sammy

I DIDNT MEAN TO DOWNVOTEE FK ASS THUMBS

I agree! I also though that when Jonak told the story about the priest it made Adian think deeply about whether their dynamic was the same/familiar in Jonak’s perspective, maintaining a loving relationship between them despite not being physical proves it’s not. I think observing Jonak’s love for Ilse changed his way of thinking for the better and made him want to/be able to see things through Jonak’s perspective and not just his own, compared to when he couldn’t understand his brothers affection for human /desire to affiliate with them or when he was alone for that long period of time before meeting him.

So, I agree with the outcome of your conclusion, but I disagree with your reasoning. Let me explain my thoughts.

So, you said you think that Adian believes he is taking advantage of Jonak because of age and biological differences. I don't think that that is actually it. When Jonak tells the story, he explains that the priest was raping a child. The priest was able to keep those kids quite by giving them better living conditions as a form of exchange. These kids, didn't know or recognize that better treatment without any exchange should have been the standard, and that what they were being coerced into, wasn't ok.

I believe that, not age or biological differences, is what caused Adian to pull back. The nightmare he had, was him likening himself to the priest, by his actions of having Jonak sell himself for the betterment of his village. Jonak had no idea what the outcome of this deal was or could be, but accepted it anyway. He gave up the ability to ever be with the woman he loved, to save her from the possibility of dying before her time.

I think Adian is regretting that, because Jonak will now have to live the rest of his life, with what Adian precieves to be, no real choice.

I think that Jonak will have to be the one to properly explain that the situations are different, not by his age, but by the fact that he had set out willingly with the understanding that he was likely to lose his life for the cause. He knew he wasn't likely to survive, but he was willing to do everything in his power to get the outcome he wanted. That's why he didn't fight Adian on becoming his mate. He meant it by his life, that he would save the one he loves, and the village by association. Being able to live, and knowing that she lived a full and happy life, was the reward. He lived to know that that was the case.

Now that she's gone, Adian may genuinely think that Jonak now has to live forever stuck with him, not considering that Jonak may actually have neutral or positive feelings for him.

So, I agree with your conclusion, but I think the reasoning is actually more complex than age. I think it is more on experience and the selling of one's self without the full knowledge of the outcomes of such a thing, just to better a situation that doesn't better it for the person selling themselves.

Also, this could be my own bias, as I actually did go through a situation similar to the child with the priest. I thought the exchange my father offered was fair, but I didn't know that the situation never should have happened to begin with.

I totally agree with your reasoning, my reference to age is because Aidan is over 200 years old and at the point of the conversation, he was no more than 25-30 years old (this is my assumption).

Thus when Aidan heard the story of the child and priest he was forced to reflect on this large age gap and the fact that Jonak could be considered a child compared to himself (in age only) thus he felt that he is no different from the priest- taking advantage of a mortal who had no say or choice in the journey to his island and had to be torn from his beloved and is living with a grumpy old man like himself; just like a child in such a situation is powerless and helpless before evil people with influence, Jonak has no choice but to cater to him, listen to him, and enjoy his company.

This causes him to rethink the power dynamic and the reality fo the biological differences between them, the fact that he is now mated to Jonak extends his life, but he never asked if Jonak would want to live for that long and wonders if he would even enjoy the eternal company of his captor - which i think he sees himself as- thus he makes effort to prove to Jonak and himself that he doesn't think of his mate that way and this allows him to understand himself and human emotions a lot better.

I had something to do after i made the comment thus i couldn't expand on my thoughts, but i totally see where you're coming from, i just wanted to let you know i thought similarly to what you've said.

Ah! I can totally understand your logic now!

I will say, that given how Adian wasn't sure about how he made the permanent embroidery garter for Jonak, it is completely within reason for him to have no idea how it becoming mates works, just that it does. So I agree with you, that he is only just now coming to terms with the power differences between them both as a species.

I do wonder what Jonak is now though. Like, he is immortal, but is he just an immortal human, a young dragon, or something else entirely?

I also really want Adian to slowly understand that Jonak did actually have a choice when being sent off. Like, he didn't have to go to Adian, he likely could have sailed off elsewhere and just left the problems behind. But he chose not to, in the literal face of death. There was no guarantee that he would live, far more that he wouldn't, and he still went. Jonak wasn't about to live past a cursed sea that no one has crossed in three hundred years, to turn tail at anything that could have been awaiting him on the distant shore.

I really do love this series for delving into these topics. Like, A+ on the writing. I also really love some of the ambiguous things, because I think them not being answerable makes sense. Like, how exactly did Jonak become immortal? We don't know, because the guy who did it doesn't even know. I also like the approach of, here are some crumbs of info, that make this story loaf, and you are rewarded for paying close attention! Fucking chefs kiss.