#my brother is not above condemnation for his decision

[antisocial-mariposa]

🚨 TBB S2 EP3 SPOILERS 🚨

~ read at your own risk ~

Apologies for the long rant, but my mind is racing-

A part of me thinks Crosshair is already working for Rex and Ahsoka and Senator Organa's fledgling rebellion.

Ik it's a long shot but just hear me out-

It's what Rampart said to him:

"Funny, isn't it? How clones around you keep disappearing?"

So... What if CROSSHAIR is behind all the AWOL clones? But Rampart has found out about TBB being alive, so what if he's maybe trying to play Crosshair while Crosshair was maybe trying to play him?

So another thought: What if Crosshair actually isn't siding with the Empire, but is the Luthen Rael of TBB now?

"I'm condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else's future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I'll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? Everything!" - Luthen Rael, ANDOR S1:EP10

Crosshair keeps saying he does what needs to be done.

We don't know when or IF Crosshair got his chip out... So that's what's making me kinda iffy on this theory. If it was, I suspect it was early on in S1.

So that would mean he wounded Senator Onn Free Ta, he killed his TK squadron, he killed Governor Tawni Ames, he went above and beyond to show his loyalty to the Empire... But if his chip is out, what makes him different from dummy droids or even chipped regs who can't fight it?

He has to live with it.

We see he's having trouble sleeping. Instead of being with his brothers, he's surrounded by people who don't even want to eat a meal with him. He suffers degradation from his superiors and is not even a ranking officer anymore, and apparently went 32 rotations before being so graciously rescued by the Empire Rampart distinctly told him... left him for dead.

He knows he's worth nothing to them. He knows he'll never be considered a big part of the Empires predicted success. He'll be used and discarded.

But what if Crosshair's first act of saving clones from the Empire was making them think his own family was dead and they have no clue, he just made them think he was siding with the Empire since they refused and he didn't want them to know anything to protect them in the end?

But what if Crosshair was already working for the Rebellion in the last episodes of S1? And he wanted to recruit his family into the Empire because like he and Rex said, their squad could be a tremendous asset? They could help people?

This theory makes me nervous tho, for there always comes a time where the person on the inside gets found out... And die somehow.

More recently, Tala Durith (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Lieutenant Gorn (ANDOR) to name a few.

In conclusion, in this episode, I saw smth different in Crosshair which is also why I've created this double-crossing theory. To me, he didn't look like the emotionless regs under the influence of the inhibitor chip. He looked kinda shifty. Wary. His obedience both in tone and physical demeanor seemed forced. And the way he and Commander Cody interacted in front of the Memorial, it was almost as if they were speaking in code. I don't believe Cody approved of Crosshair's ways on this mission. He was disappointed, obviously, and I think wants Crosshair to fight in a different way of their aware of each other's double-crossing, hence his parting words:

"You know what makes us different from battle droids? We make our own decisions. Our own choices... And we have to live with him too."

Cody made the decision to flee... He may be regretting it now seeing the extent Crosshair went to ensure he could if he was told to contact Crosshair by a trusted ally. He wants Crosshair, who apparently does think for himself, to think more carefully. He might not want Crosshair to feel what he might be feeling now: not liberated, but loathing. Himself.

Ofc I'm aware of the second theory: Cody has suffered the same fate as Wilco... So when Rampart says this to Crosshair, maybe this means that there's been lots of deaths in the Clone Army, and Cody is dead like them now. And what Rampart said to him is a veiled threat that the tiniest of slip up will result in the same fate for Crosshair. Heck, he'll probably push and pull him a few times for fun, he probably doesn't mean to keep him around for long

[pastortomsteers]

A Message for Maundy Thursday

Bible texts:

Old Testament – Exodus 12:1-14

Psalm 116:12-19

Epistle – 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Gospel – John 13:1-17, 31-35 and Mark 14:22-26

   Brothers and sisters, peace, grace and mercy be with you through God our Father, and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Amen.    Lutheran Christians believe that Holy Baptism is God’s gracious act of choosing us for Christ’s sake.

   We’re washed with water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

By water and the Holy Spirit, we’re made members of the Church, which is the body of Christ.

   Baptism is God’s act, His decision to choose us as adopted sons and daughters.

   Maundy Thursday, the first day of the Triduum (Latin for “three days”), introduces us to the ways of this baptized life.

   The word Maundy, comes from the Latin, mandatum, which means commandment.

   On this night Jesus said to His disciples, "Here is my command. Love each other, just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than the one who gives his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.”

   Needless to say, the disciples didn’t completely understand Christ’s words on the night of the Lord’s Supper.

   When Jesus took off his outer cloak, tied a towel around Himself, and began washing the disciples’ feet like the lowliest servant, His disciples were taken aback.

   When Jesus was arrested later that night and went without protest, the disciples were terrified and heart broken by this choice as well.

   As Christ stood on trial before the religious and secular authorities, when He was mocked, beaten, and condemned to death, the disciples feared for their own lives.

   When our Lord was crucified, they were undone by His choice to die on the cross.

   Only later, when they knew the rest of the story, would His followers begin to understand this new way of life – a pattern of dying to the self and rising to a new life of humble service and love for others through the power of the Holy Spirit.

   The difficult truth is that we don’t always fear, love, and trust God above all else.

   Daily we miss opportunities to serve God and one another.

   But there is hope, the hope of the Gospel, the hope that Christ brings.

   We are mighty sinners, but Jesus is a mightier Saviour.

   In His presence, all of us are exposed as focussed on self.

   We do not love God with our whole heart. We do not love others as ourselves.

   Confronted with the truth in the presence of Jesus, Peter asks to wash Christ’s feet.

   Jesus insists however that He wash Peter’s feet, so that Peter will understand the example Christ is setting.

   We should enter into this Triduum – these three days – with awe and wonder, because we know Christ deliberately chose what we so eagerly run away from.

   With love beyond our imagination and ability to understand, God in the flesh willingly spent His life and went to His death in service to us and for our salvation.

   That night when the disciples gathered with Christ for the Last Supper, Jesus did what every observant Jew does on Passover to this day.

   He took bread and wine and gave God thanks and praise for it.

   But on that occasion, our Lord said: “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.  And he said to them, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many.” (Mark 14:22-24) 

   On that night, Jesus was promising that the life He was about to sacrifice for the sins of the world would grant us salvation, once and for all.

   In Holy Baptism our gracious heavenly Father liberates us from sin and death by joining us to the death and resurrection of our Lord; we are reborn as children of God.

   In Holy Communion, we receive the very body and blood of our Saviour, in a Sacrament instituted and commanded by Christ Himself.

   What are the benefits of this Holy meal. They are explained by our Lord in His words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:28) Where there is forgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation.

   The Apostle Paul makes crystal clear in 1st Corinthians 10:16, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”

    For those who would deny the real presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper, Paul has a warning in 1st Corinthians 11:29-30: “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” 

   Left to ourselves, we can do nothing. We do not choose God, He has chosen us in His Son.

   The Apostle Paul again explains, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God . . . “

   When we remain united to Christ through His Word and Sacraments, we are indeed empowered by Him.

    To Jesus alone be all honour, praise, and glory.

    Amen.

Pastor Tom Steers,

Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto

[vinceleemiller]

Correcting a Brother | Galatians 2:11

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. — Galatians 2:11

CALL OUT: Call out today to Joey Johnson from Woodbury, MN, who is leading a group using our easy-to-use resource 30 Men Who Lived With Conviction.

Antioch is an essential city during Paul's time. Today, this is Antakiya, located in Turkey. However, during the Roman Empire, Antioch was the third largest city in the empire, with about half a million people. It was the capital city of Syria and was known as the "Rome of the East,” furnished with theaters, aqueducts, public baths, a great basilica, and a famous colonnaded main street adorned with marble pavement and vaulted stone roofs.

Antioch was also ground zero for Paul and his apostolic ministry to the Gentiles. It played a crucial role in Paul's ministry for several reasons. First, it served as a base for his missionary journeys, launching him into diverse regions with the gospel message. Second, its cosmopolitan nature made it an ideal location for financially supporting the advancement of the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles. Third, the Antioch church's early acceptance of Gentile believers affirmed Paul's mission as the apostle to the Gentiles. Fourth, the church is also willing to wrestle with theological issues, leading to the Jerusalem Council's decision affirming salvation by grace through faith. Fifth, Paul's collaborative efforts with Antioch's leaders, such as Barnabas and Silas, strengthened his ministry and provided mutual support. Overall, the Antioch church served as a pivotal "northern hub" for the Gospel to the Roman Empire.

Knowing this context, Peter visits Antioch, and we will explore the confrontation here in the coming verses. For now, I would like you to take note of the moment here. Peter, the man identified as a "pillar" of the Jerusalem Church, meets with Paul, the Antioch Church's pillar. The setup here sounds like a weigh-in between two prize fighters coming face-to-face with each other. But remember, these two men don't hate each other; they are brothers challenging one another for the purpose and preservation of the Gospel.

When believers love one another, love the Gospel truth, and love Jesus, they know how to do this. They know how to get in each other's faces. They know when to do it, how to do it, and why they do it.

Paul does it here because he knows that if it is left unaddressed, it will harm the Gospel. Clearly, it did because Paul had to deal with the issue again by writing this letter.

Which leads us to a critical application. If you know a believer doing something wrong and needs to be corrected, why aren't you doing or saying something about it? If you don't, the issue could get so out of hand that it might become irreconcilable.

#GospelPreservation #BrotherlyConfrontation #ChurchLeadership #AccountabilityMatters #PaulandPeter

ASK THIS:

Reflect on a time when you witnessed a fellow believer engaging in behavior contrary to the Gospel. Did you address it, and if not, what held you back? How can you approach similar situations differently in the future?

Consider the importance of accountability in your Christian community. How can you cultivate an environment where loving confrontation is embraced for the sake of preserving the truth of the Gospel?

DO THIS: Who do you need to confront?

PRAY THIS: Lord, grant me the courage and wisdom to lovingly confront my brothers and sisters in Christ when their actions stray from Your truth, knowing that by doing so, we can uphold the integrity of the Gospel and strengthen our bonds as a community. Help me to always prioritize the preservation of Your Word above personal comfort or convenience. Amen.

PLAY THIS: God Help Me.

Check out this episode!

[aedesluminis]

@nesiacha , You are welcome! It's important to keep in mind that these are Carnot's personal opinions written in an essay to explain and defend himself from the accusations that were made about him, related to the 18 Fructidor coup. As it happens with personal opinions in general, there is no guarantee that they are 100% true, unless they are supported by other sources. On this matter, I also showed how in declaring that he was never the friend of any of the revolutionary generals, he wasn't being honest, not only because of the letter I mentioned in that ironic post of mine, but also because it's his brother himself, Claude-Marie Carnot, who talked about the "load of intimates letters" between Lazare and Napoléon, while the latter was still a general.

I'm mainly posting these excerpts because I think they might interest someone and also to keep track of his declarations over time.

The whole matter with the Babouvistes would deserve its own post and above all more research from my part for an actual complete reply. All is I can say is that it's truly the lowest of his political career, particularly for the despicable methods he used, by relying on a police infiltrator to have them condemned. As for the reasons why he did that, @sieclesetcieux and I are currently try to find a definitive answer, a more satisfying and nuanced one than that given by Lefebvre. For now, we found that, according to Marcel Reinhard, Carnot's motives were driven by a need to make the general public forget his past as terrorist. Reinhard also states that he was afraid of a coming back of the Hébertistes through the Babouvistes:

This is from Lazare Carnot, ou, Le Savant citoyen, p.109

About what happened in Jaffa, it's possible that Carnot never knew the whole story about those terrible events or that he didn't knew about them in the first place. It's also possible he condemned them but didn't feel the need to write or express his opinions.

As for his support to Napoléon's coup: most likely he truly believed a change in the government would have finally bought stability. It would also have meant for him to be allowed to return to France (these are purely my speculations, so they shouldn't be taken as facts).

Lastly: his responsibility in Vendée civil war. I won't say anything about this right now, because this is a very delicate topic, that would require its own post, together with another one of the level of shared responsibility each member of the CSP (and also of the Convention) had in regard to the most controversial decisions taken by the revolutionary government.

These two dreadful men [Barras and Tallien] were united, not by bonds of true friendship, to which honest souls are susceptible, but by their emulation of cruelty. They both exerted violence, they both bathed themselves in blood, one in Marseilles, the other in Bordeaux. In order to defend myself from their faction, when they relentlessly persecuted me, I had to retrieve some collections of letters that they sent at the Committee of Public Safety during their missions. It is impossible to conceive something more appalling and everything that has been published about them gives only a vague idea of those horrible lines, directly taken from their correspondence.

— L. Carnot, Réponse à Bailleul, p. 192-193

[dailyaudiobiblechronological]

1/21/2023 DAB Chronological Transcription

Genesis 27-29

Welcome to Daily Audio Bible Chronological. I'm Jill. Today is the 21st day of January and what a great week it has been together. And it's my joy to be here with you, but a privilege to be reading God's Word together for us in community, individually, collectively and in community. There's the music. I was just waiting for her to come on in, finishing off this week together with today's reading and then I will send you on your way with China. But before we do, that going to continue in the book of Genesis. Today we're reading Genesis 27 through 29. Today is the last day in the Christian Standard Bible. Genesis, chapter 27.

Commentary:

We hear some reoccurring themes happening within this family. This is the second time there was deception between the brothers Jacob and Esau. We remember the first time Jacob had sort of swindled Esau out of his birthright. And now we see that he has tricked his father into blessing him, being that the firstborn son would ultimately get the blessing of their father. It's a cultural customary blessing that is passed down. And it didn't happen without the deception of his mother. In fact, the whole operation happened because Rebecca overheard her son and her husband speaking and she concocted the whole story. And then it's interesting, she just sort of hides out for the rest of the story in today's reading. And so we have this case of one person makes a pretty huge decision on their own and then sort of just slithers out of the room. Here's what I think we should not miss. It was a decision and an action made on her part. But in chapter 27, if we look at verse 20, but Isaac said to his son, how did you ever find it so quickly, my son? His response is, because the Lord your God made it happen for me. And here's what I want us to consider in today's reading. How many times do we take things into our own hands? And at the end of the story, how many times do we shift the blame to God? Are we unaware that we were a significant participant in the story? Do we forget our part? Are we deceived? Is it just easier to ultimately blame God because at the end of the day he has the power to fix all of our mistakes? Or is it all of the above? That's a question maybe we can sit with today. And maybe even as we sit, some things will sink down to the bottom and they're going to hit hard. And that's okay. That's what's supposed to happen. This is where change can take place. This is where a shift, an awakening of recognizing, an awareness of our own actions and the repercussions of our own actions.

Prayer:

So, Father, we thank you for today, these words. We thank you for the week that we have had here together. Thank you for how you have spoken to us. We thank you for the Holy Spirit that comes to convict our hearts, not condemn us, not chastise us, not ridicule and shame us, but conviction that says this is where we went wrong, this is how we can do better. There's no shame in conviction. And we are thankful God, that you do not shame us. Help us to remember that when we go to shame one another. But we do recognize that it's your conviction that propels us forward to repentance and repentance to change. Change that goes in the opposite direction of what we have consciously become aware of where we went wrong, what we have done that may not be pleasing to you and may have lasting repercussions that affect a lot of people around us. I thank you that it is your kindness that leads us to repentance. And as we are here Father, I pray that you will lead us into all truth. All truth, because you are the way, the truth and the life. We pray this now all in the name of the Father, the Son, who is the way, the truth, and the life, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Announcements:

What an incredible week it's been to be here with you. And I'm going to go away for a week and I leave you now in the beautiful, delicate and capable hands of my daughter China. Have a great week everyone. I'll see you the week after next. Until then, love one another.

Community Prayer Line:

Good morning DAB. I hope you all are doing good. I just like to pray for our brother Preston and his dad Jay about the cancer. Father in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, your hand Lord God is not so sure that it cannot reach Jay right now. Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, you said in your word that by your stripes we were healed. Father in the mighty name of Jesus, your name is above every other name. Your name is above every sickness. Father right now we speak against cancer, whether it is in the liver or the bones, geekamala.... We pray father in the mighty name of Jesus, that you may help him, Lord God, right now and heal him and make him whole in the mighty name of Jesus and that his health may be a testimony for the rest of the family that have walked away from your kingdom. Father in the mighty name of Jesus, we pray that your name may be glorified in this. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ we pray. I would also like to send huge happy birthday to Sierra from Texas. I would just like to say thank you very much for your testimony and it's very encouraging to hear young people who have given their lives over to the Lord and who are striving to striving for perfection in the kingdom. So yeah, I wish you ever lost in joy, I wish you peace and I wish you growth in every single area of your life and I love you very much. DAB fam, I love all of you very much. Whatever you may be going through in this current time, I just pray that the hand of God may be over you and that God may go before you and fight for you and win that battle for you. Amen.

Good evening, Daily Audio Bible Chronological family. This is Nicole Simone from Brooklyn, New York. East New York, where I spend most of my days. Today is January 17, 2nd year listener. Thank you so much for the welcoming. I also at this time want to just stand in agreement with Preston for his dad Jay. Jehovah we ask that you heal his body of the cancer in his liver, in his bones and we're asking that it does not spread and we're asking for full recovery in the name of Jesus for great testimony of what only you can do. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ also want to say happy birthday to Europe in Texas. Happy birthday. I love your testimony like a year ago, kudos. You made me think of the song because I found a savior and he's sweet, now. And not that he was lost, but you found him for you like I found him for me. Thank you for that. Debbie, we are called to be a living sacrifice, honey, you are called to be a living sacrifice and yes, we have an appointed time with death, but not prematurely. In Jesus name, I love you all. Thank you so much for welcoming us, the newcomers and making a safe space and place for us. It matters. Please keep my boys up in prayer. Isaiah 27 Jordan 15. I would appreciate it. Lady of Victory, please pray for my sons, Isaiah and Jordan. Love you all. I can't wait til tomorrow's reading. Jill, he sees us. Thank you so much. Until have a rainbow day.

Oh, Jill. Preacher Jill, this is your brother from Baltimore, Melvin Duprey. Oh my gosh. I am struck by your commentary on the 17th and it fills me because I'm kind of working on some things and things that felt long and passing and long and developing and I asked God why now versus ten or 20 years ago? And those two questions you raised is anything impossible for God? And at the appointed time struck me to my core. I thank God for you. Let me pray. While I do, thank you for the fact that there is nothing impossible for you and Lord, you are the Lord of our times and seasons will help us all to recognize that there is nothing impossible for you and that your timing and your appointment of seasons, god are at the right times and seasons for our lives. May we yield and say yes to both in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. Hey DAB Chronological folk, love you much and thank you so much for let me be a part of this community. God bless you.

Lord, I lay all my expectations at your cross. I release my husband from the burden of fulfilling me in areas where I should be looking to you. Help me to accept him the way he is and not try to change him. I realize that in some ways he may never change, but at the same time, I release him to change in ways I never thought he could. I leave any changing that needs to be done in Your hands, fully accepting that neither of us is perfect and never will be. Only you, Lord, are perfect, and I look to you to perfect us. May we be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32.

[ladyinshiningarmor]

indifferentomens replied to your post “i totally understand why people talk about the military like they do...”

my little brother was in the marines for a few years - I get it :( only made me hate the us military complex more, but I think a lot of people who hate it don't realise that the kids who've joined up are people too and they aren't individually responsible for all the decisions made by politicians. sending you sympathy and good wishes for your brother ❤️

@indifferentomens yeah my brother is a marine too......he is an incredibly smart, talented, hardworking human being, but we definitely disagree in worldview and i hate that he was so excited to use his skills to do things i dread to know. but....he’s still my baby brother. even when i agree with these people about the whole military machine, i still see my little brother in these conversations and i want him home safe, even while knowing that he might be doing terrible, terrible things. i just don’t know. there’s a lot of tension there that really can’t be resolved. anyway thank you <3

@illuminirk and @thisbrilliantsky i also saw your responses and thank you guys too <3

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

For the character ask game: so in which Wrong Way do you like LXC here?

Haaaa... where shall I start for Lan Xichen?

Well, within the actual work itself I think he is lovingly written, and I think the work itself stands to show his love for his sibling is very realistic as not all siblings can get along very well, without necessarily understanding every single thought the other may have. He is doting and protective, yet he doesn't try to be overbearing as many other siblings within the work. He does let Lan Wangji decide as he wants for himself, even if at points Lan Xichen comes off a bit condescending. But, in my experience older siblings, as loving as they can be, can be thoughtlessly condescending even if they have best interest at heart. I just can't have it in me to think the worst of him and his love for his brother.

I also don't think he ever expresses true disdain for anyone, frustration yes, but he like many others only have their side of a story to try to make sense of things. His words to Wei Wuxian while cruel, are not something I personally think, weigh on Wei Wuxian. Like Lan Xichen said if no one else said a thing, it would always be frustratingly ambiguous between his brother and Wei Wuxian. And sometimes, a sibling's protection of their own gets the better of them when all they have seen from their point, is just their beloved sibling being played with. And I am sure plenty that have had siblings have unfortunately said things in their defense that they would not want to hear said to anyone.

He isn't some grand all knowing secretly devious man, he's just someone soft, who unfortunately is too trusting of the world and the people he chose to call friends. I can not fault someone for wanting to see the best in someone who really is not all that good. After all, this is exactly what happened to Wei Wuxian himself when it came to Jiang Cheng, and even he still tries to tell Lan Wangji that Jiang Cheng is just a brat, and to pay his nasty words no mind. It is not a coincidence that these two confrontations happen back to back, where Lan Xichen's trust in Jin Guangyao is finally broken, and Wei Wuxian admits to himself that the only thing that can be done between himself and Jiang Cheng, is to act like all has been repaid and move on.

And he is very privileged in ways, that is an unfortunate part of the world, but it also isn't a condemnation or should be used against anyone. He has already begun to pay for his own blindness and is EXTREMELY aware of what he failed at by the end. It is why he demands for the truth from Nie Huaisang as yet again, and still, he is in the middle of half information with no way to truly understand the full story. He is surrounded by liars and cheats, I would be tired of that as well, if I was that trusting.

As for the fandom side of thing, well, from what I said above, they either white wash him as being smart, perfect and extremely savvy which he is not. Or, paint him to be as manipulative if not more than Jin Guangyao or even in cahoots with him, simply for him wishing to observe in his own ways before making a rash decision. And when have rash decisions in this story ever pay off? There are consequences to all, it just depends on the severity throughout it. And condemnation is not exactly something this work promotes for the simple and naive. Naivety is just meant to be sad, as well as something to be seen as exploitable by the worst in the story. Do not condemn the naive for the ones that are willing to commit the actual evil.

[qiu-yan]

see, the problem here is that "did they actually deserve to die" and "how were they depicted / how much narrative weight did they get" are two different questions.

the following wall of text will be moreso a further explanation as to what i said in my original post rather than a direct reply to yours, as your reply seems centered around the thesis of "well, the people wei wuxian killed had it coming," which is not what i was talking about. i'm not trying to castigate wei wuxian, and frankly i don't give two shits whether the people wei wuxian killed deserved it or not.

"did they deserve to die?" is an ethical question, and when answering ethical questions, what matters first and foremost is reason and consistency. for the sake of argument, let's return to mr. "you killed my parents." as you've described above, the intended reader takeaway is basically "the parents fucked around and found out (by showing up at nightless city), thus they did have it coming." as the text currently is, the surviving (adult) child of these parents is enough of an asshole about it (by showing up to the second siege of the burial mounds) that the conclusion "well your parents fucked around and found out, so they deservedly got rekt, asshole" is quite easy for the reader to come to.

now imagine a slightly different version of MDZS where everything is the same, but MXTX also included a scene with mr. "you killed my parents" crying over the graves of his dead parents. the thing is--in this new scenario, how much the parents morally "had it coming" does not change at all. if the parents had it coming in the original MDZS, then the parents also had it coming in this version of MDZS that includes a scene of their surviving child crying over their deaths, because nothing about the situation itself has changed. from a rational point of view, if you have already concluded that a man and a woman deserved to die, then reading an account of their child weeping over their deaths should not change your assessment as to how much the man and woman deserved to die.

but this isn't how fiction works. reader responses to works of fiction are not founded in rational applications of abstract moral philosophy, but rather emotional responses to the story and characters that are specifically directed by the author's writing decisions. how upset a reader feels when a character is killed, how much the reader thinks the character deserved it, and how much the reader condemns the person who killed the character--all vary not just on the concrete details of the killing, but also how much narrative focus each character gets. even if the actual scenario were exactly the same, a story that followed the asshole victim until their killing would elicit a vastly different audience response than a story that followed the morally upstanding killer. even within stories that focus on the morally upstanding killer, a story that gives the asshole victim a non-asshole moment of regular human emotion will still elicit a different reader response than a story that only depicts the asshole victim as a one-dimensional asshole.

therefore, including any sort of scene where your asshole victim displays a non-asshole regular human emotion is a risk. when you do so, you run the danger that your reader's emotions might be swayed by the asshole victim's non-asshole emotion, which then might lead them to become less sympathetic to your morally upstanding killer. what if the reader's heartstrings are tugged by this person weeping over their parents' graves? what if that makes them side-eye wei wuxian, even if it's just a little bit? though this risk is much lower for background characters, it's honestly never zero.

all of the above is kind of abstract, so, to further illustrate what i mean about audience emotional reactions, let us consider a more concrete example. consider an alternate version of MDZS where, after describing for us all these scenes of lan xichen encouraging his younger brother's burgeoning "friendship" with wei wuxian, MXTX then had lan xichen die at nightless city, beheaded by the reanimated corpse of one of his lan cousins after wei wuxian went berserk. from a logical, moral-philosophy point of view, everything you said about the background characters being in their "finding out stage"--in other words, that the background characters killed by wei wuxian had it coming--must logically also apply to the killed lan xichen. lan xichen, just like the unnamed background-character aggressors killed at nightless city by wei wuxian, also showed up to the pledge conference to declare war on wei wuxian; therefore, if the background-character aggressors at nightless city deserved to die, then so did lan xichen. the reasoning that is applied to background characters who behaved as lan xichen did must logically also be applied to lan xichen. therefore, from a moral point of view, not much about this scenario has changed at all. lan xichen had it coming too.

however--don't you think the reader reaction would be quite different? unlike with the unnamed background characters who wei wuxian actually killed at nightless city, lan xichen has a human face. the readers have spent time with him, observed his wide variety of interpersonal connections and non-asshole traits, been given the time to become emotionally attached to him. the knowledge that he is a human being whose life has moral weight is not merely abstract knowledge, but a concrete reality we have been presented with. thus, in this alternate version of MDZS where wei wuxian killed lan xichen at nightless city, wei wuxian would probably be more hated by the readerbase. many more readers would consider wei wuxian's nightless city meltdown to be morally questionable, if not outright call his moral character into question for it--despite the fact that the actual morality of the nightless city scenario here has not changed from canon.

(as i said in my tags, this reasoning is also why jin zixuan cannot be allowed to have the same amount of screentime or direct development as other characters.)

the point here is that--regardless of the actual morality of the situation, regardless of whether the killed victim actually "had it coming" or not, regardless of whether the killer is actually blameless or not--the audience's reaction to the scenario changes on who in the situation is given a human face--and anyone can be given or denied a human face. who is allowed to have non-asshole normal human traits, versus who is relegated to the role of one-dimensional asshole. and--if you want your readers to think of your killer protagonist as a hero, the more humanity you give the people he killed, the higher the risk that your readers do not come to your intended conclusion.

MXTX does not take this risk in MDZS. instead, she employs the rhetorical trick of casting many of wei wuxian's background-character victims as one-dimensional angry assholes who are easy to write off. these asshole victims are all human beings who must logically experience non-rage human emotions, who must logically have people they love, who must logically weep at the graves of their dead parents as all humans would--but we will never see that in MDZS canon.

the thing is, not every work of fiction out there employs this degree of rhetorical trick. a song of ice and fire does not do this. the sheer scale of brutality in ASOIAF is possible because george r r martin knows how to lend a background-character victim humanity with only a few sentences, even if said background character is being killed by a "heroic" character. attack on titan, despite all its questionable themes, also does not do this. isayama goes out of his way to humanize the background characters killed by AOT's protagonists, whether or not those killings are considered "justified" by AOT's narrative. the children's show avatar the last airbender, in which the protagonists don't even kill anyone, deliberately includes scenes of the fire nation enemy soldiers fooling around and being humans, even when it would have been much easier for ATLA to just make them faceless mooks. once you've seen any of these genre fictions, the comparatively simplistic way in which MDZS treats its background characters becomes much more obvious.

in my opinion, a ballsier writer in MXTX's position would have included those non-asshole scenes. they would have included the scene where mr. "you chopped off my leg" begs for alms on the streetside because he can't work as a cultivator with only one leg; they would have included the scene where mr. "you killed my parents" cries over the grave of his mom and dad. they would have included scenes of wei wuxian's various asshole victims behaving as any human beings would behave, even if it made the story uncomfortable.

and then, after having included these scenes, wei wuxian's retorts at the second siege of the burial mounds would go unchanged. they would go ahead and have wei wuxian say what he said in canon anyways: "in short, you can ambush me, but i can't fight back. is that right?"

and then they would have the narrative back wei wuxian up as correct.

that would have been ballsy. that would have been quite refreshing, actually. that would show their depiction of this scenario to be more objective, that they were not afraid of the possibility of the reader drawing different conclusions. that would lend weight to the thesis of "wei wuxian is ultimately a heroic person," because it would prove that the author had in fact considered all dimensions of the issue, instead of just the ones that make the protagonist look good, and come to their conclusion anyways.

MXTX isn't that author, though. MXTX chickened out.

(there's exactly one scene i can think of right now wherein MXTX actually didn't chicken out. it's the scene where, at the nightless city pledge conference, some young idiot shoots wei wuxian with an arrow. wei wuxian throws the arrow back and kills the young idiot, and the young idiot's younger brother cries out an anguished "哥!" that one plaintive cry lent both the young idiot and his younger brother humanity, making them more than just asshole victims. and given the importance of brotherhood in wei wuxian's own character arc and downfall, it was an excellent writing decision.)

MDZS and asshole victims: thoughts on the second siege of the burial mounds scene

this post is not about morality judgments. this post is about reader sympathies only.

one rather clever rhetorical trick MDZS employs is putting all the more background "surviving victims of wei wuxian's actions" into one big angry mob at the second siege of the burial mounds, instead of letting them crop up anywhere else in the story. it's easy for a first-time reader to write off the guy who lost a leg at nightless city, or the guy whose parents died at nightless city, because both of those guys are being dicks. they're part of an angry mob baying for wei wuxian's blood--unfairly baying for wei wuxian's blood, because this time he didn't even do the thing they're saying he did. by putting these two victims into a mob of not just fellow victims but also unaffected individuals (ie. sect leader yao, who just showed up for kicks), the story can effectively equate these victims' grievances (ie. "you killed my parents") with unreasonable mob rule--even if these two things might not actually be equivalent.

the effect of this rhetorical trick, then, is that the reader can at once perceive the themes about mob mentality MXTX wishes to convey, and also effectively write off the victims' complaints. "yes, i did that to you, but i literally died already, what more do you want me to do? shall i walk on my knees repenting?" becomes easier for the reader to accept. and more importantly--wei wuxian's likability as a moral and just protagonist is not impacted.

ngl tho. it would be a bit more difficult for the reader to write off these victims' complaints if, instead of meeting said victims in an angry mob, the reader instead met these victims almost anywhere else. imagine if, instead of meeting mr. "you killed my parents" at the second siege of the burial mounds, we instead met him getting smashed at the local bar and crying about how his parents are dead. imagine if, instead of meeting mr. "you chopped off my leg" as a member of an angry mob, we instead met him begging for alms on the side of the road because his disability rendered him unable to work in a wuxia-esque setting. or imagine--if either of these background characters, overcome with survivor's guilt and trauma from nightless city, hung himself in his bedroom, and the next day his body was discovered by his 15-year-old daughter.

all of these scenarios are entirely plausible. you could easily include any of them into the story without changing the main plot at all. but suddenly shit just got a lot more depressing.

however, no such scene would ever be included in MDZS. the reason is that, as a work of fiction, MDZS's single most ardent goal is for us the readers to conclude not just that "we like wei wuxian as a character," but also that "wei wuxian is ultimately a morally righteous person." when the narrative focus shifts onto the people who were actually helped by wei wuxian's actions (mianmian and her family, lan sizhui, the few months of dignity the wen remnants were afforded) this becomes much easier for us to conclude; wei wuxian does indeed look like a hero. but the more narrative focus is given to the negative impacts of wei wuxian's actions--the more the "victims of wei wuxian" (whether actual victims or not) are given a face, instead of abstracted away by broad summaries--the more the reader might side-eye wei wuxian instead. every new victim given a name, given narrative attention that isn't just focused on making them look like an asshole, arouses the reader's sympathies in the opposite direction--and thus increases the risk that the reader might ultimately disagree with the novel's conclusion of "wei wuxian is a righteous person."

tbh, this does not seem like a risk MXTX particularly wants to take. instead, she's mastered the art of writing Asshole Victims.

which is an entirely valid writing decision, because imo basically every work of genre fiction out there does this to some extent.

[cappymightwrite]

What draws you to incest ?

*sighs* Ok, here we go. I'm a real card carrying Jonsa now aren't I?

Anon, listen. I know this is an anti question that gets bandied about a lot, aimed at provoking, etc, when we all know no Jonsa is out here being all you know what, it really is the incest, and the incest alone, that draws me in. I mean, come on now. Grow up.

If I was "drawn" to incest I'd be a fan of Cersei x Jaime, Lucrezia x Cesare, hell Oedipus x Jocasta etc... but I haven't displayed any interest in them now, have I? So, huh, it can't be that.

Frankly, it's a derivitive question that is really missing the mark. I'm not "drawn" to it, though yeah, it is an unavoidable element of Jonsa. The real question you should be asking though, is what draws GRRM to it? Because he obviously is drawn to it, specifically what is termed the "incest motif" in academic and literary scholarship. That is a far more worthwhile avenue of thinking and questioning, compared with asking me. Luckily for you though anon, I sort of anticipated getting this kind of question so had something in my drafts on standby...

You really don't have to look far, or that deeply, to be hit over the head by the connection between GRRM's literary influences and the incest motif. I mean, let's start with the big cheese himself, Tolkein:

Tolkein + Quenta Silmarillion

We know for definite that GRRM has been influenced by Tolkein, and in The Silmarillion you notably have a case of unintentional incest in Quenta Silmarillion, where Túrin Turambar, under the power of a curse, unwittingly murders his friend, as well as marries and impregnates his sister, Nienor Níniel, who herself had lost her memory due to an enchantment.

Mr Tolkein, "what draws you to incest?"

Old Norse + Völsunga saga

Tolkein, as a professor of Anglo-Saxon, was hugely influenced by Old English and Old Norse literature. The story of the ring Andvaranaut, told in Völsunga saga, is strongly thought to have been a key influence behind The Lord of the Rings. Also featured within this legendary saga is the relationship between the twins Signy and Sigmund — at one point in the saga, Signy tricks her brother into sleeping with her, which produces a son, Sinfjotli, of pure Völsung blood, raised with the singular purpose of enacting vengence.

Anonymous Norse saga writer, "what draws you to incest?"

Medieval Literature as a whole

A lot is made of how "true" to the storied past ASOIAF is, how reflective it is of medieval society (and earlier), its power structures, its ideals and martial values etc. ASOIAF, however, is not attempting historical accuracy, and should not be read as such. Yet it is clearly drawing from a version of the past, as depicted in medieval romances and pre-Christian mythology for instance, as well as dusty tomes on warfare strategy. As noted by Elizabeth Archibald in her article Incest in Medieval Literature and Society (1989):

Of course the Middle Ages inherited and retold a number of incest stories from the classical world. Through Statius they knew Oedipus, through Ovid they knew the stories of Canace, Byblis, Myrrha and Phaedra. All these stories end more or less tragically: the main characters either die or suffer metamorphosis. Medieval readers also knew the classical tradition of incest as a polemical accusation,* for instance the charges against Caligula and Nero. – p. 2

The word "polemic" is connected to controversy, to debate and dispute, therefore these classical texts were exploring the incest motif in order to create discussion on a controversial topic. In a way, your question of "what draws you to incest?" has a whiff of polemical accusation to it, but as I stated, you're missing the bigger question.

Moving back to the Middle Ages, however, it is interesting that we do see a trend of more incest stories appearing within new narratives between the 11th and 13th centuries, according to Archibald:

The texts I am thinking of include the legend of Judas, which makes him commit patricide and then incest before betraying Christ; the legend of Gregorius, product of sibling incest who marries his own mother, but after years of rigorous penance finally becomes a much respected pope; the legend of St Albanus, product of father-daughter incest, who marries his mother, does penance with both his parents but kills them when they relapse into sin, and after further penance dies a holy man; the exemplary stories about women who sleep with their sons, and bear children (whom they sometimes kill), but refuse to confess until the Virgin intervenes to save them; the legends of the incestuous begetting of Roland by Charlemagne and of Mordred by Arthur; and finally the Incestuous Father romances about calumniated wives, which resemble Chaucer's Man of Law's Tale except that the heroine's adventures begin when she runs away from home to escape her father's unwelcome advances. – p. 2

I mean... that last bit sounds eerily quite close to what we have going on with Petyr Baelish and Sansa Stark. But I digress. What I'm trying to say is that from a medieval and classical standpoint... GRRM is not unique in his exploration of the incest motif, far from it.

Sophocles, Ovid, Hartmann von Aue, Thomas Malory, etc., "what draws you to incest?"

Faulkner + The Sound and the Fury, and more!

Moving on to more modern influences though, when talking about the writing ethos at the heart of his work, GRRM has famously quoted William Faulker:

His mantra has always been William Faulkner’s comment in his Nobel prize acceptance speech, that only the “human heart in conflict with itself… is worth writing about”. [source]

I’ve never read any Faulker, so I did just a quick search on “Faulkner and incest” and I pulled up this article on JSTOR, called Faulkner and the Politics of Incest (1998). Apparently, Faulkner explores the incest motif in at least five novels, therefore it was enough of a distinctive theme in his work to warrant academic analysis. In this journal article, Karl F. Zender notes that:

[...] incest for Faulkner always remains tragic [...] – p. 746

Ah, we can see a bit of running theme here, can't we? But obviously, GRRM (one would hope) doesn’t just appreciate Faulkner’s writing for his extensive exploration of incest. This quote possibly sums up the potential artistic crossover between the two:

Beyond each level of achieved empathy in Faulkner's fiction stands a further level of exclusion and marginalization. – pp. 759–60

To me, the above parallels somewhat GRRM’s own interest in outcasts, in personal struggle (which incest also fits into):

I am attracted to bastards, cripples and broken things as is reflected in the book. Outcasts, second-class citizens for whatever reason. There’s more drama in characters like that, more to struggle with. [source]

Interestingly, however, this essay on Faulkner also connects his interest in the incest motif with the romantic poets, such as Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron:

As Peter Thorslev says in an important study of romantic representations of incest, " [p]arent-child incest is universally condemned in Romantic literature...; sibling incest, on the other hand, is invariably made sympathetic, is sometimes exonerated, and, in Byron's and Shelley's works, is definitely idealized.” – p. 741

Faulkner, "what draws you to incest?" ... I mean, that article gives some good explanations, actually.

Lord Byron, Manfred + The Bride of Abydos

Which brings us onto GRRM interest in the Romantics:

I was always intensely Romantic, even when I was too young to understand what that meant. But Romanticism has its dark side, as any Romantic soon discovers... which is where the melancholy comes in, I suppose. I don't know if this is a matter of artistic influences so much as it is of temperament. But there's always been something in a twilight that moves me, and a sunset speaks to me in a way that no sunrise ever has. [source]

I'm already in the process of writing a long meta about the influence of Lord Byron in ASOIAF, specifically examining this quote by GRRM:

The character I’m probably most like in real life is Samwell Tarly. Good old Sam. And the character I’d want to be? Well who wouldn’t want to be Jon Snow — the brooding, Byronic, romantic hero whom all the girls love. Theon [Greyjoy] is the one I’d fear becoming. Theon wants to be Jon Snow, but he can’t do it. He keeps making the wrong decisions. He keeps giving into his own selfish, worst impulses. [source]

Lord Byron, "what draws you to—", oh, um, right. Nevermind.

I'm not going to repeat myself here, but it's worth noting that there is a clear through line between GRRM and the Romantic writers, besides perhaps melancholic "temperament"... and it's incest.

But look, is choosing to explore the incest motif...well, a choice? Yeah, and an uncomfortable one at that, but it’s obvious that that is what GRRM is doing. I think it’s frankly a bit naive of some people to argue that GRRM would never do Jonsa because it’s pseudo-incest and therefore morally repugnant, no ifs, no buts. I’m sorry, as icky as it may be to our modern eyes, GRRM has set the president for it in his writing with the Targaryens and the Lannister twins.

The difference with them is that they knowingly commit incest, basing it in their own sense of exceptionalism, and there are/will be bad consequences — this arguably parallels the medieval narratives in which incest always ends badly, unless some kind of real penance is involved. For Jon and Sansa, however, the Jonsa argument is that they will choose not to commit incest, despite a confused attraction, and then will be rewarded in the narrative through the parentage reveal, a la Byron’s The Bride of Abydos. The Targaryens and Lannisters, in several ways excluding the incest (geez the amount of times I’ve written incest in this post), are foils for the Starks, and in particular, Jon and Sansa. Exploring the incest motif has been on the cards since the very beginning — just look at that infamous "original" outline — regardless of whether we personally consider that an interesting writing choice, or a morally inexcusable one.

Word of advice, or rather, warning... don't think you can catch me out with these kinds of questions. I have access to a university database, so if I feel like procrastinating my real academic work, I can and will pull out highly researched articles to school you, lmao.

But you know, thanks for the ask anyway, I guess.

[alltheworldsinmyhead]

ON FEYSAND’S PLOTLINE IN ACOSF

              !!!!MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE ACOSF!!!!

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Let’s be honest for a while, okay?

ACOCF had potential to be SJM’s best book, if not for any other reason then because of the sheer idea of it. Coming-of-age, healing story of the most complex and polarizing character she has ever created set in the time of peace, away from the familiar setting (according to the later changed concept which still remains in the snippet at the end of ACOFAS), development of her arguably most feisty and angsty love story... It could be her absolute trumph. Even with the change to stick to Velaris instead of exploring the Illyrian culture of the Mountains and with the added conflict of the Mortal Queens and Koshei, it still could work quite well. 

It didn’t. For many, many reasons, but the most important one, in my opinion, being the feysand pregnancy plot. 

Nothing about this plotline made sense. Not a single thing. From start to finish, it was an absolute disaster from the character-writing POV, from the narration POV, from every single context of it. It broke the rules of real-life logic, it broke the rules of this fantasy world setting and it completely exposed that Rhysand, while not a bad guy, is a pretty terrible partner, even worse ruler and an absolutely terrible contender for the High King title. 

Let’s break this whole mess down (and expect this post to be mammoth-sized. it’s not my fault, though, write to SJM if you have any complains):

1) Feyre, 21, decides to get pregnant, even though less than a year earlier, she expresses the delight with not being forced to bear children to her new mate and told him herself she wants to wait a while and enjoy her life with him. Feyre decides she wants a baby though and Rhysand goes along with it, even though he is aware how young Feyre is and how hard her life has been up until this point. He wants a baby too much to have an honest discussion with Feyre about it, to stop and wonder what is the reason for her sudden change of heart, to reassure her that they have a lot of time ahead of them and don’t need to rush. No. She mades a sudden decision to have a baby after A YEAR OF MARRIAGE and not much more of being turned fae, JUST AFTER having her whole world put upside down, having received a completely new title and responsibilities, surviving the wat and being mated. Great. 

2) Feyre decides to get pregnant and Rhys goes along with it less than a year after the end of the bloody war. It is politically a delicate time, everyone is still not sure how the balance will shift, some countries don;t want to sign the peace treaty, etc. There are a lot of enemies and a lot of turmoil remaining. But sure. Let’s have a baby. Perfect time to add yet another target, another weakness that can be use by the Mortal Queens, Beron or whatever else with malicious intent towards the Night Court. 

2) Feyre gets pregnant after approximately a year of trying. I know healthy people of reproductive age for whom it takes ages more than this. Fae’s pregnancies are rare af and precious and happen once in a blue moon, but ofc SJM broke the world’s rules for her darling Feyre. And again, for Kallas and Vivianne who are also expecting the baby, even though it has been a maximum of 3 years since they’ve mated. 3 years is also not a particularly long time to try to have a baby for those who have issues with their reproductive systems like Fae women. Thank you, next. 

3) Rhys has unprotected sex with Feyre in her Illyrian form when she conceives, even though he knows full well having a winged baby would kill her. He does it anyway, for shits and giggles apparently. They probably have sex in the sky above Velaris, for all we know. 

4) The baby has wings. Now, the whole explanation with Illyrian wings being bony (bc they resemble bat wings) and Seraphin ones being more flexible (bc they resemble bird ones) is so insanely stupid that it takes around 3 seconds to wikipedia this shit and find out it’s exactly the opposite. But okay, the baby has wings and Feyre will die while giving birth, along with the baby. Madja forbids Feyre from turning into an Illyrian to carry the pregnancy because it MIGHT hurt the baby. Now, remember, Feyre conceived while in Illyrian form and then turned into High Fae. The baby survived it just fine. The baby MIGHT be hurt by Feyre turning .... but it will FOR SURE die if she stays High Fae and Feyre will too. Idk about you, but I would take the risk of MIGHT instead of FOR SURE. Especially when she is already in labour and dying. Cauldron or Nesta or idk who alters Feyre’s pelvis after the baby is cut out of her for no apparent reason but to allow feysand to make exactly the same mistakes later on. How convinient. And Nesta also alters her own pelvis bc god forbid she won’t be able give Cassian babies like the little useful mate she is now. She should’ve probably done it with Elain too, just in case she decides to fuck Az in the future, because fuck consequences and fuck the stakes in the story that make the readers actually CARE about characters bc they know the author may actually kill them and not save their life every fucking time.  

5) I don’t even want to comment on the fact Rhys hid the true danger of this pregnancy for Feyre and their family went along with it. It is absolutely disgusting. And Nesta telling her and that being condemned as the act of the ultimate cruelty which is a final straw to break her self-loathing back.... is abhorrent. It made my sick, actually, phisically sick. There is no justification for it. No at all. And the fact that they did not even consider abortion sends a message that I really don’t want to think too much about it. Feyre was 2 months along when they learned the baby is winged. 2 months. 8 weeks. It wasn’t a baby yet, let’s be honest. They could’ve at least discussed it. She - oh my god, I cannot believe SJM wrote it this way, I’m gonna be sick. 

6) For the entirety of Feyre’s pregnancy, they have no plan to really help her. Labour plan? Haven’t heard if it.  They have money and power and access to the healers of the whole land. And did not figure out how to stop her from bleeding out after a fucking C-section. THIS WORLD HAS MAGIC AND THEY COULDN’T STOP HER FROM BLEEDING OUT AFTER A FUCKING C-SECTION. Didn’t even ask Thesan, the High Lord of Healing, to be present. Cassian had guts hanging out of his stomach and survived. Az was fucking slashed apart in Hybern and survived. But yeah, Feyre was on a brink of death after a C-section. Great, Sarah. Keep it up. Let’s force the thought into young girls’ heads that labour is the most lethal thing ever, why not. 

7) Also, for the entirety of Feyre’s pregnancy, Rhys keeps quiet about this idiotic bargain. He, as far as we know, doesn’t make any plans for the moment when him and Feyre and possibly their baby are dead. If they died and baby survived.. who would take care of it? Does Rhys have a conversation with his family about it? NAH. Doesn’t write any sort of plan how to keep the Court going, doesn’t inform even the closest of his co-workers how they should proceed to act after he’s gone and his and Feyre’s power go to god-knows-who. Their deaths would mean a sure chaos for the weakend and fragile Prythian and the Night Court especially and yet nor Rhys nor Feyre make any sort of preparations for it. Rhys doesn’t tell his brothers or Mor or HIS SECOND IN COMMAND they will all soon have to somehow manage without him. He was about to just leave them to their own devices and told them in the last. possible. moment. 

And this man - this man is, according to Amren, the best candidate to handle the whole country? To unite it? This fool who makes idiotic bargains, who thinks first about his cock and his own selfish desires and considers his subjects and his responsibilities as a High Lord last and least important of all? Who has so much trust in his wife, in his High Lady, the mother of his son that he doesn’t tell her she will almost surely die on a birthing bed because it MAY UPSET HER? 

This plotline was the straw that broke my back. ACOTAR, at it’s heart has always been a ya fantasy with added ‘spice’ and I was willing to bend my critical-thinking skills in many cases and forget and forgive many smaller idiotic issues in this series. But this? It is not idiotic. It is massive and stupid to the point when it becomes insulting to the reader. It was a plot straight out of a bad fanfic, not something that should be in a published book written by someone who writes for a living. You could even argue that Twilight has handled this toxic trope better.  I have wasted my money on this book and thinking about it will always be painful for me. So yeah.

ACOSF could be great. Ended up quite pathetic. 

[bougredane]

Junot and Marmont attempt to stage a jailbreak.

Napoleon runs into trouble post-Thermidor. Some handle it better than others. From the new Junot bio by Sylvain Dubief : JUNOT, Premier aide de camp de Napoléon (1771-1813). French and my translation under the cut.

Funeste jour que ce 27 juillet 1794 : il s’agit du 9 thermidor an II. Maximilien « le sanglant » est enfin déclaré hors-la-loi, et Augustin, protestant la culpabilité de son frère, demande à partager sa peine ; ce qui lui est immédiatement accordé … Ils meurent ensemble le lendemain sur l’échafaud.

D’un seul coup, comme par magie, ce qui encore quelques jours auparavant paraissait impossible … redevient possible ! Les arrogants et implacables jacobins se terrent, n’osant plus sortir, courbant la tête, essayant vainement de faire oublier leurs méfaits, tandis que les nouveaux représentants du Peuple les traquent et recherchent tous ceux qui ont pu les aider à faire couler le sang des vrais patriotes.

Bonaparte comprend, dès qu’il apprend la nouvelle, que son sort va se jouer dans les jours à venir : il faut rester calme, comme le doit rester un innocent, un homme qui n’a rien à se reprocher, et, même plus, un homme qui a déjà rendu de grands services à la Nation.

Les commissaires Albitte, Salicetti, et Laporte déclarent, au nom du Peuple français, que le général Bonaparte a totalement perdu leur confiance par la conduite la plus suspecte et, surtout, par le voyage qu’il vient d’effectuer récemment à Gênes … ils décrètent donc ce qui suit :

« Le général Buonaparte, commandant en chef de l’artillerie de l’armée d’Italie, est provisoirement suspendu de ses fonctions. Il sera par les soins et sous la responsabilité du général en chef de ladite armée, mis en arrestation et traduit au comité de salut public, à Paris, sous bonne et sûre escorte. Les scellés seront apposés sur tous les papiers et effets … »

Le général doit garder les arrêts de rigueur dans la maison où il loue une chambre, la villa du comte Laurenti, sous la garde de trois gendarmes.

Quant à Junot, à l’inverse de son général, il ne décolère pas et court en tous sens. Bonaparte devant un tribunal ? Condamné ? Guillotiné ? Marmont acquiesce à cette révolte : ils doivent, ensemble, trouver un moyen de le sauver. Ils élaborent rapidement un scénario d’évasion, digne de ces deux jeunes militaires fougueux : il suffit de tuer les gendarmes et de s’enfuir ensuite en Italie.

La vieille masure de Château-Sallé résonne des sanglots de la famille Bonaparte. Lorsque’Andoche y arrive, la pauvre mère du prisonnier, Letizia, est dans tous ses états. Il essaye de la réconforter, lui exposant son point de vue, et, l’assurant que s’il faut en arriver aux pires extrémités, il met à exécution son plan d’évasion. Elle n’a qu’à lui faire un signe de la tête pour acquiescer.

Letizia hésite. Elle connaît bien son Napoléon ; il vaut mieux le consulter avant, plutôt que d’entreprendre une action qui pourrait contrecarrer ses propres desseins. Sage décision.

Dès le lendemain, l’aide de camp fait passer discrètement à son général son audacieux projet et reçoit en retour ce billet :

« Je reconnais bien ton amitié, mon cher Junot, dans la proposition que tu me fais ; depuis longtemps tu connais aussi celle que je t’ai vouée, et j’espère que tu y comptes. Les hommes peuvent être injustes envers moi, mon cher Junot, mais il suffit d’être innocent : ma conscience est le tribunal où j’évoque ma conduite. Cette conscience est calme, quand je l’interroge ; ne fais donc rien, tu me compromettrais.

Adieu, mon cher Junot, salut et amitié. »

Bonaparte a raison et, après avoir dicté à Junot lui-même, le 25 thermidor an II (12 août 1794), un courrier adressé aux représentants du peuple, si clair et convaincant, qu’il est lavé de tout soupçon et remis en liberté dès le 20 août. Tout rentre dans l’ordre.

-----

A dreadful day, that July 27, 1794: it’s 9 Thermidor, Year II. Maximilian "The Bloody" is finally declared an outlaw, and Augustin, protesting the guilt of his brother, asks to share his sentence; a request which is granted him immediately ... They die together the next day on the scaffold.

Suddenly, as if by magic, what - even a few days before - seemed impossible ... becomes possible again! The arrogant and implacable Jacobins are holed up, not daring to go out, bowing their heads, vainly attempting to make the public forget their misdeeds, while the new representatives of the People hunt them down, seeking out all those who may have aided in the blood-shedding of the true patriots.

Bonaparte understands, as soon as he hears the news, that his fate will play out in the days to come: one must remain calm, as an innocent person should remain, a man who has nothing to be ashamed of, and - even more - a man who has already rendered great service to the Nation.

Commissioners Albitte, Salicetti, and Laporte declare, on behalf of the French people, that General Bonaparte has lost their confidence completely, by the most suspicious conduct and, above all, by the trip he has recently made to Genoa ... they therefore decree the following:

“General Buonaparte, Commander-in-Chief of the Army of Italy's artillery, is provisionally suspended from his duties. He will be placed under the surveillance and responsibility of the General-in-Chief of said army, arrested and brought before the Committee of Public Safety in Paris, under good and sure escort. Seals will be affixed to all papers and effects… ”

The general must concede to his strict confinement within the bounds of the house where he rents a room, the villa of Count Laurenti, under the guard of three gendarmes.

As for Junot, unlike his general, he is far from calm and flies in all directions. Bonaparte in court? Condemned? Guillotined? Marmont humors this agitation: they must, together, find a way to save him. They quickly develop an escape scenario worthy of two fiery young soldiers: they’ll simply kill the gendarmes and then flee to Italy.

The miserable old house of Château-Sallé echoes the sobs of the Bonaparte family. When Andoche arrives there, the prisoner's poor mother, Letizia, is a mess. He tries to comfort her, presenting his view of the matter, and assuring her that, if it comes down to it, he’ll carry out his escape plan. All she has to do is nod her head to agree.

Letizia hesitates. She knows her Napoleon well; it’s better to consult him beforehand, rather than make a move that might thwart his designs. Wise decision.

The next day, the aide-de-camp discreetly passes on this daring project to his general and receives this note in return:

“I recognize your friendship, my dear Junot, in the offer you are making me; You know well enough my own attachment, which I have long devoted to you, and I hope you count upon it. Men can be unjust to me, my dear Junot, but it is enough to be innocent: my conscience is the tribunal where I speak of my conduct. This conscience is calm when I question it; do nothing - you would compromise me.

Farewell, my dear Junot, be assured of my friendship, and all my best."

Bonaparte is right and, after having dictated to Junot himself, on 25 Thermidor, Year II (12 August, 1794) a letter -  so clear and convincing - addressed to the representatives of the people, he is cleared of all suspicion and released on August 20. Everything is in order once again.

....

Many thanks to @joachimnapoleon​ for mentioning the book ! It’s been enjoyable so far, well-written and engaging, and more exact than the other two Junot bios. 

(Even if he does cite that one super wild novel-thing from the Mercure de France ...)

[amysteryspot]

Better With You - Thomas Shelby x Female Reader

Request: If you can could you please do one about Tommy having a sort of possessive claim over you (not in an abusive way of course) even though you’ve never looked at him in that way, and when Michael comes into the family again you two get close, which makes Tommy extremely jealous.

Requested by: Anonymous

Fandom: Peaky Blinders

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x Female Reader

Summary: Thomas has known (Y/N) for all of her life and loved her for most part of his, always disguising his claim on her as friendly protectiveness. What happens when Michael makes his way back into the family and starts to get a little too close to her for Tommy’s liking?

Warnings: swearing, mentions of war, mild smut (?).

Word Count: 3526

A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this. Hope you all have fun reading it too. An especial thank to @the-friendly-editor​ for helping me edit this, it meant a lot to me. Tags are at the end of the post, if you want to be add send me a message. I would love to hear what you think of it, your feedback is always appreciated.

 Things you should consider before reading this:

1. I named the Shelby’s mother Anastasia because I felt like I needed to do that. Also, I know that there is a lot of discussion about Finn and the rest of the Shelbys having the same mother or not. I just assumed that they all have the same mother and she died a little after giving birth to Finn. It is not something groundbreaking for the fic but I wanted to clarify just in case.

2. The boys went to war right at the beginning of it; I just ignored the information given to us by “The Ballad of Tommy Shelby”.

3. I probably forgot to warn you about something, I’m sorry.

 (Y/N) = Your Name | (Y/N/N) = Your Nickname | (Y/L/N) = Your Last Name | (Y/E/C) = Your Eye Color

If you asked Tommy how long he had known (Y/N) (Y/L/N), he wouldn’t know how to answer—fuck, it seemed like the woman had been in his life forever.

He remembered the day his mother had brought him to the (Y/L/N)’s house for them to meet the new baby. Four-year-old Tommy had complained all the way to their neighbor’s house, much to his older brother’s amusement, until their mother had given him a scolding. (Y/N)’s birth had been the talk of Watery Lane. They finally had a sweet little girl for the neighborhood to dote on.

With two sons, Anastasia was more than happy to welcome the little girl into their lives, not so secretly longing to have a daughter, and that was the reason for Tommy to be fussing over going to see the newborn—jealousy.

However, nothing could have prepared little Tommy for what was about to happen when his mother sat him down on the couch and Mrs. (Y/L/N) put the bundle of covers in his arms—his icy blue eyes stared down at baby (Y/N), who stopped crying instantly when she looked up at him with bright (Y/E/C) eyes of her own. From that moment on, Tommy knew that he would always love her.

And love her he did, since that day and throughout all of their lives. He would raise hell at home for his mother to bring him to the (Y/L/N)’s home so he could see (Y/N), and the three adults would all be astonished at how easily the baby would stop crying when she was in his arms. It wasn’t really a surprise that the first word she babbled was “Tom” or that when she started walking, on wobbly feet, it was Tommy she was seeking.

As they grew up, they grew closer, until it became almost impossible to have one without the other. When Ada was born, Tommy was worried about the possibility that (Y/N) would forget about him, that she would be too enchanted by having another girl around. Instead, as the time passed, he discovered that his little sister was one more reason for (Y/N) to spend more time at the Shelby home.

Even when he started messing around with the boys on the street, and she befriended other girls at school, they would still seek each other out whenever they could. They stuck together when their teenage years came, when Tommy started fooling around with girls from school and secretly scaring down most of the boys that showed any interest in (Y/N).

At least, he did until the day she came crying to him about not being good enough or pretty enough for anybody, not like the girls he would go out with, and breaking his heart; that certainly wasn’t what he had in mind when chasing down the boys. All he had wanted was to protect her, to make sure that she wouldn’t exchange him for some other boy. He wanted to ensure that she was his and his only.

That was actually the reason that led to their first kiss—her first kiss—(Y/N/N) had asked him, pleaded with him, through all the tears to just kiss her and get it done. Fifteen-year-old (Y/N) was sure that nobody would ever want her, and she wanted to experience it at least once. She told Tommy he was the only one she trusted with the task.

“It will mean nothing to you, Tom. You have kissed a million other girls already—I will just be another one for you—but it’s important to me. Please, Tom? Please, please.”

Her pleas had won him over, but (Y/N)’s words couldn’t have been further from the truth—the kiss had meant something for him. It had meant more than he predicted when he gave in to her begging, because the moment their lips touched, Tommy realized he was in love with his best friend and the worst part was that she didn’t had a fucking clue about it.

Then Tommy did what he did best; he pretended that it never happened, pushing it away and never talking to anyone about the kiss or his feelings. He stopped chasing down the boys who would show interest in (Y/N) and watched as she eventually started going out with some of them, laughing with him about how stupid she was to think that no one would ever like her.

When her first boyfriend got too handsy and she broke up with him—not before giving him a good left hook that left him with a very black eye, just like Tommy had taught her—(Y/N) had gone straight to the Shelby home, looking for comfort in his arms. Tommy pretended that the gnawing feeling in his chest was nothing but brotherly protectiveness instead of anger, jealousy and possessiveness—a destructive combination, especially on a Shelby boy.

(Y/N) had stayed with him that night, and the both of them slept together like they used to when they were kids. First thing in the morning the next day, right after he left her at her own house, he found her now ex-boyfriend and beat him up. Arthur and Freddie had to get him off of the guy, afraid of what he would end up doing if they didn’t stop him.

After that, Tommy had focused on channeling his frustrations into going out with every girl in town that wasn’t her. It wasn’t difficult, he was good looking and charming and he was very aware of it; that’s how he met Greta, and thought that he could get over his feelings for his best friend with her.

Greta’s parents were against their involvement at first, but he charmed them, so they started dating. His heart broke down when (Y/N) found out and showed genuine happiness for him having finally found somebody to settle down with.

Tommy’s plan was to end things between them. However, Greta fell ill and he didn’t have the heart to break up with her, so he stayed by her side until she passed. (Y/N) gave him support in the only way she knew how: by loving him.

Just not in the way he wanted her to.

When they thought that things would go back to normal, the War exploded and Tommy did the only thing he considered right in his eyes: he enlisted alongside his brothers. Their first fight had taken place on the night he told her he was leaving for France in two weeks. (Y/N) had hit and screamed at him until he was able to take a hold on her and then, then she cried in his arms the whole night, afraid that she would lose him forever.

They did the best they could with those two weeks. Once more, nothing could have prepared Tommy for (Y/N)’s appeal the night before he was shipping to France. She had come to him right after dinner. Her father was preparing himself to leave, too, and both of the (Y/L/N) women were enjoying whatever time they had left with him before he was gone.

As they both laid there in his bed, resting in each other’s arms and staring at the ceiling, (Y/N) made the decision that would seal his fate if he could survive the war.

“Make love to me.”

It wasn’t a question, nor a request—she was simply telling him to make love to her like this was the most logical thing in the world. His breath caught in his throat, preventing him from answering at first, and (Y/N/N) took that as a cue to reassure him.

“It will be like my first kiss, Tommy, just something I have to get over with. I want it to be you. I trust you. Let me give you at least one last good memory of me before you go.”

Again, he caved in, not needing much more convincing than the certainty in her eyes as she looked down at him, propped up on one elbow. Her hand rested unintentionally above his heart. Granting her wishes, he let himself dive into his own desires, touching her the way he had wanted since they had kissed for the first time.

He worked her body like a delicate instrument and pulled at her strings smoothly, engraving every beautiful sound that he coaxed out of her and the feel of her under his fingertips in his memory. When morning came, they were still a mess of limbs intertwined together, trying to hold on to a last thread of hope and imprint the last few hours on their memories.

In a way, (Y/N) was right. The boy that entered that train in 1914 wasn’t the same that got out of it in 1918. Yet, his love for her never faltered; it just became a tad more… dangerous.

Thomas lost count of how many letters they had exchanged during the past four years. He lost count of how many times he dreamt of her, of coming back home and telling her how he felt. However, any courage he had gathered vanished the moment he saw her waiting for him at the train station. He couldn’t condemn her to a life by his side, he had already taken enough from her.

Polly had told him in her letters how (Y/N/N) had helped her with the business, with the house, with Finn, and with any other thing she could. Especially after her mother, who had given up on life after Mr. (Y/L/N) was killed in combat, passed. A part of him felt guilty for not being there for her as much as she was for him when his mother passed and his father left.

“She’s a Shelby now.”

That’s what Polly had said when he asked her if (Y/N) had any remaining family.

Not much changed when they returned. (Y/N/N) still worked with them. She spent more time at the Shelby home and the gambling den than at her own place. The two of them still sought each other out, not talking much, but enjoying each other’s company. It was in those quiet moments with her that Tommy had a little peace.

Thomas drowned himself in work to forget it all, wanting to expand the business, unleashing his ambitions so long smothered by the war. They found the guns, in a strike of luck, he thought. Both Polly and (Y/N) advised him to let it go, but he just couldn’t. It was too good of an opportunity.

Campbell had come because of it, and with him, Grace. At the time, he didn’t know who she really was. He thought that the beautiful, blonde barmaid was just that: beautiful and innocent, everything he and his family were not. So he fooled himself, fell for her, and then she betrayed him and left for America.

Again, (Y/N) was there for him, and again, he found himself sinking into his love for her. The only good thing that came from all this mess was that the business was never better. He thought that it was time to start planning for an expansion, and with that came another thing that he hadn’t quite predicted—Michael.

He had planned to find Polly’s children for her. She had been suffering quite a lot lately. Even if people thought that his heart was as good as gone, he wanted his family to be okay. He wanted them to be happy.

Thomas found the boy and he came to Polly, making his way into the family and the business quickly. That included starting to get close to (Y/N) – too fucking close for his liking.

It was supposed to be natural, he knew that. (Y/N) kept the books at the shop. She was better with numbers than most of them, so it was natural that she would be the one to help Michael when he assumed the position of accounts clerk.

After they came back, he learned that (Y/N) had become very good at sneaking around without getting caught. It was rare to see her with any men whose last name wasn’t Shelby, or wasn’t closely related to the Peaky Blinders. That didn’t mean she didn’t have men swooning over her all the time, or that he was finally okay with that—much like when they were teenagers, he wanted to chase them all down—the only difference was now he was more deadly.

“I couldn’t have done it without you.”

It was Michael’s voice that brought him back to reality, and his gaze fell immediately on the boy. They were all gathered on the snug in the Garrison. (Y/N) was sitting between him and Michael, Tommy’s arm casually rested on her shoulders.

(Y/N) said, “Oh, no, you would totally get it... after a few more weeks.”

Everyone burst out laughing at her remark, but the only thing he could think about was the hand Michael rested on (Y/N)’s thigh. His own hand clenched around his glass before he downed the rest of its contents.

He didn’t notice Polly’s gaze on him. Despite what most people believed, Tommy had never been a good liar. He could get away with omitting information to people and redirecting the conversation, most of the time, but a direct confrontation was a completely different thing. Polly was always able to read him first, to know the things he wasn’t willing to share.

“Maybe we should just hire you instead of Michael, then.” He ignored the look (Y/N) gave him, taking another drag of his cigarette and looking away.

However, he couldn’t miss the lingering touches, or how (Y/N/N) leaned into Michael when he talked to her, and how she was just so comfortable with him. It made his blood boil.

When (Y/N/N) said she wanted to get home he offered to walk her, and was fairly surprised at how she didn’t say a word to him until they reached her front door.

Then she turned to face him, features painted with anger, and asked, “What the hell was that, Tom?”

He actually rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

(Y/N) huffed, turning around to unlock the door before entering the house, leaving it open for him to follow. She went straight to the dressing room, shedding her coat and throwing it at the table with her purse as he followed her closely.

“Oh, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

She was taking her shoes off, and Tommy took advantage of the moment to let his eyes follow her movements. God, was he in love with that woman.

“I’m talking about your attitude with Michael at the Garrison. That was completely unnecessary,” She said.

“Someone had to put that boy in his place,” Tommy said.

(Y/N) turned to him then, and he would be worried with that look if he hadn’t been at the receiving end of her anger for so many years.

“Oh, please enlighten me, Thomas. What is his place?” (Y/N) asked.

“For fucks sake, (Y/N/N), he was all over you!”

She rolled her eyes. “He is a boy, Thomas, a boy. He’s family…”

Tommy never thought that what would make him snap would be hearing her say that Michael was family, but apparently it was.

“He’s family, huh?” Thomas said. “He is fucking family! Then he should know better and stay away from you.”

She stared at him for a moment, brow furrowed, as she seemed to put the puzzle together in her head. “Why would he stay away from me, Tom?”

He turned around to face away from her for a moment, rubbing a hand over his face. “No, no. You won’t make me feel guilty for that.”

“Make you feel guilty for what, Tommy?”

He recognized the hint of annoyance on her tone and couldn’t ignore it anymore, the alcohol giving him the courage that he had lost that day on the train station, as he turned around and shouted, “For loving you!”

She held her breath, eyes widening as she stared back at him.

Tommy continued, “Michael should stay away from you because you’re fucking mine and I love you.”

“Tommy, I’m not your property, and you know that I love you…”

“No, you don’t,” he interrupted her, making her look at him with confusion, “You don’t love me the way I love you. The way I’ve loved you since the fucking day you asked me to kiss you when you were fifteen!”

He saw her flinch before murmuring his name, trying to gain his attention but he couldn’t stop now. The truth was finally out there and he just had to go on with it, let it all out before he lost his mind.

“You said to me that it would mean nothing, that it would be just another kiss for me, but you were wrong,” Tommy said, his breaths short.

She looked bewildered, and Tommy held onto a strand of hope he didn’t even know still existed.

“That kiss meant fucking everything. From that day on, I’ve never seen you in the same way as before, because I realized I was in love with you and you didn’t feel the same. So I ignored these feelings while I saw you going out with boys, and I’ve thrown myself into fucking every girl that wasn’t you because I knew I couldn’t have you, not the way I wanted.”

Tommy didn’t notice that he was walking to her until they were just a breath apart.

“Then I found Greta, and I thought that I could forget you, but it only reminded me that you are the only one I want. I was going to break up with her, but she fell ill. You stayed by my side, and just when I thought that I would have a chance to tell you everything, the war happened and I just couldn’t. I couldn’t, because there was no way in hell that I was going to risk going to fight in France and die. I couldn’t leave you here to suffer because of me, either because you felt the same or not.”

“Tommy…” (Y/N)’s voice was all but a whisper.

He couldn’t resist anymore, his hands brought her to him, his eyes observing hers from up close, not giving her time to talk or he would lose his courage.

“I was ready to go there and die, and never let you know how I felt. But you had to give me hope that night before I was shipped off to that fucking hell. You had to…”He took a deep breath, his eyes closing for a brief second, a flood of memories making his heart race faster. “You had to give yourself to me. You had to give me a taste of what I thought I could never have, to make me want to survive the fucking war, to come back to you, and to let you know about all of these stupid feelings.”

Tommy couldn’t wait anymore. He did the one thing he had wanted to since he had returned from France—he kissed her. It wasn’t gentle or patient; no, it was urgent and filled with passion and he didn’t know how to stop, not when she wasn’t pushing him away. He devoured her as a man starved, teeth clashing and hands grabbing at anything they could touch. They were both out of breath when they finally parted.

“You said that you wanted to give me one last good memory and it was that memory that kept me alive during most of the nights when I was stuck in the fucking mud,” Thomas said.

(Y/N)’s fingers were clinging to him like her life depended on it, like she was afraid to lose him to the War again.

Tommy took the moment to let the words spill out. “The memory of you and the feeling of you under my fingers, and all around me, and the way you tasted.”

His lips brushed against hers, fingers clawing at the flesh of her hips like they had done the night before he left for France.

He backed her up against the wall, hands trailing down to the back of her thighs, picking her up and trapping her with his body.

Tommy looked straight to her eyes as he spoke again, “How you writhed under me, all the beautiful sounds you made, and I just wanted to come back to you and make some new memories.”

(Y/N) shivered at his words. She gave him just a brief second to observe the rise and fall of her chest and her expanded pupils before he felt her fingers at the back of his head, forcing him to really look at her as she said, “Then let’s work on those new memories.”

Their lips clashed again, and every doubt that he ever felt vanished for a moment. That night their bodies moved together like old acquaintances, skin sliding against skin, hands gripping at each other, lips kissing every patch of skin while chanting a sinful choir of moans and curses alongside their names.

When Tommy woke up the next day, (Y/N/N) in his arms, he realized that he was finally home.

Taglist: @captivatedbycillianmurphy, @internalmess3

[thekrazykeke]

Whatever you’ve done before, accept it and let it go. You are not perfect. You are capable of making mistakes. Stop hiding from the shadows of the past. Don’t be trapped in the darkness of shattered memories. Let the light pass through and shine upon you. Forgive yourself because it’s the only way to start again.

Innes Saungalle, my sweet, sweet sunshine child; double fried on the pyre Leon’s ex-lover. Gifted in the art of magic, with a particular talent in Spiritism, though Thaum and Enchantment are almost neck and neck as his best skills, while being definitely crap with Alchemy.

He has a contract with Nyx, the Condemned. 

I’m thinking he might be the only one of my characters to forgive Leon for his hasty decision to ya know, murder him???? Fry him at the stake because Ante was overly suspicious and kinda, really, definitely xenophobic. Innes remains a sweet sunshine child even after his resurrection and although he’s still loyal to his friends, Ilya and Saine, he’s starting to care about Yusuha, Falco, and Thalia, as well as the injustices Arcadians have endured. Eli is Innes’ brother in all but blood, so he gets his absolute loyalty, above everything and everyone else, but that’s neither here nor there.

This is a long winded post to say that Innes is gonna be a (somewhat) reluctant ally to Leon and force these two nations to get along. He’s really tired of having to murder people if he doesn’t have to. He might make an exception for Ante, I’m only half kidding. Honestly don’t know who he’ll end up romancing post resurrection, but it’s looking like Yusuha.

Play the game here and scream at @mage-parivir about it, if you don’t cry at least once, I’m calling y’all a liar!

[hysterialevi]

Hagall - A Sigurd/Male Eivor Fanfic

**SPOILERS FOR SUTHSEXE ARC BELOW**

Fanfic summary: After rescuing Sigurd from Fulke's cruelties, Eivor works on helping his brother recover from his trauma.

Point of view: third-person

Pairing: Sigurd Styrbjornson x Male Eivor

KINGDOM OF SUTHSEXE

BAELFRITH

Hair as red as fire. Eyes as cold as ice. A wrath that burned brighter than Surtr’s mythical sword.

The Saxons watched in terror as the Norse warrior carved his way through their settlement, tearing apart its very foundation in an attempt to find the woman who took his arm.

He shouted in a Devilish tongue that none of them understood, and with every guardsman that he cut down, the more the ground seemed to vanish underneath a new layer of blood.

There were fresh corpses scattered all over the village, and due to the flames that ravaged the settlement, most of its people now lay buried beneath a tombstone of ash, their faces frozen in fear as the world around them burned like a pyre.

It was Hell on earth, and only one man had caused it.

“BRING ME FULKE!” The viking roared above all the chaos, swinging his sword into another guard as he headed for the longhouse. “I know she’s here!”

Stomping his way up the hill that led to the longhouse’s entrance, the Norse refused to stop for anything as he stormed through a crowd of terrified civilians, all of them scurrying away in fear upon noticing his presence.

“Flee, everyone!” A Saxon man yelled in horror. “Flee for your lives! The Devil himself is in Baelfrith!”

Ignoring the panicked screams of the villagers, the viking continued on his fervent path for vengeance and planted a firm foot in the door of the longhouse, breaking it free from its hinges as it wildly swung open.

There were only a few people inside -- most notably, the thegn of this settlement -- and with no one around to stop him, the viking hurried into the building, ready to get the information he needed.

Just before he could progress however, a familiar voice called out to the Norse, halting him in his tracks.

“Sigurd!” Eivor exclaimed, jogging up to the man. “Wait!”

The viking turned around to face his brother, his gaze still wild from the recent battle.

“What is it?” He asked sharply, sounding more harsh than he intended.

Eivor furrowed his brow in concern, unable to hide the worry he felt.

“I just...” the younger man took a breath, trying to calm himself down, “...I want you to think about this, brother. Are you certain this is what you want to do? Interrogating Aldrich, I mean.”

The older man obviously didn’t share his partner’s skepticism. “Why wouldn’t it be? Thegn Aldrich can tell us where Fulke is hiding. He’s protecting her. I know he is.”

Eivor’s fear quickly turned into frustration. “And you really think he’s going to help us? After we just burned down his settlement and slaughtered his people? I love you, Sigurd, but this...” he gestured at the destruction around them, “this is not who you are.”

Sigurd stepped closer to Eivor, his figure towering over him.

“Then you haven’t been paying attention.” He said lowly. “We are warriors, Eivor. Sons of Odin. We are born and bred for Valhalla. We do not cower in the shadows like a rat, or hide in the grass like a snake! Fulke wrought every conceivable violation upon me, and so I will not rest until I throw her into the jaws of Garmr myself!”

Sigurd leaned forward, his voice rumbling like magma in his throat. “Either lend me your aid now, or return to Ravensthorpe. I will collect Fulke’s head, with or without you.”

The younger man shook his head in disapproval. “...There is no honor in this, Sigurd. You know that. You are not a barbarian, nor are you a murderer. But you are blinded by your hatred. Listen to me--” Eivor gripped him by the shoulders, “--Fulke isn’t worth it!”

His brother scoffed, shrugging his hands off. “You really think you can judge me? Or must I remind you of all the years you spent seeking revenge against Kjotve? What about when you endangered your crew simply to go after him? My methods may be brutal, Eivor, but do not pretend that you would not replicate them. Your claim to a virtuous disposition is meaningless, for we both know you are no better.”

Eivor sighed in annoyance. “Which is exactly why I know this isn’t worth it! My hatred for Kjotve tore me apart for years, Sigurd. It led me down a path that changed me for the worse, and I do not wish to see you lose yourself either.”

“You weren’t there, Eivor!” Sigurd insisted. “You did not see what Fulke did to me. She...” the man paused for a moment, trying to hold himself together, “...she took... everything from me. My strength, my dignity, my freedom. Fulke is nothing more than a witch in human form, and honor demands that I bring her to retribution. You can fight by my side, or watch from the shadows like a coward. It matters not.” He threw a cautionary glare at the other man. “But do not get in my way.”

Standing there in silence, Eivor watched hopelessly as his brother lost himself in his rage, consumed by a hatred that no one in their clan had ever seen before. He knew the man was hurting inside, and he knew it wasn’t Sigurd’s fault, but to see him lash out in such a violent manner... it broke Eivor’s heart.

Sigurd was a good man. A good leader. He cared deeply for his people, and had already sacrificed so much to keep them afloat. But to witness him undo all of his work in the name of killing Fulke -- a single woman -- Eivor knew he had to stop him sooner or later.

He did not want to fight against Sigurd as Valka predicted he would, but for his brother’s own sake, he feared he would have no choice.

Noticing the abrupt shift in his brother’s mood, Sigurd felt a sudden sense of guilt clutching at his chest as he took on a gentler tone, uttering a brief apology.

“F-Forgive me, my love...” he whispered, “that was... unworthy of me. I apologize. But I fear my point still stands. I can’t just walk away from this. I...” Sigurd glanced down at his amputated arm, doing his best to block out the abhorrent memories that came with it, “...I need to kill Fulke.”

Eivor sighed in defeat, not wishing to argue with his brother any further. “...If that’s truly what you wish, then I will stand by you, Sigurd. All the way to the end.” He placed a hand on the man’s cheek, gazing at him affectionately. “But please... do not forget who you are.”

Sigurd nodded reassuringly. “I won’t.”

Returning to the task at hand, the older man separated their embrace and brought his attention back to the longhouse, eager to get some answers from Thegn Aldrich as Eivor followed from behind. 

At the moment, the elderly nobleman was cowering behind the safety of his throne and had no more than a pitiful dagger to defend himself, somehow enhancing his already pathetic display.

Most of the civilians who once stood by his side had fled the safety of the longhouse, and the closer Sigurd got to him, the more Aldrich’s grasp on the dagger seemed to shake.

“No!” The Saxon cried out in fear. “Leave me be, Dane! Stay back!”

The thegn wildly swung his blade in an attempt to cut Sigurd, only to receive a fist to the face when the viking swatted the weapon out of his grip.

The dagger went flying off to the side and landed on the stone floor with a metallic clang, leaving Aldrich completely defenseless as he backed away from the Norse in panic.

“Filthy fucking pagan...!” He hissed under his breath. “Rendering a man defenseless in his own home -- slaughtering innocents! God will see you punished for your sins, Dane! Whether you believe in Him or not, He will condemn you and all your kind to Hell for the suffering you’ve inflicted on our people! You will--”

“--Enough of your piety!” Sigurd barked, striking the thegn once again.

Eivor flinched at the aggressive action, having to restrain himself from interfering.

“Brother...!” He warned in a hushed tone, causing Sigurd to glare at him.

“Stay out of this, Eivor.” He demanded before returning his focus to the thegn. “...Tell me where Paladin Fulke is! I know you’re hiding her!”

Aldrich stammered out a response. “M-Madwoman Fulke? That’s why you’re here? You wish to find her?”

Sigurd prowled closer to the Saxon, staring him down as a lion would its prey.

“I wish to kill her.”

The nobleman glowered at that. “Lord above... you Northmen and your thirst for violence. Is it any wonder that England crumbles under the hardships of war? We should’ve set you heathens to the torch the minute you set foot on our shores.”

Sigurd instantly raised his sword up to Aldrich’s throat, holding it dangerously close to his skin.

“Watch... your tongue, Saxon. Lest I tear it out through your teeth. Now, tell me where Fulke is! I grow weary of your rambling.”

Still, Aldrich remained obstinate. “That heretic is far away from here, and safely in the hands of God. She is to be tried by true Christians, and brought to justice in an appropriate manner. I will not let her fate fall into the hands of a bunch of barbarians!”

Sigurd gently pressed the blade into his neck, applying just enough pressure so that a few beads of blood began to form.

“...It’s not your decision to make.”

Aldrich nailed his gaze onto the sword, his teeth starting to chatter as small droplets of blood trickled down his skin.

“And who are you to decide, Dane? You who walks among the hellfire. What makes you think you’re any more suited?”

Sigurd grinned darkly. “Is the fate of your own life not already in my hands?”

When the thegn offered nothing but silence in return, the redheaded Norse took a few steps forward, carrying on with his interrogation.

“This is your last chance, Aldrich. Tell me where to find Paladin Fulke, and I might leave enough of a body for your kin to bury. Otherwise, I will personally see to it that my skalds use your bones to beat their war drums. Your head will adorn the tallest pike in my village, and I will spread your lungs into wings so that you may fly with the same birds that feast on your corpse.”

“Sigurd...!” Eivor said once again, causing the man to sigh in frustration.

“What?” He snapped.

“What are you doing?” The younger man questioned. “This is not who we are!”

The viking ignored his brother’s pleas, growing tired of their quarrel. “Enough, Eivor! You may be my brother, but do not forget who is jarl! My word is law, and if I wish for someone to be killed, I expect you to help me swing the sword! Now for the last time, stay out of this...!”

Sigurd turned to Aldrich, impatiently awaiting the man’s reply.

“And you! What say you? Will you tell me where Fulke is? Or shall I take my axe to your spine?”

The Saxon scowled at the Norse, refusing to give in.

“...Devil take you, Dane.” He spat at Sigurd’s feet.

The Norse warrior chuckled at the gesture, his temperament alarmingly calm.

“A foolish idea, thegn.”

Deciding not to hold back anymore, Sigurd suddenly threw a punch at Aldrich’s face and knocked the man flat on the ground, continuing to beat the Saxon as he helplessly crawled away.

“Sigurd!” Eivor blurted out in shock, unsure of what to do.

But the viking didn’t stop. Instead, he simply approached Aldrich and carried on with his assault as the thegn desperately tried to get back up on his feet, latching onto any piece of furniture that would support his weight.

“Sir Regnward...!” The Saxon shouted, calling out to his housecarl. “Cut this Dane down immediately! I want him killed!”

There was no answer.

“Sir Regnward!” Aldrich repeated in his absence, his voice trembling now. “For God’s sake, Cedric, where are you...?!”

Sigurd planted a boot on top of the thegn’s hand, grinding it into the floor.

“Your housecarl is dead, thegn!” He exclaimed, his tone dripping with venom. “He lies outside with a sword buried in his heart, just as you soon will.”

The Saxon whimpered under the pressure of Sigurd’s boot, frantically trying to wiggle his way out of the man’s hold, but to no avail.

“Please...!” He begged, his jaw clenched in agony. “Leave me be...! There’s nothing more I can offer you!”

Sigurd crouched on the floor, staring at Aldrich directly in the eye. “Are you as dense as you are cowardly? Tell me where Fulke is, and all this stops. It’s a simple concept, really.”

But still, the Saxon refused. “If I tell you, they’ll have me hanged!”

“And if you don’t,” The Norse growled, “I’ll do worse.”

Leaning closer to the thegn as he crushed the man’s hand, Sigurd prepared to punch Aldrich again and clenched his fist, only to find himself being dragged away from the Saxon when Eivor suddenly decided to intervene.

“Sigurd!” The younger man said. “Enough!”

The redheaded viking regained his footing, glaring furiously at his brother.

“Eivor! How many times must I tell you to stay out of it?”

“As many as you wish,” he replied, “but regardless, I cannot just stand by and do nothing while you torment these people! We will find Fulke, brother, but not like this. Not ever like this.”

Eivor turned to the fallen Saxon, gesturing to the longhouse’s ruined door.

“Take what people you have left and flee, thegn. There is nothing more for you in Baelfrith.”

Aldrich pushed himself off the floor and gripped his hand in a nursing hold, nodding appreciatively at his savior.

“Bless you, Dane. Bless you...!”

“Do not mistake my mercy for acceptance. If I see you or any of your other people near our clan after this, you won’t be walking away next time.”

It pained Eivor to speak to a defenseless man in such a way, but for the sake of not completely throwing his loyalty for Sigurd out the window, he figured he had to prevent the Saxons from seeking vengeance somehow.

“Oh, you won’t,” Aldrich promised. “I swear it.”

Scurrying off without another word said, the lone thegn hurriedly made his way out the longhouse as Eivor stayed behind, standing amidst all the chaos his brother had sowed.

He wasn’t sure if he did the right thing, allowing Aldrich to escape. The man appeared sincere enough in his promise to leave the Raven Clan alone, but as past experiences would have taught Eivor, no one could be trusted in a time of war.

For all he knew, the thegn could’ve been planning for revenge. He had enough survivors to rally a small fyrd, and it didn’t seem entirely impossible that the man would attempt some sort of retaliation.

Still, despite his uncertainties, the young viking was glad to have prevented further bloodshed. There was no love lost between him and self-righteous Saxons, but regardless, Eivor did not wish to see anymore unnecessary death.

There had been far too much of it already.

Turning back to address his brother, Eivor halted in his steps when he found the sullen man sitting quietly on Aldrich’s throne, his head hanging low in despondency. 

His brow was furrowed in deep thought, and the closer Eivor walked to the solemn jarl, the more he was able to see the exhaustion creasing his lover’s face.

Sigurd didn’t look well at all. 

A grim shadow seemed to loom over the man’s conscience like a dark cloud, and with the sound of wild flames crackling outside, Eivor only wondered how long it would be until Sigurd’s actions reflected the little sanity he preserved.

“Sigurd...?” He said worriedly, kneeling in front of the man so that he was eye-level with him. “Are you well, brother?”

The forlorn viking glanced up at Eivor, his expression heavy with remorse. There was no longer any strength in his face as there was before, and the dark circles outlining his sockets only seemed to harden his gaze.

“...What’s happening to me, Eivor?” Sigurd whispered, his tone devoid of any emotion. “That woman, Fulke... she turned me into a monster.”

The younger man cupped his partner’s face in his hands, looking at him affectionately.

“No, Sigurd...” Eivor comforted, “you are not a monster. Nor are you a saint. You are only human. Like the rest of us.”

The other man chuckled morosely at the statement. “...Human. If only you knew the irony of your words, brother. Fulke spent all our time together trying to convince me otherwise. She believes I am born of the gods. One of the... Ancient Ones. She believes that--”

“--What Fulke believes doesn’t matter.” Eivor insisted. “She’s a madwoman, Sigurd. A snake. And she will do anything she can to twist your mind, regardless of the cost.”

Eivor caressed Sigurd’s cheek, attempting to console the older man.

“But hear me when I say this. No matter how you see yourself, Sigurd -- no matter how long it takes for you to recover from this pain -- remember, you will always be someone who’s cherished among our clan. You will always be my most trusted friend, and my most loved companion.”

Eivor placed a kiss on the other man’s lips, afterwards resting the bridge of his nose against Sigurd’s.

“I love you. And don’t you ever forget that.”

Sigurd brought a hand up to one of Eivor’s arms, holding him gently in place.

“Freyja knows I don’t deserve you.” He replied softly. “After everything I’ve done, I’m not certain I deserve anyone.”

“Don’t say that,” Eivor reassured. “There is still hope for you, Sigurd. You’re not beyond redemption yet. But I can’t heal you by myself. Ultimately, your own recovery rests with yourself in the end.”

The younger man stepped back and rose from the floor, reaching a hand out to Sigurd.

“But I won’t abandon you. From here to Valhalla, I’ll always be at your side.”

The older man grabbed Eivor’s hand, pulling himself up from the throne as the two of them savored a brief moment of peace.

“I know,” Sigurd said earnestly. “And I won’t disappoint you, my love. I promise.”

Walking alongside each other, the peculiar couple removed themselves from the morbid scene and returned to the hellfire outside, prepared to face whatever threats awaited them in the chaos.

By now, the ferocious flames had dug into the very heart of Baelfrith and consumed its soul, leaving nothing but a sea of fire that drowned everything in its path.

There were golden specks of light flickering throughout the pillars of smoke, and with nothing more than a pile of corpses to commemorate the life that once thrived in this settlement, Eivor felt a new sense of grief tugging at his conscience.

All this destruction, all this ruin... it was entirely their fault. So many innocent lives had been condemned within a single day, and the blood would forever stain their hands.

But despite the tragedy, Eivor knew he couldn’t give up. Sigurd’s old self was barely hanging by a thread at the moment, and the younger man feared he would fall without someone there to help guide him.

So, without saying a word, Eivor simply reached over and took his lover’s hand into his grasp, holding him close as they traversed through the flames. 

He didn’t know how he was going to help Sigurd recover from his pain, or the torment that Fulke put him through, but one thing was for certain.

Fulke was going to have to kill Eivor if she ever intended laying her hands on Sigurd again. He would always protect that man at all costs, no matter what happened, and even if it meant he would lose his own life, he was prepared to defend Sigurd. 

All the way to the end.

[twoidiotwriters1]

Written In The Stars CXXXVII (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: Book 6 was beyond complicated to write due to some artistic choices I made lmao but again I do hope you guys like it even if I don’t feel it was perfect bc I enjoyed how most of it turned out -Danny

Words: 4,005

Series’ Masterlist

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Listen to: ‘The Black and White’ -by The Band CAMINO.

Chapter Thirty-Five: A Prophecy.

Harry walked back to his chair and sat down heavily.

"Five years ago you arrived at Hogwarts, Harry, safe and whole, as I had planned and intended. Well — not quite whole. You had suffered. I knew you would when I left you on your aunt and uncle's doorstep. I knew I was condemning you to ten dark and difficult years. I considered it almost a miracle when Emily agreed to move in next door so she could keep an eye on you..."

Even though Lord Voldemort perished that night in Godric's Hollow, his followers continue to hunt down answers for months, neither Harry nor Mel would've been safe in the wizarding world.

"You would be protected by an ancient magic of which he knows, which he despises, and which he has always, therefore, underestimated — to his cost. I am speaking, of course, of the fact that your mother died —and your father too, Mel— to save you. They gave you a lingering protection he never expected, a protection that flows in your veins to this day. I put my trust, therefore, in your mother's blood, Harry. I delivered you to her sister, her only remaining relative."

"She doesn't love me. She doesn't give a damn —"

"But she took you. She may have taken you grudgingly, furiously, unwillingly, bitterly, yet still she took you, and in doing so, she sealed the charm I placed upon you. Your mother's sacrifice made the bond of blood the strongest shield I could give you. And as for you, Mel, you were just a baby, therefore Voldemort's followers couldn't tell if you were as skilled as your dad. It was only until last year when Voldemort realized you were hiding great power."

"I still don't —"

"While you can still call home the place where your mother's blood dwells, Harry, there you cannot be touched or harmed by Voldemort. He shed her blood, but it lives on in you and her sister. Her blood became your refuge. You need return there only once a year, but as long as you can still call it home, there he cannot hurt you. Your aunt knows this. I explained what I had done in the letter I left, with you, on her doorstep. She knows that allowing you houseroom may well have kept you alive for the past fifteen years."

"My mother isn't a Dumbledore," Mel frowned. "If that's what kept Harry safe, living with his aunt, then why did I only meet you after I turned eleven?"

"You were a direct descendant from my brother and not me, you weren't in danger as much as Harry. Once I found out about your outbursts I talked to him, I knew you'd need his protection... I'm afraid his guilt stopped him. I've been taking his place, having you come into my office for a weekly lesson as a way to make sure you would be both, protected, while also learning to defend yourself."

Harry came into a new realization.

"You sent that Howler. You told my aunt to remember — it was your voice —"

"I thought that she might need reminding of the pact she had sealed by taking you. I suspected the dementor attack might have awoken her to the dangers of having you as a surrogate son." 

"It did. Well — my uncle more than her. He wanted to chuck me out, but after the Howler came she — she said I had to stay. But what's this got to do with..."

"Five years ago, then, you arrived at Hogwarts, neither as happy nor as well-nourished as I would have liked, perhaps, yet alive and healthy. You were not a pampered little prince, but as normal a boy as I could have hoped under the circumstances. Thus far, my plan was working well."

The memory of that small boy came to her. He didn't look much different from the Harry sitting beside her, except perhaps, for the way his gaze had darkened. 

He'd always known Harry and Mel would eventually be hunted, and he'd made sure they'd be ready. Dumbledore had a plan from the moment they set a foot in the castle. She wondered exactly how much of everything happened accidentally, and how much had been planned.

"I don't understand what you're saying." 

"Don't you remember asking me, as you lay in the hospital wing, why Voldemort had tried to kill you when you were a baby? Ought I to have told you then? You do not see the flaw in the plan yet? No... perhaps not. Well, as you know, I decided not to answer you. Eleven, I told myself, was much too young to know. I had never intended to tell you when you were eleven. The knowledge would be too much at such a young age, just like I refused to tell Mel about the rumours surrounding our family."

'The knowledge would be too much at such a young age'. Now, after four years, Mel felt weaker than when she was eleven. Somehow thinner, and far more fragile.

"Do you see? Do you see the flaw in my brilliant plan now? I had fallen into the trap I had foreseen, that I had told myself I could avoid, that I must avoid."

"I don't —"

"I cared about you too much. I cared more for your happiness than your knowing the truth, more for your peace of mind than my plan, more for your life than the lives that might be lost if the plan failed. In other words, I acted exactly as Voldemort expects we fools who love to act."

Mel visibly deflated, a new wave of hurt crashing against her heart.

"So it's true, then?" She asked. "Caring only makes us weak?" 

"My dear, I defy anyone who has watched you as I have —and I have watched you more closely than you can have imagined — not to want to save you more pain than you had already suffered. What did I care if numbers of nameless and faceless people and creatures were slaughtered in the vague future, if in the here and now you were alive, and well, and happy? I never dreamed that I would have such a pair of young souls on my hands..."

Mel had held something similar whenever she would reach out to kiss Harry, and nothing else in the world mattered when they were alone together... but after the third task, they were always so alone.

"...You came out of the maze last year, having watched Cedric Diggory die, having escaped death so narrowly yourself... you, Mel, gave away part of your own life, selflessly risking your own well-being just for the frail chance to see Harry again, and I did not tell you, because to tell you after having almost lost each other in such a way would've been beyond cruel, though I knew, now Voldemort had returned, I must do it soon. 

And now, tonight, I know you have long been ready for the knowledge I have kept from you for so long, because you have proved that I should have placed the burden upon you before this. My only defence is this: I have watched you struggling under more burdens than any student who has ever passed through this school, and I could not bring myself to add another — the greatest one of all."

"...I still don't understand," Harry responded, though now his voice was a bit more quiet and fearful.

Dumbledore admitted what they already knew: Voldemort tried to kill him because of the prophecy, and he'd tried to stop it before it could be fulfilled. Now, years after and once again in a proper body, Voldemort set his mind on hearing the whole thing, looking for a way to end it.

The sun was fully out now, and as he finished, Mel felt the first glimmer of hope peering through.

"Mel broke the prophecy," Harry said quietly. "She crushed it against the ground..."

She closed her injured hand tightly without caring about the sharp pain that shot up to her elbow. 

"I knew we could get rid of it."

"How?" Harry frowned. "How could you know?"

"Because that orb was merely the record of the prophecy kept by the Department of Mysteries. But the prophecy was made to somebody, and that person has the means of recalling it perfectly," Dumbledore explained, looking at her with a strange glint in his eyes.

"Who heard it?" asked Harry, though he already knew the answer.

"I did. On a cold, wet night sixteen years ago, in a room above the bar at the Hog's Head Inn. I had gone there to see an applicant for the post of Divination teacher, though it was against my inclination to allow the subject of Divination to continue at all. The applicant, however, was the great-great-granddaughter of a very famous, very gifted Seer, and I thought it common politeness to meet her. I was disappointed. It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself. I told her, courteously I hope, that I did not think she would be suitable for the post. I turned to leave."

As Dumbledore stood up to retrieve something from a cabinet, Mel continued her story.

"That was the reason why my uncle knew what Voldemort was looking for," She swallowed harshly. "As soon as that thing broke I recognized the figure. How could I not? We've been seeing her for three years..."

Dumbledore came back holding the Pensieve, he put the tip of his wan on one temple and pulled, Mel stood up abruptly. 

"Maybe I shouldn't be here to hear it."

"You've earned your place in this conversation," Dumbledore replied. "Your life is linked to Harry's, is only fair for you to hear it too... that way you'll be able to make an informed decision."

"Only if he agrees." 

She was used to Harry keeping her at a proper distance from his doings, nevertheless, Harry grabbed her wrist.

"Sit down... please."

Before she could reply a figure rose from the Pensieve, there stood a small version of Sibyll Trelawney with a voice Mel had only imagined thanks to Harry's tales from two years ago:

"THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES... BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES... AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT... AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES..."

Professor Trelawney vanished slowly.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said after a moment. "It... did that mean... What did that mean?" 

"It meant... that the person who has the only chance of conquering Lord Voldemort for good was born at the end of July, nearly sixteen years ago. This boy would be born to parents who had already defied Voldemort three times."

"It means — me?"

Dumbledore eyed both teenagers carefully before speaking.

"The odd thing is, Harry, that it may not have meant you at all. Sibyll's prophecy could have applied to three babies, one of them being Mel."

"What?" 

"I thought it was meant to be Matthew's baby," He sighed, "an Auror and a Dumbledore... but alas, you were born at the start of the month — and you were a girl. There were still two more babies in line. Both born at the end of July that year, both of whom had parents in the Order of the Phoenix, both sets of parents having narrowly escaped Voldemort three times. One, of course, was you. The other was Neville Longbottom."

"But then... but then, why was it my name on the prophecy and not Neville's?"

"The official record was relabeled after Voldemort's attack on you as a child. It seemed plain to the keeper of the Hall of Prophecy that Voldemort could only have tried to kill you because he knew you to be the one to whom Sibyll was referring."

"Then — it might not be me?"

"I am afraid that there is no doubt that it is you." 

"But you said — Neville was born at the end of July too — and his mum and dad —"

"You are forgetting the next part of the prophecy, the final identifying feature of the boy who could vanquish Voldemort... Voldemort himself would 'mark him as his equal.' And so he did, Harry. He chose you, not Neville. He gave you the scar that has proved both blessing and curse."

"But he might have chosen wrong! He might have marked the wrong person!"

"He chose the boy he thought most likely to be a danger to him. And notice this, Harry. He chose, not the pureblood (which, according to his creed, is the only kind of wizard worth being or knowing), but the half-blood, like himself. He saw himself in you before he had ever seen you, and in marking you with that scar, he did not kill you, as he intended, but gave you powers, and a future, which have fitted you to escape him not once, but four times so far — something that neither your parents, nor Neville's parents, ever achieved."

In her mind, an alternate life started to take form: Mel as the orphan, Harry's parents alive and well, it was her the one facing death every time... 

Then poor scarred Neville, while Mel and Harry lived surrounded by their families, perhaps even together. The fact that the only reason why Harry was the chosen one was a matter of gender and dates... 

"Why did he do it, then? Why did he try and kill me as a baby? He should have waited to see whether Neville or I looked more dangerous when we were older and tried to kill whoever it was then — or even Mel... She's a Dumbledore — She's the strongest!"

"That might, indeed, have been the more practical course, except that Voldemort's information about the prophecy was incomplete. The Hog's Head Inn, which Sibyll chose for its cheapness, has long attracted, shall we say, a more interesting clientele than the Three Broomsticks. As you and your friends found out to your cost, and I to mine that night, it is a place where it is never safe to assume you are not being overheard. Of course, I had not dreamed, when I set out to meet Sibyll Trelawney, that I would hear anything worth overhearing. My — our — one stroke of good fortune was that the eavesdropper was detected only a short way into the prophecy and thrown from the building."

"So he only heard..?"

"He heard only the first part, the part foretelling the birth of a boy in July to parents who had thrice defied Voldemort. Consequently, he could not warn his master that to attack you would be to risk transferring power to you — again marking you as his equal. So Voldemort never knew that there might be danger in attacking you, that it might be wise to wait or to learn more. And once Mel was born at the start of July as a girl, and you a boy, this only narrowed it down to his apparent advantage. He did not know that you would have 'power the Dark Lord knows not' —"

"But I don't! I haven't any powers he hasn't got, I couldn't fight the way he did tonight, I can't possess people or — or kill them —"

"There is a room in the Department of Mysteries," Dumbledore replied carefully, "that is kept locked at all times. It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than forces of nature. It is also, perhaps, the most mysterious of the many subjects for study that reside there. It is the power held within that room that you possess in such quantities and which Voldemort has not at all. 

That power is what has aided Mel to know if you're in danger and allowed her to help, that power took you to save Sirius tonight. That power also saved you from possession by Voldemort, because he could not bear to reside in a body so full of the force he detests. In the end, it mattered not that you could not close your mind. It was your heart that saved you. So you see, Mel," He added, "caring it's never useless."

"The end of the prophecy... it was something about... 'neither can live...' "

"'... while the other survives,' " Dumbledore concluded.

"So... so does that mean that... that one of us has got to kill the other one... in the end?"

"Yes."

They stayed silent for the longest time, Mel found her voice at the same time as her courage.

"Okay," She spoke. "We just have to make sure you're the one that lives."

Dumbledore's face hinted at a smile, but it did not form fully. Harry stared at her like the thought of surviving was next to impossible.

"I feel I owe you two other explanations," said Dumbledore carefully. "You may, perhaps, have wondered why I never chose you as prefects? I must confess that I rather thought both of you had enough responsibility to be going on with..."

Mel let out a dry chuckle, Harry just sighed. 

"The second and final... is about the decision you ought to take."

"What decision?"

"Your lifeline," He started, "I've been reading about it since the third task... It's called Unio Azoth — A universal cure for any kind of injury, you heal with life itself, and it's always effective. However, not many people dare use it because it demands great sacrifice from both sides of the connection. It's created through highly complex magic, or it can happen, as it was your case, after multiple shared near-death experiences," He paused. "It can also be removed."

There was a split second in which the students didn't know how to react. 

"You're saying," Mel started. "We've been hurting each other for a whole year — and you hid this from us?"

"You were on bad terms after the tournament, the removal can only happen if both sides consent, and you were holding onto it tightly, Mel."

"Is it dark magic?" Harry asked abruptly. "Our connection?"

Dumbledore took another long look at him.

"I believe that what you're trying to ask is if it's damaging for any of you," He replied. "Which is something that depends on the circumstances. There have been moments your connection has improved your lives, but it's also damaged you physically to a great extent. You're asking a question only you can answer, Harry."

"This could've fixed everything between us," Mel felt her anger increasing. "And you just let us argue instead? Why?"

"It was your impulsive actions that kept me from speaking, I couldn't risk one of you trying to cut it without the other knowing, it would've resulted in tragedy."

"We would've acted differently if only we’d known! The reason why we fought was because of how guilty Harry felt about putting me through extra pain — We could've just cut the damn thing — You thought I would've just decided to abandon him?"

"Isn't that what you were attempting this year?" Dumbledore asked pointedly.

"Harry and I couldn't stop fighting, I was tired — I had to keep my distance," Mel stood up. "He spent a whole year drowning in guilt thinking we couldn't change things —"

"When I found out it could be removed," Dumbledore's voice came out just as firm as hers. "You were already far too traumatized. Losing this would've felt like losing a limb. You weren't ready to make a choice then, but I can't keep you in the dark any longer, you have the whole picture now, so you can make an informed decision, but I must ask you to think —"

"I don't need to think it over," Mel said, but Harry spoke at the same time.

"I want to keep it."

"What?" She looked at him in disbelief.

Harry stared at her. 

"It's thanks to this that I knew you were having panic attacks, you've saved my life many times now, I owe you — and it doesn't have to hurt, you can control it, I just need to learn how to do it too!"

"You've been nagging me about how much of a burden this was and suddenly you cling to it as if it were a blessing?" She narrowed her eyes.

"It's just..." His jaw tensed. "It works both ways — if I give it up and Voldemort takes you... I can't leave you to deal with it alone, you'd do the same for me. You've already done it."

Mel shook her head, speechless.

"The decision is yours to make..." Dumbledore concluded. "You have until next term to tell me, and then we'll do whatever you please."

They were walking side by side without speaking. She did not wish to fight, and she felt like it would happen if they were to bring up... well, everything. 

"I'm sorry," He muttered. 

"I don't want to hear it. I'm to blame as much as you are. I ignored you — Dumbledore's right, knowing would've tricked us into thinking we could deal with it on our own, it would've killed us... I've been selfish enough this year to know I would've felt tempted to try and cut it on my own. I won't admit it in front of him, though..."

"You weren't —"

"I don't want to have this conversation," She stopped walking. "Everyone thinks I'm like my father or my uncle... and I'm not. When I was with you I was just Mel... whoever that's supposed to be. When we fought I got lost — you said awful things to me, but you were the only one who wasn't treating me like some overpowered freak..."

"I can't promise we won't fight in the future, but there are worse things than disagreeing and the thought of dying without telling you that I..." He came to a halt, voice breaking.

They wanted to talk about so many things, and yet Mel felt like they would never get to say anything at all.

"You know," She said softly. "We've gone through so much already... and it's hard, looking at you and having to pretend I can continue like this."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm feeling so alone, Harry," She forced the words out of her. "I miss you."

She'd almost been murdered that night, treated like a ragdoll, and traumatized until there was no safe place in her world. Still, nothing made her feel quite as vulnerable and tiny as Harry's understanding of her, the way he knew every single corner of her mind as if it were his own.

Harry gazed at her with hurt, he clenched his jaw and shook his head lightly. She was ready to watch him leave when suddenly, he hugged her.

Mel was having trouble breathing against his shoulder but her arms kept him close, one hand made its way up to the back of his head while the other went to the middle of his back. He was a few inches taller than her, but she still felt like they were a perfect fit.

"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled against her hair, and Mel knew he wasn't just talking about Sirius.

"Me too," She closed her eyes tightly. "We'll find a way through this... together."

Next Chapter —>

Taglist.

@dee123ksha @vampiregirl1797 @siriuslysirius1107 @stardusthigh @mikariell95 @vernon-dursley @thesuitelifeofafangirl @tomshollandz @kylosleftbuttcheek @reverse-hxlland @bloodorangemoonlight @omiwashere @t-rexs-world @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @21bruhs @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual @dielgonacoffee @thelastpyle

[watch-grok-brainrot]

Jin Guangyao's Violation of 忠孝仁义

So I had written about WWX and his strong sense of 忠孝仁义 last week. While I was writing it, I kept on thinking about JGY and how he managed to violate all of these virtues. I wanted to go into this characterization of him because I find it so interesting how opposite he is to WWX in the decisions he made. (Warning: i’m not nice to JGY here so if you don’t want him dragged, don’t read?)

忠- loyalty, devotion, fidelity (usually for country or monarch)

(Can I take a moment to talk about how much I LOVE THIS SHOT?! The blood of WRH on the camera lens, WRH falling over, the sudden shift to brightness that mirrors the scene in ep 50 where JGY obscures the sun in his bow (picture above the read more cut)! I can’t get over how much I LOVE the lighting and the way WRH collapses, making way for JGY to become the new sun. Foreshadowing much CQL Crew?!)

This one might be a stretch depending on how you read JGY. I fully believe he went to work for Wen Ruohan as Wen Zhuliu did -- seeking someone who will value his skills. However, WZL died for WRH and JGY just bided his time. (Note: While we know very little about Wen Zhuliu, we know he was at least 忠 and 义. He died for WRH and Wen Chao and refused to let WC desecrate Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan’s bodies. For that, I have to give him respect. He, despite everything, still had that jianghu sense of 义. Also, the man can count. And knows what a golden core feels like.)

So we know JGY gave Lan Xichen the maps, but he also lured them to Nightless City where the puppets were waiting. Had WWX not brought out the Stygian Tiger Amulet, would JGY have murdered WRH? Or would he have stayed in the shadows forever? As a viewer I have no idea what JGY is thinking, what he’s doing, or what he’s hoping for. He hides so well his intentions that there is debate about if he really was helping with the Sunshot Campaign or not! That isn’t something you can say about someone with loyalty. 

What upsets me further is that Nie Mingjie, having been JGY’s superior officer, sees JGY more clearly than LXC can. NMJ has seen JGY murder and has seen the level of self-serving vindictiveness JGY is capable of. In the case of the Sunshot Campaign, this self-serving attitude made JGY become a double agent uncommitted to either side. Too bad NMJ could not convince LXC of JGY’s duplicity. I’m gonna blame those dimples. 

The fact that we do not know JGY’s intent really shows his lack of 忠. If You Stand For Nothing, JGY, What Will You Fall For? (Answer: Himself and that is not 忠)

孝 - filial piety (deference to your lineage)

So for 孝, you’re supposed to respect your parents, honor your parents, and defer to your parents. What are you not supposed to do? Kill you father. That’s what.

So this should’ve been a really short section because that’s pretty cut and dry. But I want to look at what JGY says to JGS when JGY brings in Sisi and the other women. 

(He’s so creepy in this picture! *shudders*)

“父亲,我给你找来了你最爱的女人. 有很多个. 你高兴吗?”

“Father, I have brought you your favorite -- women. There are many. Are you happy?”

(Translation note: you can translate the line as your favorite women or your favorite -- women. I chose to translate it as the latter due to the context.)

First of all, the tone. JGY’s voice is breathy. I can almost hear a smile. He has zero moral qualms about this. He addresses his father as father, not dad or anything close. But he does acknowledge that relationship. And then he says he’s brought JGS’s favorite. There’s a slight emphasis on the favorite there. And it’s creepy. JGY adds the next line and goose bumps start to form on my skin. He knows his father’s sins and he’s punishing his father with it. Why are you doing this JGY?! And at the end, when it asks “Are you happy?” his voice is so sinister I want to scream. JGY clearly knows what he’s doing. He knows exactly what it means to be 孝 and chooses to make a mockery of 孝, to make a mockery of his father, and to kill his father. 

And then, after he watches JGS die, he tells Sisi and the other women to continue -- to desecrate JGS’s body. This is about as un-孝 as one can get! Remember, WWX and JC were willing to die to get JFM and YZY’s bodies back so they could be cremated and honored. The difference here is night and day! Yes, JGY was very good to his mother, including building a Guanyin Statue in her likeness and sparing Sisi who was a friend of his mother’s, but I cannot get over how much of an abomination he was toward JGS (even if JGS deserved an awful death).

仁 - benevolence, humanity, love of man

JGY has no 仁. Does JGY love anyone other than himself? Maybe his mom. (He might have some 仁 towards Su Sh*t She but that’s only suggested by the last couple of episodes.) That’s really it. He might have loved Jin Ling as his nephew. He might have loved LXC for LXC’s kindness and brotherhood. He might have loved Qin Su as whatever relationship he thinks they had. But when push comes to shove, JGY has zero benevolence towards anyone. He’s willing to kill Qin Su, take Jin Ling hostage, and take LXC hostage. (He also has no 义 but that’s the next section!)

And there’s ep 23. When LXC, JGS, and NMJ were discussing what to do with the Wens,  JGY suggested the Wens be imprisoned at QiongQi Path. Since WRH had ordered the slaughter of multiple clans, including the Jiangs at Lotus Pier, doing the same to him would not be considered unreasonable. Ruthless, yes, but a good show of might and order. This acceptance of murder is due to the concept of 诛九族. 诛九族 (zhū jiǔ zú) is one of the most severe punishments in ancient China. The character breakdown makes it fairly self explanatory:

诛 - to execute, kill, put to death

九 - nine

族 - family, clan,ethnic group, or tribe

诛九族 condemns you and your entire family to death (Depending on the source, some say it’s you + 8 types of relatives. Some say it’s everyone related to you from 4 generations above to 4 generations below).

By suggesting the Wen remnants be imprisoned and not slaughtered, JGY presented himself as 仁. However, by turning around and slaughtering the people per JGS’s wishes, JGY knowingly chose the immoral path where blood flowed like rivers. 

(Also! The way this shot pans down makes me think about how JGY is descending into a hell of his own making...)

义-  righteousness and code of brotherhood

Good god, 义. I have so many feelings about 义. Let’s start with some history because CONTEXT is so important. So when you ask a chinese person on the street to give you an example of 义, I’m willing to bet one of the most common answers you will get is 桃园结义 (tao yuan jie yi, or peach garden/grove establishment of brotherhood). This is THE story of fraternal love between non-blood related men. 

So quick and dirty synopsis of 桃园结义 and the three kingdoms story (I actually haven’t read it and it’s been a while since I actually tried to figure out the plot… so hopefully this is all correct!). Three men (刘备、关羽、张飞/ Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei) met on the streets, fought each other, became besties, and decided to start a rebellion. They took over one third of the country with the oldest (刘备) being the monarch and the other two working at his side (a little Yunmeng bros feel there, right? You’ll be the leader, I’ll be your right hand man). And they died for each other. 关羽 was the first to go. To seek revenge, 张飞 worked his men to the rebellion. Two of 张飞’s subordinates ultimately decapitated him while he was sleeping and brought it to their enemy. 张飞’s head and body are buried in two different cities in China (doesn’t this make you think of NMJ’s fate? Because it did when I was thinking about this and I wanted to cry. Also, 张飞 started out as a butcher. SERIOUSLY CQL/MDZS, can we pretend to be SUBTLE!?). 刘备 continued seeking revenge. Prior to 关羽’s death, the three kingdoms were in semi-equilibrium where the two smaller ones were allied against the larger. However, 关羽 being killed by their kinda-ally destroyed the delicate balance between the three kingdoms. 刘备 could’ve tried to make peace but he wasn’t going to let his sworn brother’s murder go unavenged. They all died in the end but with honor and brotherhood intact. 刘备 and 张飞’s determination to avenge 关羽’s death epitomizes the virtue of 义. They are willing to die for eachother. 

In CQL the parallelism to the 桃园结义 imagery is obvious to anyone who has a cultural background that screams Romance of Three Kingdoms at you. Let’s take a look, ok?  

A quick Google image search yields these images (I couldn’t choose): 

You know what they look like? This (from ep 40): 

You know what 桃园结义 looks like when mainland China made a live action? This: 

And you know what that reminds me of in CQL (ep 23)? 

Are you freaking out now about the visual parallels? Ok. Good. Because we’re moving onto a tiny bit of text comparison because i’m excited and i can. 

Per Romance of Three Kingdoms (note: historically inspired novel, not history), 刘备、关羽、张飞 swore the following oath: 

“念刘备、关羽、张飞，

Hope that Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei

虽然异姓，既结为兄弟，

Even though we have different last names,since we have sworn to be brothers

则同心协力，救困扶危；

Then let us unite our hearts and efforts towards helping the needy

上报国家，下安黎庶。

Repaying our country, bringing peace to the people.

不求同年同月同日生，

We do not ask to be born on the same day of the same month of the same year

只愿同年同月同日死。

But hope to die on the same day of the same month of the same year

皇天后土，实鉴此心，

Heaven and earth, verify our hearts

背义忘恩，天人共戮！”

If we turn our backs to righteousness and forget charity, may we be slaughtered by all. 

Now, let’s look at the oath said by the 3zun:

“神明在上。

Brilliant gods above, 

今日我兄弟三人在此立下重誓，

Today, we three brothers swear a solemn oath here 

上报仙门，下安黎庶 ， 

To repay our cultivation sects, To bring peace to the people.

天地同证，如有异心，

Heaven and earth be our witnesses. If we become disloyal, 

千夫所指，天人共怒”

May a thousand men point their fingers at us and may we be incite the anger of all

Even some of the wording is verbatim. The parts I bolded are what I was excited by since they’re either parallel or verbatim. 

The first set of lines: 上报国家，下安黎庶 and 上报仙门，下安黎庶 . (Remember when I guessed in my WWX post that since there are no countries, the cultivation sects are the target of 忠? This is my proof that I was right!) My hubris aside, this is the part of their oath where they swear to be both 忠 and 仁 together. The wording is verbatim except for the part that doesn’t apply to the CQL universe! 

The second set of lines: 天人共戮 vs 天人共怒. The sentence/phrase format and message is identical-- betray this oath and incur wrath.  (I can’t help but headcanon NMJ wanted to say 天人共戮 because it’s so much more metal but JGY was like, that’s really severe and convinced LXC to side with him to get it changed.)

Even the structure of the oaths are similar. Both oaths start with an introduction (we are three who want to be brothers), both oaths ask the heaven and earth to see them (Heaven and earth, verify our hearts & heaven and earth be our witnesses), and both oaths call upon the wrath of the people for vindication in case of betrayal. The CQL version is an abridged version of the three kingdoms oath and the writers set that up along with all the imagery because they want us to be constantly thinking about the three kingdoms bros and their amazing “even after death we’re still brothers” sense of 义.  They want us to compare JGY’s 义 with that 义 and find JGY lacking. 

The obvious betrayal of 义 is NMJ’s death.  Not only is JGY the cause of NMJ’s death, he butchers (i’m cringing at my own pun... but it’s so accurate) NMJ’s body so that NMJ’s spirit cannot rest. 

But, to me, what JGY does to LXC is betrayal on par with what he does to NMJ (and not dissimilar to what Xue Yang does to Xiao Xingchen). As we went over in the section about 仁, JGY says one thing so that LXC suggest JGY handles the matter. When everyone leaves, JGY does the un-仁 thing, essentially with LXC’s blessing. JGY kills NMJ but he does it by asking LXC to teach him how to play guqin. LXC becomes an unknowing accomplice (like XXC who becomes the killer of tongueless victims of corpse poison). 

So remember in my WWX post how I said WWX took on what he perceived as JC’s debts so JC doesn’t end up 不仁不义? JGY says one thing and does another in front of LXC. He knows LXC cares deeply about being righteous and kind. He knows LXC wants to do good. And he leads LXC down a path of self doubt and regret. LXC ends up teaching JGY the techniques that kill NMJ. LXC lets JGY handle the Wen remnants. Thus, unlike WWX who tries to absolve JC, JGY intentionally puts LXC into the position of 不仁不义. 

Can WWX and JGY be more diametrically opposed (foes)?