Jaime Lannister's Life Is A Series Of Good Intentions Leading Him Closer To Hell. He Saves King's Landing

Jaime Lannister's life is a series of good intentions leading him closer to hell. He saves King's Landing from wildfire? He suffers condemnation. He innocently congratulates Robb Stark on his upcoming marriage? Now he's suddenly implicated in the Frey's betrayal. He can't win!

Tenma and Lunge are the same character but with a slight twist. They're both workaholics who let their passion destroy their personal lives. However, Tenma's position as Chief of Surgery strengthens his relationships with others, while Lunge's obsession with detective work only further isolates him. Tenma's rapport with former patients is so strong that when he is jailed for murder, they form an advocacy group and pay for the best defense lawyer they can find. Lunge's relationship with his clients is nonexistent in contrast. He doesn't view his clients as people but as puzzle pieces that must be fitted together.

lydia bennet-19th century sansa stark

Poor Lydia. Her dreams were realized, but, unlike Sansa Stark, she never recognized they were nightmares too. Sansa and Lydia were beauties who insulted their sisters for not adhering to societal standards. Sansa grew exasperated with Arya's boyishness and called her a horseface. Lydia snarks about Wickham's previous love interest and insults Mary's performance. Sansa, however, quickly gets bitten in the butt by the standards she revered. Numerous tragedies, such as the Battle of the Blackwater and Joffrey's abuse, force Sansa to confront how women's conformity only leaves them at the mercy of others.

By contrast, Lydia seems to be rewarded for fitting into society's mold. She and Wickham are deep into the honeymoon phase when they get married. By the end of Pride and Prejudice, she still doesn't know about Wickham's manipulativeness. Lydia even gloats about her marriage to Wickham, seeing no issue with her actions. Slowly but surely, reality sinks in. In the epilogue, Lydia and Wickham move frequently, saddled by debts. Lydia isn't great at managing her money, but Wickham is expected to provide a living income. Even if she were a financial mastermind, Lydia's livelihood would still be hurt by Wickham's inability to manage money. However, the Wickhams are always cushioned from the consequences of their mismanagement. Sadly, it seems like Lydia will always remain blinded to the issues within her society.

Doll-Tearing = Loss of Innocence

In ASOIAF, doll tearing is often associated with the loss of innocence. When Arya visits a village, the village elder's daughter begs Arya to play with her. Annoyed and frustrated, Arya rips apart the young girl's toy knight, shouting "Now he's like a real knight! Torn apart and bloody!" (i can't remember which book). Arya has seen harrowing sights of violence and death that no normal adult should witness, much less a child. This incident highlights how deeply traumatized Arya is after what she has been through.

A similar scene occurs with her sister Sansa. She's building a snow Winterfell, thinking the snow has the "taste of innocence". Robin Arryn, her cousin, then destroys it with his stuffed toy. She accidentally tears it and Robin storms away, sobbing. Littlefinger then comes and kisses Sansa. This isn't Sansa's first time suffering an unwanted advance, but she truly realizes how little support she has when her aunt tries to punish her. Sansa has relied on the memory of her family for strength and the only relative she's seen after the death of her father threatens to kill her after an incredibly vulnerable moment.

the beast's silver tongue

Johan's and Lotte's first meetings with Karl Schumacher were meant to contrast. Lotte has to search Karl's mother to retrieve info about her. By contrast, Johan appears so trustworthy and amiable that Karl reveals his past without much prodding.

Dona Laurel-Just How "Benevolent" Is She?

One of the few people to give Reina unconditional kindness is Dona Laurel Aguila, the caudila of Sadul Fuerte. Known as the "Benevolent Lady" by her servants, Dona Laurel cares for Reina as she recovers from her iridio transplant and offers her a home. She certainly isn't a cruel woman, but why has she widely been given this title?

For example, her servants call her The Benevolent Lady, but we see nothing to suggest that she actively helps the people of Sadul Fuerte. Reina has been a servant all her life, yet never notes that Dona Laurel is kinder towards her servants than other employers. In fact, Reina is only given special treatment because she's the daughter of Dona Laurel's deceased friend, Juan Vicente.

It's also strange that Dona Laurel never questions why Reina is a servant in the first place. Reina is meant to take Juan Vicente's place as an Aguila soldier, which would require courses in sword fighting and geomancia. However, Reina splits her time between serving the Aguilas and learning sword fighting. She doesn't balance these tasks effectively; in fact, the kitchen staff refuse to feed her because she can't complete her duties. The reader knows that Ursalina told Reina to spy on the Aguilas while serving them. Laurel, however, doesn't have this information. Why doesn't she exempt Reina from kitchen duties and have her focus on sword training? We never see her bring up this issue to Dona Ursalina.

Not expanding on how Dona Laurel earned this title is a missed world-building opportunity. Seeing her engage with the people of Sadul Fuerte could have informed the reader about the common man's struggles. For example, how do normal people fend off a monster they can't see? Do normal people learn to use geomancia, or is that only allowed for nobles and nuns? How do Penitents like Dona Laurel justify mining iridio, a powerful geomancia metal, when geomancia is contrary to their faith? Do any of the people under her rule bristle at this dissonance? The title makes this sound like a hit piece, but I really feel like Dona Laurel could've been more thatn a maternal figure for Reina. Seeing how she engages with the world could have fleshed it out more thoroughly.