ashalightwood

[ashalightwood]

Here are my predictions for Oathbound but first a warning....

Potential spoilers from both Legendborn and Bloodmarked so please ignore this post if you are not caught up.

Okay my predictions (not in any order).

1. There will be two POVs: Bree (main) and Nick (secondary)

2. There will be 60 chapters: 40-45 in Bree's pov and 15-20 in Nick's pov.

3. Both Legendborn and Bloodmarked had 4 parts so Oathbound won't be any different. I think the names of each part will be: (1) Confinement, (2) Isolation, (3) Deal- Breaker or Escape, and (4) Horizon or Hope

4. Sel will not make a physical appearance until Part 3 or 4 but will be mentioned a lot by both Bree and Nick.

5. Natasia will make her first physical appearance in Part 3 or 4.

6. "Erebus" (the Shadow King) or Isaac Sorensen is responsible for the mysterious kidnappings and deaths of Merlins.

7. Nick will not be the same. He will become more ruthless and cruel especially when it comes to dealing with the Regents. With everything he has been through, he will unleash built up rage and sadness.

7. In the synopsis it says that Nick invoke an ancient law that will grant him an audience with Regents. I do believe he has some demands will mainly be about helping find Bree and Sel. The synopsis also said that Nick might have some secrets and those secrets are mainly about how to end the Legendborn without harming/killing Bree.

8. Bree, our brave and magnificent protagonist, will suffer both mentally and physically during her time with the Shadow King. She will endure harsh trainings and lessons almost losing her life every single time. Without her ancestral connections, Bree will struggle of not being "corrupted."

9. Bree will end up being friends or allies with Zoelle and Elijah who might help her escape.

10. Bree will use her unregulated deal with the Shadow King to her advantage to help her escape but not before she can harness and use her powers to their full potential.

I have more predictions but this post will be far too long than it already is.

[ashalightwood]

catching everyone off guard by drawing fanart of yet another completely random media I have never talked about before.

Here's sel bree and nick from legendborn in the one Anne Hathaway pose people were redrawing maybe a year ish ago.

(anyway, hoping their endgame is as a throuple)

[ashalightwood]

Lark couldn't handle ONE day on Sel's job and would rather make a plan to break him off jail so he could quit. I think Sel win😂

Do think sel would win against lark

asdfghjkl; i wanna poll this haha

[ashalightwood]

Well, It's MY birthday too and Matthew is my favorite Cassandra 's character, so I'm gonna pretend the "happy birthday" in her tags is to me!

snippet

A little snippet from A Sea Change (the Matthew novella.)

A small line appeared between Sylvain’s eyebrows. “What about you?” he said. “You are the son of the Consul, you and your parabatai are famous. James Herondale and Matthew Fairchild.” He didn’t sound bitter now, just curious. “Everything you and your friends have done — why would you leave after working so hard to make your world safe?”

[ashalightwood]

Once again obssessed of how touch is important for selbree

[ashalightwood]

dark rise spoilers !!!

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justice’s fine ass is dead ??

[ashalightwood]

So beautiful ♥️

"I am the product of violence and I am the Scion of Arthur, and I don't want to be either. I just want to be me."

[ashalightwood]

THIS IS PERFECT😭🥰

A Little Legendborn/Bloodmarked

Top 10 Selwyn Kane Moments

Happy Gemini Season!  What better time to reflect on my favorite chaotic, angsty, and delightfully poetic Cambion.  Sel has given us so many moments that either made us want to ask “Who the F@$K you talking to?”, want to give him an all encompassing full bodied squeeze, or left our jaws on the floor at his assholery or reverent sweetness.  Whatever the case, Selly knows how to make an entrance and leave an impression.  There are so many Selwyn Kane moments that live rent free while hiking up the thermostat in my mind, but here are my top 10.  Hope you enjoy!

10. Weirdo in The Woods 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.  A wry voice from behind startles me and sends a few birds, hidden in the canopy above, squawking into the sky.  I hadn’t seen anyone approach through the underbrush, but a tall, dark-haired  boy leans casually against the tree as if he’d been there the whole time; arms over his chest and black combat boots crossed at the ankles.”

When I read this scene, I could not believe the level of nerve and confidence this dude had.  The lurking in the darkness was creepy as hell and then he upped the ante by putting his pale paws on Bree!  I thought “Why the fuck is he touching her!?”  I had to reread to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.  Not only did he have a smart ass, arrogant vibe, but getting handsy to boot?  We would have been rolling around in the woods… and I don’t mean the fun way. 

9. Dripping Wet at The Door

“Half a second after that I’m struck thoughtless-because Sel flings the door open wearing nothing but a deeply annoyed expression and a pair of low-slung jeans.  I can’t help but follow the banded muscles from his abdomen to his chest.  Intricate black and gray tattoos encircle his arms, cover his shoulders, and connect in a Celtic knot on his breastbone.”

This delightful turning point had me squealing with antici…pation.  Tracy’s got some nerve really.  I remember being this age, and having an angsty, beautiful, asshole fling open the door half naked would have been a problem.  This was the point where Sel begins to soften for Bree.  The point where the two of them set off on a journey of personal discovery and develop a deeply intimate bond. They share a moment of realization about their mothers and how parallel that loss runs, about Nick, and about their own relationship.  I loved this moment so much because their masks begin to slip ever so slightly.  Bree being able to recognize the grief in Sel that she had become accustomed to, was beautifully written.  It gave us a bit of depth into his inner chaos and the pain that drives him.

8. The Gala/Kneel

“He admires my hair, taking in the size and shape of it, then his eyes follow the line of my temple to my borrowed earrings, down my neck and shoulders.  ‘You look stunning this evening Briana, it’s the truth,’ he says with a shrug.  ‘You do.  Even Though you’re distraught’.”  

“I’m not distraught.”

“He leans down so close that his lips brush against my ear when he whispers, ‘Liar’.”

This moment was so delicious. First, the way Sel takes her into his senses is divine.  His attention to detail in everything he does, whether in his detective work or being a silver-tongued devil, encompasses a space.  The act of admiring Bree’s appearance, covering every inch of her face and hair was top notch adoration. The two of them dancing at the gala was playful and intimate. I mean, telling someone you can smell their magic is…next level.  Bree was tuned into his very essence and he responded in kind, whispering LIAR in her ear as his lips brushed the delicate flesh, splaying his hands across her back knowing the heat from them radiated   through her gown.  Admiring all that she was becoming to him. Not to mention turning her around to face Nick while holding her at the hips, and whispering in her ear as he stewed across the room. It wouldn’t be right if he didn’t put a little Selly in it.

“I fight against Arthur’s will, but he will not yield-not on this.  He demands obeisance.  Homage. And deference.  Especially after Davis’ public betrayal.  Thankfully, no one moves.  Then someone does."

"No," I whisper, because I don’t want to hear it.  But when Sel speaks, his voice is strong and clear.

"Y llinach yw’r ddeddf."

"The Line is Law.”

In the Ogof we get another glimpse of what makes Sel tick. The fact that he is so married to the idea of honor and procedure (to a fault) shines in these moments because of what he is constantly willing to do to show his care for Bree. It is telling when he witnesses Bree pull Excalibur and he falls right in step with his duty to his King.  When he is the one to kneel and speak before her, it is because of duty and procedure yes, but his devotion for her leaps off the page.  

7. Mother

“Suddenly, Sel is on his feet. He paces to the end of the room, the back of his hand pressed hard against his mouth like doesn’t trust what could come out of himself.  It takes everything in me to stay seated when he kicks his closet door and the wood splinters into a boot shaped hole.”

On the heels of coming to the door half naked, we begin to see some of Sel’s inner turmoil made real.  Unpacking this a bit, we know Sel has been lied to and we are watching in real time how it hits him.  He is dutiful, procedural, and used to being in control in some respect.  He seems to enjoy the fact that he is needed, deep down, he wants to be wanted, not out of duty, but out of sheer enjoyment of his company, his being.  This revelation about his mother causes his mask to slip.  The hard exterior cracks enough that Bree is able to seep into the jagged edges, and he lets her, if only briefly.  This was such a revealing moment because it is one of many instances that they see not only each other, but also themselves mirrored in one another.

6. Cariad

“I feel Sel’s attention on my cheeks-and wonder when the sparks in his eyes had become a comforting heat…’You are my king now, cariad.’ His voice carries all the intimacy of a caress and his eyes are a melted gold.  I turn away, overwhelmed at the meaning in both.”

I don’t know why I didn’t have sense enough to Google what cariad meant at the time I first read Legendborn.  Perhaps it was because Tracy blew my wig back with the story of Briana Irene, that I needed a moment to collect my thoughts.  This was the point in the story that Selwyn vocalized his feelings for Bree.  It was another peak at the vulnerability he would ever so slightly let come out to play.  And because our Selwyn is precise, his intent (in my opinion) was also.  He has studied Bree, yet she still mystifies him, challenges him.  Calling her cariad, however, was laced with a bit of challenge in and of itself.  He knows she is determined and inquisitive and if she really wanted to know she would do what needed to be done to find out.  We also get that at that moment she was not ready to know, despite her curiosity.  It was just enough of a breadcrumb for her to follow, if SHE chose to.  Also, his sense of duty and willingness to accept her as King even when the order so readily wanted her gone when she did not serve their purpose or fit their shitty standards.  It was such a sweet, quiet moment after all they had been through that left us hanging onto that balcony for dear life. 

5. The Not So Safe, Safe House Bathroom

“Can I tell you a secret, Briana?” His voice slips into the sliver of air between us, silk and heat. “ I like hearing the way people respond to me.  A pause. You in particular.”  

“It’s involuntary.”

“Oh, I know.” His mouth quirks…..Sel’s amusement skips across my cheeks.  “See something you like?”

First of all, telling someone, ANYONE, that you like hearing the way people respond to you is full on iconic, sex demon realness.  Excuse me, sir?  You just walk around doing shit to tie folks up in flustered knots? Kick your combat booted feet up and watch your handiwork?   And you like it?  My kind of fun!  The way Joniece Abbott Pratt (she voices our favesl in the books) reads this scene is so deliciously spicy and devilish.  She put an extra bit of Sazon on it.  It was the closeness for me.  He knew what he was doing (aside from mesmering Bree to oblivion) , caging her between his arms and enveloping her in full on Cambion heat.  It is almost as if the tease is more fun.  Taking off his shirt to pull her in. Catching her gaze in the mirror.  Acting like he can’t put tape on his wounds (because of course a dude who can forge shit out of thin air can’t operate tape!), telling her he likes how her body is responding, asking her if she sees something she likes!  Bree has the resolve of a bug that hangs onto your windshield while you are doing 90 on the freeway. 

4. Sel’s Birthday Surprise (Cariad Part Two)

“Okay.  All right.  His voice is low and soothing.  He takes a slow step closer with an outreached hand, as if waiting for me to bolt.  “This isn’t an interrogation.  I am sorry.  It is your birthday.  And I had questions…but I don’t want you to leave.” His fingers wrap around mine, and he rubs a slow circle across my palm with his thumb."  

 I nod.  “Okay.” 

“Let’s keep this simple?” He smiles softly.  “Tell me what you learned about cariad?”  

Talk about a full circle moment.  For damn near two books, this man has been stewing about cariad and why Bree had not mentioned it again.  After being attacked by Jonas, and Bree begins to speak a bit of Welsh to William, I could almost envision Sel saying “Yeah, you over here practicing with William, but what about that cariad shit though?”  Ok, I know he wouldn’t have said it that way, but sometimes I read with my own voice in my head.  First of all, the planning.  The fact that he discovered a hidden gem in the woods with fireflies no less, and decided to make it a present (not a gift) to honor Bree’s birthday was delightful.  Plus being in the woods seems to be his happy place.   It was full circle in more ways than one because when we meet Sel (in the woods yet again) he is the epitome of ASSHOLE. This scene showed us how far the two of them had come and let us see that he truly values how Bree sees him and how much he wants her to have joy.  It seems like everytime these two are in the woods they have some sort of revelation.  The way he teases kisses on each cheek, then her forehead (third eye) showed us that he was done hiding and wanted her to fully understand the depth of his feelings.  And when she takes the kiss she wants, he responds in kind letting himself have the wish he has been denying himself by Merlin twirling her into the tree bark and KISSING HER DOWN!  Then, not only does he stop himself, but stops to watch the effect he is having on her, while telling her he likes it.  Damn you Selwyn Kane!  

3. Sharing Root With Bree/Most Gifted Merlin in a Generation

“Sel gasps, head thrown back as my aether climbs up his forearms, spiraling around his elbows.  For a moment, it feels like I’m wrapped around him.  His eyes snap open, and then he’s on his feet, bringing his hands together so the flames spread faster.  FWOOOM!  We explode together.”

I was shouting in my car listening to this scene.  Sel had been manacled by Erebus (to Valec’s amusement).  I remember thinking “Ain’t no way they are going out like this!” This was an edge of your seat, shout at the screen, moment.  The way he was in sync with Bree and knew exactly what to do when she shared her root was the boost I needed in that moment.  Sel was back like he never left!  Hair all shiny and shit!  The unspoken communication, the desperation in his eyes when he thought it wasn’t working was equal parts nerve wracking and rage inducing.  Plus, the whole scene was infused with a hint of sexy Cambion tension.  That last line is a double entendre if you ask me.  What better way to explode together than to blow Erebus’ ass back into the opportunistic shadows from whence he came?

“I’m not gonna….”

“Yes, you are!”  The muscles work in his jaw.  His eyes shine-he blinks it away.  “You are.  You just have to hold on a little longer, Bree.  For me–”  His eyes are fixed on my side, a strained grimace on his face.  His hands hover an inch above my flesh.  Aether shimmers in the space between my body and his palms in a thin layer.”

“Don’t move,” he grits out.”

“What are you…”

“I’ve got you.  Stay with me.”

“The floating dullness claims me again, but Sel’s magic is there on the edges, keeping the darkness at bay.”

“Stay with me, Bree.”

On the coattails of the high I felt when Sel and Bree took Erebus out of the game (if only temporarily), was the accompaniment of Sel holding Bree together for three hours when she was nearly killed by demons in the woods.  I tell you, Tracy knows how to make you feel the discomfort and pain of constant loss.  No sooner than I cheered for the two of them, before I knew it I was biting my nails again.  The terror he feels here is palpable.  Nick has just run away from both of them.  He has just done the seemingly impossible and made a root bomb (untrained move) with Bree to stave off Erebus.  Now he is at the threshold of loss yet again.  I can’t imagine having all of that occur in the span of 30 minutes.  Not only that, he creates tiny aether constructs to serve as medical aid for Bree not knowing how long he can maintain it while pushing down the hurt and fear.  Even Valec thought she was not savable.  Thought only to be able to use his aether for violence, it was beautiful to see Sel use his aether to sustain life.  It really hints at how special his abilities are and how much about himself outside of the order’s grip he doesn’t know.  When he says, “I’ve got you” and “Stay with me,” I had to step away from the book for a hot lil minute. 

2. No Other Merlin 

“No other Merlin can protect you like I can, because no other Merlin feels about you the way I do.  I want you to live, because I want you to be happy.  Not because of a spell, but because so very many things would break and go dark if you weren’t in the world.  Myself included.”

Can we talk about how down bad Selly is here?  Like, the boy is threw! I say “Gah damn!” everytime I read and/or listen to these words. He let her know, “Ain’t nobody got you like I got you!”  Something about the most powerful and gifted Merlin of his generation saying he would break and go dark if Bree was not in the world.  Sheesh! It’s the kind of soul-bearing that makes you sit up straight.  Have you rethinking your whole approach to life.  That is a far cry from questioning how she managed to keep ending up in his path.  A far cry from trying to wipe her off the face of the earth!  I love this scene because at this point we are seeing the power and effect of experiencing softness, love, care.  Being touched and him letting the wave of vulnerability settle in.  The willingness to lay himself bare in front of her despite his many fuck ups.  He told her, I want you to be happy even if I am not the one, just as long as you are here.  Tracy certainly wrote him hella mannish! But in all seriousness, this was a bar.  Had that man pouring out his soul in the middle of the woods.

1. Worth This and More 

“Merlin crawls on hands and knees.  ‘Just know Briana Matthews,’ he says, ‘That you are worth this and more.’ Without a second’s hesitation, he pulls me close enough that we nearly kiss-and inhales my power into his body.  Devours it whole.”

This scene hit me right in the gut for so many reasons.  It was the culmination of all that Selwyn had learned, endured, and sacrificed…for Bree.  Despite how much he had risked throughout Bloodmarked, he was still ready and willing to risk even more for her.  Pure veneration and sacrifice just for her.  In the Ogof, he kneeled to Bree and here he crawls to her, spent, and wants her to know that even at this moment he would do it again without question.  The poetry in how he approaches her.  The juxtaposition of kissing her in the woods and losing himself to that moment (even though briefly), giving in to that bit of euphoria and vulnerability, to losing himself as we know him totally, by devouring her root.  Because he knew the cost of that act and did it anyway, nearly did me in!  Tracy wrote the hell out of that and it is one of the chapters I have a hard time going back to.  Something about reaching a point of seemingly no return and pushing forward against all odds because you love the person before you so deeply. 

 No other Merlin indeed. 

What’d you think? I think I kicked Gemini season off right!  What are your favorite Selwyn Kane moments? What lives rent free in your head?  I am so excited that there are two more books to look forward to.  For me, those are more opportunities to talk my shit! 

Also, in case you missed it, here are my Top 10 Briana Matthews Moments

Happy Gemini Season Y'all!!!!

[ashalightwood]

Me too. I asked this question for Matthew. It is sad that he is the only one in TLH gang with a shitty sibling and for his sake (and Charlotte and Henry) I Hope Charles at least attempt to become a better person. Not that would erase anything that he did, but at least other people wouldn't be hurt anymore and I always Hope people try to become better and not being AH's for the rest of their lives.

Hii, Cassie! Can you tell us If Matthew and Charles relationship gets better with time? If they learn to understand each other better?

I would say yes, over the years. I think it already got better in TLH — it isn't perfect by the end of the trilogy, but they've made progress, which is often all you can hope for.

[ashalightwood]

Okay, but Alec and Izzy choose him! More recognizion for my Lightwood siblings( and that include Jace!)!!!!

Do you guys ever think about how Jace probably felt like no one would ever choose him in his life? How he had been rejected over and over by Valentine? How happy and genuinely joyful he was when Clary chose to bring him back as his Raziel wish, because it meant that she was choosing HIM over even world peace or global domination?

Rereading that, it stuck out to me in a way that it didn't when I was younger. Jace has finally found someone who picked HIM, who loves him more than the universe.

[ashalightwood]

Constantinopla? That means he can meet James and Cordelia????

Is there a chance for a crumb from the novella a certain free spirited (or not!) character is getting very soon?

ha! Okay. but no more SH snippets for a while...

“And where did you say you were from, Mr. Worthing?”

Matthew set his wineglass down. He hadn’t drunk any of the wine, of course, but he found that simply twirling the stem between his fingers and occasionally gesturing with the glass was enough to fool most people, which avoided annoying questions about why he was abstaining.

“My family’s estate is in Hampshire,” he said, in as plummy an accent as he could manage. He had decided that for the purposes of this sea voyage, he would adopt the persona of a British upper-class twit of the fox-hunting variety. Hunting poor little helpless foxes all around the grounds of some massive house, he thought. Why not try something actually difficult, like hunting a Feroci demon through the back alleys of London? “I will return there after I visit Constantinople, having completed my Grand Tour.”

[ashalightwood]

Anyone going to YALLWEST this weekend to see Tracy? If so, please consider doing a recap for us, unfortunate should, that couldn't go please😭

[ashalightwood]

dealing with the worst case scenario

your condom breaks

you feel a lump on your breast

your friends are ignoring you

you’re stranded on an island 

you got rejected by a crush

you get into a car accident

you got stung by a bee/wasp

you got fired from your job

you’re in an earthquake

your tattoo gets infected

your house is on fire

you’re lost in the woods

you get arrested abroad

you get robbed

your partner cheated on you

you’re on a ship that’s sinking

you fall into ice

you’re stuck in an elevator

you hit a deer with your car

you have food poisoning

your pet passed away

you fall off of a horse

you or your friend has alcohol poisoning

you have toxic shock syndrome

your house has a gas leak

[ashalightwood]

*Sighs deeply in Tired* Even without the novella that's 100% going to provide him with a much-deserved soulmate, Matthew already has an immensely happy ending. He's sober now. He's gentler with himself. He he gets to be free and travel. He mended his familial relationships. He gets to be closer with his friends and bridge the gap that his secret created. Romantic love isn't the only happy route. In fact, it would have been disingenuous to Matthew's arc.

[ashalightwood]

Can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this before but I have big big feelings about women and mothers within the Legendborn cycle.

Every woman that The Order touches is hit by some sort of tragedy. It’s part of the point. They’re not Supposed to be there, let alone in power.

“Nick’s mother, Sel’s, mine. How many mothers has the Order taken?”

Even Cestra as a Regent is outnumbered as one out of three. If you count the Seneschals it’s one out of 6. She is the token woman in a historically male power system. So historically male that any woman that rose to power in the earlier ages was killed.

The Order of the Rose exists to let women still pretend they have a hand in anything. But even then, they’re there to support chapter events rather than actually have a piece of anything worth something.

All of the trio’s mothers interfered, and they all paid for it. You can say this is just what The Order does to people who threaten their system, but even if you look at Martin - I genuinely think some action would have been taken against him for letting someone take his child without him noticing, if he were the mother.

I seriously doubt the council of regents actually believed Natasia opened the gates. She was absolutely just an easy scapegoat to cover up the actions of the scion of Arthur as a woman and a Merlin. Can’t even get into the way that The Order treats Merlins right now.

This is really long but. I hope the women of the Legendborn series all have some part in tearing shit down. They deserve it

[ashalightwood]

One thing about the Kanes is that once someone become important to them and they trust you, they are loyal and would go to such lenghts to protect them, even doing unprecedented feats in the way. I love how we can see that with both Natasia and Faye and Sel and Bree. There are so many paralles between them and I can't wait to see mother and son reunited.

[ashalightwood]

Me neither. I couldn't find any scene between them with romantic tension. They don't even like each other, they Just have powers than need each other. I really don't get It why people ship them so hard...

my deep dark ta6 confession is that i was never on board with nicolibby, not even from the beginning