Yahoo Image Search (says from a site called Studio Bueno Comics.)
First, it’s really hard to find a picture depicting a love triangle that isn’t a picture of Twilight. I was lucky to stumble onto this one, which is more of a square. For those that don’t know it’s Spider-Man who has been involved with Gwen Stacy, Black Cat, and Mary Jane among others. These are the big three though. The Black Cat Vs Mary Jane is always a big thing.
Now, there is a theme that Luke Callindor is involved in that needs more than the previous post. His love life has garnered some criticism, which caught me off guard because I’ve heard more about this than anything else in the books. Poor Nyx gets no attention and I have no idea how most of book 3 was taken due to this. For those that don’t know, here is the situation:
Luke Callindor and Kira Grasdon became an item at the end of Beginning of a Hero. She comes from a culture where you are encouraged to date multiple partners as long as you don’t hide them from each other. This way a person can try to bow out if they feel the others are perfect together. Keep in mind that I said date, but sex is a major factor and it’s the one that people focus on. So, people see the Bor’daruk culture as one of sleeping around. It’s a culture that was nearly destroyed by rampant divorce, so marriage is seen as unbreakable. You break it and you’re exiled from the land, which is why you make damn sure you’re with someone you truly love before taking the plunge. Luke comes from a culture that is more like what we’re used to, so he’s unsure of it. He fights it for a while and worries that Kira is indulging too much, which is something that nobody in the story really knows about.
You can tell what’s going to happen already. Another woman will step in and create the triangle. In the end, Luke will have to make a choice between the two women with a lot more weight than a high school girl. It’s a choice that will hurt no matter what and he’s going to be plagued by this for most of the series. The women are friendly (for now) and will be competing, but Kira’s culture makes it a little strange. The other woman spends some time accepting that she won’t win and is along for the ride. There is also the issue of Kira not being an adventurer, so her absence creates more confusion in the situation until the ‘big event’. After all, if she was there then this situation wouldn’t be as much of a mess as it’s going to be.
Yahoo Image Search
The other woman is Sari, which people probably see coming. A fun-loving gypsy is the perfect entrant into this love triangle. More importantly, she is the other side of the coin that is Luke’s life path.
Originally, there was no Kira Grasdon. It was always Sari and Luke, which did turn out to be a rather lame idea due its speed and ‘perfection’. There needed to be an obstacle and then Kira evolved in the first book to fit this mold. The problem appeared with Luke and Sari needing to be together and me not wanting to go the adultery route. That would hurt all characters involved and destroy the relationships. It’s amazing how many have called for Luke to be turned into a cheater or to become a man-whore. At the same time condemning Kira for being a slut . . . yeah, I should point out that nobody really knows what she’s been up to. Anyway, this is where Bor’daruk came from and the rest is history where I still have very little idea who will win. For a while it was Kira and then Sari and then back to Kira and then Alyssa and then nobody and then Kira and then Sari and now I’ve got no idea. Yet, I’ve recently seen how this plays into Luke’s themes. If you read this far then here is the payoff:
Luke Callindor comes from a family of heroes cursed with a powerful wanderlust. They go off to become heroes and travel when they hit their late teens. Some Callindors settle down like Luke’s father while others continue adventuring until they die. There’s also various middle choices in here. As for Luke, he isn’t sure what will happen to him because he’s only just begun. The two women that he’s genuinely in love with show the two paths he can take. With Kira Grasdon, he gets stability and living a calm life without wandering around. With Sari, he satisfies his wanderlust and never has to give up the nomadic lifestyle that he’s infatuated with. Much of this depends on how all three characters mature, but this is a key theme of Luke’s development. Will he choose the life of a retired hero or never give up the road? The fact that he’s in love with Sari and Kira makes this a lot more painful because he doesn’t want to hurt either one. You’ll see the torment and confusion in book 4.
See there is a reason behind this plot line and it isn’t a bizarre way to give Luke a threesome. Not sure the boy would survive that any way.
