#he needs to repent

[notyixiangs]

inspired by natalie wee's yes & no

— on feng xin, mu qing, crime & forgiveness

[eccentricmya]

The Valar's mistake did not lie in seeing a possibility of good in Melkor. Rather, their mistake lay in not seeing the equal possibility of him remaining evil.

[ygamiraito]

me and the bad bitch i pulled by being over dressed all the time

[just-null]

brother @ me: why do you always draw bow man (noritoshi) with the most luscious lips? why do you make him look so beautiful??

noritoshi:

its bc he is beautiful. what the fuck i cannot stress to you enough how these two images are within the same 5 mins.

[batsplat]

do you know why vale seems to have a soft spot for pedrosa?

there's not any single one reason, I don't think, but here's are a few contributing factors that come to mind:

history! in large part because of the honda link, dani's the alien he's known the longest... valentino was the number one honda rider at a time at which dani was honda's rising star. photo on the right is from the 2001 honda celebrations at the last race of the season (when dani was sixteen); from oxley's valentino rossi: all his races: "that night vale celebrated in style at a raucous honda victory party, where he taught honda youngsters daijiro kato and dani pedrosa how to drink". they've known each other forever! valentino was getting teenage dani drunk! quite natural to be fond of someone you've seen grow up like that, even if they are being moulded to be your next big rival

circumstance! the way it basically works with valentino is that if you want to have a feud with him, you generally need to have a title fight with him when you’re already ‘established’ rivals (ignore marc, that’s its own thing, 2015 is a freaky season). biaggi and valentino were enemies headed into 2001 and then were worse enemies, he was cool with sete in year one but not year two, mostly *wiggles hand* the same with casey and jorge… feuds aren't build overnight. valentino and dani weren’t ever really direct title rivals - closest they got was 2006 and 2008, but in both cases valentino probably didn’t see dani as his main problem that year. there wasn't really any competitive necessity for valentino to get nasty... also with one or two notable exceptions, valentino did kinda have dani handled in their actual wheel-to-wheel fights, which let’s face it probably didn’t hurt

yapping! so this is just a theory but it’s one I believe strongly in. you know how valentino loves to talk, right? the thing about pressers and podiums is that you're always going to have a few regular attendees, if you will, corresponding to the front runners in any given year. now, unfortunately for valentino, there were periods of time where almost every other regular attendee was someone he had pretty active beef with. that doesn’t mean he always avoided yapping at them, but relatively speaking you want a guy you can build up some good repartee with to pass the time. dani was his guy… less complicated than casey and jorge, plus dani is polite enough to go along with it and maybe even enjoy chatting to valentino (it’s been known to happen). pressers can be boring and at podiums you're still full of adrenaline, valentino wants to share a joke with someone! my completely unscientific sense is that valentino does this a lot with dani around 2008-ish to 2012, then for two years marc is the number one yap victim, then for a while it’s a bit…? oddly valentino does seem to chat quite a lot with jorge in 2015... he likes to throw in a quirky behavioural pattern sometimes to keep you guessing. anyway then in 2016 he is Actively Ignoring two of these men so vale goes!! hi there dani!! and takes it from there (though the field is more mixed up post-2015 so he becomes more of an opportunistic yapper). in general, valentino will chat to pretty much anyone with A Few Exceptions, but he does usually have a bit of an order of preference

dani’s personality! now, obviously dani is very much capable of feuds, but he’s not that naturally combative a character. valentino generally needs a competitive justification for beef, though some personal animosity can help too… but he never really hated any of that trio of young riders to come through. valentino's known dani forever, he’s been around dani a fair bit because of their respective statuses in the sport, dani isn’t going out of his way to pick fights with valentino, so no reason not to get on! he does clearly quite like chatting to dani and seems pretty fond of him even towards the start of the alien era, at a time in which it was broadly expected that dani not casey would emerge as vale's primary challenger... god knows if the relationship would have soured if dani had assumed that mantle (probably at least a little lol) but failing that, valentino does just seem to quite like him. y’know, sometimes it’s like that

They Have Also Had Their Disagreements, But There Hasn’t Been Much Cause For It To Escalate Further. these disagreements have tended to be over racing standards, where dani is generally in the ‘you people are all insane’ camp and valentino is generally in the ‘ah it’s fine’ camp (though, obviously, there is nuance here… cf vale also criticising sic over the le mans 2011 incident that left dani with the broken collarbone). generally, they don't get into direct conflict over it, more of an underlying difference in positions (hey, aragon 2013 is an example)... but there’s been dani’s suggestion that valentino’s sepang 2015 stance is inconsistent with his generally laissez faire approach, and also some other isolated little scuffles over the years like say 2017 aragon (see below). pretty small scale stuff in the grand scheme of things and if you've been on-track rivals for that long it's kinda inevitable you'll eventually disagree about some stuff, but perhaps worth bringing up

went through all of the alien combos in my head and these two slot in just behind dani/casey as probably the two most consistently beef-free inter-alien relationships? dani/casey gets extra credit for surviving The Teammate Test. but, y'know, the thing about valentino is that he's a sociable, outgoing guy... he likes talking to people... he's actually interested in them... he's a decent conversationalist, easy to get on with, all that stuff. so if you expose valentino to this nice fella who at most was like... perhaps a bit more reserved towards the start of his time in the premier class (partly due to his mentor's approach), but really was generally pretty chill... well, if valentino isn't given any reason to hate dani, then default state is that he won't. good on them etc

[dykedvonte]

It's a shame that Sergeant Bitter-Root and Manny/Boone have never met cause those conversations would be fucking rough

[kindaorangey]

well i'm comforted by the knowledge that book!armand has some faith in the christian god (and, like, that this faith is vital to his character) because it means theres absolutely no fucking way they'd just do that one-to-one in the show and so we're one step closer to an exploration of show!armand's relationship with islam

[dadvans]

on shannon.

shannon was not the great love of eddie's life, she was the biggest mistake that he could never reconcile, because she died. her death i think prevented eddie from ever doing any sort of meaningful self reflection on what kind of partner he was trying to fight for when shannon left him.

they were so young, and eddie liked the idea of having a wife who was a mother to his kid that he could escape from, because it meant he didn't have to put in the effort to maintain a relationship. whenever he was actually with shannon, he never allowed her any grace to suffer or make mistakes or be her own person. the only time he ever met her halfway was when he was chasing her, and he would chase her to the original line she had set in the sand, hoping after hope that he would finally step over it, which he still never did.

shannon wasn't the great love of eddie's life, and eddie should never have been the only love of hers. she deserved to find someone who would give and take to be with her. eddie deserved to see what shannon looked like when she was actually loved, and how she could have thrived in a partnership with someone who wanted more than just the idea of her.

and he still is just chasing the idea of her! beyond high school sweethearts, did he ever know or love the woman that she grew into while he was away, when she was being a mom, when she was dealing with her mother's breast cancer and a disabled child all on her own? he was so good at putting her in a box labeled Shannon and taking her off and on the shelf when he needed her, and he keeps taking that box out now and sorting through it without realizing or loving who she was outside of it. he deserved to be left by her, and it's a shame that she died, because he deserved to live with the weight of knowing she could have left for good and still lived and thrived. he deserved to be slapped in the face with all the things he never provided by seeing it in someone else.

so many of eddie's relationships are based on what they can give him, how he can be supported by them. i don't think he's ever been able to realistically support himself long term. i do really hope in the next episode we see him go scorched earth with everyone in a way that he has to learn how to live with himself without other people. and i hope that's how he gains closure on shannon. he needs to learn that she was never the love of his life because she gave him what she needed while living in the absence of his own affection and sacrifice. he wants to repent for something so bad, but he doesn't realize this is what it is.

[goldensunset]

it’s always fascinating to see someone hating on a character who is at once 1. very important to the story 2. very well written and 3. very popular in the fandom. like to each their own i guess but i just always stare at it for a while in disbelief. like are they pretending to swim against the tide for ragebait clout or something

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

“because he never accepts that it's never been about righteousness--it's about repentance.” except javert killing himself IS repentance.

well, it’s like 12 different things, because bro had gone days without sleeping and very little food and water and he already had low self-worth and kept asking the amis to kill him and just assumed he was going to die AND THEN valjean upended his understanding of the world and morality. he was really going through it & there are a lot of overlapping reasons for why he jumps into the seine.

but javert is like Number One Most Responsible guy in the whole story. taking responsibility is his Thing (forever bitter the musical doesn’t include the punish me monsieur le maire scene). how else, in his derailment, could he atone for his conceived misdeeds other than by handing in his resignation to god? in the brick he had already left a note urging his superiors to treat convicts at toulon better, which is another step in his repentance (and another crime the musical commits by not including it). jumping into the seine was another step.

honestly a lot of ppl who like the book think the musical was dead wrong to exclude him from the big heaven group sing, because it COMPLETELY undermines the themes of forgiveness and compassion threaded throughout les mis. like the musical was simply wrong lol.

This is helpful context! I am still finishing the brick, although I have fully read the abridged version, and that detail about the letter wasn't included, so I didn't know that occurred! (And thank you for the message--this is a long response but I'd love to hear more of your thoughts!)

I agree that Javert is certainly deeply distraught and remorseful; like you mentioned, his worldview is literally falling apart, and his actions reflect his mental state. But his death isn't really repentance--in the sense that it's not what God would have wanted. To me it reads like a Judas situation: a desperate realization of a huge mistake, and doing the only thing you think can make it right, namely, ending it all. That's the just punishment for someone so wrong, isn't it?

But true repentance, meaning the repentance that the Lord desires, is about changing your ways, not "paying a price." Had Javert really understood the beauty of Valjean's mercy (an image of Christ's, just as the bishop's undeserved mercy was to Valjean himself), rather than killing himself, he would have lived to also become "an honest man"--in heart. One who could forgive and understand forgiveness, for himself as well as others. One who could recognize that he is not The Law, that he can fall, but that he can also be "brought to the light." One who could accept that men like Valjean, and men like himself, CAN change, and be changed.

It's tragic to me because so much of "Stars," and his character in the book as well as the musical, is about wanting to be righteous, to rise above his birth and the sinfulness he associates it with. It's about wanting to please the Lord by his actions. But in his end, he shows he never understood what God really wanted from him, and that's where my original phrase comes in: not righteousness, but repentance. To live, and face the man you were, knowing it's no longer the man you are. That it's never been about what you've done or can do, but about what's been done for you. That's the Gospel that he could never fully accept.

To use another example you mentioned, that misunderstanding drives why he asks the Mayor (Valjean) to punish him--in his worldview, mercy is unjust, or at the very least, unfair. Evil must be punished; "those who fall like Lucifer fell" receive "the sword." But "as it is written," God "desires mercy, not sacrifice" (Matthew 9:13). God would have wanted Javert to live, and Javert couldn't see that, and that's why it's devastating to me. In his misunderstanding of the heart of God, he misses what would have set him free from the chains of sin he's always been trying to escape.

That's why he's contrasted with Valjean, who (though he carries guilt about his past till the end of his life) is eventually able to face it and confess what he had done to those he loves. He knew there was mercy to be found, if only it was asked for. Javert was too blinded by pride and shame to realize it, and so, while broken, he never was able to truly repent.

For that, you must go on.

[cheerfullycatholic]

Hmm methinks that only telling people "that's a sin, repent and believe in Christ" is the opposite of helpful

I think how it's worded is important too, but that's not the point of the post

[uruuk]

since i like the books so much, i wanna work at shoehorning adar in there. presumably it's easy to take the angle of his inception due to the complimentary lore. hence, why he exists. but it would be sensical for sauron to found a new orc species while in the third age, as his strength is gathering in preparation to recollect the one. especially if adar existed and commanded a legion of the majority of orcs he may have used in his own army. the uruk-hai are certainly an interesting thought in relation to how exactly adar would view them. (also this isnt to say adar would have actually killed sauron, in this case). realistically though adar's presence, even if he had "killed sauron" is pretty fucking easy to fashion in there, for the most part, without messing anything up too bad. it's a pretty snug idea, if it could develop a plot relevance specific to the books.

[boarwinds]

In your AU, does Lucy Gray have to be a mentor to the future generations of D12 tributes? If yes, how do people react to that? Cause I could easily see the accusations of favoritism/rigging that could generate if anyone from 12 ever started doing really good. How would that all work?

There’s actually a fic that dealt w this exact issue n i loved it SOOOOOO much, made me want to pull my intestines out of my belly button n swing. It’s v toxic not much fluff if at all lmao but check it out!

I still haven’t decided if LG should be a mentor bc like you said there could be accusations of favoritism but if that ever did happen I think it’s like an open secret that CS will kill anyone who slanders LG, if not to protect her as his wife but bc LG disrespect=CS disrespect, that’s HIS wife. On the other hand, her not being a mentor could also be seen as another form of favoritism bc she doesn’t have to deal w the trauma of “guiding” kids who were once in her place and are most likely going to end up dead days after meeting them. I think it could work if the mentorship program starts w the 11th victor, w the first 10 being except bc…. Reasons. Also the whereabouts of the first 10 victors are unknown right? minus LG ofc. Yeah i think ill go w that LMAO, LG won’t be a mentor not bc of favoritism, but bc the first 10 get to be exempt. Now as to how LG feels abt that, i think it would be so traumatizing for her to get involved, but also. It would eat her up not to help. I rly think the fic i linked dealt w it so much better than i ever could so yeee here’s the link again https://archiveofourown.org/works/51952198/chapters/131373604

[my-past-disgusts-me]

Posting these doodles here cuz I'm too lazy to do good photography anyways I am not immune to Naoshin friendship ft. me projecting

[bullagit]

no take colder than any along the lines of "aziraphale needs to learn his lesson about going along with heaven and stand up to them" tbh

like even putting aside the gross shit that implies someone thinks about people stuck in toxic relationship dynamics (whether romantic, platonic, or familial) and the unfortunate cycles that can include, even putting aside the potential that his hand was possibly forced in some way in the final 15, it's so.

like where was your attention when he spent so much of s1 actively trying to stop heaven's plans through every possible avenue even when pursuing that got him threatened, seemingly cost him his friendship, and did temporarily cost him his physical body/earthly home/future??? when he literally stood in heaven and said he refused to take part in any war, went back down to earth, and headed for tadfield? rules lawyered directly to an archangel's face about the great plan vs ineffable plan??????

even when crowley was saying this is a lost cause and we should run away together? when satan was incoming and aziraphale stood there and said firm as anything we can't give up now? aziraphale who lied to save job's children even when he actively thought that doing so would make him Fall???? that aziraphale needs to learn a lesson???

nah

[kvetchinglyneurotic]

For the word of the week: team, friend, Dad and/or Mum

Thank you!

Team (and also Dad) from Through the Desert Repenting

He shook his head. “I can’t just fuck off, the team needs me.” Only they didn’t, really. He might be spending less time on the bench than he had before Richmond, but he wasn’t a regular starter, still had the 51 plastered on his back. Probably get traded keeping on the way he was, dad had taken to saying; Richmond had made him lazy, wanted to be on top somewhere it was easy instead of working for it, was that it?

Friend from Wrong Answers Only

“Yes, sir indeed,” Ted said. “Hey, maybe I should text him. Good food makes everyone feel better.”

He picked up his phone, idly — he hadn’t seen Travis since university and was relatively certain he didn’t have a current number — and did a double-take, blinking down at the screen in surprise like the letters would transmute themselves into a different shape. But nope, there it was plain as day: a message from Jamie Tartt. Short and sweet: can we meet up? Ted had made a point, back when he started coaching, never to delete any of his players’ numbers, no matter the havoc it wreaked on his address book. Had more than a few take him up on it over the years, whether for a friendly drink or a minor emergency, and he’d never regretted making the offer — but if he were a gambling man he wouldn’t’ve put any money on this one, no sir.

Mum/Dad from Through the Desert Repenting

Mummy’d never had much taste for dating shows after all the shit she went through with dad, but he and Keeley had watched three seasons back-to-back not long after they started dating, when one of ‘em had caught the flu off the other and they spent a week in bed all fucking gross and drippy and sweaty. It was one of his favourite memories, just sitting there with her feeling fucking miserable, debating over who’d win between sips of tea.