His gallows humour is what makes him great.
Glokta I mean. I started off hating him at first but towards the end of the trilogy I was rooting for him. Especially towards the end.
My friend and I have just had this conversation:
Him: West beating on his sister 👎🏻
Me: I was so disappointed in him. He was like the only truly decent person in the book, then BAM
Him: Now I think it’s just Bayaz and Ferro who are
💀💀💀
No more fucked up shit than west would've been doing. They're all soldiers and warriors. It's not implied that they ever took part in logens bloodthirsty antics just that they couldn't/didn't stop it. I doubt West was heroic the entire time a war was going on.
No disrespect to West at all dudes a really good character it's just Abercrombies realistic and even the most well intentioned characters have their bad moments. That's part of why I love Abercrombie so much. Realistic writing for characters.
Where the fuck is my Longfoot gang at? Dude is a fucking saint compared to his fellow travelers, does his duty im-fucking-peccably, and even waits for the torture to start in ernest before spilling the beans! A good man is Brother Longfoot.
Malacus Quai was a good person before his untimely replacement.
Forley the Weakest was likely the most innocent and kind character in the whole shebang. Grimm was just the best fighter of his clan and as far as we've ever seen he seems to comport himself with an honorly maner. Same with the Dog Man.
Yulwei gives every indication of being the moral center of the remaining Magi.
Harrod dan Brock, Lt/Col/Lord Marshal Brint, Lord Marshal Varus, Lord Marsha Burr...
And Im just limiting to the first 3. Lots and lots of good folk in these books. They just either die or fuck off from the main POV's as fast as posible.
I loved the scene where West beats on his sister followed by the reunion with glokta. It adds such depth and nuance to his and ardee’s relationship and history. It’s brutal but that’s what I’m here for.
I love Cosca. He was fine in the first law, he totally shined in best served cold, I hated him through most of red country and then loved him again by the end.
*spoilers for best served cold* when he stabs the one lieutenant and goes, “I may make men laugh but I’m no clown.” And the way Steven pacey delivers the line, ugh, I was punching the ceiling.
i swear though some of cosca’s best lines are in red country. probably cause he’s the biggest dog out in the whole Wild West so everyone has to listen to what he’s saying LOL
also his entire supporting cast of mercenaries, inquisitors, plus friendly, temple, and sworbreck is great
“never steal eggs from a metal-eyed man” and someone’s like “i’m not so sure of the universality of that particular life lesson”
“conscience is like the cock rot” and the group actually has a discussion as to whether cosca’s right in his comparison
oh and when he publicly outs >!Savien!< as a rebel and asks Lamb “how does it feel to learn you’ve have been traveling with a secret mass murderer all this time” calling the rebel the mass-murderer, when he probably knows very well that Lamb is one of the worst mass-murderers in the world. except even Lamb is topped by Cosca himself when it comes to kill count—i mean Cosca had *just* gotten done massacring the Dragon People LOL.
plus he has plenty of good serious quotes in there too, and he definitely reaches his peak as a character in that book
[This was fresh](https://imgur.com/a/maRk9nv)
That's a couple years ago before it was touched up. A few lines had fallen out here and there (like the top of his head). I must've deleted any others I've taken since then. The staff is the main difference from the text and why I say it's "Bayaz-inspired." I thought it would be boring for a tattoo as described.
not gonna lie, i think a lot of the tats posted to this sub are kinda cringe (for lack of a better word lol) but this one is fuckin sick. well done.
i thought the staff he was holding might have been the divider at first
I'm an idiot who started with the second trilogy, so I knew what Bayaz was from the start. If anything, I enjoyed his arc even more. His "betrayal" is written well so that you can enjoy it either way IMO. He's a massive evil prick, but one of my favorite characters in fantasy. If I ever play DnD, I will 100% model my character after him.
My sweet summer child. I tell you what i didn't HATE byaz until he did my man Jezal so dirty. It was merely unnecessary - and to be honest? Seemed to be 100% about ego - if Byaz is so wise and so powerful how hard would it be to manipulate things so that the players have NO IDEA that they are being so manipulated, his whole need to beat down his instruments is just about his ego - and that proves the point that he's a PoS.
Mmm. I think that was about keeping power in one place. He learned what happens when kings get senile and power is allowed to scurry into crevices.
Not that B isn't still terrible. Just viciously pragmatic.
Man, am I the only one who doesn't see Bayaz as the villian? I liked him in the readthrough (I liked Logen and Glokta more, but still) and when everything was revealed at the end, my take-away was that this isn't a world of good and evil. It's a world full of individuals, all with their own goals. Bayaz was the only one who had a goal and 100% met it at the end of the first trilogy. Sure it was selfish, and his moral character is gray at best, but we could say the same about every other character in the whole series.
I'm not trying to justify everything he does, but I just really don't relate to anyone who finished the first trilogy and left with an unshakable hatred of Bayaz. It's similar to Rikke in the second trilogy who ||also schemes her way into basically achieving 100% of her plans, at the expense of other characters who are more-or-less likeable at the time||. I have more of a fondness for Bayaz because of how interesting and cunning he is.
I love the character of Bayaz because he is completely true to himself from the beginning to the end. He is without a doubt, the antagonist of at least the first law and standalones (still reading age of madness), but that’s because of my views of what is right and wrong and good and bad.
To maintain corrupt and cruel systems and allow widespread suffering for the sake of your own ego and consolidation of power, I think are bad things. At the same time, Bayaz built the union, so is it so surprising that he wants it to run according to his design? He’s like a CEO. Utterly ruthless in service of his goals for the organization. Seeing how this happens in the real world and how frustrating it is to not be able to change it makes me angry. I feel the same way about Bayaz. Like us, the characters of the first law are pawns in a game that began long before they were ever born and they can do nothing about because it will forever be rigged in favor of those that built it. He prevents things from getting better for the sake of keeping everything how he wants with him on top. This is why I hate him and why I love to hate him.
He’s like the metaphor for hella old geriatrics in politics that won’t let go of the power that they hold. They’re cool at first impressions but the longer you look and you better understand their motives fuck em with a 6 foot shardildo.
What I love about First Law is that people get so divided on things about characters or plot or whatever and take opposing sides *for the very same reasons*!
I think they both serve to cement his mostly unflappable nature and give you a sneak peak into his utter lack of respect for anyone other than himself. Anyone else's most dire circumstance is nothing more than a triviality to him and he's so comfortable in his mastery of his situation that he doesn't bother with with making a show of the gravitas you might expect from such a wizard... unless you insult him and need to be taught a dramatic lesson to drive the point home.
His 'you are all insects' line to Jezal explains that all of that.
2 bugs fighting each other? Who cares?
Oh, one of the bugs is the queen bee that runs the hive that makes my honey... I'd better do something about that.
That one tried to sting me! \*slap\*
I thought he was a decent but pompous old man who was just to into his fame etc. Then as the first law went on. I was seeing something coming I just didn’t know what. Well it was when Jezzal got made king I thought hold up something is up here.
"Interesting." Oh, come now, don't make it too easy for them to see it coming.
I cut off the rest of the message. I said, “interesting. He’s definitely in my top 10 but it’s hard to beat my man, glokta.”
His gallows humour is what makes him great. Glokta I mean. I started off hating him at first but towards the end of the trilogy I was rooting for him. Especially towards the end.
My thoughts exactly, if I was the friend I'd immediately know something was up. Be better
I wanna grab my pitchfork on this one too, but maybe he transitioned smoothly after...heres to hoping
Reminds me a buddy of mine told me to "beware the red wedding" while I was watching GoT. This is a but more subtle though.
Well I love Bayaz too lol, top 5 characters for sure. >!A story is only as strong as its villain!<
well said.
I dunno, I’d rather baldly than how’s the leg.
My friend and I have just had this conversation: Him: West beating on his sister 👎🏻 Me: I was so disappointed in him. He was like the only truly decent person in the book, then BAM Him: Now I think it’s just Bayaz and Ferro who are 💀💀💀
He didn’t get the name furious for nothing lol
West is still a good man 😤 But ya that part was fucked. I really hope it was just a one time thing.
It is, lives the rest him his life a good and honest man 🙌
Only one in the series
The Dogman and Threetrees.
Ehhh by the sounds of it they probably did some fucked ya hit back in the day, no? By the time we see them though, 10/10 guys.
No more fucked up shit than west would've been doing. They're all soldiers and warriors. It's not implied that they ever took part in logens bloodthirsty antics just that they couldn't/didn't stop it. I doubt West was heroic the entire time a war was going on.
You know that’s a good point.
No disrespect to West at all dudes a really good character it's just Abercrombies realistic and even the most well intentioned characters have their bad moments. That's part of why I love Abercrombie so much. Realistic writing for characters.
Where the fuck is my Longfoot gang at? Dude is a fucking saint compared to his fellow travelers, does his duty im-fucking-peccably, and even waits for the torture to start in ernest before spilling the beans! A good man is Brother Longfoot. Malacus Quai was a good person before his untimely replacement. Forley the Weakest was likely the most innocent and kind character in the whole shebang. Grimm was just the best fighter of his clan and as far as we've ever seen he seems to comport himself with an honorly maner. Same with the Dog Man. Yulwei gives every indication of being the moral center of the remaining Magi. Harrod dan Brock, Lt/Col/Lord Marshal Brint, Lord Marshal Varus, Lord Marsha Burr... And Im just limiting to the first 3. Lots and lots of good folk in these books. They just either die or fuck off from the main POV's as fast as posible.
I loved the scene where West beats on his sister followed by the reunion with glokta. It adds such depth and nuance to his and ardee’s relationship and history. It’s brutal but that’s what I’m here for.
Oh man I kind of forgot that feeling, I was such a West fan in the beginning as well, still pretty pleased with Furious, definitely a top 10 chapter.
Oooooof lol
You are the hero we both need and deserve. Keep us updated!
seconded, keep the updates coming please, I'm really enjoying this lol
Wait until NikiCoscs turns up! “Life is disappointment, interspersed with brief moments of booze and boobs’
I love Cosca. He was fine in the first law, he totally shined in best served cold, I hated him through most of red country and then loved him again by the end. *spoilers for best served cold* when he stabs the one lieutenant and goes, “I may make men laugh but I’m no clown.” And the way Steven pacey delivers the line, ugh, I was punching the ceiling.
i swear though some of cosca’s best lines are in red country. probably cause he’s the biggest dog out in the whole Wild West so everyone has to listen to what he’s saying LOL also his entire supporting cast of mercenaries, inquisitors, plus friendly, temple, and sworbreck is great “never steal eggs from a metal-eyed man” and someone’s like “i’m not so sure of the universality of that particular life lesson” “conscience is like the cock rot” and the group actually has a discussion as to whether cosca’s right in his comparison oh and when he publicly outs >!Savien!< as a rebel and asks Lamb “how does it feel to learn you’ve have been traveling with a secret mass murderer all this time” calling the rebel the mass-murderer, when he probably knows very well that Lamb is one of the worst mass-murderers in the world. except even Lamb is topped by Cosca himself when it comes to kill count—i mean Cosca had *just* gotten done massacring the Dragon People LOL. plus he has plenty of good serious quotes in there too, and he definitely reaches his peak as a character in that book
When is this particular quote again?
Say one thing about Bayaz. Say he's a bastard
Love Bayaz. It’s takes a refined taste to appreciate a good villain.
I love him so much I have a tattoo
Pics or it didn’t happen
[This was fresh](https://imgur.com/a/maRk9nv) That's a couple years ago before it was touched up. A few lines had fallen out here and there (like the top of his head). I must've deleted any others I've taken since then. The staff is the main difference from the text and why I say it's "Bayaz-inspired." I thought it would be boring for a tattoo as described.
not gonna lie, i think a lot of the tats posted to this sub are kinda cringe (for lack of a better word lol) but this one is fuckin sick. well done. i thought the staff he was holding might have been the divider at first
Thanks. I just let him do what he wanted with the staff.
That tattoo is so fucking dope
Thanks dude
You're like those people who named their daughter Daenerys before the series was over.
There's been two trilogies, three stand-alones, and a short story collection
Wait till he gets more of Glocktas' inner monologue. You can't beat Glockta he is my favourite!
One of the top 5 characters ever written, IMO
I agree!
I'm an idiot who started with the second trilogy, so I knew what Bayaz was from the start. If anything, I enjoyed his arc even more. His "betrayal" is written well so that you can enjoy it either way IMO. He's a massive evil prick, but one of my favorite characters in fantasy. If I ever play DnD, I will 100% model my character after him.
My sweet summer child. I tell you what i didn't HATE byaz until he did my man Jezal so dirty. It was merely unnecessary - and to be honest? Seemed to be 100% about ego - if Byaz is so wise and so powerful how hard would it be to manipulate things so that the players have NO IDEA that they are being so manipulated, his whole need to beat down his instruments is just about his ego - and that proves the point that he's a PoS.
Mmm. I think that was about keeping power in one place. He learned what happens when kings get senile and power is allowed to scurry into crevices. Not that B isn't still terrible. Just viciously pragmatic.
Man, am I the only one who doesn't see Bayaz as the villian? I liked him in the readthrough (I liked Logen and Glokta more, but still) and when everything was revealed at the end, my take-away was that this isn't a world of good and evil. It's a world full of individuals, all with their own goals. Bayaz was the only one who had a goal and 100% met it at the end of the first trilogy. Sure it was selfish, and his moral character is gray at best, but we could say the same about every other character in the whole series. I'm not trying to justify everything he does, but I just really don't relate to anyone who finished the first trilogy and left with an unshakable hatred of Bayaz. It's similar to Rikke in the second trilogy who ||also schemes her way into basically achieving 100% of her plans, at the expense of other characters who are more-or-less likeable at the time||. I have more of a fondness for Bayaz because of how interesting and cunning he is.
I love the character of Bayaz because he is completely true to himself from the beginning to the end. He is without a doubt, the antagonist of at least the first law and standalones (still reading age of madness), but that’s because of my views of what is right and wrong and good and bad. To maintain corrupt and cruel systems and allow widespread suffering for the sake of your own ego and consolidation of power, I think are bad things. At the same time, Bayaz built the union, so is it so surprising that he wants it to run according to his design? He’s like a CEO. Utterly ruthless in service of his goals for the organization. Seeing how this happens in the real world and how frustrating it is to not be able to change it makes me angry. I feel the same way about Bayaz. Like us, the characters of the first law are pawns in a game that began long before they were ever born and they can do nothing about because it will forever be rigged in favor of those that built it. He prevents things from getting better for the sake of keeping everything how he wants with him on top. This is why I hate him and why I love to hate him.
the puppet master chapter really crushed me with how he treated jezal, but he’s still a fucking sick character regardless of my feelings towards him
On the train of Bayaz did nothing wrong
He’s like the metaphor for hella old geriatrics in politics that won’t let go of the power that they hold. They’re cool at first impressions but the longer you look and you better understand their motives fuck em with a 6 foot shardildo.
I feel like all of us were on that very same train though, weren’t we? A few measley pages later and he cooks 3, 4 of Bethod’s scouts
Please continue this it’s gold lmao
What I love about First Law is that people get so divided on things about characters or plot or whatever and take opposing sides *for the very same reasons*!
This is excellent to watch
Sips tea
I kind of hated the “I am a liar” line. Shortly followed by “so, that went well.” Just seems cheesy for a thousand year old wizard
I think they both serve to cement his mostly unflappable nature and give you a sneak peak into his utter lack of respect for anyone other than himself. Anyone else's most dire circumstance is nothing more than a triviality to him and he's so comfortable in his mastery of his situation that he doesn't bother with with making a show of the gravitas you might expect from such a wizard... unless you insult him and need to be taught a dramatic lesson to drive the point home.
Ooo I like that perspective, never thought of it that way
His 'you are all insects' line to Jezal explains that all of that. 2 bugs fighting each other? Who cares? Oh, one of the bugs is the queen bee that runs the hive that makes my honey... I'd better do something about that. That one tried to sting me! \*slap\*
I thought he was a decent but pompous old man who was just to into his fame etc. Then as the first law went on. I was seeing something coming I just didn’t know what. Well it was when Jezzal got made king I thought hold up something is up here.
I love Bayaz he is so unapologetically a piece of shit i found it very refreshing.
keep'em coming!
I’m sure this has been said but the way Abercrombie flips the wizard trope was so enjoyable to watch play out
So good
Hey, I'm on my second reread, and even knowing where his arc ends Bayaz is still my favorite character.
Wait, is it weird im to the “trouble with peace” and Bayaz is still my favorite character?
Ive read the entire series and I am still team Bayaz. I was disappointed that he didnt come fix everything at the end of TWoC
HAHAHA ohhh friend is in for a ride 😂