archiveofladyofthemeidou-blog

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Grape got tired of having RP accounts on all different emails and long story short: She's merging them. ladyofthemeidou is now a sideblog to thesilvertwins until I decide on a new name for the main blog, k? :> This blog will be archived

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I'm the person that reads your tags.

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"It was meant to remind you of the things you've learned. Are you insinuating that it remains to be your fault for leaving her among her kind? What were you going to do otherwise, Sesshoumaru? Force her to follow you until she were brittle, wrinkled, and weak, if she even managed to get that old? Deprive her of a fulfilled life among her kind? You've mentioned to me that she had started a family. Would you have exchanged that happiness in her life for your personal regrets? She evaded death twice, Sesshoumaru."

"I've told you once and I'll tell you as many times as you need to hear it: Life is finite. It is not something you can save as many times as you like at your convenience." She sighed gravely. "My heart wallows for the grief you feel, my child, but do not blame yourself for things beyond your control. We are not gods. We are powerful, yes, but even we must still adhere to the rules of mortality." Setsuna glanced up at Sesshoumaru. "If you'd allow me to, I would still like to offer you the consolation you seek... But only once you've stopped with this nonsense concerning 'what if's and 'I should have's."

"Is that suppose console me, mother?"

"I had left her in a human village…."

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✧

Send me a ✧ and I’ll introduce you to one of all the muses I ever had.

"Though your fur-theme is positively grizzly, I must say… I like those absolutely steely eyes. Would you be interested in conquest, my dear man? I can give you anything your heart desires once we rule this world!”

[archiveofladyofthemeidou-blog]

Send me a ✧ and I'll introduce you to one of all the muses I ever had.

[archiveofladyofthemeidou-blog]

Send me a number. I will find the nearest book and turn to that page and use the first line as a prompt to write a drabble for our muses.

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That face. She'd seen it before, hadn't she? Recognition tickled at the back of her mind, but she couldn't place a name to the face. Fed up with her own inability to recall, she spoke.

"And you who sits in my lands are...?"

wнere тнe ｌｏｓｔ reѕιdeѕ,               ladyofthemeidou

       нαѕ dιѕcovered тнe wαɴderιɴɢ ｓｏｕｌ.

[archiveofladyofthemeidou-blog]

Concerning Sessmama, Inupapa, and Izayoi: Why Things Aren't as They Seem

I suppose it counts as a headcanon post considering most of this reasoning is directly linked to how I play my version of the Inukimi.

Now Grape is about to school some of y'all on a thing. When I hear of the "betrayed wife" interpretation of Sesshoumaru's mother, mine eyes roll ALL the way back into my head because it simply makes no sense. Why? Simple.

Polygamy was super common, especially in wealthier households, in the ages before the Meiji Era. Feudal Lords who could afford to keep multiple wives, did keep multiple wives. Considering how richly dressed all members of the Inu no Taishou's "official" family are and have been for so many centuries... It's safe to assume he could have afforded to keep more than one wife and son fed, nourished, and cared for.

Dogs are NOT normally monogamous and treat sex and reproduction very casually. When I hear about the "betrayed wife" interpretation, all I can think of is how people are inserting their human values into non-human characters. The biological tendency for polygamy versus monogamy is most easily determined by measuring the size differences between females and males of a given species. Female dogs tend to be smaller than their male counterparts, regardless of breed, indicating only a partial desire to be dedicated to a single partner. (The same goes for humans, for those of you who were curious.) Even if polygamy weren't common practice among humans during the warring states era, what kept it restricted from being practice among youkai? Which, in case you were wondering what it has to do with anything, means that it was very likely that Sessmama would've been raised with the idea that she wouldn't be the Taishou's sole wife: only the idea that she would've been regarded as his primary wife and mother to his heir as well as the one who would keep and manage his estate from life and well into his death.

Sessmama was not even remotely bittered by the memory of her late husband/mate when Sesshoumaru came to visit her. She spoke of him casually and implied that they were in good terms at the time of his death considering he came to her after the forging of Tenseiga (which we all know is *SPOILER* a detachment from Tessaiga) to present her with the meidouseki and give her clear instructions for the day Sesshoumaru would need to develop his Meidou Zanghetsuha. She spoke of the Taishou's apparent fascination with humans with more curiosity than anything else. Also, she regarded Sesshoumaru's little human children jokingly and with the same mild curiosity, not seeming very fazed when she addressed or interacted with either of them. She doesn't seem to mind humans much.

The series made a very persistent theme out of showcasing human greed and selfishness and the extents, levels, and nuances at which it exists. For that very reason, I don't think Sessmama really cared whether or not there was another woman the Taishou did the do with. She's youkai. Silly things like that are simply aspects of their long, drawn out lives. Sure, she probably would've sniffed at the fact that it was a human woman, but she was still the boss bitch of the household and no mistress would ever take that from her. The one who really cared that there was another woman was... drumroll... Izayoi herself. Nooo WAY, Grape! :O How could the gentle lady that is Inuyasha's mommy ever be capable of anything other than unconditional kindness and sweetness? ... Barf. Anyway, since we all know that Izayoi was an obviously high-ranked princess during that awkward phase where things were kind of in Sengoku Jidai, but were really tightly holding onto the collapsing imperial system... it's very likely that Izayoi would've been primed and groomed to be a high-ranking lord's primary wife and live raising his heir to become the next head of the household. However... the Taishou already had a primary lady. I find it highly doubtful that he would've ever even considered compromising his first mate's position as head of his estate. Think about it. If you were a lady of power thinking you'd have a position of some kind of power in a household when you married, wouldn't you be apprehensive at the thought that you'd have to live under the power of another, fiercer woman? While I'm sure it was with all the sweetness in her heart, Izayoi probably rejected the idea of becoming his second official wife because she didn't like thinking she'd be the secondary bitch of the house and, for a more unselfish (but possibly misguided) reason, she thought it'd be easier for Inuyasha as a hanyou to live among humans rather than among youkai and raised him in that human palace. She conveniently forgot that she lived a far shorter life than her son would and died while he was still a child.

Foods for thought~

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"Humans are fragile creatures that don't live very long lives, Sesshoumaru. With the times she'd personally escaped death, it's not surprising she wasn't long for the world." She looked up at him. "You gave her a longer life than she was due for. She lived longer than she would have thanks to you."

"A sickness. It wiped out half her village. It took her." And there was nothing he could do.

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Her tone softened instantly. "Did she? How?"

"Rin passed this morning."  Some how not looking at her made it easier. He could pretend like he wasn’t crawling to his mother for comfort, or counsel.

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Sigh. That'd been no good for her mood.

"……" The words he wanted to tell his mother froze in his throat. Perhaps his snarky tone was due to his emotion. One he wasn’t too familiar with. "I will then," He replied coolly before turning from his mother. He felt foolish for seeking comfort here.

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"Since when have you been so clingy? Besides, the servants are more entertaining than he who wears the same expressions as that statue over there."

"And since when have you cared about such things mother?"

"Am I not usually your entertainment."

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"Absolutely correct. There's never a time for a son to speak to his mother in such a way. Pleasant travels, Sesshoumaru."

"I did not realize there was a time of day for this. I can see I am not missed."

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"It's too early into the day for this. If you came to antagonize your mother, then be off. Things are fine without you."

"If you expect an apology Mother, then you forget who’s child I am."

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"In case we've forgotten, Sesshoumaru, there are still many lessons the Meidou has potential to teach. Keep with your mouth and you'll be adhering to your unfinished business very soon."

"If you are complaining mother I can always return home."

"Your only child comes for a visit, and you can only complain…"

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"Well enough. Things have been quiet in the lands. I suppose your nomadic lifestyle reminds all the subjects of our presence. Few reports of unruliness have come to my attention. It does make life duller when there are so little problems to attend to."

"You are almost as funny as father…"

"Have you been well?"

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"Pleasantly so. It seems you'd have to get it replaced if you wished to seat yourself at the head of this palace. Mine is too accustomed to me."

" Tell me mother, has your rear molded to that chair nicely?"