#book: dragonfly in amber

[transparentdreamruins]

Jamie & Claire

"Oh, Claire, ye so break my heart wi' loving you." ~ Dragonfly in Amber

[inlovewithquotes]

"Claire," he whispered. " Please. Let me give ye comfort."

"Comfort?" I said. "And how will you do that? Can you give me back my child?"

He sank to his knees before me, but I kept my head down, staring into my upturned hands, laid empty on my lap. I felt his movement as he reached to touch me, hesitated, drew back, reached again.

"No," he said, his voice scarcely audible. "No, I canna do that. But....with the grace of God....I might give ye another?"

-Dragonfly In Amber

[jemscorner]

Outlander parallels - 2x13 | 7x05

Nothing is lost . . only changed.

[themusicsweetly]

All the time the ghosts flit past and through us, hiding in the future.  We look in the mirror and see the shades of other faces looking back through the years; we see the shape of memory, standing solid in an empty doorway.  By blood and by choice, we make our ghosts; we haunt ourselves.

[dehautdesert]

There's no plot beat more unsatisfying than a protagonist who is trying to escape the Cool Adventurous Setting for some reason. I get that it's sometimes realistic for them to do that but it's really difficult to root for someone or get emotionally invested in their success when their main goal is to get away from all the stuff you find interesting to watch/read about.

You get about the same frustrated feeling like when you're at a party and hitting it off with a person but the friend you're with is whining about wanting to go home.

[whats-in-a-sentence]

It had everything you could want on an occasion of that sort – rumbling waterfalls, silver cascades, deep, amber-colored pools, mossy rocks, and deep moss on the banks in which you could sink over your ankles, every kind of fern, jewel-like dragon flies, sometimes a hawk overhead and once (Peter and Trumpkin both thought) an eagle.

"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" - C. S. Lewis

[wakingupnexttoyou]

I have two reading buddies today 🥰 it's really too bad I can't just sit here all day. I have a little running around to do in a bit here but one of my errands is taking my Nana to the doctor so I'm gonna sit in the car and read while I'm waiting for her lol.

For those of you wondering here is my current read:

I don't know what it is about these books but I feel like it takes me longer to read these than any other book. I feel like it's probably the accents written in lol I keep having to go back and make sure I understood what they said because I'm not used to the Scottish accent or the way they speak. But they're so so good!! Eventually I will sit down and watch the show as well.

[litandlifequotes]

I stood still, vision blurring, and in that moment, I heard my heart break. It was a small, clean sound, like the snapping of a flower’s stem.

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

[pizzawrench]

AGHHHHHHHHH

[semper-legens]

21. Dragonfly in Amber, by Diana Gabaldon

Owned: No, library Page count: 963 My summary: 1968. Claire Randall and her daughter have returned to Scotland from America, tracking the history of a band of Jacobites. But why did Claire leave Jamie and return to the future? Back in 1744, there's a war to stop. Armed with foreknowledge of the future, Claire is trying desperately to keep her friends alive. Jamie won't be doomed to die at Culloden if Culloden doesn't happen...right? My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

Ah, Outlander. While I may have only read the first book on a whim, I found myself enjoying it far more than I thought I would. What can I say, there was just something charming about our hero, ex-World War Two nurse Claire, travelling through time to meet her Scottish rebel beaux, Jamie Fraser. They were strong characters, very engaging, and the story itself (though not without flaws) was interesting enough to keep my attention for all of its 800+ pages. So of course I tracked down a copy of the next one. And for the most part, it's just as good! Immediately, it grabbed me with the opening premise - Claire and her daughter Brianna, who is obviously Jamie's, have travelled back to Scotland in 1968 after Claire's twenty year marriage to original husband Frank Randall ended in his death. How did Claire get back to her present? Why is she in Scotland tracing the fates of the Lallybroch men? And what actually happened to Jamie Fraser? These are the mysteries of Outlander book two - Dragonfly in Amber.

(Warning for talk of rape under the cut.)

There's so much to talk about in this near 1000 pages of novel, so I'm just going to hit on some key points here. Jamie and Claire continue to be brilliant. Claire is pregnant for much of this novel, and Jamie feels a lot of protectiveness towards her, which often frustrates her. Jamie is in his element, fighting both physically in the field at Culloden and more mentally and socially in the courts of France, and doing a good job at both. I think the reason I like Jamie and Claire so much, in hindsight, is the fact that they could so easily be one-dimensional stereotypes of their genre, but have a lot more depth than that. Claire is often in distress and needs Jamie to save her, but she's also cool-headed from her time as a war nurse and is very capable of arguing her case and getting her way when she knows what's best. Jamie is a rugged, tough Scot, but he's also got a core of vulnerability and kindness beneath him - and moreso than just the 'burly guy with a heart of gold' stereotype either, he's as emotionally reliant on Claire as she is physically reliant on him, and the pair of them make an excellent team together. There's a lot of character to them, we find out a lot about them as individuals, and they're both as flawed and liable to make mistakes and argue and fall out as each other. The saving grace is, of course, their genuine and deep love for one another. It's lovely to see their passion and devotion, even through the trials they have faced across these two books.

Sex and sexual violence rear their head thematically once more here. The sexual violence and rape that is often either threatened or actioned in these books are somewhat sensationalised - see poor Mary Hawkins being raped by strangers on the street, a fate that Claire very closely avoids. Randall continues to be a sadistic monster. Jamie's trauma comes back up, and he responds by wanting to fight it - literally, in the form of Randall. It's very matter-of-fact, and part of me does wonder if Claire being threatened so often is meant to be somewhat titilating for its assumed audience. But then, perhaps I am being unfair. Such things are shown as being as traumatic as they are in real life, with Mary basically becoming catatonic as a result of her treatment, Claire being duly freaked out by her narrow miss, and Jamie still suffering the aftereffects of Randall. And to balance that, there's plenty of consensual sex. Mary and Alexander Randall find solace in each other, Claire and Jamie enjoy a very healthy s-x life even through her pregnancy, and nobody is ever shamed by the narrative for wanting consensual sex. And for a story largely set in the 1740s, that's a huge breath of fresh air. I feel like sex is used very deliberately in these books, as both a means of characterisation and as a fact of the 18th century lives our protagonists lead. Because it's everywhere, from the gossip and frivolity of the French court to the bawdy Scottish warriors to the intimacy of Claire and Jamie's bedchamber. It happens. And that's a very mature attitude to the subject, I think.

And finally, there's something I haven't talked about yet, either in this or the last time I've talked about Outlander - the idea of fate, destiny, and changing history. Claire is from nearly two hundred years in Jamie's future, and given that her husband was interested in both Jacobite history and his personal family history, knows a fair amount about what is to happen in the uprisings. Given that Claire has no intent to revisit the future, is it possible for her to change it? She has a close personal connection to Lallybroch and the Lallybroch men (other than Jamie, that is) and doesn't want them to die at Culloden, as many Jacobites did. Claire and Jamie's reason for being in France assisting Bonnie Prince Charlie is actually to avert the Jacobite risings, though they have to be subtle about it lest they be branded traitors to both Scotland and England. Can Claire change fate? She knows that Jack Randall was meant to die at Culloden, despite his apparent ignominious death at Wentworth. Yeah, I thought that was a bit too quick and throw-away a death for a figure that haunted the first book. Turns out Randall's alive and up to his old tricks, leading to Jamie wanting to kill him dead as well as having panic attacks and bad dreams thanks to his trauma. (As an aside, I did find that Alexander Randall being Frank's true ancestor as was implied here to be a bit of a cop-out - of course Frank couldn't actually be the direct descendant of a sadistic rapist.)

This ambiguity, however, of whether Claire and Jamie can actually save anyone is a large theme of the book, and I like that. It's a kind of time travel narrative that skips all the moralising about paradoxes and gets to the personal. Claire loves Frank, and wants him to have existed in the future. Claire loves Jamie and the Lallybroch men, and wants them to survive Culloden. Claire and Jamie want to save as many people as they can. And that's a noble cause, and not something the narrative punishes them for. For all the pain and trauma that come about as a result of the uprising, it doesn't rest at the feet of that caring impulse. Which is nice to see, you know? Claire's just one person trying to make the best of it in an intensely hostile world, and her struggles and choices make for an engaging read.

Next, something not all too far from Outlander - a look at sex in Medieval Europe.

[transparentdreamruins]

Jamie & Claire

"[...] Jamie was my heart and the breath of my body." ~ Dragonfly in Amber

[inlovewithquotes]

"I will find you," he whispered in my ear. "I promise. If I must endure two hundred years of purgatory, two hundred years without you--then that is my punishment, which I have earned for my crimes. For I have lied, and killed, and stolen; betrayed and broken trust. But there is the one thing that shall lie in the balance. When I shall stand before God, I shall have one thing to say, to weigh against the rest."

His voice dropped, nearly to a whisper, and his arms tightened around me. "Lord, ye gave me a rare woman, and God! I loved her well."

-Jamie Fraser

[sgiandubh]

Calling all Landcon 7 shippers

Landcon is happening April 26 -27, 2025 : that is, of course a full week-end for us. But many will be coming to Paris earlier and/or leaving later, so here is the deal:

As you all know, I thought a nice, no frills International Shipper Dinner would be a great idea to meet, hug and celebrate. Now I know there is also that (rather expensive) cosplay ultra secret dinner with the cast, but I doubt all of us will book it, for many reasons. A nice pizza joint near our hotels has been mentioned and I think it could be fun and very easy to organize - if you have any other venue in mind, please mention it in the comments and we will decide together.

At the same time, I wanted to honor both this whole experience and our shipper community, so I felt something more could be done, if we all agree to it. Paris has been home to me for a long while and I am (also) a historian with a deep passion for and knowledge of the Eighteenth century. A 'Dragonfly in Amber' tour of Paris would have been a bit too much to digest, however, and difficult to organize. But I think a half day tour of Versailles is manageable and could be both enriching and fun.

So, if you remember this...

... wouldn't you like to visit the place where it 'happened', along with the faint echoes of all that gossip and intrigue, at the court of Louis XV?

If so, let me guide you around, informally and for free. That means if we decide to go for it, we could equally split the cost of a roundtrip transfer and perhaps even book entry tickets at a group price. The more being the merrier, I think renting a van with driver is achievable and not too expensive. I will do the talk, in full transparency. We will discuss all the offers together and settle for the best one. I will never ask you for anything else: this is not how I work and this is my way to thank you.

The reason I am proposing to rent a van is obvious: it is easier to coordinate the group and it takes less time, as there is no direct public transport link between Courbevoie and Versailles:

It would take us at least one hour/leg, with quite some walking and it will require us to change two trams and (perhaps) one bus also, depending on traffic. However, if you decide this is something achievable, why not?

To make this very clear, I compared the prices for a round trip with a rented vehicle (different types, depending of how many of us would join the group). The company is randomly picked on Google, it's the first offer that I could see online, without waiting for an email:

So a round trip with van and driver could cost anywhere from 108 euros/pax to 19 euros/pax (unrealistic, perhaps, as we would have to be 59 for that). Again: the more, the merrier.

Using the public transportation network is, indeed, less expensive, as a Navigo Day Ticket (unlimited trips on the entire network) will cost 20.60 euros:

Whichever we choose, I am fine with it and happy to help everyone.

This poll will help us decide quickly and effectively, together:

This poll will remain open for one week and I will pin it to my page to make it more visible. When it will be closed, we will decide together. I am not forcing anything, nor selling anything. I will simply be over the moon, at any rate and cannot wait to meet all of you.

If you think it's interesting, kindly share this poll. Thank you all!

[goatyuuji]

Sorry for the delay, but it's here now… Most of them are NC-17 and R rated, so read the tags.

One shots (1k-9k)

Incense by cielelyse (E, 6.6k)

“We wanted to know,” says Mimiko, “who between the two of you is the better fighter?” (Or: Satoru tries to prove he's better at close combat, but Suguru has other plans.)

Curiosity Killed the Crush by xBarbarellax (E, 7.5k)

Today was the day. No more chickening out, no more waiting for him to make the first move, no. Today, Hina was going to ask out Gojo Satoru.

all the world’s a stage by ruche

“I don’t deserve to love you,” Suguru offered. It was placid as a temple pond, at odds with all his feelings. His arms went limp at his sides. He smiled again, sweet and hollow. “Right?” Satoru recovered well enough. Intensity seemed to evaporate off of him within a few stiff seconds. “They deserve this, I deserve that,” he said after a beat. “Who died and made you king of the universe? Talk about obnoxious.” Suguru is horny and Satoru makes that Suguru’s problem.

closer to the bone by sanctify (E, 6k)

“How thoughtful of you.” Gojo eventually says as he rests the cuffs on his lap, skimming a finger along the black padding on the inside of one. “I saw that you had added them to your wishlist.” Geto hums, tilting his head in his direction, the sharp amber of his eyes like spools of molten honey. “I hope it wasn’t too forward of me.” This has Gojo burst out into a brief fit of laughter, the bright whites of his teeth showing as he leans forward to lay a hand on Geto’s chest, easy and playful and flirtatious. “I invite you over so I can record you fucking my brains out and post it online, and you think you’re being forward?” Gojo laughs again, a soft pink coloring the curve of his cheeks this time, accentuated by the highlighter he wore.

Thought you were about to get some foreplay with me by SaintOfAthena (E, 5.7k)

See, Gojo Satoru has a problem: there is a frontier that his true feelings cannot breach. When they try to force it, it is only at the cost of their true nature that they are allowed to pass. Consequently, after a mental breakdown due to a pimple that leads to Geto taking care of him, he jumps on the chance to tell him how he feels but things don't go as smoothly as expected.

up the river, we can go slow by Eskarina (E, 5.8k)

Satoru looks ethereal this way—like nothing has ever touched him. Like Suguru couldn’t even touch him if he wanted to. He does want to, eventually; ask Satoru if he’s allowed to leave marks that won’t disappear within the blink of an eye. He doesn’t think they’re quite there yet.

Trials and tribulations of loving Satoru Gojo.

Woozy by Kiboutie (E, 2.5k)

“I have infinity, remember? No one can touch me,” Satoru repeats, before slowly reaching forward and tucking a stray strand of hair behind Suguru’s ear with a wistful sigh. “Unless I want them to.” Alternatively, The one where omega Gojo continues to spend his heat with Getou, even after they've parted ways.

Longer fics (9k+)

4AM by damiselart (E, 10.8k)

Suguru and Satoru's meet cute but it's horny instead.

His **** is What?! by owl_beans (E, 10.1K)

Gojo Satoru did not have a crush on Getou Suguru. They had never even spoken to each other. Satoru was just curious about what neat and polite Getou Suguru was like when he wasn't all buttoned up. The answer was not at all what Satoru expected and even better than he had imagined. To no one's surprise, they hit it off infuriatingly well.

in the eye of the dragonfly by backbones (E, 9.3k)

Suguru first heard about the Six Eyes when he was still a child. Like most children his age, it sounded like a legend, or a fairy tale out of a book—and when he was a teenager, it became more real. Suguru was slated to be a sorcerer, but he still came from a modest clan inside the same village where the Six Eyes was born, and occasionally he would hear little truths: he was a boy of sixteen (like Suguru), he had eyes like the sky (unlike Suguru), or he will be the strongest sorcerer alive (not if Suguru had a say). But— He’s a boy, Suguru thought. He’s a boy. (In which the Gojo clan arranges a marriage between Satoru and Suguru.)

lovesick lullabye by pastelcoloureddreams (E, 18k)

"Satoru, you can't pretend like there's nothing more to us," Suguru appeals, grabbing the crook of Satoru's elbow. That certainly makes Satoru freeze but his eyes remain hard, an impenetrable fortress to the soft and vulnerable boy he knows still lives inside Satoru. "I still love you." "Love? Is that why you left me?"

Slow Hands by megumiblues (E, 12.3k)

Satoru is in desperate need of a massage, so who better to ask than famous masseuse Suguru, who just so happens to be the best friend he’s been in love with for over ten years now?

The Traveller's Song by No_Ir (E, 23.3k)

When it comes, the death of summer is vapid and quiet. It tastes like stale water and smells like memories gone bad in the heat. Nothing mourns it and the air is speckled with bits of seawater that cling to the dampness on the back of his neck. Crickets chirp throughout the night and the bed is too warm to sleep in, so he buries his face into pillows that smell like dust and salt and ignores the stabbing behind his eyes till he can feel the irritating warmth of another day on his back. I miss the sea, he thinks, staring at the familiar outline of the window, palm resting on the friend-shaped dent on his bed. Exhaustion drapes itself over his shoulders and sweat beads like pearls at the roots of his hair. I miss the sea like I miss my friend.

The Future of a Broken Past by dazylein (34.5k, ongoing)

Temporary amnesia due to severe trauma. It’s all the doctor can tell Satoru when he wakes up bloodied and bruised with no ID on him and no fingerprints matching any record. Plagued with the idea that his life must have been meaningless if no one is even looking for him, Satoru finds himself in front of a buddhist temple that proves him otherwise. As the haze around his memories clears, the guesses of who did this to him and why turn muddier and muddier.

[starborn15]

I’m reading Dragonfly in Amber and this is my bone to pick.

Claire is not sensitive to what Jamie went through.

Claire in the show is 100% but Claire in the book really rubs me the wrong way making me read slowly chapter by chapter. When Jamie sees his abuser again and wants to kill him claire makes it about herself and “frank.”

Like I’m sorry? I get it but I don’t. Jamie was taken prisoner FOR HER. He was sexually assaulted and tortured because of HER MISTAKE.

And during the duel she has the audacity to say HES BEING SELFISH?????

Like ma’am back the fuck up four blocks….this man was brutalized in a way you can’t even fucking comprehend and you have the audacity to shame him for it?

Like sorry that shit pisses me off and makes me not want to finish the series.

[ineffableautism]

Reverse Omens Files (2)

[Angels Part 1] [Angels 3]

Archangel Kushiel, the angel of punishment

Info:

Kushiel hands out punishments on individuals in hell on behalf of the angels. In the past though, he’s taken delight in casting angels down to hell around the time of the fall and usually has the threat on hand that if anyone else was to be sent to him- he would absolutely not act kindly towards them and make the punishment quick but painful. If not outright erased from the Book of Life. He’s one of few angels that hasn’t quite gotten a grasp on modern technology in heaven, 9 times out of 10 sticking to traditional ways of just noting things down on paper and handing them off to the relevant angel- or speaking to them in person.

Appearance/Outfit:

There’s one word to describe how Kushiel looks in comparison to other angels… and it’s “unnatural”. If there’s one disturbing thing about Kushiel that low ranking angels tend to say about him, it’s his brightly coloured eyes that almost seem to radiate light. Aside from the fact that they also appear to be not just gold irises, but the full eye seems to be gold as well. His unnatural looks don’t stop there though. His skin is very sickly looking and a pale grey (think “glacier grey”) that is weirdly complimented by silvery-white hair. Their ensemble is also different to his fellow angels; a brown tweed scarf, pale green coat and complimentary brown trousers. The style of clothing has usually just been put down to how close Kushiel works with hell.

Miscellaneous rambles

Kushiel has dragonfly wings as opposed to the standard feathery white wings angels tend to have.

Contrary to a lot of other angels, he feels constantly cold in heaven. Hence the scarf.

One of his colleagues had to visit Scotland for official business and ended up acquiring a tweed scarf from the Isle of Harris, giving it to Kushiel as a gift.

Temeluchus, an Archangel who cares for the souls of deceased children at the hands of their parents

Info:

Despite another angel having contacts with hell to deal punishment, Temeluchus acted as a bit of an informant with a demon- passing and trading information between the realms and each other. He also doesn’t smile much which some say goes hand in hand with his job. On rare occasions of sending information down to Kushiel, he allows his colleague to take part in dishing out the punishments, which he enjoys.

Appearance/Outfit:

Luchus is a demon who is of a warm, coloured tone. He shares golden eyes with his compatriot Kushiel, though they’re not fully golden like his own. They look rather “normal”, thank you. Outfit wise, he has a knitted amber coloured sweater and dark trousers. When it’s called for something a little more formal, a white blazer might sometimes be thrown on over- or just a generic white coat. Wait- is that a chameleon on top of his head? It likes to match the colours of his outfit or be pure white, often changing the colours of his markings (which also tend to just stick to his forehead).

Miscellaneous rambles

Kushiel gave him his sweater and despite acting and pretending like he absolutely hates it, he really does love it.

Bearded dragon.

Selaphiel, the angel of prayer and worship

Info:

In command of several legions of angels and a Virtue, Selaphiel has always worked very closely with the Archangels despite not being one herself. She enjoys listening to any sort of gossip about things from anywhere- whether it be about the ones in hell, on earth or even in heaven. Some say it’s definitely a ploy to try and get a promotion if they figure something out that could put heaven in jeopardy, but she’s absolutely not above using lower ranking angels to go and do something instead of her.

Appearance/Outfit:

Selaphiel is self described as the most stylish of the angels. While she has a variety of outfits, the most common one is golden coloured trousers, a red sweater with a white shirt, gold tie and “egg-shell white” brogues. Her hair’s a cool, brown colour with many streaks and hints of gold that shine through.

Miscellaneous rambles:

Selaphiel spent some time on earth as a circus ringmaster

Male peafowl vibes. Both are simply FABULOUS.