#Bloodmarked Spoilers

[shayminlucario07]

Okay y'all. The big Post-Oathbound Analysis/Thoughts/Critique(?). Spoilers ahead, read at your own risk!

(This was written over the course of two days in four separate sittings, and the entirety of it was written while I was out of ADHD medication. So this is probably going to be very disjointed and incomprehensible. Sorry!)

Of course, it would be criminal to start anywhere other than the center of it all- Bree. While I have some qualms about Bree's arc in Oathbound, they are small and few, and almost exclusively have nothing to do with Bree herself. Following Bloodmarked, it was very necessary for Bree to have the chance to make a clean break from the expectations put on her for her abilities- and to be able to define for herself, with the knowledge of why she has her abilities, what their purpose- and her purpose- will be. I do take some issue with the conceit of Bree losing the identities of the people she cares about, but ultimately it serves extremely well to show that Bree is not the way she is- is not WHO she is- due to their presence, nor their influence, but rather because that is who she is. And I think it's so telling that the first construct she is ever able to use her Root to construct is a shield- especially when she specifically sought out, from the whole line of Vera, a method to use it as a weapon. In order for Bree to be able to use her Root to attack, she must know how to use it to defend- first herself, and then others.

One moment of Bree's arc I particularly loved was when she, Zoe, and Elijah took the time to establish an environment where they could each safely, comfortably, and non-judgementally articulate their respective queerness, with the twins helping and encouraging Bree to put her own queer identity into words for the first time. (A brilliant moment regardless, but also an excellent example of my earlier note about Bree being able to define her own self.) I know from personal experience- on both the Bree side, as the one first articulating their identity, and on the twins' side, as the guiding figure- how meaningful and important that experience is, and I can only imagine how much more significant that experience is for Bree with everyone involved being Black.

And of course, how can I not talk about Bree and Nick, finally being able to reunite properly after Bloodmarked, and finally having the time to figure out their relationship beyond the new, tenuous thing it was at the end of Legendborn? In Bloodmarked, both Nick and Bree were broken down to their lowest, and had to build themselves back up from that- and they had to do that apart from each other. And after both of them worked on themselves, working through their own issues and reaching the point where they were able to stand on their own in confidence, they were able to come together on that shared new ground and figure out what they wanted from each other for themselves. Finally, after two-and-a-half books of others- Alice, Sel, William, Mariah, Valec, Zoe... basically everyone- calling Bree and Nick an item, defining their relationship before they had a chance to truly explore it for themselves... it was gratifying. After how little screentime (Can you use that term when talking about a book?) Nick- and by extension, Nick and Bree's relationship- got throughout Bloodmarked, it was lovely seeing the two together again.

And that, naturally, brings me to Bree and Selwyn. Bree and Sel's friendship began quite late into the events of Legendborn, but from almost the very start of the two learning respect and trust for each other, there was a distinct romantic and sexual tension- from Bree encountering Sel shirtless in one of their first interactions that wasn't explicitly antagonistic, to the iconic "Cariad" scene- and this tension carried forward into Bloodmarked. Due to Nick's absence throughout most of Bloodmarked, his and Bree's relationship becomes a major focus throughout the book, and the two- and their relationship, in turn- undergoes a great deal of development. However, throughout Oathbound, Selwyn is mostly absent, like Nick was in Bloodmarked. As such, there is similarly little relationship progression between him and Bree; I'll refrain from talking about their relationship in Oathbound until the discussion of Selwyn as a whole, as there isn't much development therein, but what is worth noting is that when Bree loses part of her soul, she forgets the tension between herself and Sel, where she doesn't for Nick. Personally, I interpreted this to be a result of her most prominent feeling being her feeling of responsibility for his Demonia, whereas her most prominent feeling for Nick being a result of having to leave him behind, when he was running for her.

Moving on to our secondary characters, we'll start how the book itself does- with William. Now, don't get me wrong- I love William. However. I... really don't know why he was a point-of-view character in this book? Beyond the scene where he tells Lark about the abuse Nick faced as a child, his only purpose as a POV character seems to be to obfuscate Nick, and this scene could easily be delivered through a flashback from Nick's own point-of-view. Alternately, William's point-of-view could have been used more through the latter half of the book- which would also serve as a way to check in with the rest of the Order, such as Greer, who are very absent throughout the majority of Oathbound. Seeing William and Lark's tension develop was quite nice, though.

Mariah, on the other hand, was quite a neat new perspective. While she is a medium like Bree, her own variation of Medium abilities are very interestingly different, and through the vehicle of Mariah's perspective, we get to see more of Valechaz and the Rootcrafter network, the two most interesting aspects of Bloodmarked, in my opinion. It was also lovely to see how utterly Mariah and her aunts were so devoted to helping Bree- she deserves that level of dedication, and it was absolutely heartening to see Bree get the love and respect she deserves, after two books of the Order- and frankly, most others- treating her like shit.

Elijah and Zoelle were absolute delights. The two gave so much context to Erebus. Also, Zoe being a badass trans cambion? Iconic. I loved how she joined in on Bree and Mariah's girltalk so seamlessly, and it was wonderful to see her shame Bree on keeping her boy drama secret.

Speaking of Bree's boy drama... Nick Davis. While he had a whole character arc off-page in Bloodmarked, it was entirely possible to fill in the blanks of what we didn't see with his presence in Oathbound. I am incredibly proud of how he stepped up to force the Order to face the dark truth of how Bree became the Scion of Arthur- especially considering how closely tied he himself is to that abhorrent history. Seeing Nick finally openly face, acknowledge, and denounce the disgusting and horrific nature of the Order was cathartic. His example is one that I hope to follow, no matter how inconvenient and uncomfortable it is.

And finally, one cannot talk about Selwyn Kane in Oathbound without simultaneously talking about Natasia Kane. Finally getting to see Natasia was immensely satisfying, given how much build-up she's had throughout the series, and seeing her wholehearted devotion to Faye- even without the knowledge that Faye was the Scion of Arthur- serves to highlight not only how genuinely wonderful the Matthews women are, but also to showcase how the Kingsmages feel the draw to serve and protect their king, even if they don't know who their king truly is. But that isn't to insinuate that the only thing drawing Natasia and Selwyn to Faye and Bree is their status as the Scion of Arthur- because truly, that's all their own. Bree, like her mother before her, earns that devotion on her own merit, and is not defined by her bloodline. Natasia's love for Faye was so beautifully true that it extended to her husband and daughter, too, and it was a delight to see how utterly willing she was to act in defense of Edwin and Bree. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bit more to Natasia's devotion to Faye than mere friendship alone, but even if it is just platonic friendship, the strength of their relationship is one that I can only dream of achieving myself one day.

As for Sel... seeing his Demonia progress was painful to witness. At no point was he not himself throughout the book, it was horrifying to see how his worst characteristics were forced to the forefront above all else. The combination of his own personal dedication to Bree and his Demonia-induced craving for her Root twisted his affection for her into something that just felt sinister, even if he never explicitly took hostile action against Bree. Seeing him treat Nick and Bree as cruelly as he does- especially knowing the history he and Nick have of doing exactly that- was heartrending, but seeing the level of care that they still held for him, even in the wake of this treatment gives me faith for the future. The thing that must be remembered is that Sel willingly chose this for himself, because he decided Bree was worth it. I know for a fact that Nick feels exactly the same, and that shared absolute devotion to her is without a doubt going to help bridge the newly-widened gap between them. And of course, there's Bree herself- Bree, who can do anything she puts her mind to. If she wants to help bring Sel back to himself- and I wholeheartedly believe that she does- she will succeed. Those three care for each other so deeply that I cannot doubt they'll make it through this.

And finally, the reveal of reveals- that Selwyn Kane is the son of the Shadow King. What will this mean? Well... I have some ideas, I think. I have no doubt that this is going to cause some pretty damn sizeable relationship drama, to say the least, but I don't believe for a second that Sel is going to become a major antagonist- or even an antagonist at all, for that matter. Legendborn, as a series, is intrinsically tied to the past- specifically, to the pain within it, how that affects us in our current lives, and how we can and should carry that forward, letting it inform how we go about our lives and guide us onto a better path than we had been on before. This isn't a series with one antagonist, one enemy to overcome- the conflict is systemic, not individual. The efforts against Bree are not the result of actions by any one specific person, but the structural, systemic racism of the Legendborn Order. It is not the regents' plots to lock her away and usurp her, and experiment on her, and use her as a pawn in their games; it is not Vaughn and Tor and their overt racism towards her; it is not the widespread distrust that the Order has for her as an outsider, both an outsider of the Order and as a Black girl; it is all of this, together, compounding on itself. It is the structure as a whole being designed against not just her, but everyone not at the top of the ladder; it is the exploitation of the Scions, and the Legions; it is the Abatement, and throwing the lives of people of all kinds into the meat grinder, not to end the danger that the Shadowborn pose, but to prolong the war and preserve the position of power that the Regents and the highborn of the Order hold; it is the systematic hunting of Rootcrafters, Morgaines, and any users of magic not under the oppression of the Order; it is the meticulous, eugenicist controlling of "bloodline purity" to preserve the inheritance of the Lines, and produce stronger Merlins that will be more reliant on the Oaths, and controlling of every little facet of the Scions' lives up to, during, and after their awakening.

When Bree asked Nick if he would stand with her if she wanted to burn it all to the ground, that was not a hypothetical. At least, that is what I believe. The Legendborn legacy is one of pain and suffering- and that is not just true for their own. The Rootcrafters suffer beneath the totalitarian oppression of the Order; even the Shadowborn themselves are impacted extremely negatively by the war's perpetuation! We have seen, with Valechaz and his brokering of contracts, with Zoe and Elijah and their willingness to aid Bree in saving Rootcrafters they don't even know from being harvested as fuel by Shadowborn, even the Shadow King that they are personal wards of, and more, that even those "On the wrong side" of the war are impacted negatively by the war, how they are harmed by it, and how they are denied the chance to thrive in harmony with the world, by those in power on all sides- by the Legendborn Order, by the Shadow King and his Nightshade court, and by every structure of power in place that perpetuates the cycle. This is the conflict of the series, and this is the obstacle that Bree and her allies work to overcome and defeat. Not any individual or individuals, but the systems that they participate in, perpetuate, and control. And even if this conflict can be fixated down to a few specific individuals, Selwyn Kane is not one of them, even as the son of the Shadow King.

Our main trio, Bree, Sel, and Nick, are three of the most powerful entities in the plot. Bree, the Scion of Arthur and the strongest Rootcrafter currently alive. Sel, the son of the Shadow King and of one of the strongest Merlins in history. Nick, the Scion of Lancelot, raised to be the heir of the entire Legendborn order. And of course, that's not even all of the players on the board- there's Valechaz, a balanced Cambion, son of a Nightshade, and major power player in the demonic world; there's Mariah, who very much seems to have been established as the heiress of the Grand Dame, who can use her medium abilities to restrict the Shadowborn and those in league with them; there's William, the Scion of Gawain, who for two hours every day is the most physically powerful person there is, and who is a master of aether healing; and of course, there is Alice Chen, who in her very brief appearance in Oathbound, is established to be actively defying death by sheer force of will alone, has seemingly developed her own supernatural abilities entirely independent of any established form of inheritance, and whose intelligence and stubbornness allowed her to overcome a mesmer from a master- because I don't believe that it was Bree's power alone that made Alice immune to mesmers. There is Natasia Kane, one of the most powerful Merlins in the history of the Order who was able to overcome being cast out from the Order and denied her Oaths, consigned to progressing in her Demonia beyond the point of any Merlin's recorded survival; and there is an entire new generation of Legendborn Scions and Squires, and past generations of Legendborn Lieges and even Vassals that could turn away from the Order and follow Bree- and I believe that several of them will. All of these people, all at different levels of power and influence, working in concert to overcome the structures set against them and create something new and better in its wake, are all but guaranteed to succeed.

When book four comes around, while I'm afraid for the future of the characters we love- including and especially Sel, for whom I have a very great affinity, and whose fate seems to be the most potentially tragic- I have both enough faith in Tracy Deonn's writing and understanding of the story she has written, and enough faith in the characters within it, to be truly afraid for the future of the series and its characters. I want what is best for these characters who I love, and I have full faith in both them and in Tracy Deonn to bring that about.

TL;DR, while I felt there were flaws in Oathbound, its story, and its structure, I am eager and excited for the future of the series and optimistic that things will end well for those involved, and I will be waiting very impatiently for the next book. I do not believe that Selwyn will become an antagonist, and still hold absolute faith that he, Nick, and Bree will all end up happily in the end, together, as they care far too much about each other to let any of them fall. There is far more in store for Alice Chen than any of us know, and of course, Bree Matthews will accomplish everything she puts her mind to- of that, I am certain, and I cannot wait to see it.

[megnificent-reads]

*OATHBOUND SPOILERS KINDA*

The Selwyn Kane nickname list has been updated with a whopping +1 (+an additional non-canon 1) to the mystery girl counter. This is my life’s work.

[wizardteampod]

ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT UNTIL OATHBOUND DROPS!!!

[crownomancer]

Dragons never die.

-

I will properly ink this and color it later. For now it was just rattling around in my head.

[highfantasy-soul]

So I read Bloodmarked and feel the strong urge to write a 'fix it' fic for a certain love story.

spoilers, obviously

the insane desire to fix the Sel/Bree dynamic - starting in book 1 - is strong

Sel should have remained combative to Bree in book one, not suddenly turn and fall madly in love with her by the end of the book. He should have only stayed with her for duty because she's Arthur's Scion and it should have been made clear in the story that it was killing him staying with Bree because he's bonded to Nick.

He should have still been combative as she doesn't want to stay hidden, but it should have been 100% duty as to why he was staying with her and protecting her.

BREE should have actually done things to change his mind, not just be the main character. She should have studied past Order dangers they faced and how they overcame them, she should have kept training with weapons and her aether, she should have actually DONE things to try to get Nick back (giving updates after her bloodwalks), and should have worked tirelessly to help others and learn enough to really help in this war.

AND she should have shown how she's different from just any other Scion - she should have pushed for a different perspective, sought out others to help in the battle since she does know about others who use magic. She should have pushed for inclusion and bringing everyone into this fight in the ways they can instead of just leaving it to the Order. She should have researched more about Merlins through this study of magic and perhaps pointed out inconsistencies in the official records, she should have gotten empathy after seeing how much is expected of Merlins and the standards they have to keep and the punishments if they don't - giving her understanding for Sel's position and why he behaved the way he did in book 1. She should have kept in touch with the Lieges who are part of this war, but have different perspectives too.

They should have SEEN each other DOING things to protect people and fight demons SEPARATELY rather than Sel only existing to protect Bree when she's done something stupid or someone is after her. Bree should have DONE something other than run around helpless and complaining about being helpless until she explodes with power.

They should have learned to RESPECT each other for their own actions and histories and seeing how hard each other are trying to do the right thing - and always butting heads because their methods are so different. KEEP the arguments! KEEP the conflicting perspectives - but have them argue with RESPECT for each other, pleading their own cases, but never devolving to petty shit since, you know, they should be focused on protecting people from Camlann.

---

THEN.

THEN! When Bree is attacked and is bleeding out and Sel gives all his energy to keep her alive, THAT'S when he realizes that he's not just saving her because she's the Crown Scion, he's saving her because she's Bree. He can't stop thinking about what would be taken from the world if BREE is dead (her desire to bring together the different communities, her desire to help others even when she can't access her power, her questioning of long-held beliefs and push back on how Merlins are treated and how enslaved all the Legendborn are to the Order's rules down to who they're allowed to marry and her desire to change that) and that he didn't think once about the cost to the Order or the Lines. THEN we can have his change and the slow burn enemies-to-lovers become apparent.

Nix all this 'you're the most strongest, beautifulest, bravest, phenomenal person I've ever met' bullshit - since he can't give examples of her ever being those things! If you think you can come up with reasons, give me some that don't revolve around her power or her attempting to claim her authority - give me some examples of her ACTUALLY HELPING people. As it stands, the narrative only gives us 'Bree is super powerful and pretty and that's enough to make her brave' - no actual action on her part, just how she was born.

Idk, all the tension was just like......we GET IT! She and Sel LIKE EACH OTHER!!! The narrative just has to have arbitrary reasons they can't be together even though they're very clearly attracted to each other! Sel was super concerned about her being out to hurt Nick in book 1, then 180 and he's in love with her now. It's ok for him to be annoyed that she's in the middle of this and she has no idea what she's doing! It's ok that he's annoyed she has such little frame of reference as to how to fight this war and lead the Order! It's ok if he's still annoyed at her in book 1 because he thinks Nick deserves a bodyguard who actually knows what they're doing!

It really pissed me off that Sel started out as a cool, very hard and sharp character, then once he decided he didn't want to kill Bree anymore, he became a completely soft butterball of a person. LET GRAY CHARACTERS KEEP THEIR EDGES!! Stop smoothing their rough parts once we're on the 'to lovers' path!!

Their whole contention could be that she's studied the Order and sees all the ways it needs to change and offer solutions - maybe specifically how the Merlins are treated - and Sel could push back because of all his self-loathing and fear of himself that the Order pushed in him and so he's always playing 'devil's advocate' for the Order and all their methods of control. Stay in line and you stay safe - they've kept Onceborn safe all these years, why fix what isn't broke and risk the chaos that would bring - chaos demons feed on. Bree could push back on him arguing 'WHO' is being helped, WHO has been kept safe? Rootcrafters hunted down by the Order? Onceborn POC who are subjugated under Vassal power given to them by the Order but wielded in the Onceborn world? The Legendborn who have no control over their lives? The Lieges who will die early because of their curse?

Have Sel and Bree actually bring up real and nuanced themes to explore in the story instead of petty shit like it was. Make their arguments MEAN something more than just 'I'm worried for your safety/You're smothering me'.

Make their rivalry real, make Bree's character DO something, and make Sel begin to question his fear of himself and the control the Order brings him. THEN they can start to have feelings for each other based on concrete actions and who each other are, not just 'oh no, he's hot'.

[elisegeese]

Tw // blood

I love Nick and he Scares me!

I’m both terrified and excited to see what his future holds in Oathbound.

[alondrathegiraffe]

Brees family + found family

the dad and mom scenes really got me feeling all types of ways, I love stories about complicated relationships with parents (mothers especially) and Brees journey with her grief and the memory of her mother got me in the heart

[safirefire]

Lancelot when Bree!Arthur starts leaning in too close too his face while she’s starting to see Nick and all he sees is his king

[onthemerits]

we talk abt sel giving up his humanity to save bree but consider:

bree having no more than ten minutes to speak to her mother— the woman whose death motivated the entire first book— and using a few of those minutes to ask about sel’s mother to try and ease his pain and save his humanity——

there’s so much love and care and growth in that act— even aside from bree’s loyalty and care for sel, she’s come so far from the girl consumed by grief, driven by an obsession with her mother’s past.

she couldn’t even connect with her ancestors the first time mariah tried to help her. she was too overwhelmed with thoughts of her mother and their lineage, scared that her mother wouldn’t want to talk to her, scared of facing her mothers death head on.

now, she gives up time with her mother for the chance of helping sel— and herself by proxy. this is a far cry from the bree prepared to sacrifice everything to solve her mother’s “murder.”

and no one should be shocked by the end of bloodmarked.

[shayminlucario07]

Selwyn Emrys "More upset about the jacket, to be honest" Kane you are *so important to me*

I cannot express how Selwyn Kane, red flags and all, is quite literally *exactly who I want to be*

And it took me years to actually. FIGURE OUT who or what I wanted to be. Like, I genuinely had next to no self-expression until I was nineteen because I was so repressed and afraid to actually try and figure it out, and then. I read Legendborn and Bloodmarked for the firs time, and Selwyn Kane punches me in the face and says "Time to look in the mirror faggot" and I'm just like oh. okay. And I finally have the image in my brain of who I want to be and who I am at my core, if I'm only willing to let it out.

Even with all of his flaws- his sharp edges, his burning anger, the fear he induces- I look at Sel and I see all the disparate parts of me I've never been able to piece together into one image. The sardonic, overdramatic humor; the violent, frightening anger, and the aggressive, possessive dedication; the fundamental self-loathing; the inclination to deceit and subversion to avoid facing shame and judgement for failures. And all of it, accepted, and loved, and admired, as him. Even when he makes major mistakes, he isn't treated as monstrous for it- even when he is condemned fiercely by Nick for trying to kill Bree, even when he is condemned by Bree for mesmering her, while he is made to face how what he's done is wrong, it doesn't do irreparable damage. When he makes mistakes, even extremely big ones, he is allowed to make up for them, and is given trust that he will.

And even in the end of Oathbound, when he is at his lowest point and the most fundamental things we know about him are shaken, he is still met with acceptance and love and genuine care by the people most important to him. (And don't try and argue that isn't what Bree and Nick are feeling and thinking in that moment- they both care FAR too much about him to be anything other than deeply empathetic towards him, and with how Bree and Sel were there for Nick when he was at his lowest in Bloodmarked, and how Nick and Sel were there for Bree when she was at her lowest in Bloodmarked, Bree and Nick are going to be there for Sel while he is at his lowest in the wake of Oathbound. Those three are stuck together, they said it themselves.)

I quite literally need book four so desperately and I am gnawing at the walls waiting for it. Good god why do I have to wait for this AND Alecto the Ninth at the same time

[megnificent-reads]

Just remembered this note I made from my first read through of Legendborn and Bloodmarked

[medium-bloodcrafter-scion]

ICYMI!!! Oathbound sneak peek revealed by Tracy Deonn. (⚠ Spoiler for the end of Bloodmarked)

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A post shared by Simon Teen (@simonteen)

Thanks to the amazing @ashalightwood for always being on top of what's happening on Tracy's Instagram! 😄💜

I thought we were done with all the reveals and surprises this month, but after all it is Novembree ie Legendborn Christmas, so Tracy is spoiling us. 🥰

While the sneak peek doesn't reveal too much (I insist it's an expanded version of the infamous emoji trio 🕴️⌛🥀), the tone is so intense, the imagery so delightfully Scorpionic...

The teaser reads as follows (but please watch the video the reactions are PRICELESS):

The Shadow King could destroy me. I knew this the minute the ancient demon's magic enveloped us. Darkness billowed in on the final images of Nick in motion: his aether armor glinting in the sun, his outstretched hand, his blue eyes burning for battle. Fighting to keep me safe.

So many fights and losses, just to keep me safe. After everything my friends had endured, guilt clawed at my heart.

Then I saw Nick, and shame split it open.

The King grasped my hand. "I'm sorry," I said. "Please know that I -"

Then, we were travelling through shadows. I don't know how much time has passed. Seconds? Minutes? Blackness surrounds us in thick, inky streams. This is what it means to travel with a being of darkness, I think - before I begin to suffocate.

In this here and there vortex, there is no air to breathe. My knees buckle. I wonder if I might die before I've even begun this new life.

No.

Even thinking that word is enough to sharpen my oxygen-deprived mind. I clench the hard hilt of Excalibur to my side. I will not die here.

And then, without warning, we land.

I cannot contain myself someone help meeeee! 🙀😭😱😖🤯

[justbrainrot]

Okay. I’ve seen posts with google translations of the blood walk convo Sel & Nick have, but here’s some analysis by a human person lol!

(Disclaimer: said human is not a native speaker but they were raised by a linguist & love research so I’m pretty confident that this is closer to perfect than what google spits out)

Sel: "Mae hi'n brydferth." (She is beautiful.)

Nick: "Ydi, mae hi. Yn dragwyddol." (Yes, she is. Eternally.)

Sel: "Mae hi'n gweld dy eisiau di." (She misses you.)

Nick: "Mae hi'n gweld dy eisiau di hefyd." (She misses you also.)

<lit. “she sees the need of you” but if someone wanted to say that exact phrase they’d probably say it differently to avoid the idiomatic translation>

Sel: "Mae gen i ofn amdani, Nicholas…” (I’m afraid for her, Nicholas...)

Nick: "Dwi'n hyderus y medri di gadw hi'n ddiogel.” (I’m confident you are able to keep her safe.)

Also, not that it matters, but “Mae gen i” is a Northern construction, and “eisiau” is a Southern spelling. I don’t know how much fluidity there is with speakers, especially in border areas (and Wales is actually considered to have 5 main dialects, which is ridiculous). The Southern “I have” construction would be “Mae ofn amdani gyda fi” and the Gog spelling of “eisiau” is “isio”. This language is bananapants.

(The Welsh word for “banana” is technically “ffrwchnedd” but no one says that, they say banana.)

@paigeagainstdamachine @mediumbloodcrafterscion @ashaligtwood

[momentov1vere]

ok am i the only one who for some reason (idk why) imagined bree’s bloodmark as something similar to gale’s netherese orb mark from bg3

i had to look at the cover of oathbound again to remember that that’s not what it looks like lol

[you-are-my-king-now-cariad]

Context: I wrote a ‘quote analysis’ for my English class. It’s basically a challenge where you pick a sentence or quote and write as much about as you can in a given amount of time.

I chose “You have always been the Scion of Arthur, and neither of us can afford to forget it.”

And oh boy I had thoughts.

1. This feels VERY interesting. It feels like it’s going back to Sel Who Doesn’t Care About Anyone, but at the same time… Bree says it’s ‘almost an accusation.’ She nearly starts crying. I think it’s much closer to ‘You are the Scion, and I am your Kingsmage, and anything else is forbidden on every level.’ Yes, at this point they’re barely flirting. But Sel is infuriatingly careful, and this is also probably a self-reminder.

2. Saying that neither of them can forget it seems particularly poignant seeing that Sel knows what happens when Arthur’s Scion does abandon their post. I don’t think Nick is a bad person, to be clear. (I don’t like him either, but still.) No matter what you think of him, though, he walked away from his responsibilities. We don’t know if-had he been Called while he was still AWOL-he would have fought. I doubt it. And that is dangerous.

2a(?). It’s bad that Bree’s absent… But not only do the other Legendborn know that she’s still fighting, she is at the very least trying. She doesn’t get it right all the time. Hell, she probably doesn’t get it right half the time. But she is giving her all to being the best king possible-a title she doesn’t want, one given to her by violence and prejudice. And I think everyone can see that. Even when she breaks down, it’s not ‘I want to quit’ or ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ Maybe it’s ‘I wish I wasn’t the one doing this,’ or ‘I’m not strong enough,’ but she’s almost always more worried about just letting her friends down, about someone getting hurt! That is a true king. You’re allowed to have bad days, you’re allowed to be selfish. But you cannot quit when (I’m not gonna count them rn) people and potentially literally the entire world is depending on you.

I’m doing these analyses every class apparently so I might have more if this was even comprehensible, see y’all later!

[gasleakgirlmeatcakeboss]

SPOILER PLAYLIST FOR OATHBOUND

did I stay up too late making this? yes

is Tracy Deonn going to release her own playlist that will probably be more accurate since SHE wrote it? probably

here it is anyway

in order and covering as many scenes that i could find a song for

(a book has never left me so affected so please enjoy while I writhe around on the ground and try my hardest to be normal around everyone else)