#i never expected anything less than a doomed narrative so i am still happily on this ship

[forlouren]

Leslye's recent interview might seem like she's stepping on our sandcastle, but this just makes me more concrete on the Knights Of Ren's theory, personally. The Kylo Ren theme was said to be purposeful, and we still haven't been told as to why. I highly doubt that if the story continues, Osha and Qimir will remain Sith.

[feysandandnyx]

I think it is very wrong to think that Rhysand is only imperfect through the POV of Nesta. Rhysand was never a perfect character, he was always morally grey, so I just love his ability to be spiteful. We see this a lot with your inability to forgive Tamlin or Nesta. I am happy to know that Feyre has happily found people for whom she is the first option. I love to know that Rhysand will always defend, be loyal and stand by her. Someone who will worry if she is hurt. Rhysand never hid how he felt about Nesta. Rhysand has always been arrogant too. Rhysand owes absolutely nothing to Nesta and the only thing that bound him to her until the end of acosf was always Feyre and Cassian.

Feyre plays a huge role in Nesta's story, because if Feyre had given up, maybe even Cassian would have turned her back. Just remember that it was Feyre who talked to Cassian when things went bad after Camp Illyriano or Feyre who explained to Cassian how Nesta thought or even Amaren, who advised Cassian to always keep an outstretched hand. I think a very bad narrative of the story told in acosf was created when that book was published. Some people were quick to want to vilify the characters to prove how Nesta was a victim of them. But people like Amaren, Feyre and even Rhysand, were instrumental in their healing process. ACOSF is not a single book, the first in a series. It is a continuity and is connected with the previous books. You can't just want to throw away the construction of the other characters in the trash. You can understand their behavior with Nesta if you look back.

As I said, Rhysand was never a perfect character and you don't need Nesta to understand that. Nesta also hates him for no apparent reason, as if he was wrong to dislike her because of Feyre. I even saw people saying that it was difficult to change when everyone judged her mistakes. This in an attempt to show how the IC was wrong. But you know, no one is at odds with Nesta without a reason. It is not as if people are being hypocritical with her, I venture to say that it is the other way around. Nesta doesn't like Rhysand for example, but she lives with her money. She doesn't want to work for him because according to her, Rhysand does it for Feyre's happiness and not because he loves her. Amaren is another example. Nesta is not talking to Amaren because according to her, Amaren chose Feyre. The same with Elain, whom she criticizes for not being by her side, when Nesta herself was the first to push her away. She also wants to hurt Cassian on purpose, without Mor being uncomfortable with it. Her point of view is biased at many times (about the IC) and as readers we have to be aware of this because we simply have 4 previous books to confront. She was also biased when she told Feyre about the pregnancy, making her believe that Rhysand would let Feyre die without knowing the risk of pregnancy. However, if you remember, Rhysand was trying to save Feyre's life and even Nesta acknowledged that he would do anything to save her sister

Consequently, what I see in many posts are people judging Rhysand because he chose to let Feyre die without knowing the risk, when at no time was that said. All Rhysand said was that he still hadn't found the courage to take that happiness away from Feyre. Although we don't have his point of view, for me Rhysand was behaving the same way he did when he hid the mating Bond. He might have been trying to tell, but Feyre's happiness and excitement made him lose his courage "to take that happiness from her".

Why did Feyre forgive Rhysand so quickly? Feyre was living with Rhysand. She saw things about him that the narrative is omitting because we don't have her point of view. Does this mean that Rhysand was right to hesitate? No. But you can understand why he is hesitating. There were too many things to take in. It was something he was supposed to tell, and that's probably why he forbade others to speak to Feyre about it. Because it wasn't just the life of Feyre and the baby, it was his life and the future of the night court. He would simply have to say that the three would die, that the peaceful world they had died to build would no longer exist, that his court would be divided among the rest and that they would simply die again.

I'll give you a personal example. I met a family in which the mother had cancer. When they found out, the doctors informed her that she would not survive, it was a matter of months. The children chose not to tell her that there was no hope and she died without knowing that she was always doomed. One of this mother's daughters was pregnant. The brothers hid the truth about cancer only because she was pregnant and in love with her mother. However, when they told her, she did not react well and her daughter was born six months. When her mother died, she was in the hospital fighting for her daughter's life and still developed postpartum depression. I was an expectant. And it was not up to me to judge.

However, I think this is an example of how we are able to hide things because we don't want those we love to suffer even more. Now a truth about me: in this Feyre story, Rhysand was less wrong for me than Nesta. He hid it because he cared. Did Feyre deserve to know? Yes, but I can understand why he is hesitating and I really think his intention was never to let her die without knowing it. That was simply the version that Nesta gave in a moment of anger. However, I have a bigger problem with the role of Nesta here. This was the only character that Rhysand did not ask to keep secret. She simply pledged herself. She promised and trusted him to save Feyre. She is shaken when she finds out, but that was all. Nesta is not losing sleep over Feyre or is not trying to save her life, something she would have done for Elain. Then, in a moment of anger, where she realized she was getting worse in a fight, she simply used Feyre's risk of pregnancy to hurt Amaren, Rhysand and FEYRE.

She simply could have used that information to try to build something positive with her sister, but it was the other way around. Again Nesta crosses a line and hurts Feyre because she is angry with other people. It doesn't matter how much you say that at least she did. Her intentions just weren't the best. She was more concerned with hurting regardless of the consequences. That is why she loses forgiveness. I would very much like to know why Feyre hesitated. What she thought. Was she surprised that Nesta is apologizing? Did she see any changes? Or was she deciding whether she should forgive her or not? For the time being Feyre said that Nesta told her because she felt cornered by the IC, Rhysand disagreed. And Nesta just confirmed that he was right. Nesta spoke because she was angry? Yes, but it had a lot more to do with her constant need to hurt people when she felt she didn't have the upper hand on any issue. Nesta also conspired with Rhysand and the IC, until she decided to use the information as a weapon against Amaren. It is only from this that Nesta reflects and tries not to hurt people anymore. She realizes that this was simply the most wrong thing about her.

So I also understand Rhysand when he asks Nesta to be kind to the priestesses. Rhysand knew the story / traumas of each, including Gwyn. He knew how delicate a territory was and he also knew that Nesta had a tendency to hurt people cruelly. Why shouldn't he fear when she did this to her own sister or Cassian? Can we understand Nesta's motives? Yes. But it is very possible to understand Rhysand's behavior in this book without him appearing to be the great villain of Nesta's story.

[sometimesrosy]

is it bad that part of the reason I want bellarke to happen is out of spite to the antis

nope.

join the club.

i mean of course i want bellarke to happen, i love this story and i love THEIR story. And I want to see it come to fruition and resolve in a way that’s satisfying and rounds out the entire story AND their relationship.

but those assholes have harassed us so much, me probably more than most people, but not just me. they have RUINED the show for us, and they never had to do it at all. 

no one has to tell someone the show or ship or character they love sucks and is doomed and is delusional or whatever they think is evil. WTF? i’m trying to enjoy a broadcast sff tv show over here, not right the wrongs of the world. and if i DID want to watch a show that was ethically progressive, this is actually not a bad show to watch. is it perfect? no of course not. nothing is. but at least this show ASKS the questions addressing the ills of the world, like tribalism and bigotry and abuse and tyranny and the cycle of violence and homophobia and colonialism and ecological disaster.

does it have all the answers? of course not. for some of these things there ARE no answers.

and is BELLARKE perfect? 

once again, of course not. but having flaws does not mean that a show or a ship or a character or a writer or a person is worth less. Is this a generational thing? that kids these days think people and content has to be PURE GOOD in order to be AT ALL good? My son thinks this way too, and it is INCREDIBLY damaging to the way he thinks about himself. 

It’s a damaging way to think in general.

And these antis are thinking it all the time. Bellarke is [fill in the blank] so it’s trash. The 100 is not [fill in the blank] so it’s trash. JR is [fill in the blank] so he’s evil. Bob is [fill in the blank] so he should be reviled. Eliza is [fill in the blank] so she’s trash. Bellarkers are [fill in the blank] so they should die.

I mean. Really? Like we’re not allowed to be imperfect, any of us, because it means we are trash and should be thrown out and cancelled. IN WHAT WORLD IS THAT A FUNCTIONING WAY TO EXIST? No one is perfect. And when people repress anything they think is a flaw, it tends to come out in uncontrolled ways. Violence. Abuse. Sordid secrets. Hypocrisy. Harassment. Self hate. 

TBH, IF bellarke doesn’t end up as endgame, I will be disappointed in the show and in JR. I still think it’s in the narrative and leading towards bellarke endgame, although i’m not as sure about a HAPPY bellarke endgame. I am even MORE sure that it will be confirmed as canon, (which basically means a kiss, a confession of love with the word love, and/or sex,) because I believe it already IS canon with development towards all three over the last (especially) three seasons, in dialogue, action, narrative, cinematography, direction, acting, symbolism etc. i know a lot of people who don’t know as much about film, literature, fiction or storytelling don’t see it, but that’s not my problem and it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. it means it’s going on over their heads, like the dirty jokes in old kids cartoons.

BUT if it doesn’t end up canon, endgame or bittersweet happily ever after, I can get over it. It’s just a tv show and I don’t define myself by whether a show gives me my OTP or ends the way I want it to. And I also do not base my self esteem on being right or this theory or that theory. If i’m wrong, I take it as a learning opportunity and reevaluate my interpretation. I might decide that the writer/s betrayed their story and weren’t up to the challenge of bringing it all together, like GOT, or I might decide I interpreted it wrong and go back and try and see how it all fits. Or I might drop it and move on. Or I might reassess and decide that even if the story didn’t end up how I thought it would, it’s still a satisfying ending that wraps up the story. I mean, Buffy wasn’t good for shipping, but I still loved the end.

So for the story itself, I REALLY want a bellarke canon and marperly ever after ending.

But for all their bad behavior and bullying and harassment and jackassery I want it to shove it in their faces.

I honestly believe it’s going to be canon bellarke at least,  but if it isn’t, I KNOW all the antis will come at me to shove it in my face, even though I never practiced bad behavior, bullying, harassment or jackassery, I just  minded my own business and enjoyed my ship and. So it’s not like I’ll have a choice in that matter. I’ll probably have to take a break from this place if it does. Just because I figure it will be relentless, even though I’ve blocked so MANY people over the years.

Truth is, I won’t shove it in anyone’s faces, either. I’ll just stay in my lane and be happy about bellarke and feel vindicated.

I know it’s too much to expect the antis to do the same if it doesn’t work out in our favor.

[ramblingrachell]

Have You Read This? The Election of 2020

Like many of us, I watched Hamilton on July 4th, 2020 – our nation’s birthday. I met the day with mixed emotions as the spirit and character of our nation as of late did not seem appropriate to celebrate.

As I watched the story about many of the nation’s founding fathers and first leaders unfold, I was struck by the parts of their personal trials and tribulations that went beyond their contribution to the nation. Hamilton was the first politician to be involved in a sex scandal; Layfette – an immigrant, unafraid to step in and become America’s favorite fighting Frenchmen; Washington – a slave owner willing to admit “it probable that I may have committed many errors;” Jefferson – gained wealth profiting from the work of slaves, one of which he fathered six children with after making her his mistress. Burr – the untried murderer of Alexander Hamilton, whom he killed while still holding office as the third Vice President of the United States. In short, a hot mess of moral contradictions. I have been listening to the Hamilton soundtrack ever since my first viewing on July 4th, and realized a number of lines in various songs could be strung together to reflect my perception (key word: my) of the current political climate. Over the last week or so, I finally sat down to string all of those poignant lines together (with a few liberties for relevant context), a lyrical short story I have dubbed, The Election of 2020 (seen further down, further down). The beauty of democracy that is reborn during election seasons is our ability to get a fresh start, gain new perspectives, correct past wrongs, and continually better this land of the free for generations to come. I saw a quote recently that described voting as not so much like trying to find the perfect partner for marriage, but rather like using a bus for public transport. Voting is a map of bus routes that you must choose from in order to get from point A to point B. There may not be one specific bus that is going to your exact destination, but that doesn’t mean you stay at home and give up on travel entirely. Voting is not about waiting for “the one” candidate who is absolutely perfect. Instead, you choose to get on the bus that gets you closest to where you want to be. I know and love many republicans and democrats that have used the privilege of voting to get us all closer to where we want the nation to be. To me, where we are right now does not seem to fit under either traditional party umbrella – no, it’s much more like an umbrella that has been turned inside out and torn apart by a calculated hurricane of divisive and selfish endeavors. Perhaps more than ever before, this is the time to reassess our voting bus routes that will get us from point A to point B. Are we moving from indifference to tolerance? Hate to love? Despair to hope? Chaos to consistency? Negligence to protection? Moreover, before you get on your bus of choice, remember the route is designed to get the whole of our nation where we want it to be. Not just for me and not just for you. For all of US – as in, all of the United States. We will never all agree, I know this, but in spite of these disagreements, I am reminded of the hope that comes from the story of Hamilton. Even 244 years into this nation’s story, despite many dramatic peaks and valleys, the journey to our shared, happily ever after epilogue lives on. It lives on in me, in you, and in every vote cast to get us where we want to be. Regardless of how your vote is cast, the courage to reexamine your route and get on that bus… well, that would be enough.

The Election of 2020

“America, you great unfinished symphony A place where even orphan immigrants Can leave their fingerprints and rise up We’re running out of time Eyes up Time's up Wise up He's not the choice I would have gone with History will prove him wrong Winning was easy for him Governing's harder Welcome, folks, to a dysfunctional administration! He stands only for himself It's what he does I can't apologize because it's true Have it all, lose it all The President is gonna bring the nation to the brink He’s the villain in our history Frankly, it's a little disquieting that so many are blind to this reality He doesn’t have an ounce of regret He accumulates debt, he accumulates power Yet in our hour of need, he forgets Ardently abuses his post It's hard to listen to him with a straight face Watching the tension grow He cannot be left alone to his devices Indecisive, from crisis to crisis Stay alive 'til this horror show is past We're gonna fly a lot of flags half-mast Chaos and bloodshed already haunt us How many died because he was inexperienced and ruinous? We're too fragile to start another fight Where do we draw the line? Someone oughta remind him We're running a real nation Him and his words, obsessed with his own legacy His sentences border on senseless And he is paranoid in every paragraph How they perceive him Let future historians wonder How he tore so much apart And watched it all burn I wish I could say what was happening in his brain He's not very forthcoming on any particular stances Ask him a question: he glances off, he obfuscates, he dances I will not equivocate on my opinion I didn't say anything that wasn't true His father's a scoundrel, and so, it seems, is this dude He is uniquely situated by virtue of his position Though 'virtue' is not a word I’d apply to this situation He seeks financial gain, straying from his sacred mission And the evidence suggests he’s engaged in speculation Why does he assume he’s the smartest in the room? Soon that attitude will be his doom He knows nothing of loyalty Smells like new money, dresses like fake royalty Desperate to rise above his station Everything he does betrays the ideals of our nation See how he lies Look at his eyes Follow the scent of his enterprise If we don't stop him, we aid and abet it Watching him grabbin' at power and kissin' it Somebody has to stand up to his mouth What do we stall for?  If we stand for nothing, what'll we fall for?

Be careful with that one He will do what it takes to survive No one knows who he is or what he does His pride will be the death of us all God, we hope he’s satisfied This man has poisoned our political pursuits Destroyed our reputation I can almost see the headline, his “career” is done Ya best go run back where ya come from! This dude is out! You ever see somebody ruin their own life? History obliterates In every picture it paints It paints him and all of his mistakes It's him against us, the world will never be the same He better get ready for the moment of adrenaline Try not to crack under the stress When he finally faces his opponent They’ve fought on like seventy-five different fronts He smacks others in the press and doesn’t print retractions We're breaking down like fractions But when all is said and all is done I have beliefs, he has none Gotta get us out of the mess he’s got us in There’s a reason no one trusts him No one knows what he believes I get no satisfaction witnessing his fits of passion The way he primps and preens and dresses like the pits of fashion Our poorest citizens, our farmers, live ration to ration As Wall Street robs 'em blind in search of chips to cash in He’s askin' for someone to bring him to task While we were all watching, he got Washington in his pocket But the sun comes up And the world still spins I hear wailing in the streets There is suffering too terrible to name This is not a moment, it's a movement Are we a nation of states? What's the state of our nation? The issue on the table: We are engaged in a battle for our nation's very soul I’m past patiently waitin'. Let’s passionately smash every expectation For the first time, I’m thinkin' past tomorrow. We're gonna rise up - time to take a shot This nation better rise up Raise a glass to freedom Something they can never take away No matter what he tells us Look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now But we'll never be truly free Until those in bondage have the same rights as you and me Seek out injustice in the world and correct it Life doesn't discriminate Between the sinners And the saints It takes and it takes and it takes And we keep living anyway We laugh and we cry And we break But can l be real for a second? For just a millisecond? We gotta make an all-out stand Get him out of power So he holds no office We are a powder keg about to explode We gotta stop 'em and rob 'em of his advantages Let's take a stand with the stamina God has granted us We pick and choose our battles and places to take a stand We will fight for this land Summon all the courage that’s required Be a part of the narrative The story they will write someday How we emerged victorious Leaving the battlefield waving Betsy Ross' flag higher No one has more resilience Let’s move under cover and move as one We have one shot to live another day Don’t throw away this shot We will fight up close, seize the moment and stay in it And so the American experiment begins again We bleed and fight for the next generation We'll make it right for them If we lay a strong enough foundation We'll pass it on to them, we'll give the world to them For a strong central democracy We may never all agree, but There's only one man and woman Who can give us a command so we can rise up Throwing verbal rocks at his mediocrities What do you stall for? What was it all for? We studied and we fought For the notion of a nation we now get to rebuild Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness We fought for these ideals; we shouldn't settle for less I don't pretend to know All the challenges we’re facing But this once, take a stand with pride This is not the time to stand to the side Stand with us in the land of the free To get the people that we need to lead We need the votes We need bold strokes When there’s skin in the game, stay in the game We don't get a win unless we play in the game We may get love for it We may get hate for it We get nothing if we wait for it I wanna build something that's gonna outlive me I dream of a brand new start I want real leaders that can save the day We won't be invisible We won't be denied If we get this right The nation can start to move on It outlives us when we’re gone We are the one thing in life we can control We are inimitable, true originals We can’t stand still Or lie in wait We don't wanna fight, but We won't apologize for doing what's right Together we can turn the tide If we manage to get this right They'll surrender by early light We have no control Who lives, who dies, who tells our story But I know that we can win I know that greatness lies within us But remember from here on in History has its eyes on me and History has its eyes on you”

(All Lyric Credits: Hamilton: An America Musical. Performances by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Leslie Odom Jr., Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos  Phillipa Soo, and Original Cast Company. Atlantic Records, 2015.)