Ailyn Henbane
Written on Jul 3, 2022
Joke aside, I was quite enthralled by this. I don't actually know any folklore surrounding Gargoyles, my first introduction to them was in the 90s/00s via the show. (Singing: It was the 90s quietly.) So, for me, the world that Graves builds around gargoyles is fascinating in the extreme. I'm a sucker for species created with a single purpose and evolving beyond it. I am all about the supernatural community more or less working together toward singular goals and survival in a modern world. So this was all the button hit in that category from the time we meet Titan.
Julianna has that rough-around-the-edges feel of someone who has been wronged, abandoned, and is surviving using all the tools she has at her disposal like weapons. She feels real, her inner monologues make her more fleshed out, less wooden than one would expect of her character.
Titan. Sweet Circe. It's very, very strange to admit baldly that Graves crafted his personality so well that I would happily trade places with Julianna. This is jump-your-partner levels of attractive personality if you're even a little inclined toward dominance and submission play in milder forms. He's strict, he's the boss, and yet he doesn't overstep all the damn time. When he did, it was a BIG overstep, but I wasn't immediately thrust into the realm of oh my god he was an undercover asshole. He came from a place of love, but still fucked up and eventually understood and took responsibility for it.
Ultimately the sexiest part about their relationship was how healthy it was. He didn't Coerce Julianna, he coaxed her into admitting what she wanted and needed. Julianna helped because she wanted too, yes money was a motivator but she still offered and that's an important little detail of her character imo.
It's a worthwhile read, overall, and the pepper is SPICY.