#that’s what balefire is!

[divorceblogger]

wheel of time written by nuclear engineer robert jordan is actually about nuclear anxiety and the consequences of the development of new technology aiding and abetting unchecked usage of weapons of mass destruction. in this essay I will -

[dramadred]

“I see the Amyrlin Seat, and she’s wearing full regalia, and… She’s going to be your downfall” is hitting a little too much right now.

[asha-mage]

Because I am coping with current world events in a completely normal manner I've been thinking a lot about how one of the tensions that underpins the whole of Wheel of Time is Robert Jordan as 'person who likes history' vs Robert Jordan as 'person who had to live through the Cold War.'

Something that can be really hard for people born after the Cold War (like myself) to grasp is that for a long time history was the ultimate reassurance against existential dread. Civilizations could rise and fall, empires could crumble, disasters could wipe out a hell of a lot of people, but human beings as a species, where never in any real danger of dying out. New countries would eventually rise out of the ashes of old ones, societies would change to be unrecognizable but they would still be there, religions, cultures ideologies etc might all die out but the people would still be around. History provided the ultimate comfort: whatever happened in our brief finite lives human beings as an group would eventually be fine.

But that changed after World War 2 and the invention of a little something called the atomic bomb. Suddenly human beings had the potential to destroy not just ourselves but all life on earth if things went wrong enough. For the first time in history their was no real guarantee that human beings as a species would make it, and in fact their was a whole lot of reason to believe based on the patterns of history that eventually that power would get used and human kind would destroy itself. That was the Cold War- two nuclear states who really really wanted to start blasting each other to pieces but couldn't without risking the end of life as we know it.

The tension between these two realities- the assurance of history that life will go on and the reality that human beings could in theory actually end the fucking world, is built into the core of Wheel of Time. The first lines assure us: time is cyclical. It's all happened before. It's all going to happen again. Human being will live out the same stories in endless variation, the same patterns will always reemerge. And the world has already survived one apocalyptic event: the Breaking, and come out the other side not doing fantastically, but still around. The world has been reshaped forever and whole eras of progress have been undone, but humanity remains.

But at the same time doomsday weapons with the potential to wipe out the species are everywhere. The Choden Kal can crack the planet open like an egg. Balefire burns apart time itself. A plague of madness is waiting for any old schmo to wander into it's den and carry it back outside so it can infect and destroy everyone. Their are all kinds of different big glowing red 'destroy humanity' buttons laying around in WoT just begging to get pressed. And in a way the Dark One is the ultimate version of that because that button has already been pressed. The Bore has been opened. Left alone humanity is fucked and everyone knows it. It can be delayed and pushed back, but never truly stopped, except by the intervention of destiny- the intervention of the Dragon. That's the core conflict of the series. Rand is struggling to stop a missile that's already been launched, prevent an end everyone can see coming. It's not just 'I need to defeat the big bad evil overlord or everything will be bad forever', it's 'I need to stop the Dark One or that's the end of human beings as an idea'.

What's especially interesting is that Jordan isn't even framing the Wheel/Pattern as uniformly good, because it's history and history is messy and complicated and full of contradictions and no easy answers. The Wheel, the Pattern, is not some force for righteousness. It's a neutral fact of existence. Not what's best or what's ideal- those are subjective and grounded in human understanding of the world- but what's necessary and what's true. To want to break free from history, to break the Wheel, is to want to break free of being human. That's what the Forsaken all truly want (as I have talked about before): to leave behind their humanity, and their willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to do it. What that looks like and what motivates that desire is different for each of them but their united in that common goal, and they all either disregard the consequences of what it will mean or don't understand them.

The story of history is one of incredible suffering and amazing triumph: it's full of heartache and joy in equal measure. It's not fair or just or simple to understand, but it is a reflection of who we all are collectively. The fight to preserve the Wheel isn't a fight to preserve what is good or ideal, it is a fight to preserve what is human. Because as long as the story can keep going, we can have hope for tomorrow.

And Jordan promises right from the offing that their will always be a tomorrow. No beginnings. No endings. Just whatever comes next.

As we enter a period of history that is the most uncertain it's ever been in my lifetime, I can't help but I think of the incredible courage and strength it must have taken be staring down the barrel of nuclear armageddon and stubbornly insist that there would be a tomorrow. The man wrote eleven of the best books ever made exploring this exact struggle- about never giving in to despair or pain, never buying into the belief that things are hopeless, that humanity sucks and we're all doomed.

And remembering that...I don't know. It makes a little easier to breath and keep walking towards tomorrow myself.

[knavesflames]

hiii el! :D u may know me from ur messages a bit ago (PLS I SUCK AT USING TECHNOLOGY AND I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO ASK A QUESTION) but i wanted to ask for u to write maybe just some like cute morning arle fluff? sorry if it’s a bad ask 😞

also, could i be 🩵 anon?

Hi <3 of course you can! It is NOT a bad ask, I’ve been meaning to write a lil bit of fluff anyway. I was quite excited to write this :’) enjoy!!

Content: fluff, arlecchino is soft and tired

Word count: 1.1k

Utc <3

People say that once you get used to sleeping next to someone, it becomes impossible to sleep alone. You thought it would be the opposite. You enjoyed sleeping alone, preferred it, even. You like the space to move and roll around and you like to wrap the blankets around you to form you into a burrito-like shape. It became somewhat of a joke between friends that when you finally did find a partner, you’d end up sleeping in separate beds. Secretly, you agreed.

For Arlecchino, nobody assumed she’d even find a partner. The woman is so closed off with her feelings that one wonders if she even had any, if they died along with her best friend and Mother so many years ago. When the topic of relationships was brought up (seldom as it was to even get past the first two sentences- she would shut it down before anyone could get anything out of her), her excuses were dismissive, claims of work taking precedence over any interpersonal relationships, claims of the not-so-secret but somehow very-secret project the Fatui are working on, and her biggest excuse yet- the children. “The children need a stable figure to guide them as they grow. Relationships are most definitely not stable. It does not teach them how to fight. Sorrow and anger make you weak, yes, but I would argue that love makes you defenceless.” would be a sentence she uttered often.

Of course, that was not the only reason. Processing what had happened to the people close to her is something she neglected to do, and she does not need to be haunted further by yet another shadow, or even worse, another conscious body following her around the way Clervie had, whether as a manifestation of her bloodfire, or a manifestation of her conscience rearing its head when she had worked so hard to pretend it doesn’t exist. Love is not something she should get herself involved in, she has told herself time and time again. She has stared into the mirror an endless number of times, both as a newly appointed Father and more recently, when she finds herself alone. Her priority has always been the children, and she refused herself the privilege of living comfortably. Until you, obviously.

When you first began sleeping next to each other, you had been dating for a while. It took a while for her to even let you into her house. You seem to notice that her house has the faint smell of citrus. Lime, perhaps. You wonder where it comes from, but you assume it's some sort of air freshener. When you first began occasionally sleeping over, her touches were few and far between. Not in any malicious way, of course, but almost like she was restraining herself. You were too, in a way, not wanting to overstep any silent boundaries she had set. It was an awkward time.

Now, though, after a long period of time of getting her to open up, she clings to you like a moth to a flame. Case in point, this morning. You wake up to the soft light entering your room, filtered by the curtains covering the glass. The first thing you notice other than the light is a pair of strong, muscular arms wrapped around your middle, clutching you and keeping you close. You let your hand gently move across the marred skin, feeling each scar and muscle of the arm holding you so tightly. A face is buried into the back of your neck, gentle breath tickling the skin, and displacing the hair there. Arlecchino’s body is warm, warmer than the normal person's body would be due to the balefire that courses through her veins. You try (and fail) to escape from her grasp with a little wriggle, but her arms only pull you closer, her voice coming out hoarse and gravelly.

“Stay,” she mumbles into your hair. “It’s early. There isn’t a need to get ready for the day yet.”

“I have to, there’s so much to do today.” you yawn, twisting your body to face her. Your arms snake around her, one under her neck and one around her waist. There’s sleepiness in her dark eyes, and she looks up at you groggily. She looks vulnerable like this, and you think she’s almost smiling. Almost. She groans slightly as she stretches out, her muscles rippling as she does so. Arlecchino’s face buries back into you soon after, and her grip on you doesn’t loosen in the slightest. One of your hands comes to gently caress the waterfall of snow white hair, occasionally painted with black streaks (and the one red one she touches up every six weeks), massaging the scalp and gently scratching whenever she lets out a soft sigh.

“You smell good.”

“I just woke up, I’m not sure there’s much to smell.”

“That may be the point. You do not need to put on any fragrance, I enjoy the scent of you. Just you.”

“You say, as if you don’t fill your home with the scent of limes. Limes, of all things.”

“That is not what we are conversing about. We are conversing about you, not some citrus fruit.”

You can’t the small chuckle that seems to escape your lips. She’s so soft like this, you think, you can barely believe her status in the Fatui (you’d forget entirely if it wasn’t for the glint of the dagger placed deliberately on her nightstand. She says it’s for your protection- you know she had it there before, too, but now she has a reason to keep it there). Her nails, filed to perfection, trace circles on your back, and her free hand pulls your thigh over her hip, bringing you as close as you can possibly get.

“Must you go? Surely, you can push back any arrangements you have today and stay with me a little longer.”

“You know I can’t, and neither can you. Do you not have that meeting?”

“Yes. With some other Fatui, but none of them are worth my time when you’re here. They mean nothing to me. You mean everything.”

“That is why I'll be here tonight. You can hold me again.”

You find yourself reassuring her a lot that you won’t disappear. You don’t mind. Eventually, after five minutes of pretend bickering, you relent to ten more minutes before she drags herself out of bed. By the time she’s changed from her pyjamas into her usual suit, her hair brushed and pinned back into her signature ponytail, any trace of the sleepy, clingy Arlecchino is gone. What remains is a stoic, unreadable woman who lovingly kisses your forehead before she leaves, a slight plea in her voice when she tells you: “See you tonight.”

[ranger-potato]

My submission for the KOTLC Fanbase art competition: Draw your own KOTLC book cover!

I decided to draw what is arguably one of the most pivotal moments in KOTLC, the scene where Sophie burns down the Neverseen warehouse in Unlocked.

I tried to stay true to the original scene in the book, but, as usual, I took some creative liberties… such as adding the moonlark/black swan symbol in Sophie’s shadow.

This was a really fun piece to draw, but it had its fair share of struggles. I’ve never really drawn fire before (especially not balefire… which is canonically blue), and have always struggled with drawing people. Those on their own would have been hard enough, but adding the fact that it’s a digital drawing (a medium I’m still not comfortable with) to the mix just amplifies the struggle of producing a semi decent artwork. I also have this annoying habit of desaturating my colours when painting them because I’m not a fan of vibrant colours (they scare me).

But I’m still happy with how it turned out in the end :)

Theme: Create your own KOTLC book cover

Scene: Sophie burning down the Neverseen warehouse

Medium: Digital artwork. (Program: Clip Studio Paint Pro. Brush set: Jazza’s Ultimate Digital Brushes)

Time taken: Approximately 18 hours.

[thestormthatrises]

This piece of shit destroys every partner he's ever had and HE is the one that y'all are choosing to smash and not Hannibal?!

Y'all... Y'all just ignorant.

"Sexy irish pirate man with guy-liner"

[redsrooftopprincess]

Witchy Shit!

An ask from @footninja that I posted as a post accidentally. 🫣

The ask is here

HAPPY ALMOST SAMHAIN MY WITCHES!!! I may have gone a little deeper than "hippie hillbilly witch"... I've been practicing for a WHILE, and magic is one of my autistic special interests, soooo.....

All the boys are FOR SURE Pagan even if that isn't what they call it (Splinter raised them Shinto), and *very* eclectic, but definitely have their own flavors that they gravitate to...

Leo

Did you say MEDITATING? When? Where? How long? He is ready to sit with you peacefully for hours.

Want to start mixing your own incense/tea? He'll help you research and grow the herbs you need.

BONSAI ZEN GARDEN

Night time dates to ALL the secret/private botanical gardens in the city.

The first time he sees you in a garden in the daylight, surrounded by butterflies, he looses the power of speech.

When you're having a tough time at work, expect tea and a full body massage with all natural oils in a candlelit room when you get home. If you are feeling up to it, that massage can and will escalate to the most transcendent, mild blowing tantric sex imaginable, leaving you fully relaxed mind, body, and spirit.

NOTE: Depending on exactly how "crunchy granola" you are, you may find yourself in conflict with his OCD, so be EXTRA respectful of his space.

Craft: Green Witch

Element: Earth

Archetype: The Hero

Major Arcana: Temperance

Raph

Need help with Ritual? My guy is a WORKHORSE. Where did you want that solid stone altar, again?

Bardic circle like a BOSS. My guy is always down for drinks, songs, and good stories, and the reverb of his voice from his shell means you can feel his singing in your feet like thunder.

Speaking of his voice: guided meditations.

Speaking of guided meditations: guided meditations that take a filthy turn halfway through. 😏

Firetender extraordinare. Want it to burn forever? This guy can drop in literal trees that'll keep the balefire lit until next Solstice.

By FAR the most in touch with his animal side.

He's a beast who not only has NO PROBLEM chasing you, naked, through the woods, but will 1000% instigate. LOVES sex outside (I may have a story about an amethyst cavern, but you didn't hear that because it's not written yet).

Craft: Primal Witch

Element: Fire

Archetype: The Knight

Major Arcana: Strength

Donnie

Oddly accepting of the witchy shit for a techy guy. He's smart enough to know that he doesn't know everything.

Writes a program that will help you track EVERYTHING. Moon, planets, planting, hurricane season, you name it.

Builds you a whole ass Orrery, because despite his program you *still* missed a celestial event and you were sad.

Expect after hours dates to the Hayden Planetarium during eclipses, meteor showers, comets, or any other excuse he can come up with to look at the stars with you.

SIGILS ON POINT. Fractals and sacred geometry, this guy is PRECISE. Made a Mercury Square once that you're pretty sure caused a blackout. He disagrees, but he doesn't make planetary squares anymore.

A night outside of the city looking at the stars? Expect my guy to be drawing star charts on your skin, before "exploring the heavens."

Craft: Celestial Witch

Element: Air

Archetype: The Magician

Tarot Card: The Magician

Mikey

Is straight up pagan.

Beaded bracelets? Hell yes. Macrame? On lock. Candle making? Crystal Wrapping? This boy is DOWN with the Witchy Crafts.

Vibes with his semiaquatic nature on a grand scale. The first time you caught him meditating underwater you nearly had a heart attack until you remembered.

If you introduce him to your people, he will fully write and lead rituals for literally anything. Leo may be master of the Dojo, but *no one* directs people's energy like Mike.

If you even suggest it *vaguely*, he is fully ON BOARD to start a coven/grove/whatever with you as your consort.

Oddly good at High Magic, but only practices VERY rarely. Won't Oracle for evocations because the idea of having someone else in his head weirds him out, but has a 100% success rate negotiating with Otherworldly Entities.

Sex magic in the ocean under a full moon? Uh, why aren't you in the water already?

Calls himself "Magic Mike."

Element: Water

Craft: Water Witch

Archetype: The Lover

Tarot Card: Wheel of Fortune

....

Tag list:

@thelaundrybitch @the-cauldron-witch @fyreball66 @ninnosaurus @tmntngl @thegirlwiththeninjaturtletattoos @zagreustomb @ramielll @silverwatergalaxy @gornackeaterofworlds @footninja @daedric-sorceress @sophiacloud28 @iridescentflamingo

(if you want to be tagged lmk)

[lanfear-is-my-darkmistress]

Can someone please make a gif of The Forsaken using Traveling teleportation in season 3 episode 3 and send it to me because how is no one talking about this? Can't wait to see what Balefire looks like.

[thragglikesrockzthragglikesblog]

Does the tablet have any other apps? (Little squares with pictures on them and have names below them) I want to see if there’s anymore we can learn about Dr. Keplar by the other things he has on it.

One called "Biosygn" Thragg tap it and slab say "please connect to Specimen Station" symbol on screen look like eye-ball.

Other called "Gamma Forge" tap on it and it say "printing station online" then screen fill with stuff, lots of stuff, words and shapes. "Canteen, wood axe, mining pick, climbing studs, 38 caliber carbonite bullet cartridge, thermal blanket, fishing lure, fishing rod" lots more stuff, symbol look like hammer and table thing.

Next is X symbol but when me tap it, it say Twitter, not sure what that about. Staying away from that one.

Another called "Balefire" look like tall tower shooting light out. Tap on it and it say "system within chronol net, attempting to reastablish contact, last connection 6 months, 22 days, and 6 hours."

Found one more, "Saturnine" look like yellow circle with rings around it, tap and it say "enter user id"

[brainrotisseriechicken]

dr. balefire from the idn branch !! dk if ive posted any scpid fanart here lol

hes so fucking weird

[bewitched-bullet]

Aaaaaaaaaand the first chapter of what has become a 2 chapter one shot is up!!

To Jump the Balefire

(A lovely Tumblr found the artist!!)

Kiu1023 is the artist

For all the SpringFrost/JackRabbit fans out there

[esoteric-chaos]

Midsummer Masterpost - Spoonie witch friendly

Midsummer, also known as the Summer Solstice.  This day is the longest day of the year. Typically lands around June 21st  (December 21st in the Southern Hemisphere). 

Many cultures around the world celebrate the Summer Solstice in their own ways. Marking a very important event for most.  

Fire is the main association with this holiday as it marks the sun. This holiday also marks the end of the planting season.

Midsummer Correspondences

Colours

Green

Gold

Light Blue

Yellow

Red

Orange

White

Herbal

Basil

Bay Leaves

Lavender

Mint

Rosemary

Thyme

Chamomile

Mugwort

Vervain

Rose

Honeysuckle

St. John’s Wort

Yarrow

Calendula

Sunflower

Marigold

Jasmine

Oak

Cinnamon

Elder

Edibles

Honey

Berries

Cheese

Lemonade

Lemons

Oranges

Tea

Honey cakes

Mead, Ale, Wine

Ice Cream

Animals

Bees

Cow

Butterfly

Dragonfly

Horse

Summer birds (Wren, Robin, Hawks, Eagles, Swallows, etc)

Crystals

Emerald

Jade

Sunstone

Orange or Green Calcite

Carnelian

Citrine

Amber

Tiger’s Eye

Diamond

Pearl

Quartz

Ruby

Garnet

Metals

Symbols

Sun

Fire, Bonfire, Balefire

Sun Wheel

Sunflower

Phoenix

Fae

Herbal

Summer flowers

Rose

Spirals

Spiritual meanings

Love

Life

Light

Passion

Creativity

Healing & Health

Growth

Empowerment

Lust

Fertility

Power

Success

Prosperity

Warmth

Solar energy

Scents

Lavender

Sage

Lemon

Rose

Mint & Spearmint

Jasmine

Rosemary

Verbena

Coconut

Orange

Gods / Goddesses / Spirits

Gaia

Aestas (Roman)

Aine (Celtic)

Brigantia (Celtic)

Venus (Roman)

Aphrodite (Greek)

Apollo (Roman)

Apollon (Greek)

Zeus and Thor (Thunder Gods)

Ra (Egyptian)

Greenman

Oak King

Anuket (Egyptian)

Benten (Japanese)

Any other sun Gods/Goddesses

Need some suggestions to celebrate? I got you covered.

High energy celebrations 

Bonfires

Fae offerings

Create Fae garden

Weave flower crowns

Perform a phoenix ritual

Create a  Besom

Dance and sing

Leave offerings to solar Gods/Goddesses

Divination work

Any solar energy workings

Low energy celebrations 

Ritual bath

Light a candle in honor

Watch the sunset

Meditate with solar energy

Pray to solar Gods/Goddesses

Create solar water

No spoon celebrations 

If you have a sun lamp bask in it

Watch the sunset

Greet the sun at sunrise

Tell yourself kind words

Remember that it’s okay if you cant do much while you are unwell. That you come first and you simply existing is a blessing.

How you celebrate the holiday does not matter. You can choose to do any activity that feels right. These are only suggestions and remember that you're enough no matter what.

[cast-you-dxwn]

Swap Verse Lore: Crown Knights

When Saint Michael fell alongside his brothers, his sister in law, and his wife and children, so too did his men, ever loyal, fall alongside him.

What had once been the whole of Heavens defenses became the backbone of Hells military might as the Kingdom was established, then the elite of the Empire that The Pit became.

They are the Hand of the Emperor, ever-loyal to Michael as they always have been, serving as the sword, shield, eye, and hammer of the Royal Family. In many ways they fulfill the purpose of a royal guard, defending the palace when they are not otherwise deployed in militant action.

The Royal Family is large and it is not feasible for all of them to remain in reach of the usual guard at all times in the course of their daily lives and court duties. For this reason, certain Legionnaires singled out for their skills, vigilance, and comparability with each of the royals personality are selected as personal guards.

For the Empress and the Queen of Pride, Oriana and Lilith, this assignment was near-immediate, but their children were not given personal guards until they reach the age of majority, when they go out into the world beyond the reach of their parents.

These are the Crown Knights, the most ardent servants of the Imperial Family.

While these Legionnaires retain their rank, usually chosen amongst the Decanī or Centurions of the Fallen Legions, they no longer serve with their Legionnaires, as the title of Crown Knight overrides all of their previous duties, their charge theirs for the remainder of eternity.

The selection process is exacting, only the true best of the already unspeakably elite Legions are even considered for this assignment. Culling the candidates further is the simple fact that each is considered for compatibility of personality for their potential charge, the assignee chosen personally by the royal they will be protecting for the process.

When a knight is chosen, a new suit of armor is forged for them personally by Shepherd, the Fallen Fabricator Angel who serves as the Imperial Family’s personal armorer. They are also forged a longsword regardless of their preferred weapon, an Oathblade, to carry as both weapon and symbol of their station. Their chest plate is engraved with the personal heraldry of the Royal they take as their charge, and their Oathblade is engraved with the words ‘Sanguis meus iam non est solus.’

My blood is no longer mine alone.

These arms an armor are forged first in the signature gold and silver hues of pure angelic steel, just like those of the Legions standard full-plate. But when the appointment is confirmed by their charge, an additional step is made.

The Emperor, Empress, and Royal Charge let blood for the Royal Armorer prior to the official swearing in of the Crown Knight, and each piece, given its own symbolism, starting with the helmet and ending with the Oathblade, is reheated in balefire before being quenched once more in the Royals mingled blood, the process giving the armor and blade a signature blackened coloration.

The properties of angelic blood harden the armor even further against spell and sword, and serves as a reminder that this is the last of their charges blood that shall ever be spilled. Should any foe seek to harm the royal family, they shall only meet the armor and blade of the Crown Knight, and the blood with which they were forged.

The Knight then kneels before their charge, who takes up the Oathblade and knights them, echoing oaths that they have written, before bidding them to rise and presenting them with the sword, officially greeting them as their eternal protector.

[elfhunk]

i don't know what to do with this... if you subsume over balefire charger, you won't have a weapon during aegis storm. which is bad.

but you can't subsume over pillage, otherwise you'll never have shields... so you'd have to get rid of either haven, or just give up on aegis storm completely if you want to mess around with helminth abilities on her.

[knavesflames]

Also on topic of limes and citrusy stuff...

I belive that Arle is sort of partly spider, mainly couse of that boss form of hers.

And idk if you guys know, spiders hate citrus, thats the best way to get rid of them

And i cant help but imagine her screeching and hissing at [Y/N], who's holding a lime out.

Sort of Vampire and garlic situation

NAHHHHHHH HAHAHAHA ok listen i have a history with spiders— i can’t go into it because its so stupid but i have a history with spiders that means i am utterly terrified of them, i think they may GENUINELY be my worst fear. Because of that, (though you’re probably right and i do agree with you on her spider thing)

My personal belief is that when she was younger and figured out her balefire stuff she was grieving Bambi so she decided ah yes. The form of a spider. That’s me.

Either way, I have just pictured myself holding up a bowl of limes and screaming and crying and pleading for her to turn back to normal and she’s just fucking. Hissing and screeching at me. Anyone who knows what I look like (about 5 of all of you— I’m a faceless being) can probably picture said scenario and I think that makes it even funnier.

Also, my dear, choose an emoji. My bestie dildoblade I want you to have a hashtag emoji 💅

[iliiuan]

The thing about redemption in the Wheel of Time is that it exacts a price. It's not some Christian bullshit "I gave my heart to Christ, so all the bad shit I did is irrelevant now." It's not even a Catholic purgatory concept. Ingtar had to repent, and then he had to pay the price for redemption: his life for the life of his friends.

Keeping all of that in mind, if we want Asmodean reformed, what is the price for his redemption? His crimes make those of Ingtar pale in comparison. So what could he possibly do to redeem himself? He'd have to balefire all of the other Forsaken, teach Rand every weave he knows, and sacrifice himself for the lives of strangers. And even that might not be enough.

I'm beginning to see why Jordan killed him off.