#magic of the lost critical

[ianthe-is-a-bitch-and-i-love-her]

So I finished The Faithless a bit ago and I've been putting off writing about it because, to my great disappointment, I didn't like it very much. I don't think it's necessarily bad by it's own merits (mostly), but as a sequel to The Unbroken, it was deeply disappointing. Spoilers to follow.

So there were a couple of things that I didn't love back when I first read the Unbroken. I thought the use of Unremarkable Queerness was a disappointing missed opportunity, that an exploration of the differences in cultural attitudes towards sex and gender would've enriched the book's thesis as well as Touraine's own journey as a queer woman raised under one culture reconnecting with the one she was stolen from. I also thought that, while using magic to represent culture - and specifically to use Luca's hunger for Shal magic as a critique of "well-intentioned" cultural appropriation, and Balladaire's lack of magic to represent the way culture is flattened by Empire - was a strong choice, choosing to make magic the exclusive domain of religion created the implication, deliberate or otherwise, that what was really wrong with Balladaire was that they'd turned their back on their traditional faith, which was not a message I cared for. All that being said, I found these issues pretty easy to ignore, because the book had a much more powerful central idea to explore, and its examination of a stolen, abused, indoctrinated victim of colonialism reconnecting with her homeland, as well as its exploration of the ways even genuinely kind-hearted and well-meaning colonialists inflict monumental atrocities, were extremely compelling. The Unbroken had ideas to share, question to pose and answer, and a message powerful enough to render my critiques inconsequential.

The same cannot be said for The Faithless. Based on the framing of the book, I expected to get an exploration of the political relationship between a colonizing nation and it's newly independent ex-colony. I thought we might get some examination of the difficulty of establishing international credibility for a new nation, of arranging favorable partnerships and trade deals in a world where you are seen as not just potentially unstable and with little of value economically, but as literal lesser people. I expected whatever approach it took to this framing device, it would be sharp, incisive, and timely. But it wasn't. Ultimately, the framing device was just a framing device, and the majority of the page count was spent on trying to learn the truth about Balladairen magic and Luca's bid to keep the throne, with the question of economic and political relations hung entirely on whether she or her uncle ended up in charge.

There were some details which gestured at the kind of themes that I'd been looking forward to, but the key words there are "details" and "gestured". Touraine's uncomfortable socializing with Balladairen nobles; cool, we already knew that! How does that discomfort affect her ability as an ambassador to make favorable connections and advance the interests of the people she represents? Don't know, she doesn't really try, beyond reminding Luca occasionally that her interest in getting Luca on the throne isn't altruistic. There's a Balladairen revolutionary movement born of economic disenfranchisement and the fear of free Shalans "stealing" resources. Okay that's interesting! What does their organizational structure look like? How many people can they mobilize? What are their economic and political aims, what's their plan for enacting it? How does Touraine feel about a bunch of people who share many of the same grievances as her people, but that unjustly blame her people for their problems? Don't know, none of that comes up. Their only plot function is to try to kill Luca and make her paranoid about her uncle. There's the Droitist school system that traumatized and conditioned Touraine! They take down one school, but acknowledge that it's a problem that can't be solved on an individual level. What kind of systemic changes need to be made? What obstacles are there? How can they be overcome or subverted? All of that gets pushed firmly onto the "once I'm queen" plate. I could go on. Ultimately, the elements that should have been the core of the story and themes become backdrop to a personal drama between Luca, Nicholas, Touraine, and Sabine. And it's functional enough, but it doesn't have anywhere near the originality or emotional resonance or drive that the plot of the previous book did.

Also, without a strong plot to take center stage, my nitpicks took up more of my attention, and the continuation of the story exacerbated some of the problems I had with them. With regards to unremarkable queerness: the central struggle of this book is over who is going to take over the throne of a hereditary monarchy. Am I supposed to believe that the fact that Luca regularly has sex with different partners, has no interest in getting a consort, and has no blood heir, compared to her uncle, who has a recognized blood heir, is of no consequence in a power struggle over a hereditary monarchy? And if there are cultural values or structure that make that a non issue, I would love to see them explored! I'd be fascinated to know where they come from and how they impact the rest of society! The conflation of magic, culture, and religion didn't end up going the direction I was concerned about, but it also became extremely muddy about what exactly it was trying to say. We learn that Balladairen magic still exists amongst the commons, but we also learn that the large scale type of magic that ensured good harvests was powered by human sacrifice, which is something that no one, including our antagonists, want to resume. So if Balladaire killed its religion for good, justifiable reasons, how does that square with the previous book's presentation as magic being a deeply integral part of culture, with its theft or suppression being an act of near genocide? It muddies the waters, and it ends up feeling like the author wanted to just treat this book as more conventional speculative fantasy fiction rather than a continuation of the themes explored in the first book. Ultimately, I think, that's what I'm really disappointed about. I came to The Faithless excited for a continuation of the deep exploration of colonialism in The Unbroken, and I got a much less grounded piece of speculative fantasy fiction.

[coruscatingcorvid]

One of the things I love about fandom, particularly for written or otherwise visually intangible works, is that you can see the most beautiful pieces of fanart that are just so profoundly not what you imagined for a scene or a character or a location. Like the angle is different or the lighting is different or the character's body language isn't how you imagined or the setting's completely changed. And I think it's so cool because it can make you reconsider how you see the work (both literally and on a broader interpretive scale) and see how this collective imagination of ours functions. I just love it.

[thetimelordbatgirl]

"Newly rescurrected sons" ...Who let the MCU stan on the Marvel twitter account to say that about the comics because that's gonna likely be the MCU's take, not what happened in the comics where instead the twin's were made using lost souls via Wanda's reality-altering powers, Mephisto reclaimed the lost souls but because of Wanda's magic transfiguring the two lost souls, they destroyed him and dispersed, being reborn as Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepard to their respective parents, Jeff and Rebbecca Kaplan and Frank and Mary Shepard.

[throwawayasoiafaccount]

magic in asoiaf is genetic. and that is intresting. and the fact that grrm doesn’t shy away from the implications of this makes me love asoiaf even more.

because it’s very understandable that these people who could ride dragons would see themselves as more gods than men. it’s understandable that the practice of sibling-sibling incest would become common in order to keep this ability in the family/to not lose said ability. it’s also understandable that these people would see their race as superior because they are able to do these things that others could not.

it also makes complete sense that this human civilization collapsed in a horrific magical event due to their own hubris because they saw themselves as gods when they were always only men.

and that is peak world building.

some more peak world building is that the noble houses of westeros also clearly gained power and held onto their power through the use of their magical abilities inherited from their ancestors.

a godlike existence like Garth the Green being the ancestor of all the oldest and most noble of the reach houses makes perfect sense for this world!and it also makes sense that the lords without this ancestry are discriminated against in this region that still holds onto the values their society cultivated in the past in order to maintain their magical superiority, even though most of these noble and old houses no longer exhibit these abilities.

and it also makes sense that these people no longer have access to these abilities as they no longer practice the religion that was centered around these powers; plus their blood is simply diluted at this point as these houses have married into a different ethnic group so often that the magical gene just doesn’t surface anymore.

but the fact that it still matters if you can trace your ancestry back to Garth the Green? peak! peak! peak!

george does such an excellent job showcasing the stagnation of westerosi society here because why should it matter if you’re connected to this magic guy if magic is no longer commonplace? however, it also makes total sense that the ruling class of the reach still harps on and on about this as it’s how they maintain the status quo and differentiate themselves from those they consider lesser now that they no longer have access to magic themselves.

and this is also why it’s very important that the Starks still retain the blood of the first men. because the first men interbred with the children of the forest and other elder races, which is what gave these humans these powers. it’s also worth noting that before the direwolves connected with the Stark children, none of our current Starks were able to awaken their abilities by themselves, which shows that even now they are very far removed from their ancestor who’s genetic makeup gave this bloodline these abilities. and it makes sense that the Starks experienced this slow magical decline because magic itself was declining in the world after the doom of valyria.

another reason for this decline is because Andal culture started heavily influencing the North and slowly changed the way magic was perceived. so now in the present, a warg/skinchanger/greenseer has become something to fear being because that’d make you different and therefore puts your life at risk, which means that there’s now practically no safe environment to cultivate these abilities and no secure way to pass down any knowledge you do have about said abilities.

i can’t help but be reminded about how Jon Snow has rejected his nature and how that has led to the stagnation of his abilities, and then i think about Arya and Bran and how their new environments have led to an astonishing growth in their abilities, which shows that it’s not just genetics that matter, environment is also just as, if not more, important.

i bring all of this up because magic being genetic in asoiaf is not as problematic as people try to make it out as. in real life, sometimes people just have genetic gifts. some people can become olympians, and some people are disabled. some people are born 10 times smarter than the average human, and some people believe that covering their faces in lemon juice would turn them invisible. that is reality. and in this universe, some people have access to magic and some don’t, and it’s all based on genetics. it’s unfair! and that makes it realistic.

not everyone gets to ride dragons and not everyone gets to travel back in time, and that grounds asoiaf, which is what grrm was going for.

and how these societies have organized themselves in response to these genetic abilities and the dangers they pose makes absolute sense. on one hand we have the valyrian freehold, which was a magic hotspot and the people who lived there used magic to propel their society to new heights, and on the other hand we have the seven kingdoms that demonize anyone too different, and all magic practitioners are different from normal humans.

and the fact that george decided to go this route with asoiaf is so juicy to me cause:

we have characters like Varamyr and Euron who use their abilities to commit great evils and we know that their powers have influenced the way they see and interact with others. on the other hand we have characters like Dany who use their abilities to fight against evil violent institutions. and through characters like her we learn how vulnerable fledgling magic practitioners/characters with these abilities are to these older and more dangerous institutions and individuals who are perfectly aware about the knowledge gap between them and these younger characters and know exactly how to exploit them.

so, while it’s understandable that the fandom is uncomfy with the practices and values that grrm has written about, this isn’t bad world building by any means. it’s logical and well thought out. and i truly enjoy that grrm doesn’t shy away from writing about the more worrying aspects and implications of magic being a matter of genetics. i also like how the seven kingdoms and the valyrian freehold are kinda extremes on the matter of magic and how this is/was detrimental to both of these societies and at the individual level. a horrific magical firey doom is not any better nor any worse than a slow drawn out icey decline.

imo, what is important to remember is that in the world of asoiaf, people with magic are the ones who are discriminated against (bc most POV characters are in Westeros and magic is a no no there). so they are the ones who are in danger if they out themselves as magic users. now, it is true that some societies are more tolerant (Qarth is a great example of this and Valyria before the doom was likely the most tolerant to have ever existed in this world), but as of now most societies simply aren’t. remember jojens warning? he didn’t pull that out of his ass. bran would’ve been in a lot of danger if he came out and told the wrong people about his dreams/abilities. also, jon’s assassination may have been partly motivated by the mutineers fear of wargs. this is the life-threatening danger magic practitioners are in for simply existing in an intolerant society.

tbh the reason i typed all this up is because it’s very annoying when people try to ignore the reality, which is that the dragonbond depends on genetics. now, i’m sure there are other ways to ride a dragon, as dragons are magical animals so of course there may be a one in a million chance of a dragon allowing some rando to ride it, but this doesn’t change the fact that there is such a thing as a genetic ability that gives these certain humans the ability to form a connection with a dragon.

(another example that i can’t help but remember is that melisandre was able to get ghosts approval by using some of her tricks. of course there could be other reasons for ghost to have done this, but the most likely reason is that ghost simply fell for melisandre’s trick and this influenced how jon saw mel. but this doesn’t change the fact that melisandre will never have the kind of bond jon and ghost have because melisandre is not a warg. this is also another example of how vulnerable fledgling magic practitioners are to older ones.)

so, sorry not sorry that george decided to create a realistic representation of what a society would look like if only certain bloodlines were able to ride dragons <\3.

[winxrewrite]

asking for Critique on my winx club secret of the lost kingdom rewrite!

this is just the first draft so there are a few things ive changed, mainly in the girls character arcs

i feel like i didn't change enough but at the same time i tried keeping what i liked which ended up being allot.

BASE OUTLINE: 

Chapter 1: Graduation Blues

The Winx and Specialists graduate, becoming legal guardian fairies.

Bloom is the only one without a clear path, feeling left behind and uncertain about finding her parents.

Daphne is unreachable, and Faragonda can't provide much information.

Bloom returns to Gardenia with little direction.Each Winx member pursues their post-graduation path: Flora takes a part-time teaching assistant job in Linphea. Musa goes back to Melody to further her music career. Tecna becomes the new guardian fairy of Zenith. Aisha faces loneliness in Andros. Stella tackles Solaria's issues.

Chapter 2 : Bloom's Desolation

Bloom feels increasingly isolated as everyone moves on.

Mitzy's progress intensifies Bloom's sense of stagnation.

Bloom has a recurring dream with a fading Daphne.

Bloom wakes up determined, calls the Winx to regroup.

She has a lead on finding her parents and needs their help.

The Winx and Specialists gather on Domino.

Chapter 4 : The book of fate

Bloom uses Daphne's mask to find the library.

They encounter challenges, including a giant bird.

The Winx claim  the bird and find  the Book of Fate.

Daphne fully fades; her powers go to Oritel's sword.

Ancestral witches awaken, sensing the Winx.

Mandragora is summoned, stealing Daphne's spark.

Chapter 5 : Invasion of Alfea

Mandragora invades Alfea, causing significant damage.

Pixies arrive to help in the restoration.

The Winx share the prophecy with Faragonda.

The Winx get permission to go to Obsidian.

They gain a portal and arrive with the Specialists.

Dark energy of Obsidian affects the Winx but not the Specialists.

Chapter 6: The Obsidian

The Winx face illusions tailored to each of them.

The Winx regroup at the resting place of the ancestral witches.

Ancestral witches mock them and attack.

Aisha, Tecna, Stella, Flora, and Musa succumb to Obsidian's dark energy.

Bloom remains immune to Obsidian's dark energy.

The ancestral witches attempt to manipulate Bloom into breaking the sword.

Bloom fights back, risking her powers.

Using Enchantix energy, Bloom frees her father.

Bloom loses Enchantix and transforms back into her base form. The ancestor witches try going after her father, she then took the blow for him. Killing her instantly.

Daphne appears and possesses Bloom.

Chapter 7 : Reincarnation

Oritel and Daphne engage in a fierce battle.

The witches summon Mandragora.

Daphne defeats Mandragora alongside oritel.

Obsidian is destroyed, saving Domino.

Chapter 8 : Aftermath and Reflection

Daphne merges with Bloom's powers and moves on.

Bloom feels a mix of relief and uselessness.

We get a few flashes of resolutions for the girls.

A celebration ball is held in Domino.

Bartleby hints at more challenges for the Winx.

[watery-melon-baller]

its so fun :)) and awesome :)) that i cannot fucking make my brain focus on my homework :))) holy shit im gonna kill someone :)) why can't my brain just work for five fucking minutes :)) this is easy homework too I just can't concentrate on it at all :)) and it's due tomorrow morning :)))

[waywardsalt]

my recording of finally beating the caelid divine tower godskin apostle :)

[kiwisandpearls]

is it weird that I sympathise way more with the PB girls than the Magia Union girls? Like don’t get me wrong, many of their actions inexcusable but I definitely get where the girls are coming from with their anger towards Kamihama magical girls. Like Kamihama for a while, had an abundance of witches, and while they were stronger you could easily go to a coordinator, and with the abundance of witches you could hunt for more grief seeds. Not only that, but they were prevented from becoming witches due to the Doppel system. PB girls on the other hand couldn’t do any of that.

idk, just the way the Magia Union girls (more specifically Iroha) preach about hope and holding hands to Yuna, the girl who had to watch multiple magical girls die in front of her, it kinda feels like their sweeping Yuna’s (kinda justifiable) anger under the rug.

[the-woman-upstairs]

Reading Mister Magic right after Dead Eleven just solidified to me how much influence creepypasta has over modern horror across all mediums.

[no-more-tales-tavern]

Sinful 5A: Laudna waking Romeo the day after her wedding to Imogen ... still in her dress.

Bonus points for Imogen telepathically encouraging Laudna.

Sinful Gifs: 5A

Romeo was not unfamiliar with the sensation of being woken to his cock smothered in the heavenly embrace of soft and pillowy tits, but it was certainly a surprising one considering he distinctly remembered returning to his room alone the night before. And, considering the slight chill he felt from that heavenly embrace, he had a feeling he knew exactly who it was.

“Laudna…what are you doing here…~?”

The dark-skinned knight slowly sat up in his bed, blinking away the last of his sleep, to lock eyes with the phantasmally gorgeous woman kneeling on his bed, her plump and soft—if a bit chilled from undeath—breasts pumping up and down his shaft with frenetic eagerness. He wasn’t exactly sure how she’d managed to undress him without he knowing, and he figured he’d rather not ask.

“What does it look like I’m doing, Romeo~?” the gothic daydream of a warlock purred in reply, leaning in close to plant a smooch to the tip of his cock as it rose between her breasts—an action that made him shiver and groan with desire. “I just woke up~ and I’m eager for my breakfast~ I hope you have plenty of cream for me~”

The half-dark-elf groaned and gripped the bedsheets to either side of him, struggling best he could not to let instinct overtake him. “Shouldn’t you be with Imogen right now~? You two god married literally yesterday~!”

As he said that, there was a spark of amusement in the corpse bride’s eyes, and she planted another smooch to the tip of his cock. “Who do you think sent me over here~?” she cooed playfully, her tongue flicking over his tip before pulling back to shoot him a wink. “Say hi, Imogen~”

Hi~ a singsong voice suddenly jingled in the back of Romeo’s mind. Are you enjoying my wife, Romeo~? Don’t worry about making a mess of her~ I’ll be there soon to help her out~

And with that, any restraint Romeo might’ve been holding onto fell away, and he let his head roll back with a deep and lustful groan, hot and thick cum erupting up from his cock to shoot over Laudna’s face, over her neck, and between her breasts. The gothic sorceress gasped with delight and moaned, biting her lip at the sudden warmth, and Romeo heard a similar moan in his mind as well.

Mmm~ oh yeah, I’ll be there very soon~

[drakonovisny]

am i supposed to take this seriously after all the shit she's said and done before?

lmao

[zincbot]

i'm absolutely lost but managed to start calamity

[apricotatsea]

Rereading some percy jackson and it's weird that he implies that a) the civil war was a manifestation of a war between the 2 demigod camps and then his black characters (or any of the other ones but specifically in this case) have no thoughts about that at all (especially when I THINK we're supposed to think the Roman camp was on the confederate side and that's where the one black POV character lives!) and b) that the gods are on separate sides of wwii and therefore some of them are supporting the nazis- I get why, like what he was trying to do with the world building, but sometimes trying to tie your fantasy characters into ALL human conflicts has weird implications

[falesten-iw]

What makes you react to what's happening in Gaza? and What makes you care about human lives? Is it empathy, ideology, culture, religion, knowledge, or something else that compels you to feel and act?

What would push your government to stop saying, "Israel has the right to defend itself"? What would make columnists stop focusing on self defense and what the demonstrators or students are doing "wrong" and instead use their platform to pressure their government to do what's "right" to stop this ongoing genocide? When did you start caring, and when will you start acting?

Is it when you have Palestinian friends?

When Palestinian children begged for food, safety, and water?

When over 45000 Palestinians had been killed & 98000 injured ?

When left-wing political parties around the world started criticizing Israel?

When Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations sounded the alarm for years?

When protesters took to the streets every week? Do you still hear their voices?

When human rights organizations like Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch documented the atrocities? Was 60 years of human rights violations not enough?

When journalism associations worldwide recorded an unprecedented number of journalists killed in such a short period?

When UN agencies like the World Food Program or UNRWA reported on the humanitarian disaster and worsening famine?

When aid organizations like Doctors Without Borders or the Red Cross warned of the total collapse of healthcare?

When child rights organizations like Save the Children or UNICEF constantly reported on children’s acute physical and mental health crises?

When Jewish groups like Jewish Voice for Peace declared, "Not in my name"?

When the International Criminal Court in The Hague found strong evidence of crimes against humanity and began prosecuting high-ranking officials? Are you waiting for the court to tell you act?

When your children were upset after hearing what was happening in Gaza? Did that stir your parental instincts?

When the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, repeatedly urged Israel to stop the killings?

When your favorite artist spoke out—did that make you reflect?

When students protested at universities around the world? Does the passion of young people give you hope?

When the Pope made a statement about the situation?

When military experts reported how many bombs Israel had dropped on Gaza?

When 2.5 million people were displaced under bombardment, with nowhere to escape in Gaza—a place already called the world’s largest open-air prison even before October 7?

When your employer gave you permission to speak out?

Are you waiting for Joe Biden to say the red line has been crossed and stop sending weapons?

Or are you waiting for Donald Trump to say the magic words: "Enough is enough"?

Or for Benjamin Netanyahu to say "Oh sorry that was a mistake"?

Or are you waiting for God Almighty to come down and say, "Enough is enough"?

Or for the most extreme elements in the Israeli government to say, "Now we can stop bombing"—but will there be any Palestinians left in Gaza by then?

Or will you stop waiting and act now, driven by empathy, knowledge, and solidarity with people who are being oppressed right in fornt or your eyes?

I’ve lost over 200 family members, friends, and neighbors in this genocide. I have 24 of my family’s members and 2 orphaned children, trapped in a makeshift tent and struggling to survive in this freezing winter in Gaza. Is that not enough to move you to act? Tell me then when ?—when will your humanity compel you to step in? Please, act now and donate!

Vetted and shared by @90-ghost: Link.

Verified and shared by @el-shab-hussein: Link

Listed as number 282 in "The Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundraiser Spreadsheet" compiled by @el-shab-hussein and @nabulsi : Link

Listed on the Butterfly Effect Project, number 957: Link

Additionally, Al Jazeera News has documented apart of my family's case: Link

If, for some reason, you couldn't donate via GoFundMe, you can donate via PayPal instead.

@mesetacadre @forevergulag @gazafunds @northgazaupdates2 @freepalestinneee

@komsomolka @muppet-sex @nabulsi @fading-event-608 @buttercuparry

@prierepaiienne @interact-if @unified-multiversal-theory @inkstay

@socialjusticekitten-blog @socialgoodmoms @nowthisnews @socialgoofy @fightforhumanity-rpg-blog

@fightforhumanity-rp @queerandpresentdanger @90-ghost @timogsilangan @punkitt-is-here

@fox-guardian @hiveswap @valtsv @helppeople @ibtisams

@annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @vakarians-babe @plomegranate @queerstudiesnatural @tamamita

@apollos-boyfriend @akajustmerry @marnosc @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides

@belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @brutaliakent @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish

@4ft10tvlandfangirl @communistchilchuck @fairuz @sarazucker @fairuzfan

@a-nautilus-as-pixel-art @13eyond13 @stil-lindigo @baby-indie-blog

[iamthekarmapolice]

mic the snare's deep discog dive on coldplay.....they were my favorurite band in the whole world between 2010 and late 2011 and this video is bringing back so many memories. their music meant so fucking much to me

[britcision]

Every single time Caleb talks about how the things he did were awful and irredeemable Astrid is internally screaming

Caleb failed on their graduation day

He made it through training, and yeah, did awful things

Astrid and Wulf passed that graduation, finished training, and spent 17 years in the real world doing the actual job

The parts too hard, too bloody, too dangerous, to trust to teenagers

Caleb knows Trent is awful and all of the terrible things he put children through, and every dreadful thing he is capable of, no question

But Astrid and Wulf, looking at him after the Mighty Nein? Not when he was in the Sanitarium, broken by Feeblemind, but a whole, complete person?

A wizard powerful enough to stand toe to toe with their master, and what did he do that they didn’t to get there?

He ate pastries. Wore bread as mittens. Made dick jokes and found love and forgiveness and people who may not understand, but who don’t care that they don’t understand and accept him anyway

People who looked at this sad, broken man with up to seven years of guilt and terrible deeds weighing him down (depending on when you think Trent started scourging ‘em, seemed young in the campaign but much later in the comic)

Knowing that they spent every one of the years he was in the Sanitarium and then after he escaped still under Trent’s thumb, still doing everything they’d done as kids and more, doing it with higher stakes, higher costs

And he talks about those childhood sins as unforgivable

He tells them that they too can be redeemed, as if nothing and no one could be worse than he was

But Astrid and Caleb are the same person

So you know she’s just as convinced that her sins were actually the worst, and there’s hope for anyone else but her

And she has the resume to back it up

And no matter how much she wishes she could have what he has, be free and redeem herself and maybe admit she shouldn’t have had to do any of it…

If Caleb doesn’t believe he can be redeemed, how could there be hope for her?

(And absolutely none of it will stop Jester Lavorre from scooping up another two formerly evil wizards and tucking them gently into her pocket and woobie-ing them to death with sprinkles and muffins and love)

look me in the eyeballs. astrid and caleb (imo wulf is a slightly different story but that's another post) are textually, canonically narrative foils. i think a better, less literary term-y way to put it is that they're variations on the same person. like. canonically. astrid is caleb if he didn't fail the training. caleb is astrid if she got out. they're like if you took one person and laid out two seperate options on how they would react to a major life-changing incident (hmm. i wonder what that might be in this context). astrid. caleb. they look at each other and see themselves. caleb is alright with this. astrid was holding on for her life for a little bit, trying not to lose her shit, because. he is who she would be if she was free and she figures that out during c2 yknow. caleb always knew that he was almost astrid so he just had to. like. look at this woman he loves dearly and fucking. wretchedly. and cope with the fact that 1. he loves her 2. she's awful 3. she could be so much better than she is 4. she's too far gone for that. but he's been coping for a long time, and she's not unreachable she's just. she's never gonna be him. meanwhile she has to grapple with the fact that she will never be as free as him- i don't know if she really wants to be, but he's proof that her life didn't need to go the way that it did and that's brutal. anyway. they're the same guy. it is so so important to consider that in relation to the dynamic they have going on. is this mic on