myths-and-palimpsests

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Hypnos will do literally anything in TGW and then sit back with a pleased grin while the world falls apart around them, like “Yes. I am going to get a good grade in friendship, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve”

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Yesss Hypnos is such a sweetheart! Also, if you happen to remember off the top of your head, what scene do they say his full name? No worries if you don’t remember but I cannot recall a single time the books say Leclair and everyone seems to agree that’s his last name

I’ve only known Hypnos Leclair for 8 hours (how far I currently am in the gilded wolves audiobook) but if anyone hurts him I’m dnf-ing the whole series and possibly not speaking to anyone for the rest of 2023

I mean, a queer villain who orchestrates an entire dramatic heist and blackmails a bunch of teen criminals into participating just because he wants to infiltrate their friend group? Completely spectacular. Icon behavior. I too would commit atrocities to get people to like me

No spoilers for the series or istg

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Writing a pre-canon Gilded Wolves fic is fun because I get to play around with the old dynamics of the team, but so sad because I write Tristan’s name and just go :(

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It’s been a hot minute since I’ve been on here, but for some general updates: I am still SO not normal about this trilogy, and I just got 4k words into a Gilded Wolves fic and then the file got corrupted

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@wannabeajedi​ I’m reblogging again instead of replying so I don’t have to worry about the character limit. Everything below is from The Bronzed Beasts. 

To summarize the train car scene (one of my favorites): Enrique and Zofia confess their feelings for each other and briefly talk about likes/dislikes/their relationship. When Hypnos shows up and joins the conversation, Zofia says that she likes it when he’s there. The three of them talk about their future and then Hypnos looks directly at Enrique and Zofia when he says that he notices plenty.

“When the three of them were together, Zofia felt as if she were on steadier ground.”

“[Enrique] was spending more time with Zofia and Hypnos, and together the three of them seemed to have stumbled upon a unique happiness.”

After Enrique decides that he wants to become a professor, he goes to tell Zofia and Hypnos, who inform him that they’ve talked about it between themselves and agree that it’s what would make him the happiest. I’m sorry this is just the sweetest thing omg, and I’m very tempted to write a short fic about Hypnos and Zofia having this conversation 

“Séverin played with children and grandchildren, and spent countless evenings by the warm hearth where Zofia, Enrique, and Hypnos had made a home between the three of them”

In the epilogue, Séverin thinks about Zofia/Enrique/Hypnos’s kids, referring to them as “their” descendants without distinction and implying that they’re one family

Outside of the books, Roshani Chokshi recently had an AMA in her Instagram stories and someone asked her if Zofia, Enrique, and Hypnos are a poly couple. I didn’t think to take a screenshot, but she definitely said yes!

Does anyone know if Zofia, Enrique, and Hypnos are in a canon poly relationship?

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Yes, they are!! 

(I do have sources, but idk how far you are in the series and if they would spoil anything. Let me know if you want them :D)

Does anyone know if Zofia, Enrique, and Hypnos are in a canon poly relationship?

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When I finally write a full analysis post of the troika fire scene in The Silvered Serpents, I will be unleashing a line of thinking in my brain that is impossible to close.

Until then, accept this painful reminder that Séverin flung himself between his friends and a blazing inferno because he knew he’d failed them one last time and he couldn’t bear to see them die first.

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YESSS ABSOLUTELY 

I was very skeptical of the initial comparison between Hypnos and Sterling, but wow you actually make a really good point.  If you’ve watched Leverage Redemption, may I also propose:  

Hypnos | Harry Wilson  

- at first on the opposite side as the rest of the characters, ends up a part of the family who’s confused by the way things work but is just along for the ride

- doesn’t contribute to the rest of the crew as often as he’d like but gets attached to everyone else right away

- is mildly freaked out by everything but adores drama

- immediately becomes close to the other character from the group who loves drama and bonds with her over shared interests and experiences (Hypnos and Laila’s friendship is so sweet and I really wish we’d gotten more moments from the two of them)

- has a complicated past with people who are Not Great and is trying to fix the messed up things they’ve done

I admit there are definitely differences in their characters, so it’s not quite as perfect as your comparisons for the other four, but for your consideration :D

Why I'll Eat My Hat If Chokshi Doesn't Know Leverage

Ok, I just finished the trilogy last night and went through pretty much the entire Tumblr tag. Multiple people (deservedly) compared The Gilded Wolves with the Six of Crows series (of course the target demographic of diverse magic heist books is gonne be similar, c'mon)

However. Nobody reached for the lowhanging yet delicious fruit that is Leverage parallels.

Leverage is, shortly summarised, a series about a group of thieves and an ex insurance investigator who con the rich and the powerful in order to help the people they've hurt

While the gilded wolves has unique team dynamics of its own (this is not an accusation of plagiarism! It's a love letter of parallels between media I like!), there are similarities that CANNOT be denied

- Laila / Sophie Devereaux: performers with identity issues who frequently act as a kind of "emotional support team mom" and have fallen hard for a man who makes questionable life decisions. They even both have a secret birth name that never ever gets revealed!

- Séverin Montagnet-Alarie / Nate Ford: Is the man who makes questionable life decisions, suffers from the MC mastermind syndrome that has him manipulating his team members despite genuinely loving them and later has them rightfully being mad at him about it, is the one the team looks to for plans especially in a pinch, has lost a family member which set him off on a downwards spiral

- Zofia Boguska / Parker: autistic-coded, feelings? Hard. Blowing things up/jumping off buildings? Easy, a genius in their area of interest, trust issues, sweet tooth, frequently takes things literally and is oblivious about some things yet feels intensely and her loyalty, once earned, is unshakable

- Enrique Mercado-Lopez / Alec Hardison: the MVP nerd who is an expert in many many areas, knows enough about history to be able to make convincing art forgeries, is the one holding the presentations about the marks, wants to be the leader on occasion, likes to talk a lot, may complain but will still do a great job, actually a sweetheart

Hypnos / (stay with me on this) James Sterling: frenemy who has a History with the mastermind, can be manipulative and shady yet charming in his own way ((because of this parallel I was utterly convinced that Hypnos would be a backstabber but instead Hypnos turned out to really really want friends instead. Whoops))

Tristan: rip, you were too unique to have an equivalent

Other notable parallels: the will they won't they / keep hooking up and breaking up again because of drama of Nate/Sophie and Laila/Séverin especially, the sweet slowburn development of Parker/Hardison and Enrique/Zofia, the emotional support / will help figure out feelings dynamic of Parker& Sophie and Zofia&Laila.

TL;dr I love Leverage and the gilded wolves and the pipeline from one to the other was very real for me. I will be SHOCKED if some of these parallels are not on purpose

Edit: in the heat of the moment, I forgot some further parallels: ot3 dynamic, Parker&Zofia both having Issues around feeling trapped

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Just saw the dynamic between Séverin, Laila, and Eva described as a love triangle and I need to go stare at the wall for a very long time

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Where would the TGW cast be without at least one (1) unorthodox pet at any given moment that Enrique finds off-putting

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For heaven’s sake, the dynamic between Laila and Eva isn’t “petty girl-on-girl hate.” It’s one woman who spends a whole book habitually belittling people, making literally everybody uncomfortable, and sexually harassing someone. The other woman not being okay with any of the above, especially when 90% of the belittling is directed at her, doesn’t even come close to balancing the scales.

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Ahh this is lovely

Though the room was nearly dark, whatever light clung to its corners now raced to illuminate Laila. It seemed the world couldn’t help but want to be near her…every beam of light, pair of eyes, atom of air. 

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That’s definitely the vibe I got from it as well!

I think given what he says in the third book, Hypnos being demiromantic would make a lot of sense.

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Severin pulling up in the Bronzed Beasts like

Severin: I’m an idiot

Laila:

Enrique:

Zofia:

Hypnos:

Severin:

Laila: if you’re waiting for us to disagree, this is going to be a long day.

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severin abt an artifact: I promise I won’t smash it.

severin: *smashes it*

enrique & hypnos: *shocked pikachu face*

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zofia boguska striking matches against her teeth >>> characters that play with knives

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Someone show this post to Séverin Montagnet-Alarie

Do you ever read a recipe and hope most sincerely that something is a typo?

Because I think potentially exposing people who aren't familiar with it to an entire tablespoon of clove ought to be a crime