This week we are discussing Monstress Volume 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, Ch. 3-4.
Content Warning!!! This book contains situations and subjects related to: nudity, violence, rape, cannibalism, war, and body horror/mutilation..
Spoiler Warning!!! This post is full of spoilers for Monstress Volume 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda.
Discussion:
Jacilyn: Hello friends and welcome to our second discussion of Monstress! These couple of chapters had some great world-building, especially with the help of Professor Tam-Tam and his lessons to the kits. From what I can understand so far, it seems like the gods were awake at some point a very very very long time ago, long before the Ancients were even born. Did humans exist when the Ancients were born? Or did they come later? That’s something I’d really like to know. But there wasn’t just one iteration of Ancients, there was a second, and THEY were the ones that mated with humans and created the Arcanics. Then, does that mean that the “old blood” that the godmonster in Maika’s body refers to is the blood of those Ancients, passed down through the generations? We got so many answers in this section but of course, I still need more!
Michaela: I have so so many questions! I feel like my list is never ending, only growing. But I love this book because of it. It is such a compelling story and world that I need to know more. My thinking is that “old blood” goes back to the first Arcanic or from the Ancients in general. Which can we talk about how cool of a lore concept that is? Ugh, it's just so interesting! There is clearly a rich history behind the present day of this story that the author fleshed out. So have Ancients and Humans always hated each other? Or is it one of those generation trauma hand me downs where a large percentage hate each other but then there’s the ones that don’t and that's how we got Arcanic babies? Again, never ending questions.
I’m curious about the gods. I’m assuming the monster inside Maika is a god of some kind. But it seems to me that there might be greater gods and lesser gods. Like the really large one that passed by Maika and Kippa in the Arcanic lands, I would view that as a greater god because of its size. And then the monster inside Maika feels like something compared to a trickster god maybe. I’d like to see what this pantheon looks like. I always desperately want a timeline for when all this went down. The first Arcanic to the battle at Constantine. When the Truce Lands formed and why. And then down the line to when Professor Tam Tam exists. I crave information!
Jacilyn: I wonder if everyone sees the gods, or only those with “old blood.” And then there’s the questions of how the Cumaeans got their powers and how they differ from humans. The godmonster inside Maika has that golden temple-like dream space with the statue of someone he speaks to as if they were close, but that statue looks so similar to the warlord that was speaking with the Ancients. I’m guessing the statue depicts her sister, and she had something to do with that mask that seems to be connected to this godmonster.
I already find the way that Maika and the godmonster communicate with each other to be interesting. I don’t think she could communicate with the monster like that before she came into possession of that part of the mask. She mentions at one point that she had blacked out during the prior times she had eaten people, so I wonder if Maika and the godmonster weren’t melded together before she had the mask. But, their conversation during the “hunt” almost made me think that they could end up more symbiotic at some point - although I don’t think the godmonster actually realizes that she truly does understand him (him?) yet.
Michaela: I want to know what the purpose of the mask was and why it's broken. Was it a way to possess this monster but he’s too strong for most vessels so they broke it? Is this monster the secret weapon of Constantine maybe? Quuuueeeessstttiiiiooonnnsssss. Although he probably wasn’t the weapon of Constantine because he said he has “not felt so alive in 1000 years” and he seems just as confused why he’s connected to Maika as Maika is. It clearly wasn’t his choice, or if it was, he's forgotten.
I was thinking maybe Maika was the weapon or her mother at least developed it. Moriko tells Maika to remember a name, which we do not get to know yet, and what is that all about? Moriko’s story is shrouded in mystery right now that’s for sure. Both sides seem to be confused about what this weapon was and what it did, even though the Arcanics are taking some credit or blame for it.
I really loved meeting the Queen of Wolves character. We know that part of the human world has a prime minister and then the Cumaeans have their own hierarchy. So seeing a glimpse of the power and structure of the Arcanic world was amazing.
Jacilyn: I hope that we get to learn more about the power structures and history behind the different peoples. I think the warlord is going to end up being an important character, and I want to know more about that role as well. I still have a lot of questions too, and I can’t wait to keep reading and learning. Until next time, friends!
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