have to read many other books. FOR THE NON-SPOILERY PEOPLE (Hidden for the super non-spoilery people): Lady Midnight took me around half the book to get into. This one took a few pages--my first tab is on page eleven. I love how the characters are portrayed, as well. Though, I'm not a romance person, so every time something came up along that sort, it did take a bit longer for me to get through. I'm glad to say that this book did not have second-book-slump, and, in my opinion, was better than the first. EDIT: Cassie's writing has improved tremendously, in my opinion. I do think there could be more of a variation depending on the point of view, but over all, it's fun to read style-wise. And everything else-wise, really. 
FOR THE SPOILERY PEOPLE: I'm going to break this down into three sections: Characters, Relationships, Storyline, and Shout-outs.
CHARACTERS: Mark Blackthorn: All I can say is that he's not my favourite character. He didn't annoy me, but when a scene featured him, I found myself not liking it as much as any other character. I do have to say, it does seem like he lost almost all human-world common sense after joining the hunt. He had years in the human realm. That couldn't have all been lost. I think he's being written dumber than he is. Julian Blackthorn: I love Julian from other characters' POV's. I love how everyone notes him as a selfless, caring person. I even like how they make notes on how ruthless and "razor blade"-like he is. But when reading from his point of view, I almost can't stand it. All he does is think about Emma. When he thinks about his other siblings, I think that's great, but the majority of it is all Emma, and it bothers me to no end. One of my favourite Julian scenes is from when Livvy died, and that wasn't even in his point of view. It was through Emma's. I do think it's interesting how Julian is supposed to be bad, in a way. How he killed his "father" and lied to peoples' faces. Livvy Blackthorn: One of my favourite characters. Her personality, how she wanted to be like Julian (personally one of my favourite parts), everything. I practically died when she did. I was surprised that I hadn't seen it coming sooner, since looking back, it was terribly predictable. Ty Blackthorn: Another favourite character, but more so than Livvy. I absolutely loved every scene he was in. I thought the fact that he wants to be a detective was great. I don't think I appreciated him enough in Lady Midnight. I'm not autistic myself, but I hope that he is good and accurate representation to the autistic community. Dru Blackthorn: I don't have much to say about her, but I wanted to include her. She was interesting, and I'm glad she had more of a part in this story. I don't know if I love or hate her yet. I'll mention here, though, that I don't like whatever thing is budding between her and Jaime. That had better stay a friendship. Emma Carstairs: She's a main character, but I have nothing to say about her that doesn't involve someone else. When she's with Julian, I almost can't stand her. All she does is think about him. When she's with others, she's quirky and makes bad jokes, and I find that fun. I like how she acts differently with each person: it's realistic, and I love that. My feelings about her are conflicted. Zara Dearborn: I don't know what to say. We're supposed to hate her. I hate her. Mission accomplished. It's one of those things where I appreciate her character and completely despise her existence as a person? She's written incredibly well for someone who is the equivalent of sewer water. That's good, but it also makes me hate her more. It's complicated. Diana Wrayburn: In the first book, she meant little to me. In the second book, that changed. When she came out as trans, I practically threw my book. I didn't--I was at a restaurant--but I would have. That's important representation. That's representation. I'm so happy. Is Diana my favourite character? No. Do I like reading about her relationships? Absolutely not. Am I thankful for her existence? Completely. RELATIONSHIPS: Julian and Emma: I am close to despising this. I hate how every time we get a Julian chapter, it's all Emma. Everything. Emma. I hate Emma's complaining about her feelings. In my mind, the parabatai bond was this special concept to honour people with close relationships to their friends. Their relationship feels like a disgrace to the bond. Either cut off your runes or emotions. Julian and his siblings: Starting with Mark, I like how Julian continues to trust him. Next, Livvy. There was a moment when Livvy enters Julian's room, and they have this moment that almost made me internally combust. Livvy tells Julian how she wants to be like him, and I think it's a powerful moment. Thought, I'm sure it was there to make her death more painful, and it definitely worked. Speaking of her death, I wish we read it from Julian's point of view. That could have been such a powerful moment. I was already dying inside. If we're going to go the mess-everyone's-life-out route, may as well rip our hearts out. Go all-out. That death scene was powerful, and I was shredded to pieces, but it could have been even harder on my emotions With Ty, I love how Julian takes care to make sure Ty is in the moment. Drawing out what expressions mean, or giving him a fist bump instead of a hug. Dru and Julian had that moment where he told her she was the heart, and sure that was a touching moment, but I felt as if it wasn't enough. One moment for 700 pages? She's the second youngest. Give her more love. Tavvy and Julian had one cute moment, where Tavvy began to meltdown because Julian was leaving. I loved that moment. I loved how there was a small glimpse at how Tavvy loves his brother. I wish there was more of that, too, like Dru. I'm going to also mention here that I wasn't satisfied with the reaction to Arthur's death. It didn't feel like enough. It felt like they blew it off. I know most of them didn't even know him, but that doesn't fully excuse it in my mind. EDIT: I was reminded by my friend that Tavvy also tried to escape with Julian, and now the Cute Moment Count has gone up to two. EDIT 2: There's a paragraph where Julian yanks Ty close and hugs him like his life depends on it, and that gives me life.And the moment where Ty gave Julian the coloured pencils? I'm dead. Livvy, Ty, and Kit: I love them. These are my favourite characters. Perfect. I love their dynamic. I love how Ty was only one allowed to put a rune on Kit. How Ty and Livvy invited Kit to do things with him, and trusted his ideas. How Livvy and Ty were so close-knit, but they were still willing to let Kit in. I love the platonic kiss between Kit and Livvy. I know a lot of people didn't see it as platonic, but I did, and that was a defining moment for me. It wasn't a kiss for a relationship. It was curiosity and trust. Livvy wanted to know, and she trusted Kit so that she could find out. I love it. Looking back, if I was paying attention, it was painfully obvious Livvy was going to die and Kit was replacing her, but I didn't look into it. I was too into the book. Livvy's death was huge and unexpected. Ty and Kit are going to further their relationship, and I hope it stays platonic. I really do. I can't wait. Jace and Kit: I love their interactions. Where Jace will say something about Kit being a Herondale, and Kit's like, "Uh huh, sure, yeah, okay, bye." Love it. Diego, Zara, Christina, Mark, Kieran, Emma, and Julian:Diego is engaged to Zara, but likes Christina, who also has a thing with Mark, who previously had a thing with Kieran and technically Emma, who has a thing for Julian. Shout-out to Christina maybe becoming Jaime's parabatai, who may or may not be into Dru? This entire thing is crazy, a little annoying, but I kind of find it hilarious. STORYLINE: In the beginning, Mark kills Magnus. Talk about foreshadowing. Ty has common sense. I wish he'd share it with other people. "Yeah, Ty's autistic." Maybe you should explain that a little more, buddy. "Yeah, they need to read a history book." Maybe you should bring that up, buddy. "Yeah, this is the Holocaust." Maybe you should mention that, buddy. "Yeah, I love cookies." Of course, buddy. Everyone loves cookies. Is the green flash a real thing? Everyone who talks about the rumour of Magnus magicking Alec into liking him is going to get a personal punch to the everything courtesy of me. I appreciate the existence of Malec, even if I don't ship it. Emma and Julian look at each other. One second later, they're making out. Gross. Unrealistic. Not what I want to read. Not what I'm here to read. "'If you don't fear death,' said Julian, 'then let Kieran meet it.'" Dang, Julian. The idea of Livvy just texting Simon for answers is kind of funny. Christina just happens to have this very convenient necklace due to her family's convenient bond with the faeries from generations ago. I have the hardest time believing Emma would just give upher stele. She didn't get it back, right? I don't remember her getting back. That meant something to her. It was too easy for her to give it up to enter the faerie realm. "'And if we don't have Energy runes, we'll have to get our energy the old-fashioned way.' "Mark looked puzzled. 'Drugs?' "'Chocolate,' Emma said. 'I brought chocolate. Mark, where do you even come up with these things?'" Cue me screaming. There's this paragraph from Kit's POV, and he was thinking about Emma and Christina and Julian, and he decides that he's going to stomp on Zara's foot for them, and one, I love that. Two, defining paragraph that shows that Kit does have a heart towards the Blackthorns and Co. Julian and Emma Look at Each Other and Their Hearts Explode: Part 2. I want more of all of the bilingual characters speaking their respective languages. "'I want to be parabatai again,' [Emma] said. 'The way we were before.'" YES. Yes. Please. Make my life simple. Become great parabatai. No more of this disgusting romance-y thing. I really don't like the idea of parabatai being a curse. When I first was introduced to the idea, I was thrilled. This was a special bond! For really close best friends who were always there for each other! "Best friends but more than that," as the book put it. I loved that. That's all I have, and that's all I'm going to have. I liked the idea of that being sort of shown in a book. Kit's ability to see ghosts and how that's a Herondale thing isn't something I'm fond of. There's this unnecessary paragraph that explains what the word "bust" means to Kit and I don't know how to feel. "'Tell me,' Kit said. Tell me what you need. "'Put your arms around me,' said Ty." I love them. I really hope they stay platonic, but the fact that both of them are opening up is lovely. There are moments where Kit even thinks about wanting to hug Ty, and I love it. Kit is opening up to the idea of Ty loving "Evelyn left." "She's dead?" "No, you idiot." "There was no reason to sail down Sexy Thoughts River to the Sea of Perversion when it wasn't going to go anywhere." The WHAT. "I'm READY." "Emma..." "I'm going to put bows on their heads." "That's not--" "CAN I GET A SELFIE?" "Eat your toast, Emma." I love the part where they discuss family mottos. Hilarious. Helen and Aline come in, and I appreciate their existence. I hope we get more of them in the next book because this wasn't enough. Also, I've got to love Emma's sass to Zara. Okay, and Robert's death? Unpredictable. Completely nuts. What the actual heck. Whoa. Livvy's death scene. I've already talked about it a bit, but gods. That messed me up. It was so predictable, but I was so engrossed with the book, I didn't see it when I should have. It was obvious Kit was coming into Ty's life to replace Livvy. And are there three-way parabatai bonds? Probably not, but that's what I really was hoping for. She was my third favourite character. I loved her in Lady Midnight but this book spent so much time building her up, I just--I fell for it. She had that scene with Julian about wanting to be like him--she won't ever get that. She won't ever get to be parabataiwith Ty. She's gone. And I'm sad. I can't believe Annabel was the one who killed her. When she got resurrected, I thought she was upset that Blackthorn blood was shed. Now she's not? I mean, I guess we don't know for sure, since she disappeared, but I'd think she would never have done it if she truly cared. And Livvy's last words tore me apart. Ty turning the colour of ashes and crumpling to the ground? I'm falling to pieces. Everything Julian? I've been murdered and I'm never coming back. I can't believe--Livvy--she-- I can't believe Cassie killed off a twin. Talk about cruel. One of my best friends is a twin and he rants about that all the time--people killing of twins. SHOUT-OUTS: -London -Will writing in the books (Did Ty take a Sherlock book that had Will's writing in it?) -"Oh we're Shadowhunters and even though our hidden country is in Europe we have no idea of mundane history or medicines for that matter" (Did they go through the bubonic plague? I'm curious.) -Clary just think she's going to die? And that's why she's not marrying Jace? What the heck is up with that? (Though, the romance-hating part of me is fine with that, honestly.) -Dru befriending Jaime, defying space and time (going into Faerie), possibly seeing Sebastian-baby (as BookTube calls him) -Christina: "I have this magical necklace to make sure we age normally." Everyone: *gets up and is everywhere in faerie* What is the radius of this necklace? -The Centurians were funny-annoying in the beginning and now I want to blow them up. -Emma: "Julian doesn't lie." Julian: *lies* -Julian literally gave the idea that there are other ways to hurt Diego other than touching him. -Kit, Ty, and Livvy in general -"I'm Christopher Herondale" -Kit's list of Shadowhunter grievances -What the heck is Gwyn doing, hooking up with Diana? -The entire binding between Mark and Christina was a giant rollar coaster I didn't want to get on and found entertaining anyway. -We saw Helen! And Aline! -The fact that Annabel was conscious for five years -If Julian's thoughts could chill, maybe -I really cannot see Emma and Julian together as a couple -The difference between Julian & family and Julian & Emma -Julian is willing to use whatever he wants to use as leverage as leverage -Emma shattered the mortal sword. What. -Who wrote the Blackbook? Why is it called that? "Oh, black leather is the only cover material we have. Let's just call it 'The Black Book.'" -Julian is willing to trust the Seelie queen for Emma; I'm ready to stab something -Robert's death is very convenient towards the exile plotline. Almost as if Cassie needed a way to disrupt it. More drama that way. -Kit doesn't know Livvy's dead: I want to cry. -Jessamine is a ghost? No, thanks -You know this is a Cassie Clare book when Magnus walks in on a main character sex scene -Malcolm? Alice? I refuse -Stupid love triangle--love square--pentagon--hexagon--heptagon? Can we go as far as octagon I'm not keeping track. -We saw Magnus and Alec's kids! -Emma just happens to be able to kill one of the Super Serious Non-Killable Faerie dudes. -Ty is the glue -Zara totally rigged Annabel's trial -Is this whole warlocks-are-weaker thing because of Malcolm's death? Because if not, Malcolm should have been effected too, right? -"Sexy weirdness" and "hot faerie threesome" are now Things thanks to Emma Carstairs -Robert was being nice -They have way too much hope sometimes -All of the Shadowhunters in the audience during the trial just happen to have bottles and bags and things on them. I don't have that stuff on me. -They threw bags? -Kit calling Shadowhunters hot -I don't want this, but what if Livvy is a ghost -Kitty is a ship name -Ty gave Kit his first rune -Emma must be feeling so much guilt for saying "Don't make a promise you can't keep." -Clary said "when" she dies (honestly, thank the gods.) -Sebastian left a weapon in the Seelie court. Spoiler alert: This weapon is a person. -Diego just happened to be engaged to Zara for marriage benefits on Zara's part -Christina let it slip that Julian and Emma like each other. Out of everyone, I feel like she would be the best at keeping that secret. -"You're not okay--I know how you feel towards water." -Kit actually cares for Christina on some level -Annabel just sort of killed those two guards. This book was an adventure, left me with a massive book hangover, and oh, man, was it good.
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breanne-says-boo · 7 years
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Anne Rice Facebook livestream breakdown
Today, Anne Rice had two livestreams on Facebook, the first as a general Q&A and the second specifically related to the Vampire Chronicles television show. Part way through the second livestream, the video glitched and I missed a minute or two, but overall this is what I had.
I’ve divided the information into 3 sections and highlighted the most important or interesting things she mentioned in my opinion):
Anne Herself
Anne wants to assure fans she is the ONLY one who answers and sees emails sent by fans. She tries hard to view all of them
She also reassures that shes been trying to read as many comments given on Facebook as possible and to consider them
In her writing process, she can’t do all-nighters anymore; her books about Christ were the last time she really did this
She loves how people in New Orleans love life and celebrate it. She misses New Orleans terribly. She notes, “Lifestyles [down there] are inherited and have a beauty”
She reads more non-fiction than fiction and constantly takes notes from them, especially about archeology (which she loves: “It’s like eating ice cream for me! I love it so much”)
She says she no longer identifies as a Christian, but still has a love for Jesus and what he has done for her, such as helping her solve problems and beyond that
She has some new announcement coming soon not concerning the vampires
She feels this is the age of the nerd where readers’ opinions are most important. Says she has always taken us the readers seriously and wants us to feel appreciated. She appreciates our power and what we have done for the series.
The Books and The Characters
*spoiler* There is NO certainty Mona and Quinn are dead. This is just what Lestat believes.
She went through the pronunciations of characters’ names
Marius is pronounced like Marius in Les Miserables
Mekare is May-care-ee, but thinks other pronunciations are beautiful too
(And I think as a fandom we’ve come to agreements on everyone else’s names. She went by the names fast!)
Anne says she sums up the story of the chronicles as “how badly Lestat wants to be the hero of his own life”
She appreciates fans pointing out mistakes in her writing since she wants to be as accurate as possible, especially when it comes to history/time periods
When asked about the taste of blood/how it functions, Anne says blood is like every kind of drug- it’s sex, alcohol, drugs, everything
She writes a TON of notes since she occasionally forgets when/how certain things are mentioned, such as how the Savage Garden was introduced in the novel (which she no knows as something that occurred during Our Conversation with Nicolas and Lestat)
The name “Talamasca” came from a book on old witchcraft she found
Lestat’s name was a “blunder” rather than a “eureka” moment. His name was NOT based on her husband Stan intentionally. She was trying to look up old french names.
The transformation process of human to vampire (after getting the Dark Gift) is a little slower than how the IWTV film portrayed, but close in Anne’s mind (she truly appreciated how the film went above to stay close to her own visions and her work)
During his time with Louis and Claudia, Lestat attempted to give answers that would “keep them alive” rather than actual answers, knowing that he couldn’t reveal what he knew due to what Marius had told him (essentially, not just answers that he thought would satisfy them but that he thought would carry them on by themselves...which worked in my opinion)
There were several questions about Gabrielle and Becket commented about how Gabrielle is a fan favorite before he introduced the questions:
Anne says Gabrielle is cold, but admits that she loves Lestat yet at the same time doesn’t need him.
She does not see Gabrielle as autistic (she laughed at this question which really irked me :/ )
She will not write about a memoir from Gabrielle’s point of view since she wants Lestat to stay the focus of “the tribe” and she’s done with writing those sort of side books.
Lestat’s main concern right now is “keeping the tribe together”
She wants to continue with exploring some of the newer characters, Fareed and Seth were mentioned as a part of this.
Anne has an “ambivalence” towards Louis and she loves him since he represents an old part of her, but this is also the same reason she has trouble going back and writing for him, because she feels she is now a different person
She appreciates that there is no “real” consensus on what is the best/worst of her books amongst the fans (though Memnoch was her first example for worse soooo 😏)
In some ways, how Amel speaks to Lestat is a metaphor for how Lestat speaks to Anne.
The Television Show
(Casting)
Armand will NOT be played by someone around 14, because of the long filming process and how it will age the actor. She acknowledges fans want someone young for Armand but feels it will be too difficult to use (um, hello Anne, CGI??)
She thinks Cate Blanchett would be a wonderful pick for Gabrielle.
Says the looks are most important for Lestat, Louis just has to be beautiful (lol)
She really cares about the appearances of the cast and their availability to do about 5-6 years of filming
(Chronology and Production)
She thinks she will not go through network tv, so the home to the show would be Amazon, Hulu or Netflix.
She feels the show won’t be as violent as Game of Thrones but wants that integrity and style, and that “authenticity” to the books that Game of Thrones has (So for the rating, I’m guessing she feels around M?)
Anne wants to be true to the books and what the fans want to see (in regards to characters and plot points)
She appreciated the commitment of the team for the IWTV film and wants to keep up to that standard. She does not want unreasonable changes and compromises
Chronologically, she wants to begin with TVL with Lestat as a young man.
Feels around the 2nd/3rd season is where IWTV would start
The books are long, so it will not be a one season / one book situation.
It will begin chronologically, so it won’t be Lestat reading IWTV and THEN starting with his story as a response, it will start in France as the events happen (I was hoping it would be the former...)
No Mayfair witches in the show
Characters who are introduced later, but existed chronologically earlier like Benedick and Magnus, will be put earlier in the show
The Talamasca will be heavily involved “eventually” in the series, possibly earlier on. Related to this, she wants to tell the history of her vampires and those entities.
She wants to definitely (so badly) cover the scene where Lestat is being turned “stage by stage…” meaning him being in the tower and having realizations about his strength after drinking the blood. Also, how he turns Gabrielle (possibly wants to have a young actress to play Gabrielle and have her human age appear through makeup so the transformation will be more dramatic)
Louis’ story WILL be told, but the show will be mostly from Lestat’s POV
Anne hopes the show will go into production before the end of this year. Around 2018 is when it would come out
Anne and Chris have had a lot of interested companies already looking into developing the project (but she doesn't want to reveal who is talking to them since it “wouldn't be fair”)
She isn’t sure if the show will break the 4th wall. She acknowledges that Lestat does it in the books, but she feels she would have to stick with it for the entirety of the show and that would be difficult (so it sounds like mostly a “no” but she’s considering it)
Christopher and her are currently outlining around 5 seasons (estimated) for the TV series. They are also writing drafts for the first 4 episodes
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