#not to mention how easily he was exiled and punished

[crazysnakey]

Something something about the Third Doctor and the fate of Tantalus. You're trapped in one place. Everything you want, that you once took for granted is right there in front of you, you can see it you can reach for it but you can never have it. You will never attain it on your own. Your fate is dependent on the mercy or cruelty of others and you hate it and you rage against it but you can’t do anything, your defiance is treated like nothing but a childish tantrum but you refuse to beg, you won’t get that desperate no matter how long you’re trapped here, no matter how low you’re brought down. You stand among humans and you look human but you’re not, you’re an animal in a cage with them and you’re the only one who can see the bars. Gnawing and hacking at them to no avail. And yet all you can do is wait and hope and try and fail in an endless loop until an outside force interferes to free you from your prison. The carrot and the stick. How does it feel to be on the receiving end?

[nocturn-warrior]

Kiss of seedcake• 🌧

Lotor x f!reader

Summary: building a life with Lotor on Earth after the galras were defeated, you decide to try for a child :)

Rating: fluff, smut (breeding kink)

Notes: this is set after season 8 events, in a timeline where my boy Lotor didn't die and lives happily with u on Earth. This smut has a plot.

Warnings: mentions of pregnancy and lactation, body changes mentions, mentions racism towards Lotor, my grammar because i am not a native speaker lmao

since Sendak and his army was completely defeated thanks to Voltron and their allies. And with an extra help of the space visitors, human kind quickly rebuilt its structures, combining the advanced technologies of their new colleagues with their own. Flying vessels, space travels and colonies, complex security AI systems and media were a great leap in history.

Not surprisingly, interspecies relationships emerged among the coexistence of humans and extraterrestrials, besides it was a taboo for some people, the most conservative ones, you could easily spot a human walking and a balmeran holding hands on the streets. But as expected, racism towards the space visitors was a thing, especially towards the galra people.

Being blamed for the death of so many, even not having affiliation with Sendak’s deadly army, the purple skinned people were a target to bigotry not just coming from humans but also from other extraterrestrials. With your partner Lotor, it wasn’t different. Making public appearances together, you could feel the reproved gaze of your peers, judging the nature of your relationship as disgusting, selfish. Some showed concern, fearing Lotor could harm you in any way, while others called you an enemy, a traitor for engaging yourself to an individual of a species that slaved, tortured and killed so many in the galaxy.

As the only begotten son of emperor Zarkon, so many wanted his head for what his father caused during centuries, and for reprehensible actions of his own. You were constantly reminded of Lotor’s thirst to acquire quintessence and what he did to reach his goals, the hundreds of alteans locked in tanks he utilized as cattle to harvest the substance. The United Planets Council decided he would not receive death penitence or be locked for his crimes, but he should be exiled.

“Exiled… I am used to this condition”

It was better this way; though Lotor wanted and deserved redemption, not everyone including the paladins would accept it easily. When you established you would not abandon him, they immediately intervened reminding you of what his family caused to everyone, of what your late friend princess Allura would want. You were tired of it all. You loved Lotor and wanted to keep him safe, even if it means cutting connections with your friends. You couldn’t risk having your boyfriend stabbed from behind by a vengeful self-proclaimed punisher.

Lotor understood the gravity of his actions he didn’t even tried to defend himself. But he repined every day about how quintessence drove him mad, crazy for power, and that those moments of madness showed up as nothing but foggy memories in his mind. It broke your heart to see Lotor eager to be accepted in this new multispecies society, but being doomed by his past. Deep in his core, all he wanted was that: to be accepted and to fix everything up. Even when he was still the prince of the mighty galra empire, all he did was for a bigger purpose. He knew he took the wrong route, though.

Four years ago you moved together to your family’s old farm; only you, Lotor and the desire to begin a new life. Part of the farm, including the barn and the stable were destroyed by the attacks, but luckily the house you grew up in was intact, except for the dust and spider webs covering the rooms. Nothing you couldn’t fix up. Lotor is a quick learner, his intelligence was always something you appreciated, and with a quickly explaining of how to use house devices, he became a master at it except for the vacuum cleaner.

“How can you pilot a high technological spaceship and be defeated by a vacuum cleaner, my dear?”

You would tease him, leaning against a wall while seeing your lover struggle to clean the dust of the living room. Lotor in his endeavor would blame the device instead of admitting he was having a bad time using it. You find that silly and adorable. It took some days for your house to be properly inhabited again, with Lotor’s help, everything was easy.

He would wash clothes, cook for you – that thin waist of his looked adorable in one of your late grandmother’s apron, and a few other things. But still, he missed space and missed the adrenaline. That mind of his was always hunger for knowledge and staying so much time without absorbing anything was frustrating and tedious. Lotor in fact would not complain about it, but noticing the lack of enthusiasm in your love, you gifted him with a box of the old books you used to read while graduating; psych, biology, chemistry, and others you kept a special interest about but were not exactly linked to your graduation; history and anthropology.

Besides you were a good storyteller, talking about the myths and cultures of your species along with its advances and knowledge on science, nothing compares to touch, read and learn about something from primary fonts. As you expected, Lotor was more than happy when you handled him your collection. Some of the concepts stored in the books were at least eight years outdated, but still he could have a notion of humankind’s plurality, maybe hoping he could integrate himself into society one day.

Everything was so perfect you feared something bad would happen to spoil the moment. Your days were simple and cozy in your home, and occasionally you had to leave to buy some groceries but would come back soon.

Four years ago when the invasion occurred, families found shelter in the rural areas once the galras attacked the big urban centers first. And from this, a small agriculture and livestock centered community was born. They provided food for the cities near the reagion, and living only one or two miles away, you groceries from first hand.

In this specific day, you arrived home carrying a bag full of fresh fruits, vegetables, flour and some animal products. Lotor was sitting on the couch. He wore a grey sweater that reached the mid of his wrists and black sweatpants that barely reached his ankles, snuggling on his muscular calves. Big boy problems. His starlight hair tied into a messy bun was occasionally scratched as he concentred on the book he was reading. In fact, he was so focused on the book that didn't even notice you comming.

"Im back, love!"

You said opening the door and he slightly jumped on his seat.

"Hello, dear! I indeed didn't perceive you arriving. I was quite concentrated on this book i've been reading"

He got himself together, cleaning his throat before helping you to take the groceries to the kitchen. His gaze immediatly directed towards the sway of your hips as you walked.

"Which one is this?"

You ask, placing the bags on the table and cleaning your hands. Lotor blinks for a while, being snapped out of his beholding state:

"It is about the development of agriculture and how it's linked to the appearance of religious cults. I am quite amused by the first forms of art created by your species, dear, and how the belief in gods and deities is linked to the discovering of agriculture. It is pretty interesting how such topics that don’t seem to be linked at first sight are related.”

He continues:

 “The most interesting part, my dear, is that most of these civilizations were situated in quite green and prosper lands, therefore their deities reflected in the places they inhabited. While the people that lived in arid and desert places had vengeful and warrior gods.”

He speaks with enthusiasm, smiling like you have not seen in at least four years. His lust for you was being masked with non-stop bragging about what he learned in that day. Lotor was indeed fascinated by how some ancient human civilizations valorized fertility and reproduction, but what excited him most was to put this in practice. His cock jutted against the fabric of his sweatpants when he saw those sensual statues of Venus in the pages of that book. He wanted you. He wanted to make you his own goddess of fertility.

After drying your hands on a towel, you swiftly turn to your husband, paying attention to his words. But the look on his feline eyes told you everything. The pupils were dilated, shiny like binary stars. You smirk, and when you do so, Lotor stumbles on his own words.

“I have been always fascinated with this topic too, my dear.”

You put on an innocent facade, crossing your arms and leaning your beautiful hips against the counter. Lotor’s hands twitched, urging to squeeze them as you ride his cock gracefully like the goddess you were to him. He licks his lips and smiles:

“Nothing fairer, darling. You are a goddess yourself. But do you know what is missing?”

You obliviously shake your head to his question.

“A seed to be fertilized in this womb of yours”

Just by hearing his deep sensual voice, you feel your core flutter with excitement. The galran prince approaches you, closing the space between your bodies. All you do is to let him guide you onto his arms and give yourself to this blissful heat.

His thumb traces your lowerbelly, imagining it growing as a proof of the seed he implanted in your womb. He imagines your breasts swelling, leaking the milk that will nurture your child.

Lotor sinks his hand under your hair, softly bringing you closer to him and intensifying the kiss. Your fingers travel under his sweater, tracing his divinely sculpted abs one by one. The desire of being impregnated by him only grew stronger and stronger.

He strips you down, taking off your shirt and giving your breasts good squeezes before attaching his lips to the plump sides of them, leaving soft hickeys on your skin. You pant caressing his jaw as he does it.

Then, his long fingers skim down towards your groin. He gently slids down the waistband and kneals down in front of you. Hugging your hips, Lotor attaches his mouth onto your cut, sweetly suckling your clit as you tug onto his hair, undoing the messy bun he had.

"Lotor..."

You moan sweetly, and it sounds like the chant of Earth itself, like the sounds of raindrops falling onto soil.

His skilled tongue dances around your clit. Your legs tremble and if he wasn't holding you still by your hips, you would definitly lose your balance with so much pleasure being given.

And like a water dam being open, your fluids flow into Lotor's mouth and he delights on it like honey. He moans pulling off and looking up to see your divine glory squirm in pleasure.

Standing up, Lotor holds you on his arms in bridal style, you lean in like a dandelion seed being carried by wind and he places you onto the canopy bed, the plush cushion softly sinking with your body.

Looking up at Lotor while he takes off his own clothing, you get a sight of his purple large cock deliciouspy jutting against his pants. It wiggles tantalizing when his boxers are finally down, hard and reaching his lower belly.

With your fingers you trace his abs again, they are sculpted and perfect like a statue meticulously carved in marble by the best of the sculptors. His silver bodyhair stands on ends with your touch.

Lotor gently inserts his large cock in your entrance, being enthralled by your moans. Your cunt is tight for his size, but soon it accomodates his full length.

He moans loudly and sensually twitching his hips, you reach out to squeeze his muscular butt as it recoils and releases with his thrust. Your motion seems like an extra stimulus.

"Stars. May your womb be a fertile field where i will plant my crops. You are perfect!"

He pants, the pace increasing and your bodies sweating, your pleasured noises echoing through the wood walls.

"I am going to fill you up, dear. I am going to make you a mother; i am going to make you my own fertility deity."

That was when you orgasmed.

It feels like you two were perfcetly designed for this, like your bodies were shaped by universe to create life. You bury your hand underneath Lotor's hair, his front strands are falling and tickling your face. As his pace increases, you hold it tighter and beautiful gasps leave his mouth.

"I- i am comming..."

Soon, the river flooded the land and you felt his warm seed inside your womb. Pace slowing down, Lotor remains the last frictions with his cock still in your vagine.

He pants a chuckle cleaning his sweaty forehead with his forearm. You let out a dizzy smile, reaching out to cup his cheek as your brain process the event, beholding his how graceful he looks.

Releasing his cock, Lotor gently pushes the oozing translucid liquid to inside of you again, rubbing it onto your still sensitive cunt. His ejaculation is so voluminous it feels like every inch of your tube is filled up. The alien man leans in and kisses your cheek:

"You were so great, darling... I... wow! I have no words to describe it. You will be a good mama"

His sudden use of an earthling slang makes you chuckle. How can a man be so sensually irresistible, and seconds later make your heart melt with such an adorable, silly thing? This is a Lotor ability, you guess. He messes with your mind in the better ways possible.

Cleaning up the sweat, you snuggle onto Lotor's chest while calming down your nerves after such a moment. The seed has been implanted to your womb, and Lotor couldn't wait for it to grow.

[cryptictongues]

Lonely Punity

pairing: Rufus Shinra x AFAB!Reader rating: Mature word count: 1.6k summary: "You believe me like a god. I betray you like a man."

warnings: angst, hurt, smut (references female anatomy)

Author's Notes: I was heavily inspired by "I'm Your Man" by Mitski for this short fic. Something about it just SCREAMS Rufus to me.

Spoilers involve mentions of the events at Junon and Rufus' plans towards the end of the game, so be wary!

[AO3 link]

Rufus doesn’t deserve you, that he knows for certain. The constant battle between his wants and his reality raging inside of him, desperate to resolve itself. But he knows it’s not that easy. It never is. 

Which is why he is here once again, completely bare and vulnerable with your legs wrapped around his hips. His fingers work you open, working to ring out gasps and hums of approval as he gets you ready for him.

The minute Rufus saw you, he was intrigued. From your prowess to your intellect, you became one of the best in the Turks ranks. He has watched you train through blood, sweat and tears, and in the end you had managed to prove that you were up to the challenge to serve. 

To serve him.

He never expected you to stick by his side, and he truly never expected to become enamored with you. He has had many lovers, none of them ever serious. But after he got sent away to Junon, he was surprised to see that it was you who were sent to be there with him. He thought his exile would be the time for him to plan his next steps, to plan for the right time to make his return. However, it wasn’t the only thing he got in his solitude.

Loneliness has never been anything new to him. It’s a birthright; something he was born with. As a child, his dad was never around, either doing business or fucking other women. He would belittle him, like he was nothing. His mom had passed early into his years of life. It’s as if he was being punished, but to what effect? He never could grasp. All he knew was loneliness was a curse, and maybe it’s what he deserves.

But you, you alleviated him. His time with you was never dull, never cold. You’d listen to him. You made him laugh. You even made him forget. It was as if his life was normal with you around. He didn’t feel lonely in your presence, and that was new for him. 

You are perfect. In every sense of the word, that is what you are to Rufus. Your perfection is not something he feels deserving of. 

But at the end of the day, he is a man and man takes and takes. And he wonders if that alone is why you, someone of your caliber, submit to him so easily.

“Fuck, Rufus! I need you please!”

Need . He has needed you from the start.

He takes his fingers away from your dripping cunt, his soaked fingers running along his cock. He slaps it across your heat a few times, savoring the way it clenches on nothing. He lets the head linger on your clit a second more, before dragging it down your folds to where you need him and where he is craving to be. 

He slides home, moans leaving his and your lips in unison, before he presses his body down on yours with his elbows laying to rest on either side of your shoulders. His hands hold your cheeks, his blue eyes looking into yours. The way you are looking at him, awe in your expression, makes Rufus shiver. He pulls his hips away slowly, a soft gasp coming from you, before slamming back in. All he can think is how perfect you feel around him.

“I got you, my angel. Now sing for me.”

Your eyes don’t falter with the rest of your expression. They stay on his, looking at him like he is a God, and that makes Rufus want to spiral.

You are not deserving of her. 

You are bad for her.

You deserve loneliness.

He has made love to you multiple times, but he knew this time was different, for it would be the last. 

You had been by his side for so long, protecting him throughout everything. While all the Turks had laid down their lives for him, it was you he always wanted by his side. But there was always that nagging feeling in his chest that he would cause you trouble, for he had enemies everywhere. He knew things would amp up once his dad passed, and he felt it even more now that the past is haunting him. However, he ignored it. How selfish of him. 

It wasn’t until the day he was almost assassinated that he knew he would be your ruin. All he could recall was one second, he was standing, and the next he was on the ground. He remembers being pulled up, only to see you on the ground clutching the back of your neck with blood seeping in between your fingers.

Rufus never gets scared, but that day will forever terrify him. If you had pushed him just that much sooner, you would be dead. Your blood would’ve been on his hands.

Thoughts of that day rummage his head, making him thrust harder into you. His hands travel to the back of your neck, the scar evident as they pass, and grasp onto your hair. A choked moan left your mouth, and Rufus went to swallow whatever follows. His lips are on yours messily, grunting into your mouth every time he is fully inside you. He feels you clench on him, trying to pull him in more like it was possible.

“Tell me,” he gasps into your mouth, refusing to let up. “Tell me you love me.”

What a selfish thing to ask. 

“I love you,” you choked out at a particularly hard thrust he delivers. 

He grips your hair tighter, craving you. “Tell me again.”

“Oh God! Rufus, I love you!”

In the earlier days, he would have relished in your devotion. Now, he feels distraught. Out of everyone on the planet, why did you have to love him? And why were you the only one to ever give him an ounce of it? 

You are a drug he takes and takes with greed, wanting to quit but unable. He begs for you to tell him that you love him, praying that it’ll sway him, but he knows it won’t work. With everything on the horizon, the utmost dangerous plans he was about to engage everyone in, he can’t fathom putting you in it. He will not relive the trauma of the thought of losing you again. He will do what he must to keep you safe and if that means making an enemy out of himself, he will.

He knows you all too well. He knows you will do anything to protect him and to help advance him. He knows you will sacrifice everything to get what information is needed when they travel to what they hope is the Promised Land. And because of that courage, he will hold you back. 

He can feel his orgasm coming, his hips moving with vigor as you shake beneath him from your own. His body starts tensing, preparing itself for release and it isn’t until your nails dig into his back, scratching up to behind his neck to keep his head leveled with yours that he starts to tip downward. 

“Cum for me, my love. For me.”

For you.

He cries out for you, slowing his hips down as he rides it out. Your eyes stayed on him, mirroring his expressions as you pulsed around his cock. He moves slower until he stops all together, sighing as he closes his eyes tightly, holding the tears in. 

He feels your hands caress his face, bringing him down for a languid kiss. He wants to stay like this forever. He wants it to be you and him against everything and everyone. 

But what he wants isn’t in the cards for him.

He rolls over you, panting in recovery, before he turns to look at you once more. You are looking at him, deep affection stirring in your eyes. It makes him want to weep at what could be, but he holds it together.

“Come here,” he murmurs, patting his chest.

You crawled over to him, curling up into his side and laying your head over his heart. You are warm against him, the post-coital glow radiating into his side. He’s going to miss this.

“Are you nervous about tomorrow?”

Yes, but it’s not what you think.

“No, I’m not.”

He hears you breathe out, a slight quiver like you know something you shouldn’t but you don’t mention it. You just snuggle into him closer. 

“That’s good. Everything will go according to plan. I’ll make sure of it.”

Rufus lays in silence for a while, you having long passed out. He studies your face, and it looks as peaceful as ever; like nothing is wrong and everything is as it should be.

Rufus’ chest tightens up. You won’t forgive him after tomorrow. He is already picturing how you will scream at him for taking you off the mission. Yell at how you will be moved somewhere far away from what will transpire. Plead to stay by his side with the others. 

Maybe you will figure him out, maybe not. Maybe you will resent him forever and see this as a betrayal, but he doesn’t care. He can stand to be lonely, for that has been his whole life. He wouldn’t survive knowing that your life was taken for nothing.

Taken by nothing except a pigheaded, pathetic, daddy-hating child.

So, Rufus will stay like this for the time being. He will allow this one last act of indulgence before he cuts the cord. If he must stay alone forever to keep you safe, then he will do what he must. 

_

If you are 18+, follow my Tumblr @cryptictongues - minors and ageless blogs will be blocked.

[muddyorbsblr]

relinquish the crown: locked away | 2

Series Masterlist See my full list of works here!

Placement: before the main story; during 'atonement or debasement'

Summary: You try something new to break through the memory barrier

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Word Count: 735

Warnings: themes of incest (he's adopted but still); slight mention of a spicy dream from 'to covet her'

Things to be aware of: first person POV

The entire time that this charlatan Prince Damien was trying to convince this incomplete, lapsed version of myself that he was this man reformed, I grew more and more frustrated as the moments passed. Pounding away at the barrier with the tomes I had on my side. The ones that contained my memories of loving Loki.

If Father could see me now trying to quite literally punch my way out, I wonder…would he be proud? Or would he wish to keep me locked away like this once he knew what I was trying to fight my way back to?

Should I even keep trying, knowing the uncertainty that faced us if I somehow found my way back to Loki and broke this curse? Knowing that we would most likely never know peace the moment I would tell him that I loved him back?

What if we were to be exiled for our licentiousness and he would grow to resent me? What if we were to be forced to marry other people as Odin's punishment for our blatant disregard for common decency? What if they all forced me to marry this Damien with the wandering eye even as we made our way to the kitchens? He hadn't even finished with apologizing to the women he disgraced when last he was here, and already he was keeping a mental tally of the ones he'd yet to be acquainted with.

I'd only realized how tired I'd grown from fighting against the barrier to break through and finally reunite with the rest of me the moment my body walked into that little area in the kitchens and caught sight of Loki, those butterflies erupting in my stomach as if it were clockwork when he smirked at the sound of my voice.

It was only toward the end of my conversation with him that I'd begun to pay attention to what was happening around me, opting instead to look through the tome that I'd been holding in my hand and beating away at the barrier with. Most of the memories came from the first day of the Autumnal Equinox festival. From the dream I had about him pleasuring me in our little corner in the library until that moment up on stage where I sang with him and we tapped messages into each other's hand of how we loved each other.

What an imbecile I was to not have realized back then that he'd meant it as more.

It was in thumbing through these pages that a thought crossed my mind. That perhaps the tomes couldn't break through the barrier, but perhaps a page from the tomes could somehow bleed through, bit by bit…glimpse by glimpse.

And those glimpses could compound into full memories until the barrier weakened significantly enough that I could finally break through.

I could finally be with him.

I tried with the memory of my dream with us in the library first, but the pages wouldn't budge. As if they couldn't be torn no matter which way I tried to rip it. So I tried next with something fleeting. Something seemingly mundane. Something that could be triggered the moment he pulled my body back into his arms and he wiped away at a crumb from the corner of my mouth.

The memory of him making sure that I'd eaten before the school concert that day.

The page tore away from the tome with no resistance, and for the first time in weeks, I felt relief flooding my system when the page so easily slid under the barrier, and suddenly the rest of the library of my mind was awash with light, my other self's vision being overtaken by that memory for a fleeting moment before the page burned away on the other side of the barrier, materializing once more in the tome, as if it had never been torn away in the first place.

And now couldn't be torn away again.

"Must have just been my imagination," I heard my other self say, trying to rationalize what she'd just seen.

The look on Loki's face made it so apparent that he doubted those words, that he probably suspected another headache. He would be right. If only he knew that it was me. That I was causing each and every one of those aches.

That I was quite literally forcing my other self to ache for him.

A/N: It really was a memory y'all saw at the end of 'atonement or debasement' and sadly the spell learns how to fortify against her ideas faster than she can actually see if anything will come from those ideas 🥲

‘everything’ taglist: @sailorholly @loopsisloops @unlucky-number-13 @imalovernotahater @coldnique @loz-3 @huntress-artemiss @salempoe @vickie5446 @athalialaufeyson @lokiprompts @sarahscribbles @kats72 @kikster606 @evelyn-kingsley @lokixryss @thomase1 @mischief2sarawr @peaches1958 @lovingchoices14 @goblingirlsarah @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @creationsbyme @maple-seed @mjsthrillernp @ladyofthestayingpower @mygfloki @sititran @glitterylokislut @ozymdias @fictive-sl0th @lovelysizzlingbluebird @lokidbadguy @mochie85 @silverfire475 @joyful-enchantress @dangertoozmanykids101 @elizabethmidnight2017 @lokidokieokie @lunarnights95 @superficialdomina

Loki taglist: @calumance @severuslovebot @moonlightreader649 @i-stand-with-loki @nixymarvelkins @infinitystoner @lokisgoodgirl @purplegrrl27 @thedistractedagglomeration

[argisthebulwark]

I saw ur tag about soulmates/reincarnation and i dunno if this really fits but it made me think of the parallels between karliah/gallus and tld/bryn. both couples being in love. mercer killing one of them, the one that just so happened to be/become the guild master. every time i think about these parallels i go fucking insane.

Especially if I think about tld actually dying by mercers hand and how something something history repeats itself, something something mercer killed both guild masters and left the ones so in love with them (maybe even married to them) broken shells

anyways....... *goes feral*

YEAAAA dude!!!! god i know it's sad and the reunion would be beautiful and all that but sometimes i just think about tld not surviving mercer. karliah not being able to save them and returning to thieves guild. mercer repeating his own history by killing the one destined to lead the guild and leaving behind a heartbroken, angry thief.

putting all my angst under a cut for the sake of the dash. obv death mention

"I'll be certain to give Brynjolf your regards."

Snow Veil Sanctum had become Karliah's personal hell. Entering the place she'd lost Gallus all those years ago was difficult but having to witness it happening all over again was surely some divine punishment. She watched the poor girl crumble, Mercer's disgusting last words hanging in the air long after his exit. Her eyes burned with unshed tears when she heard Brynjolf's name.

Karliah would follow through on her promise. The next time she saw Mercer would be the last. She dragged the thief's body from the bowels of the ruin knowing the hand pressed to her wound wouldn't cut it - but she couldn't leave her there. She couldn't leave this poor girl alone where Brynjolf couldn't find her.

She wanted her reunion with Brynjolf to be a joyous one. Instead she held the shoulders that shook with each of his sobs and fought back her own tears. He'd been so small when she was exiled and had grown into such a fine man. Karliah's hatred for Mercer somehow deepened upon seeing history repeat itself in such a way.

When Brynjolf's tears subsided Karliah recognized the resentment that replaced his sadness. She understood all too well his thirst for violence, his need to find Mercer and make him pay for what he'd taken from them. Karliah hated that Brynjolf could understand her pain. She wanted to take it away from him, to save him from the years of bitterness and isolation she'd dealt with.

"I'm sorry." She didn't trust her own voice when Brynjolf's puffy eyes met hers. "I'm sorry he took them from us."

"Why does this keep happening?" He sounded empty and Karliah had no answer.

She knew if they didn't stop Mercer his cycle would never break. A new thief would join their guild, fall in love, figure out his scheme, and die by Mercer's hand. Karliah's heart ached at the thought of other souls feeling her pain, the devastating ache of missing the one she loved so dearly.

Delvin was right. Mercer had become a curse upon the Thieves Guild. He killed and cheated, doing anything to keep himself afloat. He'd slain two important members and would surely try again. Karliah knew they had to stop him, it had to be those he'd left heartbroken and alone.

"What do we do now?" Brynjolf sounded so small, nothing like the booming voice he'd used when demanding to see his wife.

"We kill Mercer." She answered easily, offering him a blade. "We bury our loved ones. And you become the next Guild Master."

"I don't think I can do it without her." His voice broke and Karliah felt her heart shatter, pain she'd buried long ago fresh and new once more.

"You have to."

[fallingdownstars]

Intro to:

Recovery!Tale is an Underlust AU with the premise of What if the Underground was not naturally lustful, but instead artificially by the means of a drug called LUST, and would one be able to recover from LUST's effects?

⚠️CW FOR THIS AU⚠️:

Suicide (Explicit Detail)/ Suicidal ideation (mentioned) Drug use (mentioned ) / Recovery from drug use (mentioned ) Sex Work (mentioned) Extra Mentions:

Lust is Trans fem/ feminine presenting in this AU but still goes by he/him (just so y’all know and please do not change that).

Like all AUs nowadays this is Sans centered (it’s tradition!)

Background:

Recovery!Tale follows the same timeline as the original Undertale timeline until the death of Chara and Asriel Dreemurr. The Humans, outraged, thinking the monsters had dared hurt one of their own after all these years, decided to curse the monsters of the underground with infertility. This, along with Asriel's death hit the kingdom very hard. After a couple of years in this state of mourning, it was decided that something had to be done. The Royal Scientists started working with LUST, the concentration of the love needed between monsters to create a child, and how they could use it to break the infertility curse. The experiment was a failure and none of the research would be able to be used, the users would exhibit dependency after even one trial of LUST, and their mental state would later show to be altered in later interviews with the participants. The information from this experiment was sealed away, never to be used, but then a rogue scientist would continue the experiment on their own. The scientist would come to the same conclusion, but they began selling LUST to the citizens looking for something to numb their pain. This would eventually cause the suicide of W. D. Gaster and then the collapse of the Dreemurr monarchy.

Drugs in Recovery!Tale:

In this version of Underlust, the lust aspect comes from a synthesized drug simply known as LUST. This drug gives the user instant Euphoria and also activates a sort of heat for the user that can last as long as LUST is in their system.

LUST has terrible effects if not taken regularly after being taken once. Users will suffer from depression, suicidal ideation, vomiting, loss of appetite, headaches, etc.

One can also overdose on LUST. Overdose is displayed by extreme heat that can go on for days and symptoms such as; recklessness, aggression, mood swings, heart palpitations, heart attacks, and death. Many people who have been victims of SA in the underground were victimized by people who had overdosed on LUST. Punishment for such a crime will range from public ridicule to being exiled from the main area of the Underground.

How the Underground government works in Recovery!Tale:

It doesn’t….

Once LUST was introduced, it spread throughout the underground and caused havoc among society till finally King Asgore and Queen Toriel stepped down, and the Government finally crumbled and fell in the face of LUST.

The current government is a form of self-governing and is not safe. Certain areas have little to no government and can be overthrown by gangs very easily, and even in larger areas some crimes can go completely unnoticed if it's not people higher up on the social ladder.

Recovery!Tale Underground Society:

Many of the inhabitants have now been taking LUST for years, leaving most businesses and society to change in accommodation.

Most businesses are Clubs/ Strip Clubs/ Red light districts.

Casual relationships and sex are common.

Sex workers take on the role of celebrities, and will be used for commercials and entertainment. Still, many get treated poorly and can be taken advantage of by businesses that sell their services. Some sex workers have started to become self-managed but they are usually not as popular unless they have excellent marketing.

Who distributes LUST:

After booming in popularity, many people started dissecting the ingredients and made even more LUST. Then LUST became as regularly available as common cold medication. And most people have it in your average medicine bottle.

W.D. Gaster’s suicide:

⚠️CW MENTION OF SUICIDE⚠️

Gaster even in this AU has the same ambition to better society and solve the problem of getting the monsters out of the underground, but as LUST use becomes more prevalent, Gaster falls into a depression because of two reasons.

Gaster was the head scientist behind LUST’s synthesis and testing. Once he starts seeing citizens being under the influence of a new underground drug, he immediately recognized the behavior as LUST and felt intense guilt for even being behind the creation of such a drug that is now corrupting the underground citizens.

Gaster has always seen society as the pinnacle of what being alive is. The presence or lack thereof of society can represent the mental stability of a person. If there is no society, that means there is no person stable enough to bring a community together, and worse for Gaster, someone to serve and a society to better. With the underground succumbing to LUST, Gaster saw no purpose in his existence.

⚠️MASSIVE TW⚠️: EXPLICIT DESCRIPTION OF GASTER’S SUICIDE ‼️

Gaster one day travels to the CORE sits at the edge of the platform, and considers not falling, for his sons, the last few children left in the underground. Gaster Considers writing a letter to each of his colleagues, friends, and sons, but he couldn’t. And so, he takes one last deep breath, silently apologizes to everyone, looks into the ‘sky’ of the underground, and falls.

⚠️TW END⚠️

People who don’t take LUST:

Known by the derogatory nickname ‘sexless’. People who don’t take LUST are usually shamed or avoided. They are thought of as prudes or as being far too ugly for anyone to even consider having sex with them.

Many people, who don’t take LUST, try to blend in by adopting others' mannerisms and fashion, and sometimes even occasionally having sex, but not to the extreme quantities others will have it in.

Both Mettaton and Papyrus are part of this group. Papyrus does take part in society to blend in. Mettaton does not, because of his sexual assault causing trauma with dressing and acting in a sexual manner, leaving him to face a large amount of criticism as a public figure.

Sans (Lust): ⚠️CW MENTION OF DRUG USE AND SEX WORK⚠️

Sans (aka Plum by Gaster)was born before the curse of infertility was placed on the citizens of the underground. Being the first child for Gaster, he was always so protective and would keep Sans close to him at all possible times. Many of his co-workers will still be able to recall the purple baby carrier that was strapped onto the doctor for months. Many are unsure of how Gaster had acquired a child, he had never mentioned a wife or even the mention of an upcoming child. Though he was a very secretive man, it still confused and even concerned many. As the years went on the curse would be at the forefront of the kingdom's concerns. Sans was a toddler, but even with his immature mind, he could sense great despair in the air of the citizens of Snowdin. One day his dad came home, and he was cradling a red mass in his arms. Sans at first was concerned about his dad's bloody hand wrapped in a bandage until he heard it, a coo? That would be the night Sans would meet his younger brother Papyrus. Sans swore to be the best big brother for his younger counterpart. Unfortunately, Sans would be put to the test on his promise quite early. Dr. Gaster would start his experiments for Project LUST, he would spend more time away from home, and when he would return he was barely present, too tired to function. Sans would pick up after his father and become Papyrus's guardian. Teaching the young skeleton to walk, speak, and other basic functions. Their relationship would become very strong because of this. But Sans was slightly unsatisfied, his brother was his life, literally, but Sans was still growing and he still needed the attention and love from an adult himself. Sans would find himself talking and spending his free time with the older women of Snowdin, this was not on purpose, they just seem to have a strong fascination with the young skeleton. They would complement his looks (specifically how young and cute he looked) and his polite way of speaking (effects of being raised by Gaster, who would never have his son show anything but respect for his elders), but slowly something odd would start to occur during these interactions. It all began with the polishing of his bones, an odd request because the polishing of one's bones is usually done by a skeleton's parents, but Sans aimed to please the adults that gave him attention. Then buying him new clothes, then the makeup, then putting him in women's clothes. Now most others would have stopped at the makeup, but Sans craved to be cared for, even if it was in an unconventional way. I mean it's not like he minds the clothes and makeup, he felt almost more comfortable in them than in his own clothes. They would all collaborate on what look they would put him in, as they worked they would chatter and gossip but most importantly give affectionate touches and compliments to Sans. These 'dress-ups' continued till he was a teen as he naturally started to grow older and the ladies started to go to the bigger cities. Then, it happened. The Scientists came to his door and told him what Daddy Gaster had done. Gaster hadn't been home in a week, the longest time away from home yet. Sans didn't know what to do or how to deal with it, and he especially didn't know how to tell Papyrus. When he did, Papyrus was devastated. Yes, he hadn't grown up with Gaster like Sans had, but he loved him in a way nobody could deny. They were alone, and Sans found himself looking for the comfort he got from wearing feminine clothing. His brother accepted him with loving arms and for Sans, that was enough. As the years went on, Sans took the stage name Lust and even started taking LUST. He and Papyrus eventually had to separate because his lifestyle was dangerous to Papyrus and Sans couldn't risk hurting his baby brother. Lust started working more in the sex industry after Papyrus left home. He started pole dancing at Gribby's and prostitution on the side. He uses LUST as a way to shield himself from the awful situation he is in. He feels like no one can hurt him when he's on LUST, and that's enough.

Recovery:

Science! Sans had found out about Underlust through the great vine and he was intrigued. What made that version of him act the way he did? When he did find out, his next question was, "Can he recover?" This question would begin the long process of Lust's recovery from LUST. With the help of Therapist!Sans and (reluctantly) Ink!Sans Lust faces all of his problems head-on through (literal) self-love.

WOOOOOOOO WE DID IT!!! This was a month in the making! Im sorry if any of this seems rushed I really want to get this out (literally been writing this since 9:00 AM help) and I do plan to add more through art and answering any specific questions you guys have! (Inbox open ;)) If you want to make fanart for this AU please go ahead!!! Thank you for reading if you made it this far!

[richmond-rex]

While I'm sure Cecily Neville held EoY in high regard and was glad that her granddaughter was queen, I feel like her will was as political as it was personal, tbh. She doesn't seem to have been particularly involved in Elizabeth or her siblings lives when they were younger (certianly not the way Margaret Beaufort aas involced in her grandchildren's lives, for example), and her compliance and maybe even support during Richard III's bastardization of them, while they languished in sanctuary, hardly implies particular closeness. Nor did she seem particularly involved with them or Henry & Margaret Beaufort after Henry VII's ascension, especially considering her own semi-retreated lifestyle. I think her mention of Henry VII is interesting, because it certainly shows her acceptance of his kingship, but I don't think it has to be necessarily viewed as a sign of closeness or affection to him or Margaret. Considering the fact that she was known to be very proud (good for her!) and deeply valued her status, I think it's possible to read her will as a reaffirmation of her direct link to the current ruling family (very similar to know she addressed herself during Edward IV's reign as the wife of the man who should have been king), especially considering so many of her other surviving relatives were not included.

Idk, we obviously don't know what was going on in her mind and she could have easily been genuinely close to them, but this was just what I thought when I read about her will

Hi, I think it's certainly possible to read Cecily Neville's last will as a reaffirmation of her political stance at the end of her life (pro-Tudor, associated with the royal family etc). I don't think Nicola Tallis' interpretation of her bequest of jewels to Elizabeth of York contradicts that idea though — even if the two women had not been particularly close, Cecily still wanted Elizabeth of York, as the most politically important member of her house, to have her most precious jewels and keep her memory alive. That's quite straightforward, though Cecily's will is infinitely fascinating exactly because of the things that are not said there.

Why didn't Cecily leave anything for her orphaned granddaughter Anne St Leger, daughter of her eldest daughter Anne? Why didn't Cecily leave anything to the orphaned children of her son George? Why did Cecily leave stuff to her daughter Elizabeth and didn't leave anything to her other daughter Margaret? She wouldn't be punished after her death, and there were wills in that period that contradicted official politics (eg Elizabeth Howard leaving her estates to her attainted son, the Earl of Oxford, even though he was an exiled Lancastrian at the time). If it was simply a matter of politics and saving face, why didn't poor Anne St Leger receive anything? Was it because Cecily wasn't particularly close to this granddaughter?

Another interesting thing is that Cecily's bequests seem to have been personalised to each of her relatives/friends: her granddaughters Bridget and Anne de la Pole, both of them nuns (or about to be in Bridget's case), received religious books. Margaret Beaufort, famously pious, received religious books too. Another granddaughter (Edward’s Anne irrc) who had just married received a bed. I think Cecily's will denotes some deal of thought spent on each beneficiary, and the act in itself might have denoted some affection too. It would've been be so easy to simply say "I leave my remaining stuff to my family, god bless them, bye" lol.

EDIT: We can certainly wonder how we can reconcile Cecily’s actions (or should we say inaction?) during Richard III’s usurpation and her apparent care for Edward IV’s daughters in her will. Again, if it was simply a matter of politically reaffirming herself, a simple mention to her granddaughter the queen and her husband Henry could do the trick. Little Bridget, destined as she was to the cloth, wasn’t exactly high in the political ladder and still she was contemplated in Cecily’s will.

[last-herondale]

Tales of Xarla The Lost

This is a bit different than my usual content, but I’ve been wanting to write some stories for my dnd character for a while now!

Warnings: Mentions of violence, death, childhood trauma

Enjoy 🤘🏼

Beginnings

(I do not own the art. I found this off of Pinterest!)

I have little memory of my childhood in Borith. I’d like to think it was a pleasant seven years. A time when all was right in the world, and I lived so happily with my mother and father that my mind had no choice but to blur that short time together until all that was left for me was that horrible day.

I remember it too well.

The sound of steel clashing. The smell of blood and sweat mingling together in the summer heat. They were no match for her, despite her being just a human. The three of them descended on her like wolves, clawing and grasping at her like feral beasts. My mother was a storm, a beautiful pale blur of movement amongst the tide of green skin that thrashed against her aura.

She dispatched two of them in a matter of seconds. One of the monsters fell before me in a heap, clutching at his sliced throat as he gurgled away his last breath. It was my first introduction to death. The third one, the biggest brute of them all, charged at me in his rage. The next thing I remember is feeling the force of my mother pushing me out of his path, and slamming into the side of one of the buildings in the alleyway.

I awoke alone and in darkness.

It only took me a few steps to find my mother’s body.

She was beautiful, even in death. Her eyes had remained open, her gaze had been fixated on me. The bright blue in her eyes had dimmed and the world suddenly felt hauntingly empty. I stayed by her side until morning, when we were finally discovered by a local merchant.

They eventually caught the man who killed her when he tried to pawn my mother’s greataxe in North Vosa. The idiot hadn’t realized he killed one of Borith’s great Champions, and that her weapon was easily recognizable in the area. He was brought back to Borith and stood trial before the Queen and her council, where he was found guilty. My father had been so certain the orc would be put to death. A life for a life. Even payment, is what he called it.

But Borith was changing. Queen Dura the Brave had wanted an end to the barbaric nature associated with Borith’s past. She wanted change for her people, and with that came the end of the death penalty. My father was enraged.

How was this justice?

To let the man who murdered his wife continue to live was a disgrace to all he stood for– a disgrace on all orc kind.

He would not accept it. He could not.

I only heard tales of his rampage the following night. How he alone broke into the prison cells, slaughtered every guard that dared oppose him, until he finally found himself face to face with my mother’s killer. I heard he did not make his death swift. I heard that once backup finally arrived, my father sat in the corner of his cell, admiring his work as the sunlight broke through the room.

He was arrested and put on trial many months later. I was placed in the care of the palace, since I had no living relatives to watch over me while the trial continued. There had been debate amongst the Queen and her inner circle on what punishment would best suit an orc of my father’s standing. The Queen must have felt pity for my father. She too had fallen in love with a human, and tales of her love and its effects on Borith are well known to those that live there. It is because of her that humans like my mother are allowed to live within Borith’s borders. Even still, there was a price to be paid for my father’s crimes.

Banishment.

That was the final decision of my father’s punishment. I was relieved that my father would not be imprisoned, although I feared where we might go. While there was an argument to have me remain in Borith while my father was exiled, I refused to leave my father’s side. I became unruly with my caretakers, fighting every order tooth and nail, even threatening to cut off one of the women’s fingers in their sleep. I think I overstayed my welcome, anyhow. So, with that, my father and I boarded a ship and left the only home I had ever known.

While the ship sailed towards North Vosa, my father sat with me as Borith began to disappear into the waves. He was never an orc of many words, even when times were… happier. We sat together in silence, watching the water splash onto the sides of the ship. Finally, my father spoke, his voice deep and resonating in the night.

“Do not grieve for that place, Xarla, it has failed you more than you can ever know.” I remember looking up into his face that night, expecting a tear or two to fall down his cheek. There was no sadness anywhere to be found. All I saw was anger. Deep rooted, unwavering anger. The sight of him made me shiver. I felt the warmth of my tears on my cheek before I registered that I was crying. I must have made a noise, or moved slightly because I caught my father’s attention.

“Stop your blubbering, child,” he barked.

I stifled my sobs, choking on the whimpering sounds. I wanted to make my father proud. I had to pull myself together, for him. He looked at me once again, seeing me tremble beside him and let out a small sigh. He scooped me up in a quick motion and wrapped his arm around me, cradling me in an awkward position. Mother was always the gentler of the two, but his embrace was enough in that moment to make me feel safe.

“You must be strong, little one. This life is cruel, hard, and unyielding for the weak willed. I know you miss her– Shaka– your mother, she was the strongest of them all, and even that was not enough to save her.” His voice turned bitter at the end, each word forming like daggers on his tongue.

“You must learn to move past this pain, to dominate it, to turn it into rage. Rage will be our salvation. Rage will be our survival. You have much to learn daughter, but learn you shall.”

He continued on in a monologue, but after the first few sentences I fell asleep in his arms listening as his voice combined with the sound of crashing waves.

It was the most peaceful sleep I had in months.

My father was once Omak the Brave. He was a well renowned warrior, responsible for taking down one of the most well-known pirates of his time. He had been respected, revered for his strength, and admired by many around Etrios who had heard tales of his many victories. But after the night of his merciless slaughter– my father was given the name Omak the Brutal. It was meant as a mark of shame. A tarnish on his noble past. In his youth, perhaps my father would have cared, but now his homeland meant nothing to him. It was a blight— a shameful reminder of what Orc-kind used to stand for.

Omak the Brutal took his new title in stride.

[allst0ries]

Okay so I just finished watching Bridgerton s3 and I have thoughts.

It is easily my least favorite season.

It is also the least favorite of the romances, especially of the family romances. Which is incredibly sad because I typically think of friends to lovers as my favorite romantic trope and that's what the whole thing should have been.

My main frustration, aside from how I want to rewrite the whole season, is mostly in the guy playing Collin. I jokingly noticed how they made Anthony look more conventionally attractive to the audience when he became the romantic lead in season 2 (bye bye ugly mutton chops) but they very very much did that to Collin in season 3. Abs and chest hair and everything else and while yes, he was looking nice, combining that with his story and his acting made it all feel so artificial.

The biggest thing I keep coming back to is that I can't feel his chemistry with Pen. Like I know narratively that they're supposed to be end game. You can tell that from all the way back in season 1. This season, he just felt like he was playing "Leading Man #1" and was charming and charmed by every woman he encountered. His chemistry with the two unnamed prostitutes seemed just as strong as his chemistry with Pen.

Which means that the arc for Collin read to me like:

Boyish romantic gets played by new girl in a bad situation to the nightmare of literal girl next door. This breaks both their hearts and hardens his while the temptress has to go live out her exile as punishment.

Boy goes on a worldly coming of age adventure and comes back a dashing man, charming to all and experienced in love making.

Man boy generously uses worldly experience to help girl next door land a husband.

They fail and in her desperation that she'll die alone, they kiss. This awakens something in him and suddenly she goes from sister's best friend to someone he can't stop imagining in his bed.

They both confess and have lots of sex, miscommunications and reconnections occur and they live happily ever after.

And while that series of events isn't necessarily bad, it didn't feel earned. It felt like he got a kiss from the fat neighbor he didn't consider sexual and then suddenly became unrepently horny about her because he's now horny about everyone else and she's revealed she wants him. It didn't feel earned as a romance specifically.

(And then the awful virginity losing hurts only the first time trope? Like I actively hated that. Especially since they had been showing them being intimate and giving her pleasure in other ways. Don't reinforce that! Boo!)

Because they didn't earn them getting together, I didn't feel invested about them staying together. Or growing their relationship. I didn't believe Collin confessing his love for her, so taking that away and sleeping on the couch didn't feel impactful.

Same thing with Collin defending their relationship or really anything about it after they get together.

They went tell not show for Collin and Pen being friends, which is why Collin directly talks about falling off the horse and seeing Pen. It's why they and Eloise mention Pen meeting Collin before Eloise. Both those things around a mythical first meeting between Collin and Pen stand in for them being good, long friends. But you're just saying that – you're not showing.

Even more than that, rather than repeating a new story or embellishing it even, they just repeat both stories later on and that's supposed to reinforce the friends to lover path. It's a literal worst case scenario of they are telling you about their relationship instead of showing about it and then even worse, they're not even telling you anything new.

[strawberry-cowmilk]

ok this is a past au.

It's basically during the time where lilth was in court.

Now I am gussing in angle years lilth would be 17, meaning kaigo was still responsable for her.

so during her trail, kaigo was pulled into court as well.

In front of a judging high angle, kaigo was on her knees, people were watching from another floors from the judging room. The brothers and lilth were present.

"did you know that lilth would tamper with a humans lifespan!"

"Yes, you honour, she asked me for the healing fruit, but I scolded her and refused. I told her the consequences and tried to convince her to change her mind."

Kaigo said.

"But she is just a child, she was going to lose someone she loved. Please let her go just this once, I will punish her accordingly, but please let her off just this once."

There was silence until the judge said, "father has spoken! Kaigo will be taken to the silent tower for 500,000 years!"

There was immediate whisper, the silent tower was used to punish rebeling angles. They could go insane in a matter of days.

Before kaigo could say anything, a portal appeared behind her and chains wraped around her neck,arms and legs and tragged her away.

{reaction~

Hellllloooooooo, also kaigo said she would love to be friend with you!}

Hey! Welcome back! That sounds intense, I hope you like how I wrote it

the brothers react to their old caregiver getting punished

a/n: Technically, there's no Satan yet, but I'm going to add him anyways I think. His birth is near. Also not proof read.

content warnings: violence, celestial war, trauma from the celestial war mentions, lesson 5/6/14 spoilers, mentions of injury, the brothers fall, this is pretty dark guys

-----

Lucifer

you think he's just going to stand there and do nothing about it?

lucifer was already fed up with how things were going in the celestial realm, this just takes the cake

he's their father's favorite, surely the judges would listen to his objections

when they told him the ordeal was final, he lost it, and next thing he knew, he woke up in the devildom next to his severely wounded sister, he couldn't save anyone

Mammon

he watched his older brother slam his fist down on the judges' table, demanding a re-trail

and mammon lost it too, this woman practically raised him and all of his sibling, now it's time he repays her for all the effort

but it didn't go the way he expected, he was supposed to emerge victorious, not finding himself falling from the sky in pain, oh no are his siblings okay?

Leviathan

finally, time to prove himself useful, it was about time levi got a 'real job'

he summons the whole celestial realm navy to fight for his old caregiver's freedom along his side, and things really seemed to be going well for a while

in the heat of the battle, levi wonders if it really had to turn out like this, of course a useless dude can't even command an army right, he lost both hope and the battle

Satan

he vaguely remembers what happened before he found himself falling from the sky, with some weirdly familiar faces around him

it was all in fragments: somebody got punished and then it was all rage and fighting

satan is barely registering anything that's happening around him, all he feels is wrath and pain

Asmodeus

immediately gets on lucifer's side, asmo will not stand for this insanity

he was in so much rage, he barely noticed his side was losing, he was way too focused on the fight that he did not realise some spear grazed him very badly, and it burns?

okay, okay he gives up, stop hurting him, he'll take any punishment!

the punishment was being exiled to the devildom, well, any punishment but that please

Beelzebub

his caregiver is like family to him, and so is lilith and every other angel rebelling right now

beel fights hard, and it's going good, he's easily emerging as the victor when anyone challenges him, until he saw belphie and lilith were both in serious trouble

that was the worst day of his life, he lost the war and his sister, at least his twin is still here, but will things ever be the same as before?

Belphegor

it's the most awake he's ever been, he will fight for his caregiver's justice

belphie's really powerful, he can easily win fights, but it's a different story when so many angels with spears and bows are surrounding you and your sister

it all happened so fast: he felt a strong body shield him from harm and watched lilith get hurt, how many time had passed before they fell from the celestial realm?

[theminecraftbox]

It's pretty obvious what Sam and Q think about Dream's relationship to Tommy, but how does Dream interpret each of their dynamics with the little munchkin, and how accurate are those readings?

This question is inspired by a take I saw that Sam doesn't care about Tommy at all beyond how useful he is to control Dream, which I think is... a little bit oversimplistic. But I could easily see Dream himself coming to view Sam the Self-Righteous Hypocrite and Quackity the Heartless Sociopath through that lens.

/dsmp rp

Yeah, I think that view of Sam and Tommy’s relationship is not true. Tommy is wrapped up in Sam’s view of Dream, and Dream is wrapped up in Sam’s view of Tommy—he’s an important and indispensable part of the mechanisms going on there. Sam does care about Tommy! A lot!

He’s wracked with guilt over Tommy, and that guilt doesn’t start after Dream kills him—it starts before. No matter how you interpret what Sam says about what Dream’s apparently told him about exile, Sam’s obviously guilty and horrified about both what Dream did (or what he thinks Dream did) and that Sam did nothing to help or to stop it.

Sam says that Dream has told him details about exile. He talks like Dream’s been gloating. Obviously we need to take everything Sam says with a big ol’ grain of salt. But no matter the precise truth of what Dream said, it does seem clear that Sam asked about exile, that Tommy’s treatment was important enough to him for him to want details about it.

Sam mentions more than once that he views his duty to keep Dream locked up, and specifically locked up ALIVE, not just as a duty to the server in general but as a duty to Tommy specifically. Tommy wanted Dream alive, Tommy passed Dream’s final sentence to put him in Pandora: that wasn’t Sam! Sam was not Dream’s judge or jury: he is the executor of justice, but Tommy was the one who determined it.

Tommy is the reason Sam uses for lots of his treatment of Dream. Not only was Tommy the one who issues Dream’s sentence, but Sam uses details of Tommy’s treatment by Dream, both real (exile, his killing), exaggerated (the theater of the attachments vault, whatever further extrapolations Sam’s made), and imagined (the assumption that Dream wanted Tommy imprisoned and starved), to justify what he does to Dream. He does this explicitly.

Dream’s killing of Tommy is what pushes Sam (and Quackity!) over the edge. If Quackity had come to Sam with his little proposal prior to Tommy’s death, I am honestly not sure exactly how Sam would have responded, but it certainly would not have been nearly such an easy sell as it was in canon.

And then there’s stuff like Sam Nook. Sam’s clearly fond of him.

And then there’s where Sam’s softness for Tommy is overridden by his need to control Dream: most obviously when he ignores Tommy’s pleas to be let out of a small cell stuck with his abuser, in favor of investigating a security risk. This, and Sam’s fury when Tommy breaks in with Ghostbur, is cold, but I honestly believe Sam thinks he’s acting in Tommy’s interests: which is worse for Tommy, some temporary discomfort, or setting Dream loose on him? Sam believes that as long as Dream is in Pandora, he is totally under Sam’s control. Sam even thinks he can leave them unsupervised without consequence, because Dream won’t be able to do anything without Sam’s permission.

It’s all an excellent demonstration of how Sam’s care for other people emphatically does not mean he understands or is willing to listen to their actual needs and wishes.

Okay, long digression about Sam and Tommy over with: what does Dream think about this relationship?

It is extremely apparent to Dream that Tommy is a sore spot for Sam. In the beginning, Dream might view it as a good way to needle and annoy Sam: a way to win back a feeling of control by pissing off his jailer, who at this point won’t do anything to punish him except for perhaps restricting a few potatoes, which Dream can handle. It’s also a way to make sure Sam is still fooled by the act of Staged Finale—in the very early days of the prison, I think that’s Dream’s highest priority, making sure that everyone has really bought the act.

But I don’t think Dream would do this very often or very intentionally, and especially not as time wears on and Sam begins to be a bit more alarming. Tommy turns into a fraught subject: a kind of way for Dream to hurt himself on Sam’s bad mood, less calculation and more the same kind of Unwellness that drives Dream to burn himself. Something meant to be a demonstration of his untouchability.

Then it becomes clear that Sam’s treatment of him is going from bad to worse, that his escape has been ruined—and Tommy gets stuck with him. For longer than planned. Dream wasn’t intending to kill Tommy. Honest, he wasn’t, but then Tommy started talking about how he didn’t believe in the book, and all Dream could think was, Sam listens to Tommy. And then. Well, he couldn’t tell you his reason. Maybe it was the cat, maybe it was the fucking singing, maybe it was the terror of Tommy’s disbelief, maybe it was the fearful thrill of picturing Sam’s reaction (he’s never pushed Sam like this, has he?)—either way, Tommy’s dead. And then he undoes it, doesn’t he? Dream tells Tommy it would be stupid for him not to let him out, Sam would punish him.

Then comes the torture. After Techno’s escape, we see Dream weathering a long rant from Sam using Tommy to justify his treatment. Dream doesn’t argue. He’s unsurprised, he stays quiet. Dream definitely knows Sam is using Tommy as a reason.

I’d also point to Dream’s discussion of Tommy and exile in the Daedalus arc: Dream does something rather unusual with respect to Tommy, something I’ve talked about before—he minimizes his actions. This is noticeable in an arc full of Dream being otherwise mostly unapologetic. I think this minimization comes at least partially from Dream wanting to make Sam view his treatment as disproportionate compared to what Tommy went through.

On the whole, Dream is well-aware that Sam thinks his care for Tommy is genuine, but I also believe Dream has no patience for the hypocrisy of Sam’s love. At the same time, though, I think Dream would totally get behind, eg, Sam’s moral reasoning for keeping Tommy imprisoned with him, even though the pragmatic logic is completely batty.

I think Dream’s view of Tommy and Quackity is pretty straightforward. Dream thinks that Quackity is a sadistic sociopath and doesn’t believe that caring for Tommy is even in his top fifty reasons for the torture. He thinks that any care, when Quackity demonstrates it, is either deluded or performative.

[fairy-spring]

Yeah, no, over the course of collecting the shards of the Mirror of Twilight, Midna is actively speaking with Link over the dark power the mirror holds, how it affects people in the realm of light, and what should be done with it.

Here are her thoughts after Snowpeak:

In the Temple of Time:

And then again in the City in the Sky:

Basically, her decision to sever the connection between light and shadow isn't rooted in race. It could be part of it if you squint, considering how her people were exiled from Hyrule and would probably never be accepted by Hylians now. But her thoughts regarding the mirror have been carefully and methodically built up over the course of the 2nd half of the game.

I highly doubt the thought of Ganondorf being "coldly murdered" by Link is what prompts Midna to shatter the mirror, especially when we remember that Ganondorf literally killed Midna just before Link and Zelda pursue him on horseback.

Like, I think we need to remember Ganondorf is not an innocent victim here. He was actively setting out to conquer Hyrule and, in no small part through Zant, killed countless Twili in pursuit of his conquest, including the Twilight Realm's monarch.

Also, fun fact! I'm fairly sure the word "Gerudo" is mentioned only once in the game, and that is by Auru in reference to the Gerudo Desert.

Ganondorf never once talks of his own people, or their oppression, or their suffering. If anything, the bulk of his monologue in Hyrule Castle's throne room is spent demeaning Midna and the Twili, another race of people oppressed and discarded by the same system, the same monarchy.

As for Ganondorf "meeting Link's challenge," this is what actually happened: Ganondorf challenged Link. Man straight up cackles upon being bested three different times by you, makes fun of your sword, and makes a declaration to blot out the light forever.

Like, Ganondorf is actively instigating this conflict and putting himself on the same pedestal as the gods because he was chosen to wield one of their pieces.

Look, I'm all for deconstructing and understanding Ganondorf on a deeper level, given the tired stereotype of "evil desert man challenges status quo, must be punished." but TP Ganondorf is easily the weakest written of the OoT trio of games, and it shows in how his motives and characterization are entirely egotistic and self-serving. This is a Ganondorf who never got to enact his Plan A and is essentially in the same headspace he was in Ocarina of Time, rather than a man who had time to reflect on where his plan went wrong. Wind Waker Ganondorf, he is sadly not.

Twilight Princess isn’t technically a horror game, and there’s a certain schmaltziness to its mid-2000s mall goth aesthetic. Still, Twilight Princess was the first video game I encountered that implied the hero is a murderer, and its strange and unsettling cutscenes serve as puzzle pieces that form a fragmented picture of Hyrule’s hidden history of prejudice, war, and genocide.

When Link confronts Ganondorf at the end of the game, Ganondorf meets his challenge with bitter irony and issues a warning – the cycle of bloodshed cannot be ended with violence. Link kills him anyway, and the cruelty of this act convinces Midna that it’s impossible for her to remain in Hyrule as an ethnic minority. 

All of this went over my head when I first played Twilight Princess as a kid, but it really messed me up when I returned to the game as an adult. I’m still haunted by the dread that came from the realization that the fun desert dungeon where Link gets the cool spinner item is a mass graveyard.

[griffintail]

The True One

A/N THERE ARE SPOILERS FROM RECENT LORE STREAM! DO NOT READ THIS FIC IF YOU DON’T KNOW!

Summary: Reader learns the truth.

Pairings: Parental! Tommy x Teenage! F! Reader

Warnings: Mother Fluffing Angst. Death. Mentions of Exile. Swearing. 

Part 2

A/N: This is not canonical to Lost Ones! It has elements from the storyline but it’s not canon. And yes, I’m dying on the inside because of the stream. That’s why I wrote this.

Ps: (F/L) means first letter of your first name. I forgot to put this original.

---------------------

        (Y/N) was thirteen when she first thought her father died.

        Dream wouldn’t let her stay with him. Tommy had to serve his punishment.

        But being told no was never in an Innit’s vocabulary. She snuck into his exile every day she could, avoiding the likes of Dream and going behind her Uncle Tubbo’s back, who had taken over her care.

        At first, everything was fine and Tommy always enjoyed her visits. Then something changed…

        She had begged anyone that would listen to go with her to her father’s exile. He had begun to worry her. All of her life, Tommy had told her to never trust Dream. He often cursed Dream’s name to the wind and his face and she often cursed his name in the wind with him. Now, he called Dream friend.

        No one came though, not even Tubbo, always claiming they were busy.

        She never relented though and tried to make her visits more frequent; unfortunately, being so desperate made her sloppy. Tubbo caught her sneaking into the Nether and followed her.

        This time though, he listened! He went with her, saying only because he was free and they were already here.

        She had rejoiced as she practically skipped down the path to Tommy’s. Stepping out of the portal, her heart dropped though. Logstedshire was smoking and in ruins.

        “Daddy!” (Y/N) screamed as she ran towards the dying embers of the fire.

        Tubbo was frozen by the edge of the path over, looking at the hastily built pole.

        “You wouldn’t Tommy,” Tubbo whispered. “Not with (Y/N) …”

        “Daddy!” She screamed again, tears in her eyes, snapping Tubbo out of his shock.

        Tears were in his own eyes. He had lost his best friend…

        “(Y/N),” Tubbo muttered to her, going over to her carefully.

        (Y/N)’s mind was racing. What had Dream done? Tommy couldn’t have done this. He wouldn’t leave her here…

        Dream did this, but it could have been stopped. He…

        Tubbo put a hand on her shoulder but she whipped away from him, glaring daggers at the older male. Tubbo was surprised, having never seen (Y/N) give anyone such a look.

        “You didn’t care.” She spat out venomously. “I TOLD ALL OF YOU! HE NEEDS YOU! I TOLD YOU!”

        “(Y/N), I—”

        “IT’S YOUR FAULT!” She shouted before running off into the woods.

        Tubbo had stood frozen, unable to process what happened before it was too late. He shouted (Y/N)’s name for hours in the woods but she had, had a good teacher. Tommy taught her everything he knew and while he wasn’t the stealthiest man, it was enough to hide from Tubbo.

        She stayed at the ruins of Logstedshire, unable to leave or accept her father was gone. He wouldn’t just leave her, he’d come back.

        That’s where Technoblade found her and she most certainly could hide as easily from him. But luckily, he didn’t take her back to L’Manberg, she brought her to the one thing that mattered.

        (Y/N) followed behind Techno quietly, intimidated by the man that told her to just be quiet and follow. They got to his base and he opened the door to the lower level before going down the ladder.

        “Tommy!” He called, making (Y/N) freeze from where she was watching him go down.

        “What do you want?” Tommy groaned, coming out from his base in the floor.

        (Y/N) grabbed the sides of the ladder and slid down. She hurt her feet at the bottom but didn’t care. Tommy was startled by the other person present before grinning widely.

        “Little (F/L)!” He threw open his arms. “Sorry I haven’t gone to see—Ooof!”

        He became winded as she slammed into him with a hug.

        He was back.

        Life went on again as (Y/N) went back to the belief; nothing could bring her father down on his last life.

        She was sixteen when the final battle occurred. She lived with Tommy once again in their old home.

        She woke up and stretched only for a note to fall off her chest. Frowning, she picked up and read her father’s handwriting before sprinting up.

        It was a possible final goodbye from Tommy and Tubbo.

        She had her sword and axe clipped on her belt as she was hastily putting her armor as she went out the door. She was at the Nether portal when said pair came out, Tommy’s arm around Tubbo’s shoulder grinning.

        “WHAT THE FUCK?!” (Y/N) screamed at her father and he winced.

        It took a lot to calm (Y/N) down that day…and the next.

        She had really become a lot like him in her sixteen years of life. She often spoke her mind and was not afraid to hold back. Her swordsmanship wasn’t half bad, having been taught by both Tubbo and Tommy. She, of course, also had a passion for rare discs as well. (Y/N) was her own person, but people often called her small Innit as she resembled her father so much.

        She was so much so like him, when she calmed down after the final battle for the discs, Tommy gave her a gift.

        “Here.” He smirked, holding out a (F/C) piece of fabric.

        “What’s this?” She questioned, taking it.

        “Your own bandana, I was going to get you a red one but, thought you should try to be your own woman.” He shrugged.

        She stared at it before hugging her father tightly, making the man laugh as he hugged her back.

        “Thanks, dad.”

        “Eh, you’re my kid, I kind of have to be nice to you.”

        She punched his shoulder before putting it on as Tommy laughed.

        She wore it every day with pride.

        …

        She was visiting Tubbo when it happened.

        She didn’t need her father to survive, but he had “important business” and said he’d come to get her from Tubbo’s after to celebrate. At the time, she thought he was just improving the hotel.

        The day ended though and there was no sign of Tommy. She was worried but Tubbo assured her that Tommy could have lost track of time or his business took longer than he meant. She stayed the night in Snowchester and went home in the morning. When she got home…there was no Tommy.

        “Hey dad, you there?” She called on their channel.

        No answer.

        She shifted nervously, before going to the construction site. Sam Nook might have kept him busy.

        When she got there, Jack was putting up a large, cloth sign with hastily written words painted on it over the main sign.

        “Jack, what are you doing?” She frowned.

        Jack whipped around, before grinning. “I’m putting up my sign for my new hotel!”

        (Y/N) blinked once. Then twice.

        “What did you say bitch!” She shouted.

        Jack rolled his eyes as he came over, his hand twitching towards his axe. “I’m the last worker here. Tommy’s not going to be needing any more, so now it’s mine. So, get off my property.”

        (Y/N) had noticed his hand and watched him carefully as she put a hand on her sword handle.

        “What do you mean he’s not going to be needing it?”

        Jack grinned wickedly. “Tommy’s been thrown in jail.”

        What? No, he didn’t do anything!

        “You’re lying.”

        “No, he’s in there…”

        “Stop lying.”

        “And he’s not getting out…”

        “Stop lying!”

        “He’s done some pretty horrible things.”

        (Y/N)’s sword hit his as he reacted quickly in shock at the teen’s rage.

        “I said stop lying you fuck!”

        Jack’s eyes had darkened and he went to strike the girl when a new body went in front of (Y/N) and a shield blocked the attack.

        “Get off the property or I will have to dispose of you.” Sam Nook told him.

        “This is my—!” Jack started shouting.

        “This is my property!” (Y/N) shouted, sword at her side. “It’s the Big INNIT Hotel. As an Innit, I demand you leave.”

        Jack growled and left the property. Tommy was taken care of; it’d be her turn next.

        “Sam, where’s dad?” (Y/N) asked Sam Nook quietly.

        “I’m not sure. I’m sure he’ll be back soon though!” He tried to encourage her.

        “Yeah.” She muttered. “Keep Jack away ok? I’m going to…go see if anyone knows where he went.”

        “Ok. Be careful Miss (Y/N).”

        She nodded as she went home, taking deep breaths before going on the public channel.

        “Hey, does anyone know what Tommy was doing last?” (Y/N) asked, pacing the room.

        “He was visiting Dream last I heard,” Foolish answered her call.

        She stood frozen in the middle of the base. Tommy had gone and…

        “Did something happen when he came back?” Her voice was more frantic.

        “Not that I know of, yesterday was the last I heard from him.”

        Yesterday?!

        (Y/N) felt her chest tighten as she remembered her fear when she was thirteen. The fear she felt when she read Tommy’s note. All the pain the two of them endured to try and finally now live happily. She needed to see Sam now.

        Just like she had a few months ago she scrambled to put on her gear and ran out the door towards the prison. The effects of the area tired her, made her feel weaker, but she didn’t care as she stood at the entrance.

        “Sam!” She called, knowing the man could hear her. “Sam! Answer me please! Sa—”

        “I figured you come.” Sam said stepping through the portal, hands behind his back. “(Y/N), I need you to leave.”

        “Where’s my dad?” She demanded.

        “There was a security breach when he was in the main cell. I can’t open it until I have it figured out.”

        “He’s…He’s in there with Dream?!” She shouted.

        “Yes, but Tommy’s tough he can…”

        “Daddy!” She screamed, going for the entrance but Sam took her arm to stop her.

        “(Y/N), I need you to leave until I have this figured out.”

        “No, while my dad is in there you stupid bastard! Let him out!”

        “I can’t open the cell—!”

        “I don’t give a flying fuck!” She roughly pushed him away and sprinted in before Sam could stop her. “Dad!”

        “(Y/N)!” Sam shouted as he followed after her.

        She went to run but Sam easily caught her, more used to the effects of the prison.

        “Let me go! I have to save him! Daddy! I’m going to save you this time!” She screamed into the building. “I won’t leave!”

        “You’re only prolonging how long he’s in here!” Sam told her. “I need you to leave so I can work (Y/N).”

        “I can’t leave him. I can’t lose him again. Please, Sam. He—That box and—Dream—and…” The teenager was in tears as she pleaded with the creeper hybrid.

        Sam sighed sadly. “I know. I know. I will fix this as soon as I can. Please, go home. I’ll fix this and get him out, I promise.”

        She couldn’t do anything, but she had to do one thing even in hopes he’d hear.

        “I LOVE YOU, DADDY!” She heard her voice echo. “I’LL MAKE SURE YOU GET OUT OK!”

        She couldn’t do anything more. Sam wouldn’t let her. Instead, she went to the hotel and stayed there as it was even just a few miles closer to where her father was trapped.

        For days, she didn’t leave the room, just staring out the window at the building looming in the distance. Sam Nook tried to get her to eat but she couldn’t. Tubbo had come to try and help her once but that didn’t help at all, only reminding her of before. Her mind couldn’t even think about doing something like that.

        All she could think about was her father.

        Sometimes, as she stared at the building, she sat on their channel on the walkie and just talked like he’d hear her. He had to hear her…

        She was sitting by the window when her door opened, Sam Nook looking at the ground as Sam stood tall behind him.

        “What are you doing? You need to be—” (Y/N) started, her voice strained as she stood up.

        “I’m sorry,” Sam muttered.

        “What? What do you mean? Why aren’t you looking into your security breach?” She asked.

        “I’m so sorry, I was too late,” Sam whispered.

        (Y/N) stood there, taking in his words. “What the hell are you talking about?”

        “I tried (Y/N) and I wish I could have…” He came in but she shook her head.

        “You’re fucking with me. You lying piece of shit, this isn’t funny.” She pointed at him, as she stepped back.

        “I’m not…”

        “You’re lying!” She shouted her throat hurting, but she took off her walkie.

        She needed to prove them wrong! But…

        Tommy Innit was slain by Dream

        “No. No. No. NO! IT’S WRONG!” She screamed to the wind. “IT’S WRONG! HE’S NOT GONE!”

        She collapsed crying, hugging the walkie close to her as Sam came over, hugging her tightly to him. Across the ocean, Tubbo was running for the nearest boat to get to the girl he considered a niece, but nothing would comfort her now.

        “DADDY!” She cried out, her bandana around her neck fluttering lightly as she cried at the true death of her father…

[thephantomessoftheopera]

Notes on Gaston Leroux‘s „The Phantom of the Opera“ - Epilogue

<< Previous chapter “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known”

-Charles Dickens, “A Tale of Two Cities”

As we are coming to the end of the story, Leroux ties up a few more loose ends in the epilogue.

As for Raoul and Christine, their possible happy ending is only implied by what Erik told the Persian - that they had “taken a northbound train” and were planning to get married in secret. They have disappeared from the world, and Christine never appeared again on stage anywhere. According to Leroux, they might have finally settled in Norway together with Mama Valerius. At first, I thought Leroux might have been confusing Sweden and Norway, but when I did a little research on the name „Daae“, it turns out that the name is actually most prevalent in Norway, with almost no occurrences in Sweden. It is also implied that even if they took that “northbound” train before, Christine took a train back to Paris a few weeks later to return to Erik, because she had the wedding ring on her when she left, and it was finally found on Erik‘s finger.

As Philippe‘s death was deemed to be the consequence of the fight between the two brothers over Raoul’s supposed engagement to Christine, Raoul was a murder suspect - but as his previous testimony had already made him appear a lunatic in the eyes of the Commissary, Philippe‘s death was ultimately pronounced accidental. However, as Parisian society had taken less than kindly to the news of the engagement, I think that the couple would have had a very difficult standing if they had officially married and assumed the now vacant titles of the Count and Countess de Chagny. It is therefore likely that Raoul, having officially disappeared, never claimed his titles and inheritance, and chose the more simple lifestyle that Christine was accustomed to. Leroux concludes the story of Raoul and Christine with the statement that one day, he too might „hear the solitary echoes of the Northland repeat the singing of the woman who knew the Angel of Music''. In the epilogue, the boundaries between the „false“ and the „real“ Angel of Music become blurred, as Leroux repeatedly speaks of Erik as the “Angel of Music” - indicating that maybe, just maybe, Erik truly was the Angel of Music.

After following up on Raoul and Christine, Leroux relates how he obtained proof of Erik‘s existence from the Persian, mostly through the letters written by Christine that Erik had sent to him, but also through the testimonies of Meg Giry and La Sorelli. He supposedly placed all the proof he had gathered in the archives of the Paris Opera.

He also obtained the testimony of M. Poligny, the previous manager of the Opera. The „Opera Ghost“ affair was the final straw that made him resign his post, which again indicates that Erik‘s reign as „O.G.“ was rather short and caused by Erik falling in love (since he had been living in the Opera House presumably since the early 1870s). He also quotes from the fictional „Memoirs of a Manager“ by Armand Moncharmin, where Moncharmin relates that a few days after Christine‘s abduction, Erik returned all of the forty thousand francs he had extracted to the managers, no longer having any need for the money as he had given up his plan to marry Christine. The mystery of the safety-pin is also finally resolved, as Leroux was supposedly able to locate a small trapdoor in the floor of the managers’ office, through which a dexterous magician like Erik could easily have reached up and retrieved the envelope from Richard‘s coattail pocket as it was hanging down from his chair.

Leroux also notes that the marble pillar next to Box 5 sounds hollow and would offer ample space for Erik to hide inside it. According to Gérard Fontaine’s research, the pillars being hollow applies to all the pillars in the auditorium of the Palais Garnier. Whether that proves or disproves anything is up to you... Leroux’s plan of having the lake drained in order to obtain the ultimate proof of Erik‘s existence - finding the entrance to the house by the lake - did not go through, but Leroux still sustains his hope of one day finding the score of „Don Juan Triumphant“ there (that is, if Christine had not taken it with her when she came to bury him).

Leroux then gives a summary of Erik’s life according to the Persian. Erik was born near Rouen in France and ran away from his parents as a young boy, as they were afraid and horrified by how he looked. After being exhibited as a “living corpse” at fairs, he became a singing sensation and garnered a reputation that reached as far as Persia. The daroga of Mazenderan was sent to bring Erik to Persia as entertainment for the “little sultana”. Erik, who also worked there as an assassin, is described here as amoral, “not knowing the difference between right and wrong”. Even though he does not have an evil heart, his life up until this point has left him completely without a moral compass of any kind.

After building an ingenious palace for the shah, Erik’s execution was ordered so that he could not divulge its secrets to anyone. The daroga was supposed to carry it out, but as he owed Erik favours (and was the one who brough Erik to Persia in the first place), he helped him escape instead. He was punished for this and went into exile to Paris. Erik took a detour to Asia Minor and Constantinople before he ended up in Paris as well. It is also mentioned that Erik could make lifelike automata, which is reflected in the musical in the form of the monkey music box and also the “mirror bride”, a physical representation of Erik’s dream of a loving wife.

Once in Paris, Erik decided that he finally wanted to live a normal life, and placed a successful bid to work as a contractor on the Opera House. Wishing to hide his face from the world forever, he built his comfortable home into the foundations of the Opera. Erik’s plan to live out the rest of his life in peaceful tranquillity went well - until he crossed paths with Christine Daae and lost his heart to her completely. And the rest is history…

Leroux here gives his own view of Erik: “He had a heart great enough to hold the empire of the world, and in the end he had to be content with a cellar.” With a normal face, Erik, with his brilliant mind and extraordinary talents, could have had the world at his feet. And even though no one had ever loved him, he still had a heart capable of feeling deep, pure love, which is pretty remarkable. His beautiful voice is a reflection of the beauty he carries inside his soul - which was sadly eclipsed by his ugliness, which did not allow him to live “like everyone else”. The great tragedy of his life was his face, which kept others from treating him as a human being and recognizing his full potential. He is therefore clearly worthy of pity, instead of being cursed and condemned as evil.

Leroux had already mentioned in the Prologue that he believed the skeleton found in the cellars of the Opera was Erik’s. Now he finally reveals why he was so certain of that: because Erik’s skeleton wore the gold wedding ring on his finger, which Leroux believes Christine had placed there. Even though Erik had set her free and given her the ring, she later came back to him, and this time it was certainly not out of terror. With Erik dead, none of his threats would hold any more sway over her - and yet, she still returned to him to keep her promise. She not only buried him with the wedding ring, but she slipped it onto his finger, ultimately fulfilling her promise to accept him as her husband. In a sense, she buried him with her love, and that is truly a bittersweet and beautiful ending. After everything he had to endure, Erik’s life ends with a kiss and a ring on his finger, put there by the woman he loved more than his own life, and with Leroux praying for his salvation. That may not be a traditional happy ending, but it‘s very powerful. And it’s definitely not a villain’s ending.

As „Faust“ is the most strongly referenced work in „Phantom“, it is also worth comparing how the endings are different. In the final act of Gounod‘s opera, Faust and Marguerite first swear their love to each other, but when Marguerite sees Mephistopheles and realizes who Faust really is, she turns away from him and chooses death instead, while Faust is dragged into the fires of hell. Her famous last words to him are „You horrify me!“ In „Phantom“, the progression is almost the other way round - Christine is horrified at first, but then accepts Erik and chooses life instead of death.

It should also be noted that the ending in the novel is so vague that it also allows a lot of room for the reader’s imagination. Was Erik really dead when Christine returned? He himself was announcing his death, so it would not even be so very unlikely. But as this is Leroux’s story, the official reading would of course be how he himself imagined the ending: Erik dying and Christine coming back to bury him. This might be my favourite line from the novel:

“The skeleton lay near the little fountain, where the Angel of Music first held the unconscious Christine Daae in his trembling arms after taking her into the cellars of the Opera.”

As if the return of the ring was not enough poetic closure, he also asked to be buried in the very spot where he held the love of his life for the first time...

Symbolism and Metaphors

Now that we have concluded the epilogue, I would like to add a few more notes on the general themes which are present throughout the novel and still influence how we feel about it today.

To understand the extent of symbolism employed in  „The Phantom of the Opera“, it is necessary to understand the cultural mindset and environment in which it was written. At the turn of the century, the arts (and sciences, as evidenced by the slowly emerging works of Sigmund Freud) were rather obsessed with the fateful connection between Eros and Thanatos - love as the life-bringing force, and death as the destructive force. Both were often seen as intertwined and mirrored in the other.

Erik is the personification of Eros and Thanatos. He unites both forces in him to a degree unparalleled by any other character in the story. The death symbolism that is also clearly reflected in how he is described, would be both perceived as horrifying - and yet not without a strangely seductive fascination inherent in it. Death is intricately tied to darker feelings of passion and desire.The “Eros” and the “Thanatos” part of his character are intertwined, but his character also oscillates between the two sides in the course of the story.

Music in „Phantom“ also serves as a metaphor for romantic love, not only in the spiritual but also in the physical sense, as it is connotated with “passion”, “fire”, “ecstasy” and “rapture” throughout the story. Erik’s teaching awakens “an ardent, voracious and sublime life” in Christine, symbolizing the burgeoning romantic feelings in the young woman. She is terrified with the changes going on in her, which is also in line with how „Eros“ was originally viewed: as a frightening loss of control. Erik says in “Apollo’s Lyre” that “some music is so formidable that it consumes everyone who approaches it”, and Christine states that “Music has the power to abolish everything in the outside world except its sounds, which go straight to the heart”. In both sentences, the word “music” can easily be replaced with “love” - especially in Christine’s example, it would be the musical equivalent of “love is blind”.

Like in other (gothic) romances - “Wuthering Heights” being perhaps the prime example - the two rivals in the principal love triangle represent two very different types of love: one is intense and passionate, but also consuming, terrifying and potentially destructive, and the other is safer, but also somewhat chaste and lifeless. Erik and Raoul each represent one of the two extremes. This contrast is exemplified in the scene at the Masked Ball: Raoul wears white, the colour of innocence, while Erik wears red, the colour of passion, but also of danger and blood.

It is suggested in the novel that Erik and Christine were chained together by fate (“La destinée m’enchaîne à toi sans retour”), and I believe they were destined to save each other. Erik saved Christine from her grief in the wake of her father’s death and brought her back to life, and Christine saved his soul by being the first person in his life to accept him and grant him true happiness. „Phantom“ may be a tragic love story, but it is also a hopeful one, as love proves stronger than death. Christine’s choice, Erik‘s sacrifice and the skeleton’s wedding ring are all symbols of love triumphing over death.

[allronix]

Carth and Force Sensitivity (crossposted from Reddit r/kotor)

This is for @k-she-rambles:

Okay, so while we're shooting the bantha crap over on KOTOR fan theories, u/134340Goat mentioned my all time favorite "Have you been chewing spice?!" fan theory when it comes to KOTOR: Is Carth Force Sensitive?

So this one starts with a story. I mentioned my brother in law, who is pretty much Keeper of the Jedi Archives. Seriously, he's an English teacher and my sister is a librarian. They met at a sci fi convention and their first date was Phantom Menace. We're taking not just geeks, but geeks who can throw the damn bookshelf at you. Brother in law bought KOTOR on the day it launched and turned it into a week long binge watch at his house. And because brother in law is that kind of geek, he's translating the characters into the West End D6 system. I'm watching him do a playthrough, and he's got Canderous and Zaalbar at Ajunta Pal's tomb.

Allronix: Huh. That's odd. Why aren't commenting on anything when Ajunta is speaking?

Bro in law: Oh. They can't even see Ajunta. You have to be Force Sensitive to see a Force Ghost The stronger your Sensitivity, the better you can see it.

Allronix: Really? Then how come Carth can see it?

Bro in law (gets the "holy shit, I gotta confirm this" look): Really?! He just sees something out the corner of his eye or something?

Allronix: No, he sees Ajunta just fine. Understands what the dude's saying too.

Bro in law instantly rolls back to his last save, swaps Zaalbar for Carth, and sees the bit in question.

Bro in law: Oh. Dear. (Goes over to make some quick scribbles on Carth's character sheet)

Okay, so maybe that was a lore fail. I didn't really think about it too much until I hit that False Level Up glitch and ran around with Carth and Mission as Sentinels. Now, while I couldn't really see Mission as a Sensitive, that little bit with my bro in law nagged at me. And became a "once you see it you can't unsee it." Apologies to TV Tropes, where some of these were my additions to the Wild Mass Guess entry on this topic.

Any one of these on its own is pretty easy to blow off. After all, man is career military, and knows All this Shit is Weird. I also like to think of Sensitivity as a spectrum and not a switch. If all life is connected by the Force, then all life would be Sensitive to some degree or another. It’s just a matter of to what degree. It’s only as the list gets longer and longer does the case start looking damning...

What are the odds of surviving that attack on the Endar Spire, getting to the escape pods, sharing the last escape pod with the mindwiped Sith Lord, piloting through the chaos, landing in what passes for the "good" part of town, remaining uninjured, pulling the badly injured mindwiped Sith Lord from the wreck, evading Sith detection while all this is going on, and just happening to find a dump of an apartment where the landlord's not asking questions? That is one amazing string of coincidences and good luck. Get that many in Star Wars, and it's definitely The Force sticking its nose in things.

Piloting the escape pod to land in the Upper City, piloting the Hawk through the Sith Blockade of Taris, the random Sith patrols, the escape from the Leviathan, and the fleet around Lehon along with the crash landing that left the ship easily repairable. Now, compare to Atton who we know to be an excellent pilot and drawing on The Force who still manages to crash the ship at least three times.

He's a scary good judge of character if you're interacting with other NPCs. If you watch him with other NPC characters, he's got a pretty good compass as to which characters are being helpful and which ones are full of shit. The only one he calls incorrectly is Rukil, who is probably also an untrained Sensitive (the age, the "marked" comments) and half senile, which is probably throwing him.

Related to that, his distrust and wariness about something not adding up with the PC, the Jedi Council feeding the party a line of bull, that things just aren't adding up. And on all of it? Dead on. He's 100% right about the Player Character, he just expected something a little less crazy than "that's Darth freaking Revan."

If you play Female Revan, then Carth's the one who gets fried in the torture cages on the Leviathan. Saul comments how strange it is that Carth takes so much punishment and still remains conscious. Now, this is a low level thing, but in lore, Force Sensitives have drawn on it to keep them alive or conscious under duress. Explicitly, the first sign we got that Leia was a Sensitive when she withstood the Imperial torture droid.

Another of his scary ass judge of character feats? In the comics, Zayne (who is on the run from the Jedi, who framed him for the murder of his classmates) has a vision that Mandalorians are coming for Serroco. Saul? Laughs it off, throws Zayne in the brig. Zayne's own friends don't even believe him. Carth gets one of those creepy hunches and starts calling in "duck and cover" sirens as far as he can broadcast, which sends seventeen cities and millions of people heading for shelter. It saves their lives and Carth is called a hero for it. Armed with another hunch, he disobeys Saul (remember this is before Saul nukes Telos) and lets Zayne "escape" from custody. Mind you, not even the Jedi or his party members believed Zayne. Carth did.

Carth makes a lot of creepy weird offhand predictions about the future. He says he knows on some level he'll be there when Saul dies. That certainly pans out. He makes an offhand prediction that the Jedi have set the party up to take a fall. Right again. He tells a female PC that she'll have to make a choice soon, one she can't walk away from. And then we get the temple top. He even blurts out that "I sensed you would have to make a choice soon, and that was it*, I can feel it!"* If you specify a LS Female Revan, his recording for T3-M4 says he's had a hunch Revan would leave without warning. Again, spot on.

Specify a LS male Revan, and Carth will remark to Bastila that seeing the Exile reminds him "there are worse things to lose." The only other people who can see just how screwed up the Exile is are the Jedi Masters, Chodo Habat, and the Force Sensitive party members.

Specify a LS female Revan, and Carth will insist that he would know if Revan were dead (again, scary ass intuition) and that there's an "emptiness" where she used to be. Now, remember one of the things about a broken Force Bond? It would simply be "empty, a wound."

You know how your party members in KOTOR 2 feel upset or even horrified as they realize they feel compelled to protect Exile and can't being themselves to leave, even when said actions are kicking puppies? And how they swing wildly from being crazy, almost stalker level possessive of them to being scared out of their wits and clamming up when you try to pry anything out of them? And the more potent (and untapped) their Force Sensitivity, the more they get hammered with the effect? (Mira and Atton in particular) Yeah. Now, Carth's "I don't wanna talk" looks a bit different, doesn't it? It could also account for that romance arc, especially if you roll a DSF Revan and go for that "everyone dies" ending.

Again, Ajunta Pal. Seeing a Force Ghost? Yeah. Some degree of Sensitivity needed. Understanding what he's saying? Yeah. Takes a bit more than that. And Carth makes a weirdly insightful comment about the Dark Side on top of it.

Notice that this a wall o text argument already, and I'm now just getting to the "Yeah, his kid is able to throw around mid-level Dark Side powers and packing a red lightsaber." Given the jawline and the muleheaded attitude, no way Morgana was fooling around with the pizza delivery boy. That's definitely Carth's kid, and that's definitely Force Sensitivity. Now, while it can skip a generation (see Theron Shan), it tends to run pretty heavy in families.

Lastly? Gee. He comes from a planet settled by and heavily populated by descendants of Force Sensitives who failed their training. I'm also willing to bet some bastard children of Jedi get passed off as "foundlings" and "orphans" and dumped there, too. Jedi are forbidden attachments, but not sworn to celibacy, so...yeah, bastard kids are gonna happen. There's probably a Jedi or two in that family tree. It's circumstantial evidence at best, but it still supports the case.

Now, any arguments I missed? Counterarguments?

And the million credit question: If there's a character who gets to break this news to poor Flyboy, who do you think would actually take that on? How do you think Carth would take that kind of news? And what, if anything, would come of it?

I kinda figure Jolee might be the only one nuts enough to poke that with a stick...I also kinda figure "Sentinel" would fit best. Consular? Hell no. He hired Mical for that. Guardian works with the feats, but the whole "ferreting out deceit and injustice?" Yeah. That's Carth.

[reallifesultanas]

The myths around Kösem Sultan's execution / A Köszem szultána halála körüli legendák

One of the most frequently discussed topics about the Sultanate of Women is the brutal execution of Kösem Sultan. Usually, the casual people think that she was assassinated by her son-in-law Turhan Hatice Sultan during a long power struggle. We have plenty of accounts of the events, but there are quite a few of them that are contemporary. In this post, I would like to summarize what we know, who were the characters of the events, and what might have happened that night. In the comments section or in Tellonyme, I look forward to everyone's opinion and comment about the topic so that we can discuss it! :) If you don't know Kösem Sultan, you can read her biography HERE.

What do we know for sure?

- After Ibrahim's dethronement and execution, Kösem Sultan became a regent to her grandson Mehmed IV. - Turhan, Mehmed’s mother, and Kösem Sultan were on different sides during the political games. - Kösem Sultan was killed by her enemies on September 2, 1651. - Turhan Hatice became the new regent, Kösem Sultan's executioners were not punished, but her supporters were soon killed.

Backstory

Kösem Sultan came to power for the second time in February 1640. Along with her crazy son, Ibrahim I, she began to rule the Ottoman Empire as regent. Everyone loved her, she had a huge experience in rule, she did a lot of charity. Everything seemed perfect, but her son, Ibrahim, soon came under the influence of bad advisers. Cinci Hoca was a religious leader in occult sciences who took advantage of the Sultan’s mental problems and seriously influenced him. As a result, the Sultan executed his Grand Vizier in 1644 and exiled his mother. He originally intended to send his mother to the island of Rhodes, but eventually, his concubines persuaded him to send her only to another palace. Kösem Sultan spent the next few years there in exile, but during that time she corresponded regularly with the statesmen and tried to keep everything under control. She probably wrote her well-known letter to Hezarpare Ahmed Pasha here, saying, "In the end, he will not leave you or me alive and we will lose control of the state again, thereby destroying our society." The situation deteriorated to the point that in 1647 Kösem Sultan and the new Grand Vizier, Salih Pasha and Seyhülislam Abdürrahim Efendi tried to dethrone Ibrahim but they failed. The next year, both the Janissaries and the Ulema joined the rebellion, and on August 8, 1648, the mad sultan was easily dethroned and imprisoned and his followers were removed from positions.

Ibrahim was succeeded by his son, Mehmed, who was barely 6 years old, andso he needed a regent. The statesmen asked Kösem Sultan for the honorary task. The position of regent was usually held by teachers, pashas, or mothers (in the case of Mehmed II, the Grand Vizier was regent; in Ahmed I, his mother and teacher; in Murad IV, and Ibrahim's case their mother), so Kösem Sultan was the first grandmother to become regent. According to the most accepted opinions, this happened because Mehmed’s mother, Turhan Hatice, was not even 25 years old at the time, too young and inexperienced to run the empire. Anyhow Kösem Sultan started her third regency and she constantly disregarded Mehmed’s mother, Turhan. Because of Turhan’s youth, she might truly would not have been the best regent, yet she had every right to control the harem. Kösem Sultan, however, did not allow this to the young woman either. So Turhan, in vain was the mother of the reigning sultan, all her duties were ruled by Kösem Sultan. Kösem Sultan gained more and more enemies both in the divan and the harem, so both places split into two sides: Kösem Sultan and her supporters and Turhan Sultan and her supporters.

Two opposite sides and characters

Kösem Sultan and her supporters

Kösem Sultan ruled the empire as a regent for decades, and when she was not a regent, she followed events as valide sultan. Earlier in her life, she worked together with most of the pashas. During her first regency, she said that she, as the representative of the ruler, intended to be there at the divan meetings in person. This was not allowed by the pashas and so she was forced to accept. During her third regency, however, she was not bowing before anyone’s will. She had lost all her sons, buried at least one daughter, sacrificed her whole life for the empire, so then she refused to compromise on anything anymore. She wished to rule the empire as an absolute monarch. And in the divan she dismissed everyone who disagreed with her. More and more people began to debate her right for ruling. One of her well-known divan speeches happed around this time. Kösem Sultan accused the Grand Vizier Sofu Ahmed Pasha of wanting to kill her, then she continued: “Thank God I survived four rulers and I ruled for a long time myself. The world will neither collapse nor reform with my death.”

Kösem Sultan went too far. She didn't just change the pashas she did not like but replaced them with Janissary officers. The Janissaries have served her with allegiance since the first regency of Kösem Sultan. Back then, in 1623, she went against everyone and gave the Janissaries a huge amount of money after Murad IV's accession to the throne. Although there were rebellions and disagreements, basically the Janissaries - but at least some of their corps - were loyal to Kösem Sultan. Representation of the Janissaries has been a thing for centuries, but to make Janissaries — or simply soldiers — vizieres was too much. Pashas learnt a lot and bore a lot to reach the highest possible positions and they were aware of how to be good veziers. This was their only aim and Kösem put Janissary officers there instead of educated statesmen. Everyone in the divan felt that Kösem Sultan wanted to build a military rule so that she could lead the empire in a way she liked. Thus, by 1651, only a few corps of Janissaries were actually on the side of Kösem in political terms. Although the people still loved her for her generous charity, in political terms their support did not mean much.

In addition to the growing tension with the pashas, Kösem Sultan had a rival in the harem also. Although most sources treat it as a fact that the relationship of Kösem Sultan and Turhan was terrible, there is no evidence to that effect. The relationship between the two of them only began to deteriorate over time, but in general, it can be said that Kösem Sultan just did not care about Turhan at all. She certainly looked down on her and didn't think much about Turhan. Kösem Sultan, although she had her own harem staff, did not have the most influential eunuch. Moreover, some said most of her servants also found her unworthy after realizing the way she treated Turhan. Perhaps it is no coincidence that so many sources mention a servant named Meleki Hatun, who famously switched sides and betrayed Kösem Sultan and began to strengthen Turhan’s side.

Turhan Hatice Sultan and her supporters

Turhan Hatice had more allies and so was in a better position in the harem than Kösem Sultan. She received help from an influential eunuch, Suleiman Agha. Suleiman aga was the leader of the harem agas, an ambitious eunuch with great power and contact system, with significant political influence. The harem was actually torn in two, thanks to the supporters of Kösem Sultan and Turhan Hatice. Both sides had their own chief eunuchs, which caused immense chaos within the harem, people did not know whose instructions to follow. And although the title of Valide Sultan belonged to Turhan Hatice as the mother of the sultan, the vernacular referred to her only as “small valide,” while Kösem Sultan was called “big valide”. Suleiman Agha's support, however, was worth its weight in gold. The eunuch looked primarily at his own interests throughout his life, and he had a great understanding of how to exploit and influence people. This is precisely why the possibility arises that it was Suleiman who set Turhan up and turned her against Kösem Sultan. Perhaps it was Suleiman who - hoping for his own rise from the young valide - persuaded her to take what was her right. In addition, Suleiman Agha was very liked by the young sultan, becoming a kind of father figure for the boy. Of course, it is not my intention to underestimate the role of Turhan in the events, but at the same time, I feel that the role of Suleiman Agha is actually underrated and I would like to make that clear. I’m not saying Turhan was a naive girl led by the evil Suleiman Agha, I just think that without Suleiman’s support and incitement, Turhan probably wouldn’t have, or much later, confronted Kösem Sultan.

In addition to Suleiman, three other major eunuchs also sided with Turhan: Hoca Reyhan Agha, Lala Hajji Ibrahim Agha, and Ali Agha. Hoca Reyhan Agha was closest to Turhan as his associate and religious leader, but Lala Hajji Aga was also a long-term partner in Turhan’s life. In addition to the eunuchs, we must also mention Meleki Hatun, whose legend is well known. According to this, she was the one who betrayed the plan of Kösem Sultan to Turhan, thus saving the little Sultan Mehmed from death and dethronement. However, the reality is probably less romantic. It is unlikely that a previously insignificant, never-ever mentioned servant like Meleki would have known about Kösem Sultan's plans and so could betray her. Certainly, Meleki was given a bigger role in the legend than she actually had. Maybe Meleki has agreed to be a scapegoat, testifying against Kösem Sultan if she gets goods in return. Given what a huge fortune Meleki gained after Kösem Sultan’s death, we can’t rule out this option either. Even if Meleki brought supporters for Turhan within the harem, she could have had quite a bit of an impact on the whole event. In addition to Turhan, the key figure was Suleiman Agha, who also had a close relationship with the divan, so he could easily connect members of the divan who were dissatisfied with Kösem Sultan. The most influential supporter was none other than the Grand Vizier, Siyavuş Pasha, but practically the entire divan turned against Kösem Sultan so far. It should also be mentioned that although most formations of the Janissaries were impartial or were on Kösem Sultan's side, the Sipahies tended to the group of Turhan and her supporters.

What led to the tragic night?

Before turning to the immediate causes, we need to jump back a bit in time to better understand Kösem Sultan's behavior. As is well known, Ibrahim I was succeeded by his son, Mehmed, barely 6 years old, who needed a regent. The statesmen asked Kösem Sultan for the honorary task. However, the request was rather strange. Why is that? The regent position was usually held by teachers, pashas, or mothers, and Kösem Sultan was none. Moreover, Kösem Sultan rejected the request for the first time on the grounds that she no longer has the strength to rule further.

Why did Kösem Sultan take on the task? Did she really want to retire?

To understand Kösem Sultan's thoughts, we need to jump a little further back in time. Kösem Sultan was in exile for years during Ibrahim's reign. From her exile, she repeatedly attempted a coup against her own son. From one of her surviving letters in exile, it is clear that she was part of the coup that eventually dethroned her son. Outwardly, however, she showed a very different picture. After Ibrahim was shut down, they wanted to put his son, Mehmed, on the throne. Kösem Sultan then met with the statesmen at Topkapi Palace to discuss with them what Ibrahim's fate should be. They negotiated for hours, but Kösem Sultan all along refused to give Ibrahim's eldest son to the statemen. The statesmen had to publicly convince Kösem Sultan for hours. Kösem Sultan who had previously done everything to dethrone her son is now standing by his son. Why? Of course, we will never know exactly what happened in her mind. However, it seems probable, that Kösem Sultan wanted to keep the image of a loving mother in front of the soldiers and the people. If she would just agree to Ibrahim's dethronement and Mehmed's enthronement that would be strange from a loving mother. Therefore, she held a sham debate with the pashas not to lose the sympathy of the people, but at the same time to keep the empire safe. Kösem Sultan was an experienced politician who was able to rule for years, and her loving and caring mother image was essential to that. Thus, with Kösem Sultan's consent, Sultan Ibrahim was eventually closed up and Mehmed has proclaimed their new sultan. Perhaps the first rejection of regency in 1648 was also part of a play like this. Kösem Sultan maybe felt the people expect this of her, so she offered to retire, while maybe in the background she had already agreed with the pashas.

And why did the members of the divan let Kösem Sultan to be the regent? After all, any of the members of the divan or even Mehmed's teacher could have applied for the task. And that would give huge power to them. So why did they give this opportunity to Kösem Sultan?

Ibrahim I was executed on August 18, 1648. Some say Kösem Sultan gave her consent to the execution but it cannot be ruled out that the execution took place behind her back. As I mentioned above, the mother of the dethroned or assassinated sultans has traditionally retreated to the Old Palace, where they lived their remaining years politically inactive. In her case, however, this did not happen. This raises the possibility that Kösem Sultan was unaware of Ibrahim’s execution and the pashas tried to reconcile the shattered woman with this gesture. Maybe Kösem gave her consent, knew what will happen, but still in the end she couldn't bear the pain. Either way, after the execution Kösem Sultan has changed. She turned against the pashas with whom she had always cooperated before. Whichever version is true, we can clearly see that the Kösem Sultan who became a regent to Mehmed IV, was no longer the same woman who had previously been considered the beloved mother of the empire.

But who ordered the execution of Ibrahim? Do we know? No, we do not know. Actually any of the statesmen could do it, but either Suleiman Agha or Turhan Sultan could make the little sultan to sign the fetwa petition and then send it to the Seyhülislam to authorize. Anyhow, the fetwa was authorized with full right, as Ibrahim was very harmful to the empire.

The murder

As can be seen from the above summary, Kösem Sultan was trying to build an absolute monarchy in which no one but a few Janissary corpses supported her, so a huge team gathered against her. According to the well-known version, over time, the strife between Kösem Sultan and the statesmen escalated to the point that, with the support of Turhan Hatice, the statesmen tried to remove her from her position. Kösem Sultan in response to this planned to dethrone Sultan Mehmed and put her other grandson on the throne instead. To do this, she wanted to let the Janissaries into the palace so that they could carry out the coup at night, which is why she left the gate to the harem open for the night. However, Kösem Sultan's plan was revealed to her enemies. According to some it was a servant named Meleki Hatun, who betrayed Kösem and told her plans to Turhan. Thus, as soon as the men of Kösem Sultan opened the gate on September 2, 1651, the men of Turhan Hatice, led by Chief Eunuch Suleiman Agha, closed it and sent an execution squad to the residence of Kösem Sultan. When she heard knocking on her door Kösem Sultan thought that her own allies had come, so she shouted at them, “Have you come?”. However, instead of the voice of the Janissaries, she heard the voice of the eunuch Suleiman Agha, which made her panic and flee. It’s not exactly known if she did get out of her apartment and if yes then how because the descriptions don’t match. Some said she hid in a closet inside her apartment, others said she tried to get to the Janissaries, but she couldn’t get through the closed gate, so she finally hid in the room next to the gate.

The execution squad, which consisted of several eunuchs (Suleiman Agha, Hoca Reyhan Agha, Lala Hajji Ibrahim Agha, and Ali Agha, as well as some unknown eunuchs) continued the search. Kösem Sultan hid in a closet from which the edge of her dress protruded, revealing her hiding place. When they found her, she threw money at her executioners, trying to pay them off, but she had no chance against Turhan's loyal men. Legend has it that while the men tried to capture and strangle the valide sultan they ripped out her diamond earrings - which she had received from Sultan Ahmed - from her ears; torn apart her clothes as they tried to take away the precious ornaments from her. Kösem Sultan beyond her sixties fought very hard but in the end, the eunuchs overcame her. Some say she was strangled with her own hair, others said with a curtain. She survived the first strangulation attempt but did not survive the second.

However, there are several points in the story above that raise doubts:

- Kösem Sultan's problem was not Mehmed but was the pashas, Turhan and Suleiman Agha. Then why didn't she get rid of them? Wouldn’t it have been easier and more logical to kill these people than to dethrone one child sultan for the benefit of another child? Of course, we can justify this with the fact that Kösem Sultan was no longer sane, so let’s not even look for logic in her actions. However, it may also raise the possibility that perhaps Kösem Sultan was completely or at least partially innocent throughout the series of events. She may not have planned anything with the Janissaries, the whole plan was only invented by Turhan and her men to legitimize their own actions. However, it contradicts that the Janissaries were indeed preparing to gather on the tragic night, and it is unlikely that Turhan and her team could successfully cheat the Janissaries without Kösem Sultan realizing it. It is possible that Kösem Sultan was indeed prepared for a minor coup, but it was perhaps not directed against Mehmed. Kösem Sultan had to realize that besides the pashas, Suleiman Aga was behind the "rebellious" behavior of Turhan and Mehmed. I think Kösem Sultan planned a smaller coup in which she would have got rid of the eunuchs and servants she didn’t like and would have scared Mehmed and Turhan. This would have ensured her own power and that neither Turhan nor Mehmed would question her anymore.

- Why was Kösem Sultan killed in such a strange way? After all, the lawful, usual method of execution was by an execution squad with Seyhülislam fetwa and silk/bow string. (It is important to note, however, that female members of the dynasty have not been executed before, women have typically been punished only with exile.) Kösem Sultan in contrast was killed by inexperienced eunuchs, with a kind of fake fetwa, and by her own hair or a curtain. The question arises that perhaps the execution of Kösem Sultan was not even planned. If the execution would be planned, executioners could clearly kill her after a legal fetwa. About the fetwa... There was, of course, a fetwa, but the temporality is somewhat disturbed by the fact that the Seyhülislam was replaced by one of Turhan's trusted men just when the execution took place. Precisely because of this, and because of the unusual brutality of the execution, there is a possibility that perhaps the execution of Kösem Sultan was not originally planned, only things slipped out of control, and in the heat of the moment, the Eunuchs executed Kösem Sultan. In retrospect, to legalize the events, they produced a fetwa with the new Seyhülislam.

- But then who and why did finally decide that Kösem Sultan should die? Turhan was not present at the events, and since the murder was not planned in advance - based on the fetwa and executioners - I would remove her from the list of suspects. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Turhan Hatice Sultan and Suleiman Agha talked about this possibility also. It is more probable, however, that they originally merely wanted to scare Kösem Sultan, to show her that she had been exposed, that time had passed over her. In my opinion, Turhan hoped that Kösem Sultan would admit her defeat and simply retire to the Old Palace. It would have been too risky to kill a venerate and beloved valide, especially knowing that none of the female members of the dynasty had ever been executed before. They probably wanted to resign her, but so far there was nothing to lose for Kösem Sultan. The only thing that still made her vivid was power, so she certainly objected to the idea of ​​forced retreat. When Suleiman Agha realized that Kösem Sultan was not listening to them, perhaps out of fear, he decided they had to kill her. After all, if the enraged Kösem Sultan had come out of the palace, Suleiman and the other eunuchs would have found themselves headless at once. Although there is no evidence of it, my personal opinion is that Suleiman may have wanted this from the first minute, as he knew full well that Kösem Sultan would never retire. Either way, the eunuchs eventually defeated and executed the elderly valide in a way that could not be called professional at all.

- Can we completely rule out that Kösem Sultan was executed with a truly legal fetwa and by an execution squad? Unfortunately, this cannot be ruled out either. The English ambassador, for example, reported that an execution squad had killed Kösem Sultan after a fetwa requested by the young sultan. He said that the execution happened in front of Mehmed eyes. We must admit though that the English ambassador was not among the best-informed ones. It is likely that everyone at the time believed that the fetwa was pre-issued. Only later, after historians’ research, it became very possible that the fetwa was presumably made after the execution of Kösem Sultan. It is not seems reasonable that Kösem Sultan would have been executed before the eyes of her 10-year-old grandson, Mehmed. Turhan tried very hard to protect her son, unlikely to have exposed him to such a trauma. Mustafa Naima agrees with the English ambassador that the execution was planned in advance, but he said it was not the eunuchs but an execution squad that killed Kösem Sultan. However, then why was the execution brutal? Why wasn't there a silk/bow string? Why was it performed by unfit eunuchs?

The aftermath of the murder

To prevent any resistance, during the night, Turhan Hatice and her men removed all statesmen who would have endangered them. The first man to be appointed that night was Ebu Said Efendi, the new Seyhülislam. He was the one who eventually issued the fetwa for the execution of Kösem Sultan (in retrospect). Turhan then sent a message to all statesmen and soldiers to immediately go to an audience where they would take allegiance to Sultan Mehmed. Most, out of fear or out of sincere feelings, immediately approached the Sultan, and those who did not, the new Seyhülislam issued a fetwa for them. Thus it became lawful to execute the supporters of Kösem Sultan, since they did not appear before the Sultan either. And the rebellious Janissaries were thus stigmatized as traitors and were legally executed. For commoners, they became the scapegoat for the death of Kösem Sultan. After the murder, Kösem Sultan was transported to the Old Palace, where her body was prepared for the funeral. She received an imperial funeral, and the people of Istanbul voluntarily held 3-day mourning, closing all shops and stores. Kösem Sultan has always been popular among the people, but interestingly the same people did not turn against Turhan because of the death of Kösem Sultan, in fact, Turhan became as loved and revered valide sultan just as Kösem Sultan was.

What happened to the real culprits? Turhan and Mehmed escaped, of course, but it is questionable whether they had any part in the murder at all. It is true that a rebellion in 1656 seriously shook their power, but in the end, they did not lose it. The main reasons for this were the weak Grand Veziers, the resurgent Celali rebellion, and the war with the Venetians. Due to the war people of the capital did not get enough grain, the soldiers were not properly paid, but ordinary people were also increasingly dissatisfied, especially angered by the extreme wealth of those close to the Sultan. Eventually, under the leadership of the Janissaries and Spahis, the people revolted on the fourth of March 1656. During the rebellion, several of those close to the sultan were brutally executed, the whole capital was ravaged. The mob hung all 31 people on trees next to the Blue Mosque. Among them was Meleki Hatun, whom the sultan especially loved. Although the capital has been shaken by riots in the past, such a rebellion has never happened before. Not only did the soldiers revolt, but the people also stood by the soldiers as one. Everyone closed their shops, a general strike took place during the rebellion.

Suleiman Agha was no longer in power when the rebellion took place and perhaps this held his head on his neck. After the assassination of Kösem Sultan, he became the chief black eunuch, but he could only enjoy the position until July 1652. Suleiman continued to stretch beyond his blanket, trying to change political issues that had nothing to do with him. Turhan Hatice also began to realize that Suleiman was not on their side at all, but only on his own. Of particular interest is that Lala Ibrahim Agha convinced Turhan of this, who himself took part in the execution of Kösem Sultan. Lala Ibrahim Agha was Turhan’s personal eunuch and he never longed (or wisely didn’t show her) for a higher position. Turhan was thus finally dismissed Suleiman Agha in 1652 and exiled him to Egypt. The refined eunuch even invented himself in exile, growing into an influential figure who became one of the main figures in Cairo’s local politics. He died in 1676/7.

Epilogue

We will probably never know exactly what led to the execution and how it took place. Nor was my aim with the post to present a perfect solution in the manner as Hercule Poirot usually does. I merely wished to shed light on the fact that the generally known and accepted theory should be regarded with some healthy doubts. The fact that it is the most generally accepted theory, does not mean it is the most thorough. There are plenty of question marks, dubious information which makes it clear that this whole situation was more complicated than two women fighting for domination over the harem.

Kösem Sultan was the sultana who broke the highest, who could have been at the top for a long time, but from the great heights, she finally fell down and became the only murdered valide sultana ever. Kösem Sultan had several titles during her life: Naib-i Sultanat (regent of the Ottoman Empire), Umin al-Mu'minin (mother of all muslims), Büyük Valide Sultan (great Valide Sultan), Valide-i Sehide (martyred mother), Valide-i Maktule (murdered mother), Valide-i Muazzama (magnificent mother).

Used sources:  M. Kocaaslan - IV. Mehmed Saltanatında Topkapı Sarayı Haremi: İktidar, Sınırlar ve Mimari; L. Peirce - The Imperial Harem; Ö. Kumrular - Kösem Sultan: iktidar, hırs, entrika; C. Finkel - Osman’s Dream: the History of the Ottoman Empire; M. P. Pedani - Relazioni inedite; N. Sakaoğlu - Bu Mülkün Kadın Sultanları; G. Börekçi - Factions and Favorites at the Courts of Sultan Ahmed I and His Immediate Predecessors; F. Davis - The Palace of Topkapi in Istanbul; Faroqhi - The Ottoman Empire and the World; C. Imber - The Ottoman Empire 1300-1650; F. Suraiya, K. Fleet - The Cambridge History of Turkey 1453-1603; F. Suraiya - The Cambridge History of Turkey, The Later Ottoman Empire, 1603–1839; Ö. Düzbakar - Charitable Women And Their Pious Foundations In The Ottoman; G. Junne - The black eunuchs of the Ottoman Empire, Networks of Power in the Court of the Sultan.

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A Nők szultánátusának egyik legtöbbször tárgyalt témája Köszem szultána brutális kivégzése. Általában a laikusok elintézik annyival, hogy Köszem szultánát menye, Turhan Hatice gyilkoltatta meg hosszas hatalmi harc lezárásaként. Rengeteg beszámoló áll rendelkezésünkre az eseményekről, ám meglehetősen kevés van köztük, mely konkrétan korabeli lenne. Ebben az írásban szeretném összegezni, hogy mit tudunk, kik voltak a szereplők az eseményekben és hogy mi történhetett azon a bizonyos éjjelen. A kommentszekcióban várom mindenki véleményét, megjegyzését a témáról, hogy meg tudjuk vitatni a posztot! :) Aki nem ismerné Köszem szultánát, az ITT tudja elolvasni életrajzát.  

Mit tudunk biztosan?

- Köszem I. Ibrahim trónfosztása és kivégzése után régens lett unokája IV. Mehmed mellett. - Turhan, Mehmed anyja és Köszem külöböző oldalon álltak a politikai játszmák során. - Köszemet 1651. szeptember 2-án meggyilkolták ellenségei. - Turhan Hatice lett az új régens, Köszem gyilkosai nem lettek megbüntetve, támogatóitól azonban rövidesen megszabadultak.

Előzmények

Köszem szultána 1640 februárjában másodjára került hatalomra. Zavart elméjú fia, I. Ibrahim mellett régensként kezdte irányítani az Oszmán Birodalmat. Köszemet mindenki szerette, az uralkodásban hatalmas tapasztalata volt, rengeteget jótékonykodott. Minden tökéletesnek tűnt, azonban fia, Ibrahim hamarosan rossz emberek befolyása alá került. Cinci Hoca okkult tudományokkal foglalkozó vallási vezető volt, aki kihasználta a szultán mentális problémáit és komolyan befolyásolta őt. Ennek az lett az eredménye, hogy a szultán 1644-ben a nagyvezírét kivégeztette, édesanyját pedig száműzte. Eredetileg Rodosz szigetére szándékozta küldeni anyját, de végül ágyasai meggyőzték, hogy csak egy másik palotába küldje. Köszem elkövetkezendő éveit ott töltötte száműzetésben, ám ezalatt az idő alatt is rendszeresen levelezett az államférfiakkal és igyekezett kézben tartani mindent. Valószínűleg itt írta meg jól ismert levelét is Hezarpare Ahmed Pasának, mely így szólt: “Végül sem titeket, sem engem nem hagyna életben és újra elveszítenénk az uralmat az állam felett, ezzel pedig lerombolnánk társadalmunkat.” Odáig fajult a helyzet, hogy 1647-ben Köszem szultána és az új nagyvezír, Salih Pasa és a Seyhülislam Abdürrahim Efendi megpróbálták trónfosztani Ibrahimot, azonban lebuktak. A következő évben a janicsárok és az ulema is csatlakozott a lázadáshoz és 1648 augusztus 8-án könnyűszerrel trónfosztották és bebörtönözték az őrült szultánt, követőit pedig eltávolították a pozíciókból.

Ibrahimot a trónon fia, az alig 6 éves Mehmed követte, aki mellett szükség volt egy régensre. Az államférfiak Köszemet kérték fel a megtisztelő feladatra. A régensi pozíciót általában tanítók, pasák vagy édesanyák látták el (II. Mehmed esetében a nagyvezír volt régens, I. Ahmednél anyja és tanítója, IV. Muradnál és I. Ibrahimnál anyjuk), így Köszem volt az első nagymama, akiből régens lehetett. Erre a legelfogadottabb vélemények szerint azért kerülhetett sor, mert Mehmed édesanyja, Turhan Hatice még 25 éves sem volt ekkor, túl fiatal és tapasztalatlan volt a birodalom irányításához. Köszem tehát belekezdett harmadik régensségébe és folyamatosan semmibe vette Mehmed édesanyját, Turhant. Turhan fiatalsága okán talán tényleg nem lett volna jó régens, ugyanakkor a hárem irányításához minden joga megvolt. Köszem viszont ezt sem engedte meg a fiatal nőnek. Turhan tehát hiába volt a regnáló szultán anyja, minden feladatkörét Köszem uralta. Emellett Köszem a divánban is egyre több ellenségre tett szert, így a hárem és a divan is két oldalra szakadt: Köszem támogatóira és Turhan támogatóira.

Két, szemben álló oldal és a szereplők

Köszem oldala

Köszem évtizedeken át uralta régensként a birodalmat, amikor pedig nem régens volt, valideként követte figyelemmel az eseményeket. Életének korábbi szakaszában a legtöbb pasa mellette állt, ami nem volt elmondható harmadik régensségéről. Köszem első régenssége alatt is jelezte, hogy ő, mint az uralkodó reprezentálása ott kíván lenni a divan gyűléseken személyesen. Ezt akkor a pasák nem engedték meg neki, amit ő kénytelen-kelletlen el is fogadott. Harmadik régenssége során azonban szó sem lehetett arról, hogy meghajoljon bárki akarata előtt. Elveszítette összes fiát, legalább egy lányát is eltemette már, egész életét a birodalomnak áldozta, nem volt hajlandó többé bármiben is kompromisszumot kötni. Gyakorlatilag egyeduralkodóként kívánta irányítani a birodalmat. A divanban pedig aki nem értett vele egyet, azt eltiporta és menesztette. Köszem jogát az uralkodáshoz egyre többen kezdték el vitatni, egyik ilyen divan vita során hangzott el a jól ismert beszéde is. Ekkor Köszem megvádolta a nagyvezír Sofu Ahmed Pasát azzal, hogy meg akarta őt öletni, majd így folytatta: “Istennek hála négy uralkodót segítettem és én magam is hosszú ideig uralkodtam. A világ nem fog sem összeomlani sem megreformálódni a halálommal.”

Köszem azonban nem elégedett meg a pasák megalázásával, tanácsaik el nem fogadásával. Még csak nem is neki tetsző más pasákra cserélte le őket, hanem janicsárokat kezdett vezíri rangra emelni. A janicsárok Köszem első régenssége óta hűséggel szolgálták az asszonyt, amiért az mindenkivel szembe menve 1623-ban hatalmas trónralépési jussot adott a janicsároknak IV. Murad trónralépése után. Bár voltak lázadások és egyet nem értések, alapvetően a janicsárok - de legalábbis néhány hadtestük - hűségesek voltak Köszemhez. A janicsárok képviselete ��vszázadok óta működött, azonban az, hogy janicsárokat - vagy egyszerűen katonákat - tegyenek vezírré a kitanult államférfiak helyett, több volt a soknál. Mindenki úgy érezte a divanban, hogy Köszem egy katonai uralmat kíván kiépíteni, hogy a neki tetsző módon vezethesse a birodalmat. Így Köszem oldalán 1651-re tulajdonképpen csak a janicsárok néhány hadteste állt politikai értelemben. Bár a nép továbbra is szerette őt bőkezű jótékonykodása miatt, politikai értelemben az ő támogatásuk nem jelentett sokat.

Amellett, hogy a pasákkal egyre nőtt a feszültség, Köszem a háremben is riválisra akadt. Bár a legtöbb forrás tényként kezeli, hogy Köszem és menye, Turhan viszonya tragikus volt, nincs erre utaló bizonyíték. Kettejük viszonya csak az idő előrehaladtával kezdett megromlani, általánosan azonban inkább az mondható el, hogy Köszem egyáltalán nem foglalkozott menyével. Mindenbizonnyal lenézte és nem tartotta sokra Turhant, így komolyan sem vette a nőt. Köszemnek bár megvolt a saját hárem személyzete, a legbefolyásosabb eunuch nem volt a kezében. Mindemellett egyesek szerint szolgálói nagyrésze is méltatlannak találta, ahogy Köszem Turhannal bánt. Talán nem véletlen, hogy oly sok forrás említi a Meleki Hatun nevű szolgálót, aki híresen oldalt váltott és Köszemet elárulva Turhan oldalát kezdte erősíteni.

Turhan Hatice oldala

Turhan Hatice a háremben jobban állt, mint Köszem. Segítséget kapott egy befolyásos eunuchtól, Szulejmán agától. Szulejmán aga volt a hárem agák vezetője, aki nagy hatalommal és kapcsolatrendszerrel rendelkező, ambíciózus eunuch volt, jelentős politikai befolyással. A hárem tulajdonképpen két oldalra szakadt, Köszem és Turhan Hatice támogatóira. Mind a két oldalnak megvolt a saját főeunuchja, ami hatalmas káoszt okozott a háremen belül, az emberek nem tudták, kinek az utasításait kövessék. És bár a valide szultána titulus a szultán anyjaként Turhan Haticét illette meg, a köznyelv csak “kis valide”-ként hivatkozott rá, míg Köszem volt a “nagy valide”. Szulejmán Aga támogatása ugyanakkor aranyat ért. Az eunuch első sorban a saját érdekeit nézte egész élete során, azonban remekül értett ahhoz, hogyan használjon ki és vezessen meg embereket. Épp emiatt felmerül annak a lehetősége is, hogy Szulejmán volt az, aki Turhant felbújtotta és Köszem ellen hangolta. Talán Szulejmán volt az, aki saját felemelkedését remélve a fiatal validétől, meggyőzte arról, hogy vegye el ami a saját jussa. Emellett Szulejmán Aga az ifjú szultánnal is megkedveltette magát, egyfajta apafigurává vált a fiú számára. Természetesen nem célom alábecsülni Turhan szerepét az eseményekben, ugyanakkor úgy érzem, hogy Szulejmán Aga szerepe ténylegesen alábecsült és ezt szeretném mindneképpen érzékeltetni. Nem azt mondom, hogy Turhan egy naíva volt, akit megvezetett a csúf, rossz Szulejmán Aga, csupán azt gondolom, hogy Szulejmán támogatása és felbújtása nélkül, Turhan valószínűleg nem, vagy sokkal később szállt volna szembe Köszemmel.

Szulejmán mellett három másik jelentősebb eunuch is Turhan oldalán állt, Hoca Reyhan Aga, Lala Hajji Ibrahim Aga és Ali Aga. Hoca Reyhan Aga állt legközelebb Turhanhoz, mint társalkodója és vallási vezetője, de Lala Hajji Aga is hosszútávú partner volt Turhan életében. Az eunuchok mellett meg kell említenünk Meleki Hatunt is, akinek legendája jól ismert. Eszerint ő volt az, aki Köszem tervét elárulta Turhannak, ezzel megmentve a kis Mehmed szultánt a haláltól és trónfosztástól. A valóság azonban valószínűleg kevésbé romantikus. Valószínűtlen, hogy egy korábban sosem említett, jelentéktelen szolgáló, mint Meleki tudott volna Köszem terveiről és el tudta volna árulni. Minden bizonnyal Melekit csupán oldalváltása miatt ruházták fel nagyobb szereppel, mint ami valójában volt. Talán Meleki elvállalta, hogy lesz bűnbak, tanúskodik Köszem ellen, ha cserébe javakat kap. Legalábbis tekintettel arra, hogy Meleki milyen hatalmas vagyonra tett szert Köszem halála után, nem zárhatjuk ki ezt az opciót sem. Meleki ha a háremen belül hozott is támogatókat Turhan számára, az egész eseményre meglehetősen kevés ráhatása lehetett. A kulcs figura Turhan mellett Szulejmán aga volt, akinek komoly kapcsolata volt a divánnal is, így könnyedén tudta csapatukhoz kapcsolni a divan Köszemmel elégedetlen tagjait is. A legbefolyásosabb támogató nem volt más, mint a Nagyvezír, Siyavuş Pasa, de gyakorlatilag szinte a teljes divan Köszem ellen fordult eddigre. Azt is meg kell említeni, hogy bár a jancsiárok legtöbb alakulata pártatlan vagy Köszem párti volt, a szpáhik inkább húztak a Turhan támogatói csoport felé.

Mi vezetett a tragikus éjszakához?

Mielőtt a közvetlen okokra rátérnék, kicsit vissza kell ugranunk az időben, hogy jobban megérthessük Köszem viselkedését. Mint ismert, trónfosztása után, I. Ibrahimot a trónon fia, az alig 6 éves Mehmed követte, aki mellett szükség volt egy régensre. Az államférfiak Köszemet kérték fel a megtisztelő feladatra. Ugyanakkor a felkérés meglehetősen furcsa volt. Miért is? A régensi pozíciót általában tanítók, pasák vagy édesanyák látták el, Köszem pedig egyik sem volt. Sőt, Köszem a felkérést először elutasította arra hivatkozva, hogy már nincs ereje tovább uralkodni.

Miért vállalta el Köszem mégis a feladatot? Valóban vissza akart vonulni?

Ahhoz, hogy megértsük Köszem gondolatait, még egy kicsit visszább kell ugranunk az időben. Köszem Ibrahim uralkodása során száműzetésben volt éveken át. Száműzetéséből pedig többször kísérelt meg puccsot saját fia ellen. Egyik száműzetésben írt levele alapján egyértelmű, hogy részese volt a puccsnak, mely végül fiát trónfosztotta. Kifelé azonban egészen más képet mutatott. Miután Ibrahimot elzárták, trónra szerették volna léptetni fiát, Mehmedet. Köszem szultána ekkor találkozott a Topkapi Palotában az államférfiakkal, hogy megvitassa velük mi legyen Ibrahim sorsa. Órákon át tárgyaltak, Köszem azonban végig megtagadta, hogy kiadja Ibrahim legidősebb fiát, Mehmedet. Így pedig nem lehetett őt kikiáltani szultánnak. Az államférfiaknak órákon keresztül kellett nyilvánsoan győzködniük Köszemet. Az a Köszem, aki korábban mindent elkövetett fia trónfosztásáért, most fia mellett állt ki. Miért? Természetesen sosem fogjuk megtudni, hogy Köszem fejében pontosan mi játszódott le. Valószínűnek tűnik azonban, hogy Köszem szerette volna megtartani a katonák és nép előtt a szerető anya képét, melybe nem fért bele saját fiának trónfosztása. Ezért egy álvitát tartott a pasákkal, hogy ne veszítse el a nép szimpátiáját, de ugyanakkor a birodalomnak is jót tegyen. Köszem tapasztalt politikus volt, aki éveken át tudott vezető szerepben maradni, ehhez pedig nélkülözhetetlen volt az imázs is. Így végül Köszem beleegyezésével elzárták Ibrahim szultánt, Mehmedet pedig új szultánjukká kiáltották ki. Talán a régensség első elutasítása is egy ehhez hasonló színjáték része volt. Köszem talán úgy érezte, hogy a nép ezt várja tőle, ezért felajánlotta visszavonulását, miközben talán a háttérben már régen megegyezett a pasákkal.

És a divan tagjai miért hagyták, hogy Köszem legyen a régens? Hiszen a divan tagjai közül akárki vagy akár Mehmed tanítója is jelentkezhetett volna a feladatra. Ez pedig hatalmas befolyást tett volna a férfiak kezébe. Miért engedték hát akkor át ezt a lehetőséget Köszemnek?

I. Ibrahimot 1648. augusztus 18-án kivégezték. Egyesek szerint Köszem szultána beleegyezését adta fia kivégzésébe, ám az sem zárható ki, hogy a kivégzés a háta mögött történt meg. Mint már fentebb említettem a trónfosztott vagy meggyilkolt szultánok édesanyja a tradíció szerint a Régi Palotába vonult vissza, ahol politikamentesen élték hátralévő éveiket. Köszem esetében azonban nem ez történt. Ez felveti annak eshetőségét, hogy Köszem nem tudott Ibrahim kivégzéséről és a pasák ezzel a gesztussal igyekeztek kiengesztelni az összetört nőt. De akkor ki rendelte el Ibrahim kivégzését? Gyakorlatilag bárki megtehette az államférfiak közül, de akár Szulejmán aga vagy Turhan is aláírathatta a fetwa kérvényt a kis szultánnal, melyet aztán a Seyhülislam teljes joggal engedélyezett, hiszen Ibrahim nagyon kártékony volt a birodalomra nézve. Akárhogyan is, Köszem a kivégzés után megváltozott. Vagy azért fordult a pasák ellen - akikkel korábban mindig együttműködő volt -, mert azok átverték őt Ibrahim kivégzésével kapcsolatban; vagy egyszerűen anyai szíve nem bírta elviselni, hogy beleegyezését adta fia kivégzésébe és megbomlott az elméje. Bármelyik verzió is igaz, azt tisztán látjuk, hogy az a Köszem, aki IV. Mehmed mellett régens lett, már nem ugyanaz az ember volt, akit korábban a birodalom imádott anyjának tekintettek.

A gyilkosság

Ahogy a fenti összefoglalásból is kiderül, Köszem egyeduralmat próbált kiépíteni, melyben néhány janicsár hadtesten kívül senki nem támogatta, így hatalmas csapat gyűlt össze ellene. A jól ismert verzió szerint, idővel a viszály Köszem és az államférfiak között odáig fajtult, hogy Turhan Hatice támogatásával az államférfiak megpróbálták Köszemet eltávolítani pozíciójából. Köszem válaszul erre azt tervezte, hogy trónfosztja IV. Mehmed szultánt és helyette másik unokáját ülteti a trónra. Ehhez a janicsárokat be kívánta engedni a palotába, hogy azok az éj leple alatt elvégezzék a puccsot, emiatt nyitva hagyatta éjszakára a hárem bejáratát. Köszem terve azonban ellenségei fülébe jutott, egyesek szerint egy Meleki nevű szolgáló által. Így amint Köszem emberei 1651. szeptember 2-án, kinyitották a kaput, Turhan Hatice emberei, a főeunuch Szulejmán Aga vezetésével bezáratták azt és kivégzőosztagot küldtek Köszem szultána lakrészébe. Mikor emberei Köszem lakrészéhez érve bekopogtak az ajtón, Köszem azt hitte, hogy saját emberei jöttek, ezért kikiabált nekik, hogy “Megjöttetek?”. Erre azonban a janicsárok hangja helyett Köszem az eunuch Szulejmán Aga hangját hallotta meg, amitől bepánikolt és menekülni kezdett. Nem pontosan tudni, hogy hogy jutott ki lakrészéből vagy ki jutott e egyáltalán, mert a leírások nem egyeznek. Egyesek szerint lakrészén belül bújt el egy szekrényben, mások szerint megpróbált kijutni a janicsárokhoz, azonban a zárt kapun keresztül nem tudott, így végül a kapu melletti szobában bújt el. A kivégzőosztag, amely több eunuchból (Szulejmán Aga, Hoca Reyhan Aga, Lala Hajji Ibrahim Aga és Ali Aga, valamint néhány ismeretlen eunuch) állt folytatta a keresést. Köszem egy szekrényben rejtőzött el, melyből ruhájának széle kilógott, ezzel felfedve rejtekhelyét. Amikor megtalálták, kivégzői elé pénzt dobott, ezzel próbálva lefizetni őket, ám esélye sem volt Turhan hű embereivel szemben. A legenda szerint a férfiak próbálták lefogni a validét, miközben füléből kitépték gyémánt fülbevalóit, melyeket Ahmed szultántól kapott; ruháját is megtépkedték, ahogy próbálták leszedni róla az értékes díszeket. Köszem túl a hatvanon is erősen ellenállt kivégzőinek, ám végül felülkerekedtek rajta. Egyesek szerint saját hajával, mások szerint egy függönnyel fojtották meg. Az első fojtogatási kísérlet után még magához tért, a másodikat azonban már nem élte túl.

Van azonban több olyan pont a fenti történetben, ami kétségeket ébreszt:

- Köszem problémája nem Mehmed volt, hanem a pasák, Turhan és Szulejmán Aga. Miért nem tőlük szabadult meg? Nem lett volna egyszerűbb és jogszerűbb meggyilkoltatni ezeket az embereket, mint trónfosztani az egyik gyermek szultánt egy másik gyermek javára? Természetesen megindokolhatjuk annyival a dolgot, hogy Köszem nem volt már épelméjű, így ne is keressünk logikát cselekedeteiben. Ugyanakkor felmerülhet az is, hogy talán Köszem teljesen vagy legalább részben ártatlan volt az egész eseménysorozatban. Elképzelhető, hogy nem tervezett semmit a janicsárokkal, az egész terv csak Turhan és emberei által lett kitalálva, hogy legitimizálják saját tetteiket. Ennek azonban ellent mond, hogy a janicsárok a tragikus éjszakán valóban gyülekezni készültek, az pedig nem valószínű, hogy Turhan és csapata sikerrel vezette meg a janicsárokat úgy, hogy Köszem erről ne szerzett volna tudomást. Lehetséges, hogy Köszem valóban készült egy kisebb puccsra, de az talán nem Mehmed ellen irányult. Köszemnek látnia kellett, hogy a pasák mellett Szulejmán Aga a fő felbújtó Turhan és Mehmed "rebellis" viselkedése mögött. Úgy vélem, Köszem egy kisebb puccsot tervezett, melyben megszabadult volna a neki nem tetsző eunuchoktól, szolgálóktól és ráijesztett volna Mehmedre és Turhanra. Ezzel biztosíthatta volna saját hatalmát és azt, hogy többé se Turhan se Mehmed ne kérdőjelezze őt meg.

- Miért gyilkolták meg Köszemet ilyen furcsa módon? Hiszen a jogszerű, szokásos kivégzési mód kivégző osztag által, Seyhülislami fetwával és selyemzsinórral történt. (Fontos ugyanakkor megjegyezni, hogy a dinasztia nő tagjain nem alkalmaztak korábban kivégzést, a nőket jellemzően száműzetéssel büntették.) Köszemet ezzel szemben képzetlen eunuchokkal, hamis fetwával és a saját hajával vagy egy függönnyel gyilkolták meg. Felmerül a kérdés, hogy talán Köszem kivégzése nem is volt eltervezve. Ha a kivégzés el lett volna tervezve, könnyedén tudtak volna kivégzőket szerezni selyemzsinórral és a fetwa kikérésének körülményei is egyértelműek lennének. Volt természetesen fetwa, de az időbeliséget kissé megzavarja a tény, hogy a régi Seyhülislamot ugyanakkor váltották le Turhan egyik megbízható emberére, mikor a kivégzés zajlott. Épp emiatt, és a kivégzés szokásostól eltérő brutalitása miatt, felmerülhet annak a lehetősége is, hogy talán Köszem kivégzése nem volt eredetileg eltervezve, csupán menet közben csúszott ki az irányítás Turhan kezéből és a pillanat hevében az eunuchok kivégezték Köszemet. Utólag pedig, hogy legalizálják az eseményeket gyártattak egy fetwát az új Seyhülislámmal.

- De akkor ki és miért döntött végül úgy, hogy Köszemnek meg kell halnia? Turhan nem volt jelen az események során, és mivel a gyilkoss��g nem volt előre eltervezve, őt kihúznám a gyanúsítottak listájáról. Természetesen az nem zárható ki, hogy Szulejmán Agával beszéltek erről az eshetőségről is. Valószínűbb azonban, hogy eredtileg csupán rá akartak ijeszteni Köszemre, megmutatni neki, hogy leleplezték, eljárt felette az idő. Véleményem szerint Turhan azt remélte, hogy Köszem beismeri vereségét és egyszerűen visszavonul a Régi Palotába. Túl kockázatos lett volna megölni egy ennyire tisztelt és szeretett validét, úgy, hogy korábban sosem végezték ki a dinasztia egyik nőtagját sem. Nem vall épelmére szánt szándékkal előrekitervelten, ilyen módon megölni Köszemet. Valószínűleg le akarták mondatni, Köszemnek azonban eddigre már nem volt vesztenivalója. Az egyetlen dolog, ami még éltette az a hatalom volt, így minden bizonnyal ellenkezett a kényszer visszavonulás gondolatától. Mikor Szulejmán Aga felismerte, hogy Köszem nem hallgat rájuk, talán félelemből úgy döntött meg kell őt ölniük. Hiszen ha a felbőszített Köszem kijutott volna a palotából Szulejmán és a többi eunuch azon nyomban fej nélkül találta volna magát. Bár nem utal rá bizonyíték, de személyes véleményem az, hogy Szulejmán talán az első perctől kezdve ezt akarta, hiszen tudta jól, hogy Köszem sosem fog visszavonulni. Akárhogyan is az eunuchok végül professzionálisnak egyáltalán nem mondható módon legyűrték az idős validét és kivégezték.

- Teljesen kizárható, hogy legális fetwa és kivégző osztag végzett Köszemmel? Sajnos ezt sem zárhatjuk ki. Az angol követ például arról számolt be, hogy kivégző osztag ölte meg Köszemet, az ifjú szultán által kért fetwa után, Mehmed szeme láttára. Igaz, hogy az angol követ nem a legjobban informáltak közé tartozott. Valószínű, hogy mindenki úgy hitte akkoriban, hogy a fetwa előre volt kiadva, csak később, a történészek kutatásai világítottak rá arra, hogy a fetwa feltehetőleg Köszem kivégzése után készült el. Azt pedig, hogy Köszemet a 10 éves Mehmed szeme láttára végezték volna ki, nem tartom valószínűnek. Turhan nagyon erősen igyekezett óvni fiát, nem valószínű, hogy kitette volna őt egy ilyen traumának. Mustafa Naima abban egyetért az angol követtel, hogy a kivégzés előre megtervezett volt, ám szerinte nem eunuchok, hanem kivégző osztag végzett a valide szultánával. Azonban akkor miért volt brutális a kivégzés? Miért nem volt selyemzsinór? Miért alkalmatlan eunuchok vitték véghez?

A gyilkosság utóhatása

Hogy megakadályozzanak bármiféle ellenállást, Turhan Hatice és emberei az éjszaka folyamán minden olyan államférfit eltávolítottak posztjáról, aki veszélyeztette volna őket. Az első ember, akit kineveztek akkor éjjel, az Ebu Said Efendi lett, az új Seyhülislam. Ő volt az, aki végül kiadta a fetwát Köszem kivégzésére (utólagosan). Ezekután Turhan megüzente az összes államférfinak és katonának, hogy azonnal menjenek audienciára, ahol hűséget fogadnak Mehmed szultánnak. A legtöbben félelemből vagy őszinte érzések által vezérelve, azonnal a szultán elé járultak, akik pedig nem, azokra az új Seyhülislám fetwat adott ki. Így vált jogszerűvé Köszem támogatóinak kivégzése is, hiszen ők sem jelentek meg a szultán előtt. A lázadó janicsárok pedig így árulóként lettek megbélyegezve és legálisan kivégezték őket. A nép szemében végül ők lettek bűnbaknak kikiáltva Köszem haláláért. Köszemet a gyilkosság után a Régi Palotába szállították, ahol előkészítették testét a temetésre. Birodalmi temetést kapott, Isztambul népe pedig önkéntesen 3 napos gyászt tartott, bezárva minden boltot és üzletet. Köszem mindig népszerű volt az emberek között, ám érdekes módon ugyanaz a nép, nem fordult Turhan ellen Köszem halála miatt, sőt, Turhan hasonlóan szeretett és tisztelt valide szultána lett, mint amilyen Köszem volt.

Mi történt a valódi bűnösökkel? Turhan és Mehmed természetesen megúszták, ugyanakkor kérdéses, hogy a gyilkosságban egyáltalán volt e részük. Igaz egy 1656-os lázadás komolyan megrengette hatalmukat, de végül nem veszítették el azt. A lázadásnak a legnagyobb oka a gyenge nagyvezírek, az újjáéledő Celali lázadás és a velenceiekkel vívott háború voltak. A körülmények miatt nem jutott elég gabona a fővárosba, a katonák nem kaptak rendesen fizetést, de az egyszerű emberek is egyre elégedetlenebbek voltak, különösen dühítette őket a szultánhoz közelállók extrém gazdagsága. Végül a janicsárok és szpáhik vezetésével a nép fellázadt 1656 március negyedikén. A lázadás során a szultánhoz közelállók közül többeket brutálisan kivégeztek, az egész fővárost feldúlták. A csőcselék Mehmed 31 közeli emberét a Kék Mecset mellett akasztotta fel egy egy fára. Köztük volt Meleki Hatun is, akit a szultán különösen szeretett. Bár korábban is rázták meg lázadások a fővárost, ehhez fogható még sosem történt. Nem csak a katonák lázadtak fel, a nép is egy emberként állt ki a katonák mellett és állt be mögéjük. Mindenki bezárta boltjait, általános sztrájk lépett érvénybe a lázadás idejére.

Szulejmán Aga már nem volt hatalmon amikor a lázadás megtörtént és talán ez tartotta helyén a fejét. Szulejmán Köszem meggyilkolása után a fő hárem eunuch lett, ám a pozíciót csupán 1652 júliusáig élvezhette. Szulejmán tovább nyújtózkodott, mint a takarója ért, olyan politikai témákba is igyekezett beleszólni, amihez semmi köze nem volt. Turhan Hatice is kezdte felismerni, hogy Szulejmán egyáltalán nem az ő oldalukon áll, hanem csak a saját magáén. Külön érdekesség, hogy az a Lala Ibrahim Aga győzte meg erről Turhant, aki maga is részt vett Köszem kivégzésében. Lala Ibrahim Aga Turhan személyes eunuchja volt és maga sosem vágyott (vagy bölcsen nem mutatta ki) ennél magasabb pozícióra. Turhan így végül 1652-ben megfosztotta pozíciójától Szulejmán Agát és száműzte Egyiptomba. A rafinált eunuch még a száműzetésben is feltalálta magát, befolyásos személlyé nőtte ki magát, aki Kairó helyi politikájának egyik főszereplője lett. 1676/7-ben halt meg.

Epilógus

Valószínűleg sosem fogjuk pontosan megtudni, hogy mi vezetett a kivégzéshez és hogyan zajlott az le. A poszttal nem is az volt a célom, hogy egy tökéletes megoldást mutassak be Hercule Poirot módjára, csupán szerettem volna rávilágítani arra, hogy az általánosan ismert és elfogadott teória, inkább megszokásból tekintendő a legáltalánosabban elfogadottnak, nem pedig alapossága miatt. Rengeteg a kérdőjel, kétes információ és helyzet a kivégzés körülményei között, ami egyértelműsíti, hogy ez az egész helyzet bonyolultabb volt annál, minthogy két nő harcot vívott a hárem feletti uralomért.

Köszem volt az a szultána, aki a legmagasabbra tört, aki sokáig lehetett a csúcson, azonban a nagy magasságból zuhant végül alá és vált az egyetlen meggyilkolt valide szultánává. Élete során több címet is kapott: Naib-i Sultanat (az Oszmán Birodalom régense), Umin al-Mu'minin (minden muszlimok anyja), Büyük Valide Sultan (nagy valide szultána), Valide-i Sehide (a mártír anya), Valide-i Maktule (a meggyilkolt anya), Valide-i Muazzama (a csodálatos anya).

Felhasznált források: M. Kocaaslan - IV. Mehmed Saltanatında Topkapı Sarayı Haremi: İktidar, Sınırlar ve Mimari; L. Peirce - The Imperial Harem; Ö. Kumrular - Kösem Sultan: iktidar, hırs, entrika; C. Finkel - Osman’s Dream: the History of the Ottoman Empire; M. P. Pedani - Relazioni inedite; N. Sakaoğlu - Bu Mülkün Kadın Sultanları; G. Börekçi - Factions and Favorites at the Courts of Sultan Ahmed I and His Immediate Predecessors; F. Davis - The Palace of Topkapi in Istanbul; Faroqhi - The Ottoman Empire and the World; C. Imber - The Ottoman Empire 1300-1650; F. Suraiya, K. Fleet - The Cambridge History of Turkey 1453-1603; F. Suraiya - The Cambridge History of Turkey, The Later Ottoman Empire, 1603–1839; Ö. Düzbakar - Charitable Women And Their Pious Foundations In The Ottoman; G. Junne - The black eunuchs of the Ottoman Empire, Networks of Power in the Court of the Sultan.