#using my powers of manifestation to good use

[quitealotofsodapop]

In stone matriarch au, during s3, there was a power struggle unknown to anyone else until the very end. If you've read JTTW the actions of the LBD are confusing because she basically just showed up to mess with the group and get Wukong kicked out, but didn't really do anything else for no real reason. In Stone Matriarch, she had a very good reason in the form of a powerful spirit that had been following Wukong around, as spirit only one of the Pilgrims had even the slightest clue about and it most definitely wasn't Wukong.

Tripitaka: Why is there a ghost monkey following Pilgrim Sun AROUND?

LBD, seeing the group: OK, the monkey gotta go! Thay spirit is way too powerful!

It comes to a head centuries later, when LBD was freed from the seal Tripitaka had placed upon her. She hadn't known exactly who Shihua had been and what her connection to Wukong was centuries ago, but in her imprisonment and the months after being freed, she had plenty of time to do her research. It was not easy to find since Shihua was from an age before memory, but she had the benefit of having a stone monkey of her own under her employ. Macaque hadn't told her much of anything, but he hadn't needed to. Her brief period of time possessing him allowed her to look through his memories and learn the stories he used to tell for the Stone Matriarch. Between that, the spirit being very protective in regards to the Monkey King, and her clear resemblance... it was easy for her to piece together exactly who Shihua was to the Monkey King.

So when she got her champion, she also had the perfect leverage against the rival spirit already.

That feel when Sun Wukong (and the wider public) believe he was born parentless from a stone - only for the spirit of his mama to be watching over him ever since Guanyin saw him during the Havoc.

Guanyin has pretty decent control over their past lives, but it can be hard especially with ones that had earthly connections. When the Bodhisattva arrived late to the Peach Banquet and witnessed an angry little monkey fighting her diciple, a certain past life spoke out;

Shihua, manifesting seperately from Guanyin: "My baby! Dear Bodhisattva, please spare him! That monkey is my son!"

Guanyin, confused & worried: "What?!"

Guanyin managed to intervene to spare the Monkey King from death, but not from punishment. Shihua understood that her child had done wrong, but she would have moved Heaven and Earth to save him from execution. The Matriarch was most distressed when her baby was permanently scarred by Lao Tzu's Furnace - forever changing his gold eyes (the same as her husband) into painful glowing red.

Wukong didn't see it. But his mother watched over him all of those 500 years. She saw his despair, his torment, the breakdown of his relationships. Shihua swears she has words to give Liu er Mihou if she ever gets her hands on him - Macaque isn't deaf to her words either, just confused where it's coming from.

No matter how much the Matriarch tried, she couldn't wrap her arms around her baby. She was only a spirit after all.

Guanyin isn't supposed to let her past life manifest away from her, and not for so long. But she manages to convince anyone who notices that it's a way for her to monitor the Monkey King while he's on his Journey. Her past life had insisted as his preceeding ruler.

Many more powerful beings may see The Matriarch's spirit, but few choose to comment upon it. She is part of the Bodhisattva montoring the Journey after all.

The first time Tripitaka realises that his bodyguard has a spirit following him; is the first time they stay overnight at a shrine or temple. The dao is strong enough on holy ground that the monk is able to percieve spirits if he concentrates. Seeing a regal, female monkey demon looking at his beastly ward like a mother to her child certainly wasn't what he expected!

At first, Tripitaka attempted to talk to the spirit. Perhaps she's a wandering ghost from the monkey's past? Perhaps she needs to be convinced to move on?

The Matriarch looks at the monk with a mixture of distain and indignance. She does not spare him a word until after many months of journeying.

In that time though, Tripitaka had come to a conclusion; the spirit was a mother, and a very powerful entity. But his diciple was not aware of her. Carefully posed questions revealed to him that Wukong did not have (to his knowledge) any blood kin.

The female monkey spirit seemed saddened when the King said that he has no mother or father.

Tripitaka is a mama's boy himself. He broke his vow of pacifism to free his mother from her captor, and to avenge what Liu Hong had done to both of his parents. The dragon of the Hong River had been kind to give his parents their lost years back to them.

So when he catches the Matriarch singing lullabyes to the sleeping Monkey King, Tripitaka realises exactly what's happening.

Shihua, trying to brush hair away from her son's face: "He had his father's beautiful gold eyes..."

Sun Wukong does have a mother. And she's not leaving her baby alone ever again.

It all comes to a head during the White Bone Spirit Arc.

LBD can see Shihua for what she is; a divine spirit far more powerful than her. So she needs the monkey demon out of the way if she plans on eating the Golden Cicada's soul. She exploits the fact that the Matriarch is far more focused on protecting her child than the monk himself.

The ghosts of Flower Fruit Mountain erupt in praise and reverence when their Queen returns, shielding her son. The ground seems to burst with life with each step she takes. She takes the return to her kingdom to reunite with the spirit of her husband Ye Lin, and to introduce him to their (firstborn) son. But their time together cannot last; their boy has friends to save, and a journey to finish. And Shihua doesn't want to miss a thing.

When the pig comes calling for the Monkey King's aid once more; the Matriarch and her Consort share one last embrace before she must return to her duties.

Unfortunately, being a witness to her son's Journey - Shihua also sees the tragedies of her son's former allies, and the loss of his mate. Despite her distain for him, Shihua sheds a tear for the Six Eared Macaque.

However she is also there for victories.

She is there cheering when her son reaches the Buddha's domain, bowing to the Enlightened One as Guanyin would.

Guanyin grants her past life another reunion with her mate before she must return to Fragrant Mountain. The bodhisattva blushes and sighs as the two monkey spirits kiss and coo like newlyweds all over again. No wonder Sun Wukong seems to be made of love incarnate.

Them comes LMK... and the Bodhisattva senses something amiss in the world of mortals once more. She sends her past life ahead to keep watch over her child, only to find a second stone monkey cub wielding her son's staff!

Ye Lin's spirit, although a weaker spirit, had found a new stone monkey hatching overdue from it's brother's egg and managed to steer the little one towards a home that would care for them.

Shihua immediately begins cooing and trying to groom MK's wild brown hair - the same chestnut brown as her mate. Like her son, she is weak to cute things. And the "Monkie Kid" is certainly an adorable cub! Even if he can only see her when he's unwell - she's unsure if she's flattered or offended by his feverish description of her as a "Gramma Monkey".

When the White Bone Spirit returns, Shihua is poised to protect her both of her babies.

LBD knows this well. Would the Matriarch wager the world itself for her young?

[multiversediiva]

| The Five Senses "We walk by faith, not by sight."

You are a gardener who cultivates and grows fresh, succulent fruits, and you are envisioning a blooming strawberry bush in your backyard.  In your hands, you are holding a sachet of seeds and a watering pot. Now those seeds can be any plant of your choice - peaches, blueberries, roses - that seed is your desire. Your soil has been prepared well and is rich in nutrients. It drains well and is organic, giving it an acceptable structure (didn’t know this was turning into a gardening lesson…). You clear the ground and remove all unwanted weeds, rocks, and other debris that prevent this beautiful seed from growing, and you begin to assemble the planting beds. One by one, you begin to place each strawberry seed in the pits, covering them with a thin layer of soil to ensure regular development and germination. Water is a crucial step in gardening. It aids with transporting nutrients to the seed and helps it to flourish. So, you water your seeds consistently to prevent dryness and wilt.   You know that your seeds will eventually grow into a divine bush of delicious strawberries. You may not see the strawberries, you may not taste them yet but that’s okay! After all, you have the big three’s help: Sunlight, Water, and good soil. Your seed is your desire, the objective you wish to bring to life.

Your soil is your consciousness. Consciousness has to be taken care of like soil, providing it with positive declarations of ‘I AM’! The realisation of one’s power. Your consciousness has to be healthy. 

The sun is your subconsciousness. It’s there. it's always there to do its job - It sees the plant - your desire - that you want to grow, and it goes ‘okay, it’s my job to give this plant life and supply it with energy.’ In other words, it listens to your consciousness and finds ways to bring your desire into fruition. That is the sun's job, not yours. The undesired rocks, weeds, and debris are your doubts or insecurities, plucked out one by one to establish a healthy bed for your desire. Your water pots are your affirmations. No more than a simple reminder that goes ‘hey, trust what you’re doing, your desire is already blooming’. You wouldn’t overwater a plant, right? It won’t grow quicker, it’ll just die from stunted growth. Now comes the senses. You stare down at your plant beds after finishing. The seeds have been watered, the sun is shining, and the soil is healthy. But… Why do you not see the strawberries yet? Why didn’t they grow? Why aren't you eating a juicy, red strawberry right now? You gave them everything. You even visualised a whole garden of strawberry bushes. In the context of gardening, you’d think “well, duh! The roots grow inside the soil first, then they blossom and sprout outside the soil.”

The roots of your strawberry bush grow first. They are your circumstances, you don't see them but they're happening quicker than you think. Beneath the soil. Now am I saying that you should wait for the outer world to unfold in order for you to feel satisfied? ...No. Welcome to manifestation where the whole point of imagination (which somehow, everyone misses :I...) is to go back to it and feel fulfilled that your desire has already happened. How? That is none of your concern. Searching for the how will only lead to frustration, meaning LET. GO. OF. CONTROL. Imagination creates reality. Your senses may deny that in the moment, but you've already imagined yourself standing and feeling proud in front your strawberry bush, there's no more lack or need. There is no more conflict. You have it. Remain faithful to that imaginal act by watering your desire with gentle affirmations and reminders and the sun will work its magic in no time. "Let man disregard appearances and declare himself to be the man he wants to be. Let him imagine beauty where his senses reveal ashes, joy where they testify to mourning, riches where they bear witness to poverty. Only by such active, voluntary use of imagination can man be lifted up and Eden restored."

"When reason and the facts of life oppose the idea you desire to realise and you accept the evidence of your senses and the dictates of reason as the truth, you have brought the Lord - your consciousness - the gift of Cain. It is obvious that such offerings do not please Him."

"That an assumption, though denied by the evidence of the senses, if persisted in, will harden into fact."

- All by the wonderful Neville Goddard.

[amphibious-thing]

d'Eon stated how women are morally superior, sure she's an avid feminist but would that make her a man-hating feminist?

I suppose it depends on what you mean by man-hating feminist.

For d'Eon morality was strictly tied to Christianity. D'Eon believed that God had created men and women as equals but that men had betrayed god by oppressing women. Kates explains:

Although "the intention of the Lord" was that men and women live as equals on earth as in Heaven, men did not live as God intended. They used their physical strength to dominate and exploit women, developing patriarchal institutions that systematically excluded women form positions of status and authority. "Men," d'Eon argued, "who by their strength and their gallantry seem like lions and tigers, have seized authority, all political positions all honors, all worldly riches, leaving women only the pain brought having babies." Men were not simply sexist, then, they used women to indulge in worldly things. Acquiring political power, military authority, material wealth, honors of one kind or another—this is what virility was all about. "The love of vainglory" lay at the heart of d'Eon's critique of manhood. Consequently, for a Christian a man's sexism was only one manifestation of his turning away from God, indulging in pleasures of the flesh. (p284)

In some ways her critique of manhood is mirrored in her critique of the wealthy, she writes:

What will happen to the great Duchesse de Monfalcon, who says that she would prefer to be damned alongside people of her own class than saved with maids and lackeys? Impurity among the privileged is a more dangerous example than among the disadvantaged. This most contagious, most persistent, and most shameful vice makes people suffer more than all the other vices. It has the same effect on the soul as the plague has on the body. (The Maiden of Tonnerre, p103)

Men's privilege makes them more susceptible to the sinful pleasures of the world, in much the same way that the privileges of the wealthy makes them more more susceptible to the sinful pleasures of the world.

It's all very Christian; pleasure is sinful and thus suffering is good.

However there is also themes of war throughout d'Eon's writing on gender and religion. D'Eon is purified by her conversion to womanhood in part because it takes her out of the sinfulness of the male sphere of the dragoon:

I was stripped of male clothing and my uniform, I was dressed in my first dress of innocence and placed among the Daughters of the Holy Mary and the Queen's women only that I might experience a new life and not live the old with a letter of promotion to the war office and the King's certificate sanctioning my service to my rank in the twenty-four regiments of the dragoons commanded by Colonel Beelzebub, head of the dragoons. (The Maiden of Tonnerre, p121)

D'Eon's views on gender were deeply influenced by her own lived experiences, the oppression she faced as a woman and her religious beliefs. As an atheist and a intersectional feminist I don't look to d'Eon for feminist theory and I personalty wouldn't recommend doing so. However her feminist beliefs are an interesting part of who she was and well worth studying in my opinion.

[skyfallscotland]

This was a stellar analysis and if everyone who is NOT Helena could just ignore this reply that would be amazing. (Not really, you don’t have to, but like if you think I’m dumb just whisper it quietly to yourself and if you can’t handle dissection of the text or SOMETIMES dissatisfied opinions, then also turn away this is not for you, I don’t want more anxiety it was just too long for the comment reply box).

I laughed out loud at “modern au” 😭😂 she just wanted to get in on that, she saw us writing relatively happy Xaden and went you know what, that seems like fun

I just think the new “brother” being Bodhi is so trite and heavy handed 😩

I actually just assumed this was a six month period like the last two books so Aaric’s signet could have manifested a month in LMAO damn it. PLUS, before Rebecca said that, it did line up for him having manifested during the battle of Basgiath. His whole speech to Vi about having to choose between Lilith and her seemed a bit too on the nose to me.

If it IS Bodhi for the reasons RY implies and Xaden’s like wow he’s the last person I’d expect…it really isn’t a good look for Xade in my opinion 😭

What is a random vindictive gene if not a birth defect? Though I think maybe it could have been better demonstrated by Violet having had the fever and never recovered herself (a la POTS/CFS) if she wasn’t going to actually do something with it, but then I also think making the illness the result of her being “the bad guy” could also give neggy connotations? Idk it really depends if she plans on expounding on veninism—I know we’ve talked about this before.

But also on this—was Vi just a preemie baby? Was she just small? Because (afaik) a hEDS presentation probably wouldn’t be immediately obvious until she’s four? Five? Which is def old enough to remember going with daddy to a temple if it was a big deal/memorable event. Like how old was she before this was an idea in Asher’s mind? Or are we just assuming it’s to do with her illness and it’s not. It’s never overtly said.

I also think, on the venin, that perhaps in her original idea, they Were supposed to be a very one-dimensional villain, but then we got to writing book two and they made it a five book series and all of a sudden she felt like she had to flesh a lot of things out? And that maybe that is where things became unstuck and not greatly paced in regards to them as a concept?

“She is warmth and light and air and love” CRYING

Also, out of order with my other thoughts but I didn’t really get the ice analogy (when reading it in the book), I’m sorry, I’m dumb but it feels clunky.

SGAEYL IS HIS MOTHER

I don’t know who that person on the isle even was and his real mother should have roasted her for her offences.

Jack kinda implies that it goes initiate then straight to asim, no? Like there’s no in between?

The intentionally misleading writing For Me doesn’t hit. I really feel like she does this continually and I just think it shows poor narrative skill and/or poor choice of POV/tense overall if that’s how you want to do it. At the end of the day, readers aren’t supposed to come away from your book confused. Curious and wondering, yes, but confused, no. I would die if this many people were walking away from my writing going “what the fuck was happening, I almost DNF’d because I didn’t understand a thing” but that’s just me.

I think also, the lack of resolution for anything also ties into this. You have to give your readers some payoff and it can’t just be in the form of fan service. Every book needs to have some subplots that are wrapped up, all good series’ have some subplots wrapped up in each book—you get new questions, sure, but you have some answered too. Onyx Storm just didn’t do that.

Also, I think the Isle of Dunne is a red herring, I think he’s taking the eggs to the irids. They’re the ONLY ones who right now, as far as he knows, conceivably have the power to change the tide of this war, they just refuse to help because they left an irid there once and the dragons perverted her morality? I don’t have a fleshed out theory, but I think they’re the only ones it makes sense for Xaden to try and elicit a deal out of right now and I think he somehow plans on using the cultural exchange student hatchlings to do it 🤪🖤

Question: are the irids technically dragons at all? As we know them?

Were the dragons irids who lost some of their power by drawing from the ground or refusing to worship their gods? Is this devolution at work? I have….questions.

I’m very aware I need to do a re read to clear some things up for myself but I’m just not…wanting to yet ha. It’s also 1am so I’m probably making ZERO sense, I can barely keep my eyes open sorryyyy xx

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the ending!!

I'm soooo sorry nonny. This took 5ever. For some reason, I mentally decided that the completion of this ask would be the end of my Onyx Storm era, and then I didn't want to go near it because I didn't want the book to be done :(. However, I was brave, and I did it. This got insanely obscenely long, so you're getting Xaden's chapter 65 now, and then I'll reblog with Vi's LAST chapter some other time.

Chapter 65: Xaden

Veninism: I think the first thing that comes up in this chapter is the insight into the venin mindset. Xaden's significantly more intense (both than earlier in the book, and in his previous POV chapters). At first, I wasn't a huge fan of the "ice" thing, because I missed the part where he explains it (perks of reading till 5 in the morning) and I thought it was some anachronistic hockey reference. (Fun fact: I wrote this out before Rebecca gave that interview revealing that, yes, it WAS an anachronistic hockey reference. I know that lady WELL.) HOWEVER! The way it's explained here, (essay below the cut)

"Wrath courses like a current under the ice I willingly skate onto, cutting my emotions like the burdens they are so I can be the weapon she needs." (Yarros, 520)

reminds me a lot of a PTSD flashback/trauma event. Not only does this make significantly more sense with the metaphor at hand, but it makes a lot more sense with Rebecca's body of work. I know she's made addiction comparisons, and I can see some lines, but, frankly, I think it's a much more intricate web than a 1-1 metaphor. Especially with the use of the word "triggered" to describe what happens to him when he is "on the ice" as it were, I think (if anything) it's about using an addiction to cope with PTSD-type trauma.

Bond Fuckery: After revealing that Xaden cannot kill the sage himself, he goes on to say,

"I could no more raise a blade to his throat than I could Violet. The bond between Violence and me is the kind of magic that has no explanation." (Yarros, 521)

Which....is weird! Given that we have a precise explanation for said bond in Fourth Wing, maybe something else is going on? #the power of love?? I'm not trying to say they're soul mates in any real tangible way because this is not that kind of story, but I do think it means something. I just don't know what yet.

Further bond fuckery themes are found earlier in the book. There's the entire situation with Andarna leaving, in which Leothan says,

"Bonds are merely magical ties. You are irid. You are magic. Bend it, shape it, break it as you see fit." (Yarros, 443)

I've definitely seem some people floating the idea that perhaps Andarna broke Tairn and Sgaeyl's mating bond, re: Tairn's suspicious period of rest on page 526, (I personally thought he was tired from killing some dragons!) and I definitely think that's a possibility. However, I think it's really interesting that, specifically, Leothan also says bend it and shape it. I know we're supposed to finish the book thinking that Andarna/Leothan severed Violet's bond with Andarna, and then re-forged said bond mid-battle. To me...that doesn't really make sense? There was no real moment where you can say, okay, bond re-forged. It just kind of happens? Which I suppose is also how it happens at threshing, so maybe I'm the problem. Still, I think the idea that perhaps Andarna (or another irid??? given her 1 week of training???) bent or reshaped Tairn and Sgaeyl's mating bond (in order to protect Xaden/Xaden's mission/Violet from the consequences of Xaden's mission) is worth considering.

There's also the entire element of modern AU no magic isles. I know a lot of people thought that entire quest section of the book was filler, but I disagree. I definitely think that insertion was meant to demonstrate that the bonds are not as infallible as we've been led to believe, to show their importance to Xaden and Violet, and to further show just how much Andarna is not like other dragons, and therefore able to do shit with the bond.

Xaden's new brother! Xaden starts off describing the new venin by saying,

"and now that my sage has a new sibling he can use against me...I'm screwed." (Yarros, 521)

Then, he goes on to add:

"...my new brother and the unconscious dragon lying in the valley...how could he do this? Choose this after watching me stumble and fall over the last five months. How could he willingly walk the path I've fought like hell to leave? He's the last person I ever would have expected to turn, and yet here we are." (Yarros, 521)

My money's on Bodhi! There's a lot of "brother" mentions surrounding Bodhi, given the repeated descriptions of how similar he and Xaden look. He's "the closest thing (Xaden) has to a brother since Liam." Garrick even thought Theophanie called Bodhi his brother beforehand! It's Bodhi. Further nuance to Bodhi turning is found, in my opinion, in his frustration with Xaden's over-protection at the end of Onyx Storm. This feeling of impotence combined with something potentially happening to Cuir (re: unconcious dragon lying in the valley/Bodhi puking his guts up wherever that quote is) gives him a reason to turn.

I know @skyfallscotland thinks Xaden's new brother is actually Aaric, which is also super intriguing. Specifically, Amy suggested a scenario where Aaric knows he needs to be venin in order to win the war, and is willing to do whatever it takes to get to the future he sees. I do lean more towards Bodhi than Aaric, if only because of the element of knowing for 5 months (which Aaric does not--even if he finds out about Xaden's veninism from his signet, RY has confirmed Aaric didn't manifest in IF, and therefore it cannot have been five months prior to Battle of Draithus), Xaden really seems to care about this new brother. I know he says he has a "complicated sort of loyalty" to Aaric, but I don't think he and Aaric at the friendship level where Aaric can be used against him in the same way Bodhi can. There's also the whole having to give Vi Tyrrendor ordeal. I know some people think Xaden may have had a change of heart and decided to listen to Bodhi in regards to not forcing him to lead Tyrrendor in his stead, and/or Xaden just felt giving Vi the province directly (what a wedding gift!) was the best possible way to protect her. Who knows, not me. I think of Xaden as someone not particularly inclined to listening to people when he doesn't feel like it, but I also know he'll prioritize Vi regardless, so it could go either way.

Slayer! This is just for the one line mention of Berwyn killing the dragons with the alloy dagger. For one thing, I think this draws parallels between the venin and the dragons (which have been a theme the entire series). For another, I think this is how Xaden, Vi, and co. go about killing the dragons and elders in order to get to the eggs. Seems a lot less messy!

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once: Throughout the text, there's a couple mentions of individuals inability to be everywhere all at once. Theophanie, in chapter 60, for example: (from my Kindle copy, so no page numbers, sorryyyy)

"You're just another lightning wielder, mortally incapable of being everywhere at once."

Or, the slightly different take from Mira in Chapter 23:

"Even if he did, we can't be in two places at once."

I have no idea why this got me so bad, but every time I read it, my spidey-senses tingled. I really feel like it means something. Xaden then wraps things up with saying he IS everywhere at once, on page 522 in regards to the veninism amplifying his shadow powers.

Do I know what this means? No! Of course not! At first, I thought it was a papa sorrengail is venin hint, but I don't actually believe in that. I have been holding out hope that perhaps Vi is somehow venin from Lilith (this is why I think papa sorrengail had her dedicated. it doesn't really make sense to me for Rebecca to write her with a real disability, and then have that real disability be a birth defect when it isn't one in real life. that just seems odd?) and I think this COULD be a hint there. Although, as always, who knows.

What is a soul if not love? Some of you may know, I've been getting a wee bit heated about the implications of the corporeal soul. I get a bit gagged by this because it makes no sense. I ask @maethologies probably once a day, what IS a soul? And to that question, I raise you this: what is a soul if not love?

page 523 has this:

""I love you.' Violet's voice cracks the cold, and a silken thread of warmth wedges itself in the opening before it seals shut, locking it in place. No. Wait. I grab for that thread with desperate hands, clawing to keep her as more of my pieces are blown away, lost to the void. She is warmth and light and air and love."

For starters, I think "she is warmth and light and air and love" is my favorite quote from the entire series. It makes me want to cry!!! There's definitely something to the fact that being venin makes Xaden colder, and Violet only seems to get warmer in this book (her lightning being hot enough to blister, for example). But really, my focus here is that he's so aggressively in love with her. I genuinely do not know how people read this line, or the rest of the novel, and somehow thought Xaden was just going to go join up with the venin. Genuinely! I am REALLY not trying to be mean, it just makes no sense to me.

I'm going to go a bit out of order here to further contextualize, but other Xaden Riorson bangers include:

"What even am I? Hers." (Yarros, 524)

And, far earlier in the text, when Courtlyn asks to whom Xaden swears his fealty:

"Violet. (...) My loyalty is to Violet first above everything, everyone else." (this is a Kindle page number because I don't want to find it in my book, LMAO, but it's 326 in that format!)

Again, he's constantly making it as clear as humanly possible that SHE comes first for him. He is not going to spontaneously gain venin loyalty. Whatever soul-fuckery is going on here, it doesn't make him incapable of love. If anything, the presence of love is what is going to continue to save him. In the chapter 48 epigraph, in which a scenario is described wherein a venin returns to their village, desiccating an entire village except for her husband and two children. Clearly, the theme here is that the feeling of love helps venin gain control of themselves when lost to the thrall of power, if you will.

Frankly, there's a LOT of issues with venin as a concept and how willing the fan base is to accept the characterization of the entire "enemy" as evil, soulless, and incapable of feeling and love. Just on the most basic level, think about the real world implications of that ideology for about ten seconds. If you can't do that, think about it in-universe. The entire point of books one and two were that Navarre's government perpetuated a narrative of dehumanization in regards to the Poromish people so that Navarrians could see them as the enemy. This tactic of dehumanization is then DIRECTLY applied to the venin. The narrative on the surface-level is: These people ARE human, but these other guys are the REAL monsters. Please kill THEM instead. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen people say "Violet's never killed anyone in the series, she only kills venin!" The very fact of saying these people aren't human; therefore they can die...do you see what I see? I know I'm a bit more thematically minded than the average romantasy reader, but it's really VERY in your face here.

The most obvious narrative purpose for Xaden choosing to turn is that it gives Violet and the reader a way to humanize the venin, just like working with the gryphon fliers in part two allowed us all to humanize them. After I finished IF, there was not a doubt in my mind that this was where Rebecca was going.

And she went there...a little bit? She's about halfway there, I'd say. Violet has started to internally reconcile with the fact that Xaden being a venin makes it impossible for her to generalize venin any further, but there's definitely still an undercurrent of "he's not like other venin!!" I think this COULD be a logical progression of the story, and, partially, I think it makes sense for it to take a minute for her thought processes to shift. However, I think it needs to be better layered? And I think that when you have a book like this one with such a low barrier to entry, you need to do a bit more thematic hand-holding if you want people to really get things.

Anyway, this was all to say: Xaden loves her, and so, his soul is fine. HE's fine. He's not evil, he didn't marry her just to leave, he's not "team venin". Etc! I could go on about this further, and I think before book 4 I'll be pushed over the edge and do so. But, for now, I do think the direction Rebecca is pushing for is the "cure" being the power of love et. al.

Mommy Issues: We come back to Sgaeyl! I know some people think Sgaeyl breaks the bond with Xaden as part of his 12 hour plan, and again, I ask: literally how.

Basically, unlike his mother, Sgaeyl isn't leaving Xaden. When he breaks through the pulling from the earth haze, he asks Sgaeyl if she forsakes him, and she says:

"'What is there left of you to forsake?' Sgaeyl lowers her head and steam gusts down the canyon, reminding me of the moment she found me in the forest at threshing. (Yarros, 523)

My direct annotation here is : threshing! Threshing = choice. And I'm right! Threshing does equal choice. She has the option to forsake him, and she doesn't! Case closed. I will say, just as a side note, the idea that she'd leave him for being extra venin is wack as hell when he became extra venin for her. I don't think she was that heated about him being venin in the first place: the focus of her ire at the end of IF was that he "picked" Violet. "You cannot! I chose you!/ But Violet chose me too." She's just a pick me dragon at heart.

Quest Squad (Xaden's Version) I touched on this in response to my other ask about the ending, but now we're gonna go beat by beat.

Xaden starts what I call the quest intro by responding to Sgaeyl's threshing part 2 with:

"'You tell me.' I lower the ice and let her in."

Clearly, this is Xaden showing Sgaeyl whatever plan he's been concocting in his head.

Sgaeyl's response:

"Her next breath is laced with sulfur, and her eyes widen. 'You cannot mean to--'"

Now, this is just needlessly vague to make sure we buy the next book. Like we weren't going to anyway. Thank you for extorting me, Red Tower. However, at the very least, it reveals that his plan is, shall we say, problematic? Controversial? Illegal?

Then, we have (from Xaden)

"'You saw what happened. It is the only way.' She glances over her shoulder. 'And you think she'll help?' 'She loves me.' 'Tairn does not, and you haven't looked in a mirror yet. The red veins branching from your eyes look like her lightning.' 'She'll help.' It comes out with a hell of a lot more certainty than I feel. 'She promised.'"

Line by line time!

"it is the only way" is mad interesting from Xaden "the right way isn't the only way" Riorson. It could just be the influence of being venin on his psyche---everything feels more serious now, and he himself is more intense. But it's such an interesting switch, especially since Violet's assumed his way of thinking from FW.

At first I thought the pronoun fuckery in SHE'll help/SHE loves me was meant to indicate that the she in question was not actually Violet, but I don't think so anymore. I do think it's intentionally misleading! Again, for the money. But, more than that, I think Sgaeyl is glancing over her shoulder AT Violet and Tairn to indicate who they're yapping about.

Now, how will she help? I think this is a separate quandary than the marriage (hence where I broke up the text). Personally, I think this is him saying Vi goes with him to get the eggs/kill the dragons/etc.

The veins branching from his eyes are intriguing. I know he says he's no longer an initiate on this page, but I don't think he's an Asim either? According to Mr. Drake Cordella's venin compendium, Asim's veins distend only when riled, but Sage's veins are perpetually distended. (Iron Flame chapter 47 epigraph). I guess we'll see? I don't know, it would make sense to me if he was a sage, but who knows.

And, finally, what the hell did she promise?

WAY earlier on in the book, Xaden says:

"Swear you'll sound the alarm if I go too far, that you'll keep it safe, even if it's from me." (Yarros, 58)

This is what I think he's referring to! I know @hockeyspiral23 thinks the 'it' in question is actually the sword of Tyrrendor (correct me if I'm wrong!!) and not Tyrrendor itself. I definitely think there's something to that theory.

A few pages later, Xaden says:

"I'll use Tyrrendor to protect you, not you to protect Tyrrendor." (Yarros, 102)

Not to be a broken record, but again: Intentionally! Misleading! Content! I think you're SUPPOSED to interpret the promise as Violet saying she'll protect Tyrrendor from Xaden, and Xaden saying he's "gone too far". But when you actually look at the text, there's no way that's what he's saying. First of all, why would Sgaeyl think THAT plan wouldn't work with Tairn? Tairn does NOT fuck with Xaden right now. And then, why would Xaden Riorson, president and CEO of the Violet Sorrengail fan club, prioritize Tyrrendor over Violet? He cares about Tyrrendor, sure, but in the face of VIOLET? It doesn't compare. It just doesn't! ("I love you more than this city. Do not die defending it.") He's not winning any king of the year awards with those priorities, but that doesn't make it any less true. I basically already have a post ranting about this, (here! If you're curious) so I'm going to cut myself off here. Basically, we have to remember who Xaden actually is when we try to contextualize this vague ass chapter.

And then, wedding bells!

"'Even if she agrees, no one will--'

'Someone owes me a favor.'" (Yarros, 524)

This is the part of the quest that I think is more directly the marriage issue. This has already been covered elsewhere, but the Priestess from Dunne's temple says she owes Xaden a favor earlier on. She goes on to officiate their marriage. I just think the wording makes it clear that this is a multi-step plan. (How can Violet "help" with her own marriage?)

I already quoted the absolute banger "What even am I? Hers." But I'm going to bring it up again! His loyalty, primarily, is to Violet. Whatever quest he's going on, it's FOR HER. He steals the eggs FOR HER. He''s taking them somewhere FOR HER. I don't know how to make that any clearer, but if I keep seeing people misinterpret it, I'll probably try again.

Agency!

The final bit I'm going to pull is Sgaeyl saying:

"And her decision will determine our fate." (Yarros, 524).

I think this just really succinctly makes clear my 573938503 argument above. Violet gets final say on Quest Squad (Xaden's Version) but whatever he does do, he's doing it with Sgaeyl. I know there's some good bits Rebecca's said throughout the tour that support this interpretation, but I don't think I need them quite yet. Maybe next time!

For now, that's all. I'll see y'all back here with Violet's chapter in a bit!

[the-kr8tor]

Guys, any day now they're gonna release the teaser trailer for bstv mark my words (delulu)

[dawnslight-aegis]

11. strength - grace, courage, control, discipline, confidence.

others

[sylvieserene]

Fixing history using the power of editing and my editing skills!!

For today we have, New Titans (1980) Issue #100

✨ Wedding Special ✨

@robstarblog @robstaryeah pinging yall just in case so that this doesn't get lost in oblivion (It'd be painful since I worked 5 hours non stop on it lol)

I think the most time was taken by the final panel and adding in the finishing touches since I pretty much had to change everything to the pixel level, quite literally lol (I'm serious, I did)

Welp I hope the results were worth it! And with that, another one gets a good ending!!

I kinda didn't add sleeves in the first two panels of the final page because it didn't look good and looked janky with how I was editing it so yeah please ignore that-

[blackboxtheater]

I think Mumbo and Pearl should play Hungry Hermits together because:

1. I think Mumbo would make lots of fun noises while playing. Both deeply stressed Mumbo noises and incredibly pleased and delighted noises at the creativity and redstone of the game

2. Pearl would be extremely helpful and point out all the ways that even if you kinda suck at Minecraft you can still be good at Hungry Hermits. Plus Pearl did the Decked Out runs with Cleo so there is precedent for teacher/guide Pearl

3. I think whatever that energy was from Secret Life between them (the big pink tower, the compliments) would resurface and I really want to read the fics that it would inspire………

[jonathanbyersphd]

Now on Thursdays you need to summon Joyce.

I'm a day late but

[lycanr0t]

the thing about aplatonicism is that just like aromanticism and asexualism, it doesn't inherently mean you don't want friendships, every individual apl person has different needs and wants in regards to friendship and each person will go about it differently.

I for example am aplatonic and don't specifically feel platonic attraction as in, i don't feel a drive to befriend people. I don't get "friend crushes" or ever get the desire to befriend specific people. I am personally, very open to the possibility of friendship if someone else approaches me and we vibe. I am not platonically attracted to them, but I also do get enjoyment from socializing with others in that way and can become attached to them, etc. Platonic attraction does not equal caring about someone/being good to them. Attraction is not moral in that way. it just is.

Just like how some ace people still enjoy sex, even without sexual attraction. Some aplatonic people still enjoy friendship, and some don't. And that's okay! There are so many types of relationships out there that people can form and explore what makes them happiest and it looks different for every person and that's such a wonderful thing.

[coachbeards]

beardjane divorce manifestation beardjane divorce manifestation beardjane divorce manifestation beardjane divorce manifestation beardjanedivorcemanifestation-

[dwtdog]

we literally manifested this talking about patches omg 😭😭😭😭

I MISSED HER SWEET DARLING FACE even when she's spitting at poor baby naomi 😭

[fairylando]

i just know, he's winning tomorrow. p3 to p1 sweep. TRUST👆 I CAN FEEL IT let him COOK.

[stormyoceans]

https://www.tumblr.com/stormyoceans/742662874874429440/its-papangs-birthday-today-lets-wish-together?source=share

It seems we did a good job with the birthday wishes.. Or.. I'm afraid to speak out loud, but what if..👀

NOT TO BE THE MOST INSUFFERABLE PERSON ON THIS SITE AS ALWAYS BUT EVERY TIME I SEE A NEW PODDPAPANG INTERACTION I GO OUR IMPACT!!!!!!!!! OURS!!!!!!!!! WE LITERALLY DID THIS WE CREATED THIS THIS DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE WE WERE HERE WE REALLY CONJURED THIS OUT OF THIN AIR AND MADE IT HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!

og quadrumvirate warriors have been in the trenches doing ground work way before gmmtv even knew of their potential we had the vision and we held it at gunpoint until the vision had us in return and when podd and papang are gonna show up together on that stage at the gmmtv 2025 lineup the world won't remember us it won't mention us but we will know who we are and what we did!!!!!!!!

WE'RE SEXY PEOPLE WITH BIG BRAINS AND IF WE MADE PODDPAPANG HAPPEN THEN NOTHING IS STOPPING US FROM MAKING THE ENTIRE QUADRANGULATION OF UNDERRATED MEN SERIES HAPPEN TOO

[the-casbah-way]

FINALLY finished my outline for prodigal son it’s going to end up way longer than i planned </3

[warrenwaskilledbyadeer]

Having some more Amnesia thoughts today

I haven't really thought much about the ramifications of Oswald having a portal to the Other World constantly open in the Machine... how did that go?? Did any communication happen?? He mentions it pretty casually and off-hand like it's nbd (when poor Alexander spent 300 years making one lmao)

Also what did happen to the manpigs at the end of the game? They were docile but what did people like do with them? Oswald disappeared and the Machine only got turned off, not destroyed, so was the world able to investigate and put together the pieces of what he really did? Did Tasi and Henri learn about him as a historical figure who caused the manpig invasion among other things?

And also is there just a massive rift at the bottom of the Arena in the Bunker??? And did the Stalker go through it or get killed by the Shadow? I think it would be really funny if in Rebirth Tasi not only ran into Tesla pigs in the Other World but also just the freaking Stalker