#like exploring the reality of marriage and the hardships it involves would be so interesting to see

[drrav3nb]

A CINDERELLA STORY: HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Do fairy-tales really have happy endings?

After graduating from Princeton University, Sam and Austin remained ever as in love with each as they were in high school and soon wedding bells were in the air.

Following their honeymoon, they moved to Florida where Austin pursued his passion for writing and took up journalism, becoming a writer for the Tampa Bay Times. In college, Sam found herself leaning towards sports and took up softball. After moving to Florida, she joined the USSSA Pride team as an outfielder and is quickly becoming one of their best batters.

But Sam has bigger dreams. She wants to go into baseball, something the U.S doesn’t have an proper infrastructure for, at least for women...but Japan does. And Austin wants to become a published author of poetry but with the constant rejection his work has faced from agencies and writing competitions, he’s begun to doubt himself.

Can the couple chase their dreams and keep their marriage off the rocks as they try to figure out who they are outside of their relationship, and what they want out of their own lives?

[fictionadventurer]

As I'm playing around with developing Lily Between Worlds, I'm finding that everything has to be built around the dynamics between Lily and her potential suitors. Even the parts of the story that aren't romance have to build off of or feed into those character arcs. So I'm going to outline those thoughts in probably more detail than anyone cares about.

Character Overview

I have to start with defining Lily's character.

Lily

Traits: Introvert, quiet, artistic, cautious/fearful, thoughtful. Afraid of the world/potential disasters, but friendly with people. Values familiarity and safety.

Archetype: Martyr-genius. Lily is willing to endure current hardships rather than risk any actions that could make things worse. Likes to retreat into her artistic skills as a source of comfort.

Growth: Lily needs to develop courage, become more adventurous, and learn to appreciate the world she now lives in.

Needs in a partner: Someone who can give her a place to belong in this society and help her to navigate the world. Someone who can help protect her from danger while helping her to develop her own strength. Someone who can help her engage with the physical world rather than retreating into herself.

When it comes to love interests, I find myself sticking to the structure of four main suitors, because they all represent different aspects of life in this world and how Lily can relate to it.

The scholar: Mind. Represents a logical, practical approach to the world (counteracting Lily's feelings-based approach).

The warrior: Body. He engages with physical reality (counteracting Lily's tendency to escape into her mind).

The explorer: Spirit. He maintains an optimistic outlook and boldly adventures out into the world (counteracting Lily's tendency to stay hidden for fear of the bad things that could happen).

The artist: Heart. He loves the same kinds of things that Lily loves, reassuring her that she's not alone in how she relates to this world.

Or, from a different direction:

The scholar is Lily's "father's" idea of a good husband. The type of person valued by the family that took her in. Lily has to decide whether she agrees with his values or if she has her own.

The warrior is the matchmaker's idea of a good husband. He's what this society values. If Lily's going to fit in this world, she has to at least consider adopting its values.

The artist is Lily's idea of a good husband--someone who understands her heart and shares her interests and values. But choosing a good life partner might require her to consider factors besides her own feelings, and as she grows, she might come to value other traits.

The explorer is no one's idea of a good husband. This might mean he's a wild card option who's intriguing, but ultimately too different to be a realistic option. Or because he's someone no one else would have considered, he might be just what Lily needs--helping her fit into this world in an unexpected way.

Dynamics

All four of these men have potential for interesting dynamics with Lily that could help both people to grow.

The scholar could come onto the scene a short time after Lily begins working with the matchmaker. Lily's "father", who had previously seen him only as a coworker, sees him come back on the scene and thinks, "He's of marriageable age, she's of marriageable age. It's perfect! Now kiss!" The scholar has no strong feelings either for or against marriage, but he puts himself forward as a favor to Lily's "father". He sees the practical benefits of keeping Lily involved with their work, and of Lily marrying someone with an in-depth understanding of her world. Lily is not at all attracted to this clinical approach to the marriage question. As the scholar gets to know Lily, he learns to see her as a person rather than as a subject for study. She teaches him how to engage with people rather than just ideas, and he teaches her that stepping back from emotion and just learning facts about this world can make it a lot less scary. I had cast him aside as a "wrong" option, but there is something cute about their dynamic. He enters this race purely for practical reasons, but if Lily marries someone else, I think he'd be surprised to find that his heart gets a little bit broken.

The warrior is put forward by the matchmaker as just about the best option Lily could hope for. Lily thinks the matchmaker is crazy--they'll have nothing in common. After the first few awkward encounters, that seems to be the case. But then the guy starts revealing hidden depths. He helps Lily to develop her much-needed combat skills, where she learns he's a patient teacher, and that his skills actually require a lot of intelligence. She's learns he's not some meat-headed glory-seeking barbarian--he values his combat skills because he's fiercely protective of his family and community. (He's very good with his younger sisters, mirroring Lily's attachment to some of "her family's" younger kids). He teaches her necessary survival skills and teaches her to value some of the ways of this culture. Lily, in her turn, teaches him to value quieter kinds of beauty. He's so devoted to his responsibilities, so locked into survival mode, that he can forget what we're staying alive for. She'd be a bit like the Peeta to his Katniss. Lily and the warrior find themselves connecting on a deeper level than either of them expected. (He might unveil some hidden artistic depths, depending on how deeply I want the two of them to connect).

The explorer comes from a respectable family, who are resentful that he ran off for years of adventure and eager to see him take up his long-abandoned responsibilities. He's not unwilling to settle down, so he seeks out the matchmaker's services. The matchmaker reluctantly presents him as an option for Lily--she is exotic enough to catch his interest. He's a friendly extrovert, and Lily finds him shockingly easy to talk to--she's interested in his travel stories, and he's interested of her tales of another world. Yet there is some tension between them. He's so adventurous that he can't believe Lily fell into another world and just stayed in some guy's house for years instead of exploring all that she could; she counters that he can't judge until he's been a child who fell unexpectedly into a new universe where the language and culture and landscape and the laws of physics are completely different. He draws her out to explore areas of this world she never would have dared to look at; he ignites her sense of wonder and helps her to find courage. Lily's thoughtful examinations of the world through her art help teach him the joys of slowing down and appreciating his homeland rather than rushing off over the horizon for the next exciting thing. (I could also take up @clarythericebot's idea and have him taking up art while dealing with an injury, and connecting to Lily that way). They also have a very playful dynamic--they're not afraid to tease each other. He starts to think that settling down and taking up responsibility could be a worthwhile adventure, and Lily starts to think that a few adventures might not be a bad thing.

The artist is someone who Lily meets in the background at some social event. He's not put forward as a romantic option; she pursues the friendship of her own volition. Lily and the artist are both glad to find someone who understands them; they had both felt alone in the world, didn't quite fit in to this society. The artist has clung to that--he doesn't want to fit in; this society is barbaric, and it's better to retreat into the nobler world of art. But as Lily grows thanks to her interactions with the other suitors, she finds that she wants to engage with this world. (The artist isn't a bad guy; he's rather sweet. He's just got some growing to do; Lily can start the process, but I don't know that she's the right one to finish it with him).

Options for the Ending

Having written all that out, the warrior and the explorer are the most compelling options for endgame. Both of them drive Lily to experience the world in new ways. They both teach her to appreciate the world--the explorer by teaching her to seek out wonders, the warrior by teaching her how to fight the dangers--and she teaches them a more thoughtful way to approach the world.

The resolution of either romance would involve them teaming up to battle some danger. Teaming up with the warrior would involve Lily realizing he's taught her to trust in her own strength, that she's found someone who's willing to face the dangers of the world for her and with her. She has fully integrated into this world by finding a husband who fits into this society. Teaming up with the explorer would involve Lily finding courage to run toward rather than from the danger, and the explorer being willing to stand his ground and take up responsibility; his actions here would make him a local hero and restore his good status in the community. Lily has found a place in this world, not by molding herself to it, but by finding someone who can help her carve out a unique place in it.

Lily and the explorer would be an introvert-extrovert couple; he fearlessly goes through the world, helping her to navigate society, while she's the quieter, grounded, more sensible one. He'd push her toward adventures while she'd keep him grounded. A bit Anne and Wentworth. If Lily partnered with the warrior, she'd the the more socially adept one, using her natural friendliness to engage with people (though he'd have a greater understanding of the intricacies of this world's traditions). She could trust him to keep her safe, and he'd trust her to help him engage with the more human elements of life.

Secondary Romance?

I don't want either man to have an unhappy ending. If Lily chooses one man, I want the other man to have another wife by the end of the book. The young matchmaker is a good spare to pair him with. She'd enter matchmaking thinking that she'd stay single her whole life (perhaps she's disabled from some monster attack, and matchmaking is one of the few jobs for single women--you get to board with families you matchmake for), only to find that one of the men she presents to Lily is her own perfect partner.

If Lily chooses the explorer, the matchmaker winds up with the warrior. She presented him to Lily as the perfect option; this was a brilliant match that would make her career. Lily does like him a lot more than she expected, but she can't see herself as his wife. The matchmaker can't understand it. How can Lily not love him? He's the perfect man! The matchmaker would marry him in a heartbea--oh. It turns out that the matchmaker, in her sessions helping him figure out how to relate to Lily, fell in love with him herself. Her extroverted people skills are the perfect balance to his quiet physical strength.

If Lily chooses the warrior, the matchmaker winds up with the explorer. The matchmaker initially dislikes him; he's flighty, irresponsible, a terrible match for any woman! But as she gets to know him, she finds they have a lot in common. They both love people; both have a lively way of looking at the world. She's an expert at navigating society's structures and can help him find a respectable place in it; he can broaden her horizons and help her to look outside those structures to find unexpected solutions--including the idea of marriage with him.

That's what I got at this point. It's very long. I probably shouldn't post all of it. But writing this as tumblr posts is keeping it from feeling like a Scary Writing Project, and posting it means that even if this doesn't turn into a story, I've done something with the ideas. I doubt anyone has read all of this, but if by some miracle you have, you can chime in if you feel like it.

[geminilily]

Tarot: The Minor Arcana

The Minor Arcana consists of fifty-six cards divided into four suits of fourteen cards each. Every suit is comprised of ten pip (numbered) cards and four court cards: the Page, Knight, Queen, and King. The four suits are Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. There are alternate names for each suit but to avoid confusion I will not mention them here. Each suit has elemental, astrological, and symbolic correspondences along with particular traits. Here I will cover the suits in general and their corresponding court cards.

Court cards excel at one of the following four functions: sensation, thinking, feeling, and intuition. They also represent particular types of people such as a youthful person or a mature maternal/paternal figure. These representations can also go into such details as a dark haired, light eyed man, for example. The generalities of each court member are provided in the proceeding descriptions.

Pages (Young Learners)

They represent the element earth. Pages are novices, youthful and inexperienced students that exemplify sensation. They are very good at observing and gathering sense impressions that establish facts about what is happening. The process of collecting tangible evidence can be slow and painstaking. Pages want to be sure their evidence is solidly based in fact before committing to an action.

Knights (Youthful Adventurers)

Knights represent the dynamic element fire. They symbolize movement, action, change, progress, and relocation in the querent’s life. They exemplify the function of intuition. They rely heavily on intuitive hunches and quick flashes of insight about future possibilities. Their ideas are often unbidden or out of the blue; they typically can’t explain the source of these unconscious perceptions. Knights often act impulsively and ambitiously in response to a sudden burst of inspiration.

Queens (Mature Maternal Figure)

Queens represent the element of water. They indicate women who are important in the querent’s life, often in a nurturing or supportive capacity. Watery queens exemplify the function of feeling relying on their emotional reactions to facts to judge the value, or lack thereof, of a situation. They use their emotional intelligence to evaluate whether something is agreeable or disagreeable, valuable or worthless, desirable or odious, pleasurable or painful, safe or dangerous, etc. They often “feel” that something is the right thing to do.

Kings (Mature Paternal Figure)

Kings represent the rational element air. They symbolize mature persons of power and authority who are significant in the querent’s life. These airy kings exemplify the function of thinking. They are especially good at mental planning, logical interference, strategizing, theorizing, and concept formation. Kings seek to understand the meaning of things on the basis of the facts they have to deal with. They like to connect the dots and tend to think more with their heads than with their hearts.

Wands 🪄

Wands’ archetypal nature is one of communication, thought, and ideas. The suit is related to the element of fire and, in astrology, to the fire signs: Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius.

Keywords and Phrases:

Fortitude, enthusiasm, boldness, the spark of life, creativity, bravery, fast-paced enthusiasm, excitement, faith, action, impulse, power, enterprise, animation, growth, ambition, adventure, career advancement, new business initiatives, risk-taking, dominion, aspiration, energetic activity, and overweening desire to win, inspiration, power and strength, expanding ones horizons, passion, competitiveness, going for the gold, courage, quarreling, liveliness, opposition, “Per aspera ad astra” (Through hardship to the stars).

Court Cards:

Page

A useful person, full of surprises, who is ambitious to expand his or her horizons through travel, education, or involvement in an exciting adventure. A stranger of foreigner can open your mind to new vistas. Life is an adventure, and this Page wants to live it to the fullest.

Knight

Get ready for an exciting ride as this Knight adds space to your life. Change is in the air. This knight loves to travel. He readily picks up roots to move to a new location, so a change of job or residence is possible. He is full of surprises and you can expect the unexpected.

Queen

This Queen is a gregarious, energetic woman who is strong-willed and gets things done. Despite her independent streak, she remains devoted to home and family. She loves being in the midst of activity, or preferably being at the center of it, and often has many irons in the fire.

King

The King of Wands usually represents a person of authority who is in a leadership role and has excellent managerial skills. He is likely to be a mover and shaker with entrepreneurial interests and an abundance of enthusiasm. With his thoughtful leadership and fiery personality, he is good at directing other people to get things done.

Cups 🍷

The theme of Cups is celebration, socializing, and human interconnectedness and pertains to emotions. Cups are related to the element of water and it’s corresponding astrological signs, Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.

Keywords and Phrases:

Temperance, sharing, fantasy, love, healing, dreams, joy, empathy, looking inward, pleasure, grace, intuition, merriment, compassion, contentment, romance, concern for others, touchy-feely issues, feelings, relationships, matters of the heart, moods, fertility, spiritual achievement, emotions, celebration, psychic awareness, marriage, good times, emotional intelligence, caring, human connectedness, nurturing, creative imagination.

Court Cards:

Page

This Page often indicates the receipt of happy news or of a message related to love and romance. Sometimes it heralds a pregnancy or the birth of a child, which will give the opportunity to care for another person. This Page can also mark the start of a period of creative imagination and artistic productivity. The Page of Cups tends to be helpful and considerate.

Knight

The Knight of Cups approaches with the promise of love, romance, and emotional fulfillment. He is the Prince Charming of fairytales, who comes to help you explore your feelings. This visionary knight can show you how to follow your bliss and make your dreams a reality. He can also provide the inspiration to get your creative juices flowing.

Queen

The Queen of Cups is a sensitive and nurturing woman who plays an important role in the querent’s life. She is able to tune into the feeling state of those around her and use her emotional intelligence to reconcile differences.

King

The King of Cups is a sensitive, emotionally attuned man of accomplishment who gives good advice that can be of great assistance. He is often quite cultured and may appear in the form of a helpful physician, therapist, counselor, cleric, or other professional that ministers to the needs of the querent. Some feel that the King of Cups comes across as cool and emotionally detached as he tries to give preference to his intellect while keeping his own feelings under wraps.

Swords 🗡

The suit of Swords has dominion over intellect and health issues. The suit corresponds with the element of air and, in astrology, the signs, Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius.

Keywords and Phrases:

Justice, thoughts, ideas, communication, logic, truth, intellect, sharpness, incisiveness, cutting, pain, suffering, quarrels, action, confrontation, clearing the air, detachment, emotional coolness, analysis, decision-making, strategy, strife, loss, scandal, separation, conflict, troubles, struggle, debate, worry, sadness, preoccupation, grief, legal matters, verbal ability, words as weapons, beliefs and attitudes, matters of the mind, sickness, surgery, bloodletting, clearing dead wood, intensive medical interventions, jumping into the fray, piercing to the quick, clearing the air, devastation, death, “double-edged“ words.

Court Cards:

Page

The Page of Swords is a perceptive young person who quickly connects the dots to construct theories about what is happening. His ability to plan mentally and to cut to the chase makes this page especially adept at any type of work requiring secrecy, discernment and keen mental planning. He would be a formidable opponent in a game of chess. This page values his ability to think independently but sometimes his sharp words or abrupt manner of communication are experienced as hurtful by those around them. Sometimes this card appears when one is dealing with unwanted news or upsetting messages.

Knight

The Knight of Swords prompts you to take decisive action to defend your rights and protect whatever you hold dear. This clever and assertive knight makes a good ally and a formidable opponent. He readily connects the dots and is able to cut to the chase in any situation. His arrival is sometimes accompanied by the passing of misfortune.

Queen

The Queen of Swords indicates a need to keep your wits about you as you go through a period of anticipated loss, deprivation, or actual grief. This queen has known sorrow but has matured and become more self-reliant as a result of her privations.

King

The King of Swords represents a decisive person who uses his or her sharp intellect to achieve success. This king, for example, could be a physician, surgeon, lawyer, judge, or astute negotiator. He can be quite confrontational in his search for the truth, and he does not suffer fools gladly.

Pentacles ⭐️

Pentacles references things of value such as money and property. This suit is grounded in the element of earth and it’s astrological signs, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.

Keywords and Phrases:

Prudence, business, money, finances, goods, possessions, work, labor, purely material affairs, investments, wealth, security, material well-being, practical attainment, health matters, heredity, good medicine, the care of one’s body, the five senses, stewardship of natural resources, survival, manifestation, laying down roots, tangible reality, business acumen, the material world, income, opportunities for work, work related projects, earth, skepticism, common sense, learning by doing, persistent effort, slow but steady progress, values, diligence, sensation.

Court Cards:

Page

The Page of Pentacles indicates the proper care of one’s body and respect for the natural environment. He is a good student who works hard and systematically to perfect his abilities and achieve his goals. This scholarly and diligent page is often the bearer of news related to one job, an examination, or a financial concern.

Knight

The Knight of Pentacles represents a patient and hard-working individual whose chief aim is getting the job done right. His main focus is on financial and material well-being so that at times he may seem emotionally unavailable as he spends most of his time working. Nonetheless he is dependable and trustworthy – a good provider – and he will offer the querent a strong sense of security.

Queen

The Queen of Pentacles is skilled at taking care of material needs. She may be reminding you to get sufficient exercise, keep that doctor’s appointment. Or properly attend to your finances. Our natural resources are a gift with which we have been entrusted. This queen is especially fertile and may be pregnant with child or with creative ideas about a new business venture. She will come to your aid when you are in financial need.

King

The King of Pentacles represents a productive person of authority, skill, and practical wisdom in the material world. He may have an aptitude for science and mathematics. This card suggest that you are able to take charge of the situation and achieve success in business, science, or some other established field of endeavor. This King often foreshadows an improvement in financial circumstances or an advancement related to career. This King knows how to achieve worldly success and status.

Images by Gemini Lily

📚Book Sources:

Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Correspondences

Sandra Kynes

Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Tarot

Anthony Lewis

Solitary Witch

Silver RavenWolf

Witches Tarot

Ellen Dugan

💻Web Sources:

Wikimedia Commons—Minor Arcana Image Source

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:The_Illustrated_Key_to_the_Tarot]

[lizzybeth1986]

“Above, there is heaven; below, there is Suzhou and Hangzhou.” - Chinese Saying.

–

Of late, I’ve noticed that most of the LI diamond scenes in the engagement tour follow a pattern:

Hana’s scenes focus on helping us with an upcoming task, which briefly/extensively dealing with her own background story. Your walls don’t need ears if you have Hana because if she’s around and a character that you have to form an alliance with/ask questions to needs a little persuasion, Hana manages to overhear and help you attain the object that character so desires. For instance, the Parisian Fashion Show, the Patisserie scene, the Champagne scene in Shanghai. Exception to this is Hana’s Library Scene in Paris.

Drake’s scenes tend to focus on his distaste for courtly life and their ‘ostentious’ ways, and often allow the MC to take a breather from court maneuvering and the ongoing investigation. Some give us some extensive background on certain aspects of the story, like the attempt on Liam’s life and Savannah’s story, and others are fun and flirty. For instance, the Italian Restaurant scene, the Dive Bar scene, the Pool Scene and the Trip Around NY scene. Exception to this area the investigation at Capri and the Savannah scene - both of which revolve around solving certain mysteries.

Liam’s scenes revolve mainly around the experiences he wants to give the MC openly but can’t because of the position he is currently in. This applies to his scenes in both books. In Book 1, he has to keep his interest in the MC as private, resulting in him taking her either to places that mean something to him, or that are aimed at getting her to sit back and relax a bit. In Book 2, he is held back even further by his engagement and impending marriage, and tries to steal as many moments as he can with the MC - again, by showing her places that mean something to him. This is but fitting, given that his romance with her could (if you pick that choice) begun while seeing the Statue of Liberty. Liam’s scenes are all about showing the MC the beauty of the city they’re in, and exploring the legends and stories behind them. These scenes tend to fulfill all the wishes that the MC lists at the beginning of Book 1: to see the world, to live an adventurous life or to fall in love. Whether the MC is into adventure or romance, these scenes fit the bill for either. For instance, Blue Grotto in Capri, Eiffel Tower and Ponts des Arts bridge in Paris, Hangzhou West Lake in Shanghai and Central Park in New York. Exceptions include the Opera scene, since that is technically a court function.

The Hangzhou West Lake sequence doesn’t have a personal story the way Blue Grotto or Eiffel Tower do, but Liam does associate certain things about it to the MC and her own journey.

Hangzhou West Lake

(Photo credit: China Discovery website)

Marked as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, the West Lake has often been considered an incarnation of Xi Shi (the Lady of the West), one of the Four Great Beauties of ancient China. It was originally a lagoon adjoining the Qiántáng River, which then got developed into a manmade lake sometime in the 8th century, with a gradually and carefully built landscape comprising of gardens, pagodas, causeways and little islets.

Hangzhou’s West Lake is also considered a famous romantic spot - often teeming with couples - and is home to a number of love legends. Its own creation legend boasts of the lake being a jade jewel from the heavens that dropped to earth. The most popular love legend, however, is the Legend of the Lady White Snake.

This legend chronicles the love story of a snake spirit, Bái Shé Zhuàn, and a human, Xǔ Xiān, who fall in love, get married and live in marital bliss for a few years before tragedy strikes. An evil monk, Fǎ Hǎi, turns out to be the main antagonist in their story: first by revealing to Xǔ Xiān that his wife is in reality a snake spirit, and later by kidnapping him to bait the spirit into a battle - which the latter loses - and subsequently improsoning her…leading the couple to be separated for decades. It is thanks to their grown son that they are later united.

What’s worth noting here is the level of trust and love shared by the couple: when her husband dies of a heart attack caused by knowing her real identity, Bái Shé Zhuàn faces multiple hardships to attain the herb that will revive him, and Xǔ Xiān tells him the moment he comes back to life that he will never stop loving her, no matter who she is. Even when he is imprisoned, he manages to break free from the evil monk to make it by her side. Bái Shé Zhuàn is no less. She goes to war for her beloved husband, willing to beat down every obstacle in her way to reach and rescue him, and despite the long agonizing wait finds happiness when she is reunited with him.

The legend is not mentioned in the scene, but the fact that Liam chooses this spot for its romantic connections makes it worth a comparison to the Liam x MC story. The most striking parallels to the Legend of the White Snake Lady that I can see is reflected in Liam’s willingness to trust the MC despite all the evidence stacked up against her, and the MC’s willingness to fight for herself and her relationship with Liam (if he is her LI).

What Does It Mean To Be King?

If there is one thing I’m at odds with the writers of TRR in, it’s how ruling/kingship/the nature of politics is viewed in the TRR universe, and how this general worldview is reflected in Liam’s thoughts and opinions.

Thoughout the books, we have been presented an ideal for “how to be King” in Liam - and this is an ideal upheld by the rest of the characters: Maxwell talks about the boundaries that stop Liam from picking the MC in the first chapter of Book 2, Regina states that Liam was perfect in his role as king even if he wasn’t too keen on becoming one, and in our most recent chapter in New York, Drake buys the compass as a way of reminding Liam “not to lose his way” the way Constantine did - implying thereby that he thinks the path Liam is already on is the best one for him. Within this universe, Liam’s largely peace-loving, people-oriented style of ruling seems to be what ALL the people that the MC is supposed to trust, are rooting for.

As for Liam himself? We may see flashes of strategizing and planning here and there, but the overall impression we get is that he wants to keep his people happy, and struggles to balance that with his love for the MC. He speaks of power coming with responsibility, speaks of learning that his own needs as a person weren’t as important as his duty towards his people in Paris, speaks of being a king and being a man as two separate things. But we hardly speak about court enough to get a clear idea of how he plans, makes strategies, deals with his enemies. And this is where I feel we’re missing something pretty big when it comes to understanding Liam at all.

This is our first scene with Liam after Constantine’s shocking admission of being involved in the conspiracy surrounding the MC. Throughout the books Liam seems to associate everything he has learned about being King with Constantine (especially in the Eiffel Tower scene) and the latter’s betrayal shakes the core foundation of everything he has believed in in many ways. To a large extent Liam is right. Nothing justifies Constantine’s decision to put a guest to their country in that vulnerable a position, not even the current situation in Cordonia OR past rebellions. Constantine made his choice to harm the MC, and subsequently to force Liam to choose Madeleine. Liam makes HIS choice as King by standing up for her and demanding that Constantine support them in their mission.

But here is where I differ from the way Liam/the writers view things:

The way Liam makes a distinction between being a king and being a person troubles me - mostly because it seems too simplistic a divide to me. The truth of Liam’s role as a politician is that he will have to make decisions he isn’t comepletely comfortable with as a common man, but that will protect his people and secure HIM against his enemies. A man who has lost his mother in one conspiracy, almost lost his own life in another, would have a better idea than most that such a black and white view of politics may not always be beneficial to his political role. He would know - better than most people - that good intentions and straightforwardness can only take you so far when your court is brimming over with corruption.

However, there is a chance that his questions here may also factor into how the end of this book works out. It is possible for Book 2 to end with an assassination attempt - possibly aimed at Liam - and if it does, the question then will be how this incident will affect Liam’s own thoughts on his role as king. Will it result in him embracing the side of him that can strategize, direct, get his hands dirty better? Make him less willing to compromise and more demanding of what he wants fulfilled? Will he resort to unorthodox methods to achieve his ends, having almost lost his life (again) to court politics? Will the MC get to see more of him as a crafty (I hope) politician? Only time - and the writers - will tell.

The Legend of the Dragon Gate Waterfall

Liam doesn’t mention the Lady White Snake legend at all, but there is one traditional Chinese/largely Southeast Asian legend he does relate to the MC, and that is the legend of the Dragon Carp that survives an almost impossible journey and makes it against all odds to the Dragon’s Gate Waterfall, where the fish transforms into a mighty dragon by the blessings of the gods. It is said that many koi fish swim upstream against the river’s strong current, but few are capable or brave enough for the final leap over the waterfall.

This legend is important for several reasons. One is what both the dragon and the koi symbolize in Chinese culture. The Chinese dragon has long been an auspicious symbol of great and benevolent, magical power. The image of a carp jumping over Dragon’s Gate is an old and enduring Chinese cultural symbol for courage, perseverance, and accomplishment. In Liam’s mind, the MC’s fight to clear her name is as tough and as strenuous as the journey of a koi up the Dragon’s Gate, and her determination and never-give-up attitude make her “the most loyal, tenacious woman I know”. Liam confirms as such in his dialogue with the MC: The story has come to remind me of you. Watching you throughout the engagement tour, you’ve been fighting your wall up the waterfall…and when we find Tariq, you’ll reach the top and become a dragon, and nothing will ever stand in your way.

There are many parallels between the MC’s own story and the legend. The first and most obvious is that no matter who she romances, the MC goes through incredible hardships during her stay in Cordonia - hardships that would have potentially broken other people and forced them to give up and return home. But her connection to Cordonia, and her determination to be truly with the people she loves, is what drives her to brave out this difficult journey and make it to the end.

The MC’s journey also resembles the dragon koi because of how different she is from the other suitors, and how she manages to succeed despite her obvious disadvantages. She starts out as a foreigner on Cordonian soul - and not just any foreigner, but one who is competing for the hand of Cordonia’s future king. She has zero experience of court life or class protocol, has largely well-intentioned but not very efficient coaches in the Beaumont brothers, and has to navigate a system she has very little awareness of, often with little assistance. On top of this, she is caught in the eye of the storm when it comes to courtly intrigue, and now has to fight to regain her reputation in Cordonia. She is truly the carp that swims against the current.

The other reason is the fact that no matter how the story turns out the MC is slated to succeed in her larger mission and become someone of major importance in Cordonia. In doing so her story will then become a reflection of the ancient Chinese proverb - lǐ yu tiào lóng mén (the carp has leaped over the Dragon's Gate) .

This five-character expression, according to the Chinese Dragon study project, “was originally used as a metaphor for a person’s success in passing very difficult imperial examinations, required for entry into imperial administrative service”. The imperial examination system in China is a 2000-year-old, and the ultimate path to wealth and glory was through passing these daunting, difficult examinations. These examinations and tests determined whether the individual who took them would make a fitting civil service official, and often involved lifelong study and multiple unsuccessful attempts. To ensure that the system did not descend into nepotism, an open examination system called kējǔ was maintained. The Chinese Dragon Study Project further maintains that “to this day, when a student from a remote country village passes the rigorous national university examination in China, friends and family proudly refer to the 'Liyu Tiao Long Men.’ More generally, the expression is used to communicate that if a person works hard and diligently, success will one day be achieved”.

The MC’s struggle is made even more daunting by her position in Cordonia as a foreign woman with no social station, a commoner, someone who is severely lacking in experience, breeding and courtly education. For her to reach to the top of the pile over skilled courtiers like Kiara and Hana, titled ladies like Penelope, on par with powerful women like Olivia and Madeleine, makes her very much like the dragon-carp-like student who gets in through the open system and makes it through despite the odds (especially if she makes the correct choices in the story). Furthermore, her attempts to clear her name further give the reader the impression that like the student taking the imperial exam, and the koi in the legend, she will face all the obstacles standing in her way and survive.

To Be A Queen

(Screenshot for Applewood Hedge Maze scene from Abhirio’s YouTube channel)

Liam speaks of what he feels about being King at the beginning of the scene, but it is only after the MC responds to the legend he narrates to her that we see what Liam thinks of how the MC will fare as a queen. When was the last time Liam had done this? At the Applewood Hedge Maze.

There are, however, a lot of differences between that scene and the West Lake one. In Applewood, Liam is certain of his choice and confident that the MC will be a good queen for Cordonia, but he doesn’t have a clear idea why yet. So he asks her what she would imagine her moniker to be, and what causes she plans to champion. This is his way of getting to know her better, and seeing what she, as queen, will be passionate about. As Regina said at the opera, Liam obviously sees something in her that everyone else didn’t.

By their tryst in Shanghai, Liam has a better, clearer idea of her as a woman and a person, a more nuanced experience of their dynamic and how they work together (if he is her LI). He speaks of her as being an integral factor in his decision making process (which choice would make me worthy of the MC?) and an inspiration for him to do the right thing (I look to you for strength. I look to you for the courage to choose the right path, even if it is the most difficult one). Liam’s trust in the MC was pretty strong already, but the events of Book 2 solidify that trust and confirm his belief that she is the best queen for Cordonia.

The main difference between the Applewood Hedge Maze and West Lake lies in how Liam sees her. Applewood shows us the hope that the MC will be the queen Cordonia needs. Hangzhou West Lake shows us the certainty.

Conclusion

This scene deals briefly with Liam’s thoughts on being King (as a counterpoint to what he says at the Eiffel Tower), but more importantly, it deals with how Liam views the MC’s journey, her struggles, her determination to stick it out and fight no matter what. To him (if she is his LI) she is the koi that became a dragon, the fish that fought its way to the top of the waterfall, the most fitting queen for Cordonia. This scene shows us the MC, through Liam’s eyes.

Sources:

"Leaping Over the Dragon's Gate - The Realms of the Dragons", by Michael P. Garofalo on the Green Way Research Website.

"2000 years of Examinations in China" from the China Sage website.