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patronsaintofelsewhere · 8 months

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Thoughts on Angel Crowley & Healing from Trauma

(Minor Good Omens S2 Spoilers)

As someone who’s endured my own Trauma and dealt with the resulting PTSD, watching Crowley’s journey from a joyful, silly, and entirely innocent angel to a withdrawn, lonely, hyper-vigilant demon as a result of the Fall both shattered my heart and confronted me with the fact of myself, and I’d like to talk about it.

When you* experience Trauma, you experience an existential disorientation and a profound sense of grief over the world you thought you knew–one where you were safe and nothing bad had ever happened to you. “Innocence died screaming,” and all that.

You're also therefore mourning the loss of who you were, and struggling to make sense of who you are now. Which is why this conversation is so gut-wrenching:

“I know you.” “You do not know me.” “I knew the angel you were.” “The angel you knew is not me.”

This dialogue admittedly still makes my eyes swim. It’s reminiscent of the many conversations I’ve had with people close to me who knew me Before and After. Not only are you grieving the loss of your own innocence, so are those around you, and it feels like you’re wearing their loved one’s face like a mask.

And then underneath the grief, there’s a river of–what you’ll later discover is misplaced–guilt. They want you to be who you were. Fuck, you also want to be who you were -- to not have experienced what you did -- but you can’t.

And when they catch a glimpse of something that reminds them of Before-You -- because it's not like that you has just up and vanished, you've just changed -- they say things like, “I feel like I have you back!” Like the After-You is a consolation prize, something to be tolerated while they wait for the Before-You to return.

It’s not malicious. They love you. They want you to be happy. But it just serves as a reminder of your loss and suddenly you’re acutely aware of how alone you are with the Thing that hurt you.

After trauma, you’re lonely and you're afraid. But those emotions make you feel quite naked, because both of those things would require you to depend on other people to feel better and, at this point, the thought of doing that is far too scary, so to the world, you’re angry. Thus begins the cyclical self-fulfilling prophecy.

And that cycle goes a bit like this: People see the mistrust and the bitterness and the volatility (the shield that keeps people at an arm's length and helps you feel safe). They don't see the profound sustained fear underneath, the desperate need to feel seen and accepted. And so people pull away.

And that real or perceived abandonment feeds the monster that’s taken up permanent residence in your ribcage and screams at all hours that you’re not worthy of love, that you’re irreparably broken, and you’ll always be alone. And you pull away from the people that love you. And the cycle repeats. And you start to believe all of the bad things about yourself that the monster tells you.

Being confronted with a character who you adore and who you also relate to closely is bittersweet in that it’s both immensely painful, but also offers you an opportunity to interrupt that cycle, to explore a different -- perhaps more forgiving -- lens through which to view yourself. To practice self-compassion by proxy, if you will. After all, we tend to extend far greater empathy and forgiveness to others than we do to ourselves.

Angel Crowley, "who squeaked and squealed when he was happy; who flailed his arms around and made explosion noises with his mouth to explain nebulas; who preened when told his stars were pretty,” (joycrispy) reminded me a lot of “Angel T,” or rather myself before Trauma.

And Crowley's story is tragic. I was heartbroken and angry for him; I felt the depth of the betrayal he experienced at the hands of someone he loved who he'd believed loved him; I found myself wanting to protect him, to comfort him. Crowley did not deserve what happened to him.

And, over a decade later, I realized that I’d finally accepted that I’d been an innocent, just like Crowley had, and I didn't deserve what happened to me, either.

And -- if you find yourself relating to this post -- neither did you.

Once we can tell ourselves that and actually believe it, we can start to lower the shield. We can allow people closer, including ourselves. We can bring the parts of ourselves we may have hidden away back to the surface. We can soften again. We can truly start to heal.

Crowley, at his core, remains the same. He is still kind, deeply loving, playful, silly, and – against all odds – hopeful. But his trauma has changed him; his innocence is gone.

He struggles to trust others; fears abandonment; engages in unhealthy coping mechanisms; finds it easier to prioritize and tend to Aziraphale's needs and desires than his own; and has difficulty expressing his emotions.

But he also gained an abundance of empathy, a deep love for humanity, and a strong sense of justice.

We adore Crowley exactly as he is now; we don't wish for him to be who he was before the Fall. And neither does Aziraphale.

In kind, we won’t be who we were — nor should we try to be — but we can be something new, a different version of ourselves that is equally good, equally worthy, and equally deserving of love.

After over a decade, I think my Trauma wound has mostly healed, as much as Trauma wounds can, anyway; it’s a dull ache rather than an acute pain. Yet Crowley's story assuaged that remaining hurt like a salve I hadn’t realized I needed.

So thank you to @neil-gaiman for giving us such a beautiful story, and to David Tennant, Michael Sheen, and the rest of the cast and crew who bring the characters we love to life on screen.

Good Omens truly is a gift. May it continue to inspire us to offer kindness and love to ourselves and one another. 🖤

* I am aware that I say “you” when I should use the singular first-person “I,” but I still struggle with this when talking about my own trauma. So I’m using “you” and you, reader, will deal with it x

#good omens #good omens season two #good omens 2 spoilers #aziraphale x crowley #anthony j crowley #angel crowley #anthony crowley #crowley #crowley good omens #good omens crowley #crowley trauma #gos2spoilers #go s2 #go season 2 #good omens 2 #aziracrow #david tennant #good omens character analysis

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wavesoutbeingtossed · 1 month

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To continue riffing on the marriage/tradition stuff because that’s one of the themes I’m obsessed with in her discography, it’s fascinating because it would be easy to reduce it to, “she’s adhering to patriarchal societal norms in chasing the traditional nuclear family and that’s why she throws herself into these relationships,” but it’s just so reductive to well, how human beings exist in the world. Just because it’s a societal pressure doesn’t mean some people don’t genuinely want to get married or have families.

Yes, she’s been singing about it right back to her first album when she as 16. Yes, her view on it has evolved, from marrying the sweet neighbor boy to the princess fairytale early on (debut/fearless), to the disillusionment that increasingly pushed it out of the narrative (speak now/red/1989), to slowly letting herself believe in forever again (rep), to seemingly actually committed (lover), to questioning what that means (folklore/evermore) to trying to reconcile what it means for her current life (midnights). Every relationship she experienced throughout those periods informed those views and how *she* pursued it.

I think what makes it so interesting on TTPD is that it is EVERYWHERE, as I mentioned in my previous post about it. And it’s unsettling because it’s not just in the setting we expect it to be — e.g. a long term partner she’d previously indicated she was ready to marry — but also in songs about a man who swooped in to save her when she was low only to break her apart, in thinly-veiled fantasies about strange bedfellow neighbours, another thinly-veiled story about marrying the person you want consequences be damned, in taunting your on again/off again partner in a bar (e.g. i want to smash your bike or be your wife).

And it’d be easy to chalk it up to, well she’s in her 30s and the clock is ticking, she’s just obsessive! And there’s a nugget there about women and their bodies and both the lauding and weaponization thereof and everything that personally I’m dying to talk about at some point. But when it comes down to it, I’m willing to bet that the reason why it’s everywhere is because THAT WAS HER LIFE. That was the plan she’d taken for granted for so long — and I don’t just mean in a general sense as a girl in the world — but in the very real, very tangible way she was living her life and in the circumstances that led to what would be written about in TTPD. By working out all these scenarios through her songs (and tbh in whatever she was doing IRL that inspired them), she was grappling with and grieving the loss of the life she thought was ahead of her. We’ve talked about how pervasive grief has been on her recent albums, in all kinds of forms, and I think this is kind of the culmination of all of those worries.

She’s not the girl with the paper ring and all’s well did not end well to end up with him. She’s not the girl who has his midnights after cleaning up bottles on New Year’s Day. She couldn’t give him her wild or a child because it wasn’t enough. She may have even been the self-fulfilling prophecy of the girl who is fucked in the head, but feels more like the one left out on the landing.

So in TTPD, she is all of these things. She’s the neglected wife whose husband cheats on her so she runs off with an old flame. She’s the one who gets the jewel on her ring finger and talks about babies because he says it’s love. She’s the woman whose partner once made a promise but never followed through. She’s the hell-raiser who follows love in a different kind of getaway car while the town calls her mad, consequences be damned, but joke’s on them because she gets the wedding in the end anyway. She’s the wife who feeds her cheating husband to the swamps of Florida. She gets swept off her feet by an old flame to run down the aisle. SHE’S the one who gets to decide if she’s gonna marry him or decimate him (be his wife or smash his bike). She’s the girl who didn’t become the wife while she watches the one that got away marry his. She’s the woman scorned who has to call the whole thing off. She’s the saucy girl who bets her new lover is gonna marry her for real. She’s sold off as chattel to the highest bidder in an arranged marriage. She’s the young girl starry-eyed with the dreams she grew up with only to have them go up in flames, leaving only her pen behind to turn it into art.

She navigates all these scenarios because in the end, she isn’t any of them and she is all of them. She’s mourning what she gave up, mourning what she’s already lost, mourning the time she feels she wasted and could have started over. She’s mourning any number of women she could have been if she’d just tried something else, but also mourning that ultimately much of this was out of her hands. She’s grappling with a past that can’t change and a future that doesn’t exist. Every one of these scenarios is a way her life could have gone with any number of different decisions, but in the end, none of that matters, because she is who she is and what happened happened.

Obviously there’s a lot more going on in the album; she’s not just processing the end of relationships, she’s processing her fame and career and health and harassment and trauma and struggles and misogyny and any number of things in frankly shocking ways. But, I think there’s also no denying that this very important thing — the step many young adults expect to take in their lives — precipitated a whole lot of what went on, and may have even had a domino effect on all the other issues explored. It’s raw and vulnerable and ugly and funny and human.

Anyway apparently I’m back and thinking.

#maybe i should not sleep more often #the tortured poets department #writing letters addressed to the fire

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calliesmemes · 3 months

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DARKNESS HAUNTS YOUR NARRATIVE

UNSETTLING SENTENCE STARTERS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES THAT WILL SEND SHIVERS DOWN YOUR SPINE AND LEAVE AN OMINOUS FEELING LINGERING IN THE ROOM.

CHANGE gendered words and in-universe phrases as needed.

SPECIFY muse for multimuses.

“ I’m deep inside your mind. There is no escape for you. ”

“ You save everyone, but who saves you? ”

“ The power inside of me — it’s terrifying. ”

“ Power belongs to those who take it. ”

“ You’ll be the ruin of me, won’t you? ”

“ You weren’t meant to save the world — you were meant to destroy it. ”

“ You didn’t break me; you built me. All you did was make me ruthless. ”

“ You have no power over me. ”

“ I am terrified by this dark thing that sleeps in me. ”

“ All the greatest loves end in violence. ”

“ I don’t think you’re truly mean. You have sad eyes. ”

“ In theory the prophecy could still come true. ”

“ One day, your empathy is going to get you killed. ”

“ We are masters of our own destiny. ”

“ Never trust a survivor until you find out what they did to survive. ”

“ The horror that you have seen is not who you are. ”

“ A little too much anger, too often or at the wrong time, can destroy more than you would ever imagine. ”

“ Your scars are not your shame; they are your story. ”

“ I will never turn my back on people who need me. ”

“ Isn’t it scary to be ready to die at such a young age? ”

“ Your mind is a weapon. Keep it loaded. ”

“ Are you hearing those voices again? ”

“ It scares me sometimes. The emptiness I see in your eyes. ”

“ You may not be interested in the war, but the war is interested in you. ”

“ Haven’t you taken enough from me? ”

“ You collect scars because you want proof that you are paying for whatever sins you have committed. ”

“ It is okay to be angry. It is never okay to be cruel. ”

“ I hope that what you did to me haunts you. ”

“ The price of freedom is high. It always has been. ”

“ When you talk, I can hear the revolution. ”

“ Do not pretend that you are some meek, pathetic little girl when I can see that vicious mind working behind your eyes. ”

“ Your new life will cost you your old one. ”

“ Watching someone you love suffer can teach you even more than suffering yourself can. ”

“ Some people are in your life to test you ”

“ Fear makes men more dangerous than magic ever could. ”

“ At what point do you think i'll become the wound itself and not simply the bearer? ”

“ We are made of all those who have built and broken us. ”

“ All power demands sacrifice and pain. ”

“ Some things buried deep need to stay that way. ”

“ You and I are going to change the world. ”

“ I wonder which will get you killed faster — your loyalty, or your stubbornness? ”

“ Something’s made your eyes go cold. ”

“ If I am not a weapon, then what am I? ”

“ Your chains are broken, but are you truly free? ”

“ You were alone before they left you. ”

“ You can love a monster, it can even love you back, but that doesn’t change its nature. ”

“ It’s awful not to be loved. It’s the worst thing in the world … it makes you mean, and violent, and cruel ”

“ We can simultaneously be both human and monster. ”

“ I have this strange feeling that I’m not myself anymore. ”

“ You laugh like a little girl and think like a martyr. ”

“ Grief taught me inhumane things. ”

“ You will always be a monster. There is no turning back from it. ”

“ I know there’s a villain, and I’m worried it’s me. ”

“ I can’t stand the bitter thing that I’ve become. ”

“ People will never bleed enough to fulfill your vision of justice. ”

“ What if I told you the truth about what happened that night? ”

“ Part of me died in order to survive. ”

“ We are cursed with a tendency for violence. ”

“ I speak in verses, prophecies, and curses. ”

“ I see no use quarrelling with fate. ”

“ Nobody smart plays fair. ”

“ Fine, make me your villain. ”

“ They should be terrified of me. ”

“ I gave you devotion, blood, and my life. ”

“ How disappointing, when people succumb to what is expected of them. ”

“ Perhaps that was why I had to endure pain — because true transformation can only happen in the crucible of suffering. ”

“ Morality, too, is a question of time. ”

“ Memories destroy us. ”

“ My entire life, I’ve been fighting a war. ”

“ Fair is foul, and foul is fair. ”

“ Are you becoming what you’ve always hated? ”

“ I have found it takes a lot of strength to endure myself. ”

“ Loving any of us is a death sentence, isn’t it? ”

“ You long to be bandaged before you have been cut. ”

“ I feel so lost among these entirely strange people. ”

“ Remembering is like an open wound. ”

“ The wounded recognize the wounded. ”

“ I am alone and am suffocating because I cannot give voice to my emotions. ”

“ I’ve lived through entire tragedies in silence. ”

“ The more you love, the more you suffer. ”

“ The crowd that applauds a ruler’s coronation is the same crowd that will applaud a tyrant’s beheading. People like a show. ”

“ You are a better knife than you are a person. ”

“ Life goes more smoothly without a heart. ”

“ People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar. ”

“ I’m nostalgic for the anger I once had. ”

“ The pain I didn’t tell you about has built a home inside of me. ”

“ My greatest regret was how much I believed in my own future. ”

“ All I ever do is grieve. ”

“ Do not mock a pain you haven’t endured. ”

“ I control the shadows. They do not control me. ”

“ Turn the pain into power. ”

“ Sometimes, we survive by forgetting. ”

“ I am now the most miserable man living. ”

“ To remain as I am is impossible; I must die or be better, it appears to me. ”

“ In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all; and, to the young, it comes with bitterest agony. ”

“ I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me. ”

“ Memories do not always soften with time; some grow edges like knives. ”

“ Maybe everything that you thought was breaking you was actually leading you towards yourself. ”

“ Sometimes, not being in control is the most beautiful thing in the world. ”

#askbox meme #askbox prompt #rp ask meme #ask box #roleplay sentence meme #sentence starters #roleplay prompts #roleplay sentence starters #* sentence meme #rpc help

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vivacissimx · 4 months

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The puzzle piece about Rhaegar that is really interesting but unfortunately often overlooked is that he was relieved when he realized he was not TPTWP. Yes, relieved. Conflicted too which I will get into. And I believe it is obvious that when Rhaegar first read about Aegon's prophecy, he was not enthused— It seems I must be a warrior is trotted out to talk about Rhaegar's gender expression, his disconnect with capital m Masculinity that is purposely contrasted to Robert Baratheon reveling in it (indeed only making sense within the context of violence, battle, war) but there is more to the compulsion involved in the words It seems and I must than just It seems I must become an archetype. Socially becoming a fighter was already expected of him but he was not, presumably, in compliance with this expectation. The prophecy motivated him in a different way than you will be socially rewarded for acting as a man does.

Which brings me to another point i.e. how Rhaegar perceived himself prior to reading what he read; his connection to the tragedy of his birth and the grief, the resentment, the awkward dynamics between members of his family. "Oh he was a child" yes but we're told that Rhaegar did not act like, think like, or even particularly get along with others his age. So it's safe to say he was aware of Summerhall and felt it's shadow surrounding him from a young age. And Aegon's prophecy, combined with the Ghost of High Heart's prophecy, the events of Summerhall, put this weight on his shoulders completely into context. It was not that Rhaegar desired to be TPTWP because he took to it with determination but no particular joy. Every indicator just seemed to demand he give himself over to fulfilling this role. TPTWP was coming from Aerys and Rhaella's line? Well, he was their only child. Consult Maester Aemon on the matter? Yeah kid it's you. Ancient scrolls? Dusty, but they agree. Dead ancestors? Oh wait, they died so YOU could live. Woah.

This understanding basically necessitates us looking to ASOS Daenerys who also has some knowledge of TPTWP prophecy, and thanks to the Rhaegar-Daenerys pipeline, we can imagine that Rhaegar had similar thoughts to Daenerys, such as when she asks herself: The dragon has three heads. There are two men in the world who I can trust, if I can find them. I will not be alone then. We will be three against the world, like Aegon and his sisters. Who are Rhaegar's fellow two heads? Daenerys wonders at this, telling Jorah that her brothers are dead. Well Rhaegar's brothers die too, right in front of him. Rhaella suffers miscarriage after stillbirth after crib death. She is punished for this by Aerys via isolation and presumably Rhaegar is also kept separate from her— textually we know that Rhaegar was expected to take a sister to bride, i.e. further targcest was going to be enforced by Aerys, and to Rhaegar the loss would have also been of the other two people who would have fulfilled the requirements of the prophecy. Yes that's true. However, it was also the loss of his mother.

Rhaella was 13 when she had Rhaegar so it would be ridiculous to even think that she, a child, a Queen from when Rhaegar was 3, was this grand maternal figure to him. Of course she wasn't. There was too much on her shoulders. Too much on Aerys's shoulders as well, to be any sort of father except the kind who trotted Rhaegar out as an impressive little heir from time to time. Rhaegar was Aerys's success (it's the duty of the patriarch to sire sons who will continue the line) but as Rhaegar's siblings failed to survive, that success became a dicey thing. So when Viserys was born & survived, there is a thought that Rhaegar would latch onto such a sibling. This isn't the case— in fact, Viserys is Rhaella's. She coddles him. Keeps him close. Safe from Aerys (who already has Rhaegar). Viserys tells Dany stories about Rhaegar but this is done in the sense that he does not truly know Rhaegar. Why wouldn't Rhaegar have spent more time with Viserys, if he was motivated by fulfillment of the prophecy?

Because Viserys was Rhaella's, perhaps. Rhaegar never truly got to be his mother's son. To leech Viserys away from her... there's something in that. When Rhaella warmly welcomed Rhaegar's daughter, too. Rhaella's was Aerys's wife and property, which Rhaegar knew because he was also Aerys's property. Rhaella was mother to his brother. Rhaella was a grandmother to his daughter. She was everything but the woman who raised him.

"Rhaegar was a lonely man anyway due to his depression" yes that's true. There is an asceticism to Rhaegar Targaryen. The places he enjoys are bare and stripped, places he can keep his own company: Summerhall, the place of his birth, haunted, full of magic. Dragonstone where he retreats after his marriage, a place where the last embers of Valyria's magic died. Later the Tower of Joy is in a barren desert. But he finds a beauty in these places. He writes music that pushes him back into the shared world, songs he shares with people, about people, about lovers and those who sacrificed and who he is deeply moved by— almost like he's motivating himself. People are drawn to him.

Despite his lack of connection to Rhaella and Viserys he does bond with people. Arthur Dayne, who for all we can try and complicate, apply horseshoe theory to, is meant as the juxtaposition to characters such as the Smiling Knight. Brave as brass Myles Mooton whose memory his people still call upon. Richard Lonmouth and Jon Connington, both technically vassals to Robert Baratheon, funny little irony there. Princess Elia his wife who he is fond of along with the Dornishmen she comes to court with, "particularly" Prince Lewyn of the Kingsguard, who is in Rhaegar's confidence (per AWOIAF). These bonds seem strong because not a whiff of possible disloyalty on Rhaegar's part ever reaches Aerys despite it definitely existing and Aerys actively looking for it (again per AWOIAF). Do these confidantes know about Aegon's prophecy? IDK. At least in JonCon's case the answer seems to be no. However we also know JonCon wasn't actually the closest to Rhaegar. Nonetheless, I think we can assume that outside of Arthur Myles and Richard most of these were political relationships which Rhaegar pursued and all were concerned about Aerys's instability— there is also Tywin who Rhaegar performs certain overtures towards (such as knighting Gregor, Tywin's man, at a time when the Aerys-Tywin relationship had just grown particularly sour) indicating he'd like him as an ally. This is all straying away from TPTWP but I think it's important, it shows that even imbued with purpose, Rhaegar was in a position that did not lend itself towards him being able to take much action...

Then winter breaks. Spring comes. Nobody knows it's false yet. Rhaegar's whole deal is this coming Long Night. Everyone takes, quite literally, a breath of fresh air, and the tourney of Harrenhal commences, with Rhaegar as a shadow sponsor, thinking to call an informal Great Council which will begin to deal with Aerys (step 1)(step 1 failed).

This is where matters of prophecy come back into focus. I've covered Rhaegar's various relationships, the shallowness of them, the stagnancy in Developments due to Aerys's paranoia, etc. Harrenhal is not a solitary place but it is flush with magic in a way similar to Summerhall and Dragonstone— all places where dragons have died Harrenhal is thematically the cannibal dragon let's not get into that. And this is important to Rhaegar's characterization because of how things unfold with Lyanna Stark in several ways: 1) Lyanna cries to his song. Before they formally meet Lyanna is touched by the magic and purpose and sacrifice and yes, love, of which Rhaegar sings. It speaks to her. Of course, many others likely cried too. Common occurrence, see: A song of love and doom, Jon Connington recalled, and every woman in the hall was weeping when he put down the harp. Not the men, of course. Rhaegar gender moment but I digress. 2) Rhaegar's discovery of her as the KOTLT despite Robert & Richard Lonmouth both vowing to do so, those raucous manly men, both of whom failed; Rhaegar's subsequent hiding of her identity to unknown consequence for himself if any. All he produces is her shield which is painted with a tree on it, a purposeful callback to Duncan the Tall's shield, both Lyanna and Dunk being 'false knights' yet, in their actions, true ones. Sorry I love Lyanna so much I can't resist plugging her greatest hits 3) Rhaegar winning the tourney, the only tourney he's ever won... and immediately tainting his victory by awarding it to Lyanna instead.

I bring this all up and frame it because here we see that Rhaegar is not really invested in his own victory or legacy or even really his honor. His wife Princess Elia is there and she is pregnant with his son, something he could commemorate in the same vein that Aerys "honored" Rhaegar by showcasing him at various tourneys, an ode to a future warrior king, but Rhaegar doesn't do that. It's not his victory as a Man. It's never been about his victory as a Man. It doesn't even need to be his victory.

Neither does Aegon's prophecy. Rhaegar rapidly realizes that on two fronts: second, the false spring ends. It wasn't real! Rhaegar's spring isn't the lasting one. First, though, is that Rhaegar and Elia's son Aegon is born, a difficult birth in which Elia is rendered infertile. Who does this remind you of? Oh right, Aerys with Rhaella— only Rhaegar does not go about trying to impregnate Elia again. Rhaegar becomes convinced Aegon is TPTWP— something he was already thinking, prior. Rhaegar was never so invested in himself being TPTWP that he could not be convinced otherwise. Maester Aemon: Rhaegar, I thought... the smoke was from the fire that devoured Summerhall on the day of his birth, the salt from the tears shed for those who died. He shared my belief when he was young, but later he became persuaded that it was his own son who fulfilled the prophecy, for a comet had been seen above King's Landing on the night Aegon was conceived, and Rhaegar was certain the bleeding star had to be a comet. Rhaegar agreeing "when he was young" and being "certain the bleeding star had to be a comet" all indicate that he had been looking into the possibility that TPTWP was Not Him for a while. The visits to Summerhall— maybe they were a search for proof by encasing himself in the lingering magic of the place? He still messed up the prince/princess translation presumably because baby Rhaenys never seemed to be in the conversation. (The bleeding star was in fact a comet, funnily enough, a little consolation prize for the pretty boy.) Here's what we know: in Daenerys's vision, Elia asks if Rhaegar will write Aegon a son, we can assume because he wrote their firstborn Rhaenys a song, but Rhaegar says no, he already has one. The song of ice and fire. Aegon doesn't get a song. Why? Rhaegar believes he must be a warrior.

Yet, he sings for him anyway.

Rhaegar's "it seems" and "I must" and distance from Viserys and inner conflict about Aerys and doubt about his own place in the grand scheme of things all come to fruition with Aegon's birth. Rhaegar isn't TPTWP— and it spurs him into action. A weight is off his shoulders so now he can act. As in the case of crowning Lyanna, when the purpose of a task is not to honor or elevate him, we see Rhaegar able to perform in ways he could not before.

Namely there are two veins: acting against Aerys and seeking out information of the prophecy, but Rhaegar's general direction (through the Riverlands past Harrenhal) seems to indicate that he was headed towards the Ghost of High Heart. Not Summerhall, a place of mysticism meant to soothe Rhaegar. Rather a place of pain. The Ghost of High Heart who gorged on grief at Summerhall, who only ever demands Jenny's song (which Rhaegar seems to have wrote), who sees in Arya who looks like Lyanna, who looks like Jon, death. But instead of ever making it there... Rhaegar meets Lyanna.

And then they disappear. There are the Rhaegarwars to consider so I'm just going to say that, at the least, Lyanna did not want to marry Robert though society dictated that she must, and in removing her, she was removed from this. From there she came to be in Dorne in a place that was desolate desert, but similar to Summerhall, which was also abandoned, held something of magic in that it was near where Those Who Sing The Song of the Earth had split the Arm of Dorne. We can say a lot more about this but that's not the point of the post. I have explained Rhaegar as a person disconnected from his mother, later a person who in several manners refuses to act as Aerys did towards Rhaella, indicating that disconnect troubled him — Rhaegar's limited amount of close relationships with people he admired and the deep loyalty shown to him, presumably for a reason — Rhaegar's willingness to interrogate himself & his assumptions about the world.

So when I say Rhaegar was relieved what I mean is that upon suspecting and, to his mind, confirming that he was not the fulfillment of Aegon's prophecy, Rhaegar became proactive in ways he had yearned for but not been able to before. The Rhaegar that died with Lyanna's name as his last word was not a Rhaegar who died thinking the world was doomed without him. I think the Rhaegar that died on the Trident was a Rhaegar who had escaped the shadow of fate only to meet it, face to face.

#rhaegar targaryen #asoiaf #valyrian scrolls #text #lyanna stark #gender in asoiaf #daenerys targaryen #rhaella targaryen #aerys targaryen #once again the tags are for my ownnn organization #rhaegarposting

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antianakin · 4 months

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I saw a clip from TCW that supports your point about Anakin's training being poisonous to Ahsoka. It's the arc where she gets kidnapped by Trandoshans and meets the younglings also being held there; when she proposes they fight, she says, "My Master would never forgive me for running and hiding in a situation like this."

Like it's not, "My Master TAUGHT ME a different approach to situations like this." Or "I've learned how to fight enemies like this." Or even "My Master would WANT ME to fight."

Furthermore her tone wasn't lighthearted and jokey. So she genuinely seems to think that Anakin would (assuming she's at least being a little wry or hyperbolic) be genuinely annoyed with her for focusing on survival rather than taking the offensive. In general I tend to blame Ahsoka more than Anakin for her attitude (mainly because the narrative depicts her as being right) but I've got to say, that line does seem to indicate that he taught her a lot of weird things lol

Yeah, I've definitely noticed this moment and thought about it a little. In the context of the story and the narrative they present within the Padawan Lost arc, I feel like it's meant to be interpreted more as "My master wouldn't want me to give up hope of finding a way to escape because if you decide something can't be done then it's a self-fulfilling prophecy" rather than "My master would genuinely never forgive me if I did what was necessary for survival." That being said, the actual wording of the line is fascinating because it sends a really weird message when taken a little more literally.

While it's entirely possible Anakin has never once said anything like this to Ahsoka, it still tells us that THIS IS HOW AHSOKA SEES HIM. This is what she's picked up from Anakin's behavior, his teaching methods, etc. And this falls in line with the TOTJ episode where he takes her to do secret training that involves her getting shot at until she falls unconscious for an hour over and over and over again without rest or even medical attention in the name of teaching her how to "protect herself when he's not there." It's ruthless, it's merciless, and it's being excused away with this sort-of toxic attachment for her that Ahsoka, at her young and impressionable age, isn't quite picking up on which leads to her just absorbing that Anakin wouldn't approve of her doing what was necessary to survive if it meant running and hiding. She HAS to stand and fight or she's not good enough. It's better to die fighting than it is to live to fight another day, that's the message Ahsoka seems to be absorbing from Anakin, even if he doesn't always mean to teach it.

We even have instances where Anakin is trying to teach her the exact opposite of this earlier on. In the Ryloth arc, Ahsoka refuses to fall back when ordered and it has terrible consequences, something she has to learn from. In the Holocron Heist arc, Ahsoka refuses to pull back from an attack when ordered because she thinks she has an advantage that she doesn't realize is about to disappear and she gets assigned archive duty for her refusal to listen, something Anakin is upset about. So there's at LEAST two instances where Anakin explicitly wants Ahsoka to "run and hide" rather than stand and fight because it's the better strategy in the moment. It's also ANAKIN who is more insistent about leaving Ahsoka behind for the Citadel mission in order to protect her, too, so it's not like Anakin particularly WANTS Ahsoka to just go running headlong into danger all the time. Which means you could make the argument that Ahsoka is just projecting her own unwillingness to "run and hide" onto Anakin because it sounds better if she says it's her master who wouldn't want her to do this than it does to admit that SHE'S the one who thinks it's beneath her to run and hide.

There's also the comparison to the Geonosis arc where Ahsoka and Barriss get caught in the factory explosion and Ahsoka uses some mechanical tricks she picked up from Anakin to keep sending a signal, just trusting that Anakin will hear it and use it to come find her. Within that same episode, there's obviously the confrontations between Anakin and Luminara where we see Anakin getting BLINDINGLY upset with Luminara for even the implication of "leaving the padawans behind" (despite the fact that that's not what she's actually advocating). Ahsoka refuses to give up on the hope of being found and that faith is rewarded, but it's contrasted against Anakin's almost toxic refusal to even consider the idea that they MIGHT not find the padawans and he has to be ready for that possibility. The Padawan Lost arc has him facing that same possibility and this time, there's genuinely nothing he can do. He has no leads to follow, no signal Ahsoka can send that will reach him, and ultimately Plo has to come in to say that Anakin just needs to have faith that if he's taught Ahsoka well enough, she'll figure herself out and come home to them, and that's exactly what ends up happening.

So if you wanted to be really kind about this, you could say that Ahsoka is projecting some of her own stubbornness onto Anakin and that Anakin is learning his own lessons about trusting in Ahsoka's own abilities over the course of this season, culminating in the Padawan Lost arc. It's not meant to be that Ahsoka thinks Anakin will genuinely be upset with her for running and hiding but that Ahsoka doesn't actually LIKE running and hiding and her partnership with Anakin has allowed her the confidence to refuse to back down until she has absolutely no other choice.

I imagine that this, like in the TOTJ episode, is intended to be a good thing overall. Anakin might be pushing Ahsoka, but he is pushing her to be the kind of person who can survive things nobody else could. The other kids there are all Jedi trained, too, and they don't seem that much younger than Ahsoka herself, which indicates that Ahsoka has a leg up on them SPECIFICALLY due to her training with Anakin and that Jedi training alone isn't good enough. It's Ahsoka's connection to Anakin that makes her great. Which, you know, take that how you will, obviously. It's definitely something we know Filoni pulls on a LOT and is very important in how he chooses to write her.

If you wanted to be a little LESS kind in your interpretation, I do think it would be fair to say that Anakin's own temperament has perhaps... exacerbated the issue, that there COULD be things Anakin has done in his teaching that have led Ahsoka to believe he'd genuinely be disappointed in her if she didn't live up to his standards (again, TOTJ really highlights this aspect of their relationship), and that combined with her own stubbornness is causing her to say what she says in the Padawan Lost arc. If Anakin were able to send her a message, he MIGHT have actually told her to run and hide until he could find her, it seems pretty likely that that's what he'd do, but Ahsoka's interpretation of his behavior seems to be slightly different. So Ahsoka is someone who's very stubborn already before she meets Anakin, yes, but Anakin's way of teaching her makes her even WORSE about this rather than better because even though he does sometimes order her to retreat in battles, he's done other things that indicate to Ahsoka that he wouldn't accept this from her in other situations. That maybe the only reason he was upset in these other instances was because she didn't FOLLOW HIS ORDERS and in the absence of those orders, he expects her to fight as long and hard as she can instead of retreating.

You can of course continue to compare this to his line to her in the film where he says she'd never have made it as Obi-Wan's padawan but she MIGHT make it as his, indicating that she will always have to work for his respect and to earn her apprenticeship with him. I imagine that places some pressure on her as his student, she always has to be THE BEST, better than everyone else, or he might decide she's not worth it after all and decide to just drop her. It might not even be something she actively thinks or worries about, but just something that subconsciously sits with her all the time and invades their dynamic like a disease.

So yeah, I guess ultimately I think that this unwillingness to "run and hide" is a part of Ahsoka's personality from the beginning, I think that it would be very fair to assume that she HAS picked up on Anakin's disrespect for people who "give up" and that this has exacerbated her own stubbornness into something that could be considered arrogant and even potentially dangerous. If we take TOTJ into account, then it's something Anakin has pretty literally drilled into her rather than just something Ahsoka has picked up through his behavior and interactions with others.

And we can take this a step further and look at her behavior in the Ahsoka show and the way this dynamic is almost step for step repeated in Ahsoka's relationship with Sabine. Sabine has clearly picked up on Ahsoka being disappointed in her, that Ahsoka's willingness to train her can and will be taken away if Sabine doesn't act correctly, but that Ahsoka herself DOESN'T FOLLOW HER OWN ADVICE. So this leaves Sabine in a position where she clearly believes she has to work to earn Ahsoka's respect and training but she also knows Ahsoka doesn't even believe half of the things she tries to teach Sabine to do, so why bother following what Ahsoka says. This gives us a Sabine who is a complete and utter brat, whose worst tendencies towards stubbornness and selfishness are exacerbated instead of curbed, and who constantly feels like someone she should be able to completely rely on is always waiting for her to fail. Ahsoka herself doesn't like giving up and will always push a situation further than it needs to go in search of victory, but when Sabine does the same, Ahsoka condemns her for it. It's an immensely unhealthy dynamic and we know EXACTLY where she learned it from.

And while she claims she's going to "support" Sabine later on, she also says she's following in Anakin's own image here, that she's doing what Anakin did for her, which... I know what the show WANTS us to believe, but Anakin did NOT actually support her all the time and Ahsoka probably would've benefited from a master who was more willing to force her to face her own flaws and work on them rather than a master who just brushed aside her flaws so long as they didn't get in his way. Sabine isn't going to flourish under Anakin's type of "support" any more than Ahsoka did and this dynamic would just continue to be unhealthy because Ahsoka SHOULDN'T support Sabine in literally everything she ever does. Sabine SHOULD be told when she's made mistakes and be forced to acknowledge them and work to overcome them, otherwise she's just going to keep acting like a selfish asshole. Anakin passed down more of Palpatine's teachings to Ahsoka than he did the Jedi's, and we see that continuing with Ahsoka and Sabine. This isn't the "disaster lineage" as people like to call it, it's the insidious lineage. It's Sith training making its way insidiously into people who claim to be Jedi, infecting their every choice towards selfishness instead of compassion.

#star wars #ahsoka tano #the clone wars #star wars the clone wars #tcw #ahsoka critical #ahsoka tano critical #anakin critical #anakin skywalker critical #anti anakin #anti anakin skywalker #anti ahsoka show

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beebopboom · 3 months

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Messages from Above

Witch or Prophet? Both?

Both is Good.

In part 1 we covered all the prophecies and images I could find in The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter book

and now we can jump into some analysis and theories about Agnes Nutter - starting with where the hell they came from

Now I’m sure we have all wondered how Agnes got her prophecies. Where they came from? How did she manage make the only completely true prophetic work in history? And predict her death? Well that one may be getting ahead of ourselves.

As for the rest of it though - well she shows us

In the artworks included in her book two that really stood out were ones depicting John and Ezekiel.

In each of these stories they are given a scroll to devour that will taste like honey in their mouth. They are then told to go speak these words/prophesies to others, even if they shall not listen.

But just to summarize what these stories are about - Ezekiel deals with warning people of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple as God’s punishment but with a promise of a New Beginning and Temple - John is dealing with the Second Coming, of the angels going through the seals, the blaring of trumpets, and just note that the scroll sits as bitterness in his stomach because of the judgements that are meant to come.

Sensing some running themes here

Agnes Nutter was a women that had a little more agency than these two men though

On the desk when her son-in-law and daughter are going through her things there is a upside down piece of scrap work paper that gives us a little more detail into this

although I do not have everything on this paper figured out, as some things are still a little iffy - I still think it’s enough to include

(and big thanks to @gallup24 @thesherrinfordfacility @archangelween for all the help)

So from what I could put together from all that the top reads as -

To Speak to Saints

Call the names

and say thus. I conjure you by His

Legs and Arm come to me in this

xxx xxx and send unto me a saint named

xxxx. fulfill my command and

understand my word

So while I may not have those names it’s very clear a summoning was happening.

combined with the rest of the paper - which features a pretty similar set up to a certain bookshop, angel and alchemy symbols, and various words such as “Chants, Robes, and Armageddon” - and I believe that this is just kind of like a scrap/work paper which would explain why it’s a bit more messy and unorganized than anything else

So what the hell is going on here? Well it may not be perfect but just to throw some things out there

Some saint/angel - yknow what maybe even God herself(I promise that’s not just a throw away comment but wait and see!) - comes to Agnes

Agnes has a way for a human to get in contact with Upstairs

Agnes produces the first and only work of completely correct prophecies of events that lead to Armageddon ��

I think we can fill in the blanks with saying she received her prophecies from some Divine Being and continued to be visited - maybe even visiting on her own

There is a reason her title is on the front of Good Omens after all

————————————————————————-

Alright that’s all folks - for this part at least. Next time we will dive into her death, the death of her work, and what she leaves behind -> right here

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens meta #good omens analysis #good omens theories #the nice and accurate prophecies of agnes nutter #agnes nutter

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drakaripykiros130ac · 7 months

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Fact: Rhaenyra had the strength to confront the patriarchy and Alicent hated her for it

Westeros has been a misogynistic Realm for hundreds of years and that doesn’t really change in the ASOIAF universe. However, women with certain privileges still have the opportunity to make something out of their lives. Some women choose to show strength and rise above the restrictions imposed on them by men, and others choose to remain meek and follow them obediently. These two types of women are perfectly represented by Rhaenyra and Alicent.

Neither one of these two choices are fully right or fully wrong. It depends on how you look at it. And this is not a simple classification of rebel and obedient women. However, what I find important is that once a decision is made, you stick to it without protest. That is exactly what Rhaenyra did…and exactly what Alicent did not do!

I am beyond tired of Alicent being victimized by her stans.

We have heard the story of her youth one too many times. Her father forced her bla bla bla. She didn’t want this bla bla bla.

Rhaenyra suffered a lot in her youth as well. More so than Alicent. I don’t hear people talking about how the burden of the crown Rhaenyra didn’t initially want was put on her shoulders, how she had to lose her mother because her father pushed her to have a son, how she was constantly undermined by men during Council meetings although she had been named heir, how certain men were whispering and plotting behind her back to support her half-brother, how she was humiliated when her father had secretly been seeing her handmaid behind her back and then spontaneously announced their engagement, or how her so-called best friend didn’t even have the decency to tell her beforehand that she was sneaking into her father’s chambers. And let’s not forget about how she was forced to marry a gay man, and at the same time, forced to produce heirs.

No. All I hear is poor poor Alicent.

There comes a time when that young girl becomes a woman. And as a woman, you have to make a decision and stick to it.

Rhaenyra made her decision. She chose to do her duty to her House and fulfill the Conqueror’s prophecy but she also chose to be happy. She had the children she was denied by her gay husband to show the world she was not barren and perfectly able to produce future heirs. She did not let a forced marriage to a man who could not reproduce stop her.

After managing to rid herself of the unwanted union, she chose a husband she loved, and had children with him as well. And she did so without anyone’s approval, regardless of any consequences she might have to face.

She created her own little family and was happy. She deserved it.

At the same time, she demonstrated her capability by successfully ruling Dragonstone for many years.

Alicent on the other hand, chose differently. She also chose duty, like Rhaenyra, and had the heirs expected of her (much easier for her since her husband was not gay), but she denied herself happiness and chose to serve the men in her life and do their bidding.

That is how she ends up like this:

And this:

They’re not pretty pictures.

But ultimately, these are the consequences of her own choices. She and her stans constantly complain that Rhaenyra did what she wanted because she was privileged.

First of all, Rhaenyra hardly did what she wanted. Do you think her dream was to be married to a gay man and forced to reproduce with another? She loves her first three sons, but if she had the choice, you think she would have wanted to have them? She didn’t want to give birth (she was afraid because her own mother died of childbirth), and she most certainly wouldn’t have wanted children who are not her husband’s.

Secondly, Alicent was given privileges as soon as she was married to the King. She went from being the princess’ handmaid to the Queen. It is not Rhaenyra’s fault that Alicent didn’t know how to use her position in order to make a good life for herself. Life is not fair. Some people are born with everything. Others are born with nothing. It is up to you to take advantage of what you do have in order to make your life better.

Alicent had her chance to make her life better, and she wasted it. Not only was she the queen, but she had a husband who indulged her. She wanted to wear green dresses (a symbol of war), she got it. She wanted a murderer to be named as her sworn shield, Viserys accepted it. She didn’t want Helaena married to Jacaerys although her husband did, Viserys indulged her. She wanted to marry Helaena to Aegon, she got it. She wanted her father to return as Hand, Viserys accepted it. She wanted to be on the Small Council, Viserys allowed her. She had PLENTY of privileges.

Yet, despite all that, we still see her do her father’s bidding and live her life in sorrow. She could have dismissed her father, she could have dismissed Larys, she could have insisted to Viserys that he spend time with his other children, she could have taken a lover (why not? Viserys was pretty old. He wouldn’t have noticed it. And even if people whispered to him, he wouldn’t have believed them. She could have even taken Crispin to bed. Obsessing about and sleeping with high ranking women got him promoted after all). She did nothing. Alright, she made a decision. But she wasn’t happy with it, and the clear indication of that is her constant obsession with Rhaenyra and the life she created for herself. Alicent, in a fit of rage that Rhaenyra did what she never dared to, constantly obsessed about her, tried to undermine her and created trouble for her and the entire family, out of pure jealousy. She instilled hatred in her children and created division lines in the family. All her anger was revealed when she attacked Rhaenyra in episode 7. But she directed it at the wrong person. Or one would argue that she wasn’t in the right to direct it at anyone. She made choices - choices which cost her.

Rhaenyra made her own choices and she had to suffer plenty of consequences herself. The life she chose for herself was nobody’s business but her own, however.

All in all, the fact that Alicent wasn’t smart enough to take advantage of her position and privileges in order to be happy isn’t Rhaenyra’s fault. She made a decision, and then was upset with the outcome. She wanted to be pious and do what she perceived was the right thing? Good for her. Pretty debatable concerning what the “right thing” was, but alright. She did what the men in her life expected her to do. It was her choice, but she never owned up to it. And because of that, she ends up losing everything. Her very actions cost her what she feared most: the lives of all her family members.

Rhaenyra had happiness and love in her life, despite all her struggles. She had that because she made it so. And despite her own outcome, her bloodline continued on the Iron Throne. Her cause eliminated the usurper and any chance for a traitorous and opportunistic House to take power for themselves. Her sons by Daemon end up on the throne and the Conqueror’s prophesy is fulfilled through her line. Rhaenyra basically became a martyr in death, which led her armies to victory. Everything she did was worth it. Can we say the same about Alicent?

Alicent refused happiness and blamed Rhaenyra for her own inability to rise above her designated station. And despite all her “sacrifices”, she lost everything. She never knew the love of a man, she never felt true happiness, she had the soul of a bitter old woman in a young body, she never knew any carnal pleasures, she went insane, she lost her children, and her bloodline ended - and she lived long enough to see it happen, before dying from a fever. The life she chose for herself was full of misery, deception, jealousy and cruelty. And absolutely nothing came of it.

That is why I am proud to be a supporter of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen 🖤. She is not perfect, but she is a true inspiration and I will always defend her, and her children.

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aftercamlann · 8 months

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ACBB 2023 MASTERPOST

Thank you to all our wonderful writers, artists, beta readers and hype readers who participated in this years After Camlann Big Bang! We hope you will consider participating again this year!

Below is the final masterlist for After Camlann 2023:

*** Title: This Remarkable Season Author: s0mmerspr0ssen Artist: PapySanzo89 Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, side: Leon/Morgana, Gwen/Lancelot, Gwaine/Percival, (temporary) Cenred/Merlin, surprise/minor pairings Rating: Explicit Word count: 79,313 Summary: Arthur Pendragon, Crown Prince of Camelot, must marry. King Uther expects him to choose a high-ranking noble, preferably a lady, from amongst the Camelot ton. But as fate would have it, the Prince finds himself drawn to Mr Merlin Emrys, an obscure gentleman from the countryside. Merlin, impoverished and desperate to save his family from complete ruin, must marry, too. Feelings are secondary, for the match must be an advantageous one. Soon, both Arthur and Merlin are caught between the pressure of expectations and what their hearts truly desire…

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: The Chough's Call Author: Aro_Tarot Artist: Winnett Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Mordred/Daegal Rating: Teen and Up Word count: 85,861 Summary: When Arthur went back to his hometown to find his missing sister, he wasn’t sure what he would find. He simply hoped that there would be some clue that would lead him to her. A clue, he did find, but instead of pointing him in a direction, it led to him being knocked out and waking up in a different world, one with magic.

Taken, rescued, and now staying in a refugee sanctuary, Arthur was now not just searching for his sister but also the figure known in history and legend as the Once and Future King. As he works as an assistant to a sorcerer named Merlin, befriends a group of knights, and is accompanied with his childhood figurine turned living chough, Arthur starts to question if he would want to go home after all of this is over. Of course, that is only if the others and him can survive the prophecy, the return of the ancient evil known as the Ivory, and if Emrys can fulfill his part by finding the Once and Future King.

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: I hear that deserts heal your history Author: Celaenos Artist: gramnel Pairings/Characters: Morgana & Arthur, Merlin/Morgana, Arthur/Merlin Rating: Mature Word count: 68,355 Summary: Morgana pushes herself up slowly, looking around. She is in the backseat of a car, in what looks like a vast and empty desert, pulled off against the side of a highway. No cars, no people anywhere that she can see. A blonde woman is sleeping in the front passenger seat. Morgana stares at her, confusion overwhelming, even as the dawning horror builds the longer that Morgana studies her features. The sharp edges are there: the tilt of her chin, the shape of her nose, the way that her mouth opens just slightly—it’s all there plain as day, and Morgana feels faint. Furious. Terrified. Why now, after all this time?

She crawls over, flinging open the backseat and vomits down into the dirt.

In the front seat of the Cadillac, the reincarnation of her brother wakes with a start.

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Flicker Of A Candlelight, Heat Of An Inferno Author: lavender_spice Artist: MerlinLikeTheBird Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Gwen/Morgana Rating: Teen and Up Word count: 93,168 Summary: When Merlin gets injured on a hunting trip, Arthur is forced to face his true feelings for his stubbornly loyal manservant. Merlin is everything he should not want, and yet Arthur struggles to keep his feelings at bay.

On top of all this, after learning of his father's lies and hypocrisy, Arthur hatches a plan to put an end to his people's suffering once and for all, finding unlikely allies along the way.

Can the two boys intertwined by destiny navigate their relationship amongst betrayal, secrecy, and a near-impossible mission?

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Charlatans and Ruffians Author: thenerdyindividual Artist: kairennart Pairings/Characters: Arthur/Gwaine/Merlin Rating: Mature Word count: 84,980 Summary: Merlin and Gwaine spend their days bopping around kingdoms, performing for the masses in exchange for petty coin. Sometimes they perform for room and board. When they perform at a tavern, the tavern owner gives Merlin a ring for payment, everything changes. Turns out the ring was haunted by the ghost of Queen Ygraine Pendragon. Now Ygraine is threatening to haunt Merlin for the rest of his life if he doesn't travel to Camelot to protect her son Arthur.

He goes to Camelot, and it turns out that Arthur is a huge pain in the ass. But he's also kind and does his best for his people, and that has Merlin and Gwaine falling for him.

If only Merlin didn't have to contend with a genocidal king and political plot involving the Kingdom of Magic.

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: till our souls catch us up Author: EachPeachPearPlum Artist: griffonskies Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin (Merlin), Morgana (Merlin), Gwaine (Merlin), Lancelot (Merlin), Percival (Merlin), Leon (Merlin), Elyan (Merlin), Gwen (Merlin), Mordred (Merlin), Freya (Merlin), Uther Pendragon (Merlin), Morgause (Merlin), Nimueh (Merlin) Rating: Mature Word count: 47,641 Summary: "Everyone but Uther Pendragon will be allowed to live," the voice says, echoing through Arthur's bones, the raw power of it terrifying beyond anything he’s ever felt, and he knows that even if the owner of the voice can be trusted to spare his citizens, the offer of sanctuary does not extend to him.

Or: When Camelot falls to an army of sorcerers, Arthur expects to follow his father to the pyre. Instead, he’s surprised when the new king spares his life, although he’s not entirely sure death wouldn’t have been better than spending the rest of his days locked in his room, waiting for Emrys to get bored of having him around.

What follows is a tale of murder attempts, evil schemes, and a mysterious prophecy.

And destiny, of course.

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: In A Land Of Snarky Dragons Author & Artist: BGN846 (bgn_846) Pairings/Characters: Merlin & Arthur Rating: Teen and Up Word count: Word Count: 48,369 Summary: Merlin is living the best life, learning how to raise dragons from his dragonlord father, Balinor, on their farm. This teenager has not a care in the world (magic is legal) until the local druids pay a visit. Merlin is not happy to discover he has a destiny featuring another person he’s never met. Once and future king his arse, not on his farm. Ignoring the prophecy with the mystery no named future king, Merlin tries to pretend everything is fine.

However, one giant, scaled, slightly bored troublemaker named, Kilgharrah, decides that this prophecy of destiny and kings is the perfect adventure to get his blood pumping. So the great dragon does what he does best, and proceeds to stir the proverbial pot.

Cue, kidnappings, rescues, attempted coups, and a fair amount of dragons all to keep destiny on track.

Story and Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: it’s a fated thing Author: fabledfrog Artist: a_star_is_here Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon - Arthur Pendragon, Merlin, Gwen, Morgana Pendragon, the Knights of the Roundtable, OCs Rating: Teen and Up Word count: 34,848 Summary: Merlin has a good life. He sleeps in the royal bed, sits on the king's right, uses magic out in the open, free and never again hidden.

He likes the first bit, is tired of the second, and is still awed by the last.

When he first told Arthur, he hadn't expected them to work together to destroy the destinies that had been written since the dawn of time; he hadn't thought that they would be able to change their path so drastically that everything would be different.

He hadn't even realised it, when all had been said and done. He'd only learned the truth of what they had done when he had gone to the Crystal Caves and they had shown him what his life could have been.

He'd thought they were safe from it; the cruel fate that had awaited them was averted.

Only, not everyone was happy with that.

In which Merlin's magic is used to create problems for the future. Or the past. All time in general.

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: We Are Made for Flying Author: remaymber Artist: CaughtInTheRa1n Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur, side: Morgana/Leon, Gwen/Lance, Percival/Gwaine, Freya, Hunith, Uther Rating: Mature Word count: 62,114 Summary: When Arthur sees Merlin for the first time at Camelot circus, he knows he is doomed. What makes his fate even worse is that Merlin seems dead set on hating him. But as destiny wants it, they find they need each other to solve the mystery that is Uther Pendragon to protect Camelot. As time passes and slowly the questions asked turn into answers with grave consequences, the final question remains: Do opposites attract, or will their differences be insurmountable after all?

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) Author: salamandair Artist: Stelle Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Rating: Mature Word count: 30,490 Summary: Seven years ago, Merlin and Arthur were engaged to be married. They were happy, in love and had plans to create a better future

Seven years ago, Arthur’s world was turned upside down and the lovers broke off their engagement.

Seven years later, Arthur Pendragon is now Albion’s youngest Prime Minister in history and hates anything to do with magic.

Seven Years later, Merlin Wyvern is now the leader of a rights group fighting for equal rights for magic users.

Now, their separate worlds collide as a decades-long fight finally comes to a head to change Albion forever.

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Nerdboy and the Incredible Prat Author: bad_peppermint Artist: paintedpigeon Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon Rating: Teen and Up Word count: 34,828 Summary: The guy Merlin keeps running into at Comic-Con, wearing matching cosplay, just might be his soulmate. Too bad he’s kind of an asshole.

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: The Reluctant Prince Author: Cookie Artist: Schweet_heart Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Rating: Mature Word count: 33,900 Summary: Arthur has never really wanted to be a prince, and the thought of being king in the future fills him with dread. But that is his destiny and not even falling in love with a stage magician called Merlin can change that.

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Out of the Dark (Into the Light) Author: MyKingdomComeUndone Artist: Profiad Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur, Morgana, Gaius, Gwen, Lancelot, Mordred, Will, Sophia, Edwin, Valiant, Anhora Rating: Explicit Word count: 40,894 Summary: Instead of participating in a deadly drinking game by the sea to save Camelot from unicorn-related famine, Arthur finds himself in a cave, along with a bunch of total strangers. The catch? The only thing each of them remembers is their own name. Before panic can truly set in, an old man with a staff appears out of thin air to tell them it’s all part of a test: only the first of them to reach the exit will be permitted to leave. The others won’t be so lucky…

The quest sounds straightforward enough, but on the way, Arthur and his fellow amnesiacs are faced with wicked traps, dangerous creatures, and some threats that may even come from within their group. And as if that’s not enough trouble to face without his memories to guide him, Arthur also has to deal with his increasingly distracting feelings for a certain dark-haired sorcerer among their group, going by the name of ‘Merlin’…

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: A Smooth Sea Never Made A Skilled Pirate Author: Pearl09 Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Merlin, Arthur, Leon, Gwaine, Lancelot, Uther Rating: Teen and Up Word count: 41,752 Summary: Arthur grew up in Camelot, next to the sea. However, he was never allowed out on the water. As the one thing out of his reach, it was the one place he yearned to be—even just to briefly experience the open ocean. When he finally decides to take his life in his own hands and hears rumors of a pirate ship nearby that might let him on board and out of the city, he has no idea what is really in store for him.

Story is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Chase the Sun Author: MerlinLikeTheBird Artist: wortvermis Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur, Morgana, Gwen, Gwaine, Leon, Freya Rating: Teen and Up Word count: 27,572 Summary: “We lived together before and we both survived, didn’t we?” Arthur doesn’t take the bait.

“Barely,” Merlin answers, picturing their uni days. The first taste of living with anyone other than his mother or sleepovers with Will. It all made for strange, dreamlike memories, for all that it has only been a few years past.

He feels like a very old twenty five most times. He shouldn’t be this age and so tired.

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Take Me Up (cast me away) Author: sacredraisincakes Artist: Athena Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Rating: Explicit Word count: 58,975 Summary: In an effort to ease tensions between the kingdoms of Albion, Arthur plans a summit to bring together each of the monarchs to create a treaty between them. But schemes from within his own kingdom force him to change his plans ever so slightly.

"No one will believe us."

"They will... We'll start now, and over the next few weeks make it more and more obvious, until the moment we announce our engagement... Then once our visitors are gone, we simply end the betrothal. Everything goes back to the way it was."Edits for the main houses of sparringett's epic Merlin/GoT crossover fic (to be posted later, hopefully).

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: I Don't Know How to Start Author: thetreeofwillow Artist: Shadow_Hole Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur. Other characters: Gwen, Gaius, Morgana Rating: Mature Word count: 38,605 Summary: When Merlin collapses in a long forgotten hallway, Arthur has to fight for his life.

With Camelot still sitting on the edge of destruction following the dragon’s attack, Arthur should be preoccupied with reconstruction and resource management. Instead, Merlin has taken ill, and for some reason, Arthur can’t keep his mind off him.

What is Arthur to do with his kingdom in tatters, his whole world view shifting and his closest relationships rocking closely held beliefs? How is he to handle this while being drawn ever closer to Merlin? Merlin, whose condition is worsening by the day.

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Sacrificing All Within Me, To Save Us Author: LadyDanielle Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon Rating: Explicit Word count: 55,286 Summary: In his second year as King of Camelot, Arthur has legalized magic and prospered the kingdom with Merlin's guidance. But rumors spread that Arthur is just a puppet under Merlin's control. Arthur begins to doubt himself - maybe he’s depending too much on Merlin's ideas instead of his own judgment. How can he push past expectations to rule as he chooses, including taking Merlin as his consort openly if he can’t rely on his own decisions.

To prove himself, Arthur makes a risky choice that could be the fall of Camelot. He decides to find out the hard way.

Story is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Fate has made you so Author: slantedknitting Artist: LFB72 Pairings/Characters: Arthur/Merlin, Arthur/Elena Rating: Explicit Word count: 29,351 Summary: It’s 1953, and Arthur is a young, up-and-coming architect working on rebuilding London. All he wants is to be successful and live his life in peace and quiet. All his boss wants is to find a good match for his daughter Elena, and he thinks he’s found that match in Arthur. Arthur agrees to go out with her to get ahead at the firm, but the person he’s really interested in is her friend Merlin, and it turns out Elena has her own purposes for being with Arthur.

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Contact High Author: Leandra Artist: Papysanzo Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Rating: Explicit Word count: 84,292 Summary: After a toxic relationship, Arthur is afraid of getting hurt again, but then he meets Gwen, a scriptwriter he collaborates with in one of his film classes. To win her heart, he plans to cook her the best vegan food she has ever had. The idea would be brilliant, but Arthur is neither vegan, nor can he cook. In a desperate move, he enlists the help of Merlin, the obnoxious barista who works at his favourite coffee shop by day, and is a vegan food vlogger by night.

With his past as a young offender, and a history of addiction, Merlin can’t find a job as a chef, and his dream of opening his own restaurant someday seems unreachable. He pours all his passion into his food videos, but while his recipes and personality have what it takes, his video making skills are subpar at best.

Arthur and Merlin put their animosity aside and strike a deal: Merlin will cook for Gwen, and Arthur will claim he made the food, while in exchange, Arthur will help Merlin make better food videos. It seems the perfect way to meet everyone's needs …

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Where Gods Go Artist: mirayladraws Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Rating: Mature Word count: N/A - Art Summary: When Arthur Pendragon gets read in on the Animus project, the last thing he expects is to fall in love and get pulled into a war between Assassins and Templars.

Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Dave Author: Camelittle Artist: LFB72 Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur, side Gwen/Lancelot, side Morgana/Gwaine/Leon, early Merlin/Will, Various UK Panel Show Hosts, OCs, Rating: Teen and Up Word count: 60,342 Summary: Merlin - lover of crunchy fried snacks and secret admirer of his straight flat mate, Arthur - never expected to have a career in comedy. But after trying stand-up on a successful open mic night at university, he finds himself hooked. He and Arthur run a successful late night talk radio for a show for a while, but Arthur’s father intervenes. After a misunderstanding forces them into conflict, Merlin vows never to see Arthur again, to protect his own soft, pathetic, pining heart. Which would be fine, if the UK comedy circuit weren’t so small. But for some reason, they keep bumping into one another - at comedy festivals, and on radio and TV panel shows - and despite everything, the chemistry that made their radio show so popular in the distant past grows stronger than ever.

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Reluctantly in Love Author: chaosgenes Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, minor Lancelot/Guinevere Rating: Explicit Word count: 29,923 Summary: Arthur has waited for Naming Day all his life, but could not be more disappointed when he finds out who the Soul Stone names for him. It isn’t the prisoner he meets in the dungeons, but his heart aches for him anyway.

Merlin has never thought about soulmates until they come knocking at his door in Ealdor. Convinced that there’s something wrong with the Soul Stone, he travels to magic-banned Camelot to end its influence. He never thought that he would be enraptured by the crown prince who comes to interrogate him.

Story and Art are here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: Of Oaths Made and Broken Author: Zorbo_Jorks Artist: aueth Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur, Gwaine/Mithian, Elena/Vivian, ft. The Knights, Gwen, Uther, and Morgause Rating: Teen and Up Word count: 48,323 Summary: Kilgwan just smiled— a gleeful presentation of far too many jagged teeth. He leaned forward on his throne and sang, “When the five of you I last did see, five promises you made to me! Three promises are broken now— one yet to test and one still sound.”

Arthur growled, and Morgana made a similar noise beside him.

“Are you serious?” she asked, “That was years ago!”

“A word given is a word to keep,” the creature sang back, ignoring the table’s shouts of dismay, “You sow lost words— dark gifts you reap.”

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

As children, Arthur, Morgana, Gwen, Elyan, and Leon made vows to a creature named Kilgwan in the catacombs of Camelot.

Years later, on the even of Arthur's prospective betrothal, they are whisked away to make ammends for breaking them. Merlin and Gwaine must make up for the prince's sudden absence by disguising the latter as Arthur to court Princesses Mithian, Vivian, and Elena in his place, all while Merlin tries to find Arthur and his friends before any ill befalls them.

Amid this, Morgause schemes to kill the Pendragons and Merlin pines for his prince, convinced his love cannot be.

It takes very little for the delicate web of problems to fall into chaos.

Story and Art are here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: All Winding Paths Lead Back Author: Imagined Artist: feuxx Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Rating: Teen and Up Word count: 76,250 Summary: “You’ll give me magical training?” Merlin asks.

Arthur smiles. “Yes, and training in courtly etiquette. I imagine Ealdor doesn’t have nobles?”

“We don’t have nobles, but we do have pigs. And chickens,” Merlin says. When Arthur raises his eyebrows at him, Merlin flushes heavily with embarrassment. “Oh, shut up. My lord.”

“Don’t talk to your king like that,” Arthur says, but he doesn’t actually seem very upset about it, even though Merlin sort of wants to hit himself in the face. “Welcome to Camelot, sorcerer-apprentice Merlin of Ealdor.”

Or: Merlin is sixteen when he comes to Camelot, vying for the new position of court sorcerer that has opened under King Arthur—a noble king, golden and lionhearted, who is trying to legalise magic in all of Albion. Of course, Merlin doesn't expect to be chosen.

But he is.

Story is here | Art is here | Reblog on Tumblr here *** Title: And All the Bells Were Ringing (ARTWORK) Artist: SerpentineWizard12 Pairings/Characters: Merlin/Arthur Rating: Explicit Word count: N/A - Art Summary: “When he grew tired of swimming, Arthur waded out onto the bank and flung himself down without self-consciousness, lying back on his elbows between the roots of the nearest tree. Merlin lingered in the water for some minutes longer, watching the prince’s movements out of the corner of his eye, the way the water collected in the dips and hollows of his body and threatened to run all the way down. There was something unguarded about Arthur when he was like this; Merlin could think of only a handful of moments in which he had seen the prince without his veneer of distance and authority, and each one stood out in his memory like keys to a puzzle box, unravelling the complexity of Arthur’s personality one layer at a time.

Story is here | Reblog on Tumblr here

#after camlann big bang #acbb #acbb 2023 #bbc merlin #merlin fanfic #merlin fanart

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wordsgood · 2 years

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who has two thumbs and wrote off and on for four hours between work and distractions and finally finished their book ? THIS GUY 👍👍

#FIRST ONE FINISHED SINCE UHHHHHH 2019 #and 2019 was a novella anyway #SO YEAH. uh. what do I do now. besides eat this rice krispy treat i got myself for motivation #anyway is this a dorky stupid last paragraph? yeah! but it’s the last paragraph and it’s written so hell yeah my dudes!!!!#im going to get bubble tea for SURE after work now #writer life #story: we did not fulfill the prophecy

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oxymorayuri · 2 months

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𝐶𝘩𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝟷𝟺

𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝘩 »

𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑔𝑎𝑟 𝐷. 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

𝐿𝑎𝑤 ✘ ♀ 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟

𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓: ほろば　いさ子

Story: The princess of Tanata

(Long Fic)

➽ Click on this link to see all chapters.

Spoiler: nope

Warnings: nope

slowburn with plot

Wordcount: 4535

Text in italics emphasizes the reader’s thoughts

Bold and italic text emphasizes Law's thoughts *~*

Tagging: @slytherinambitious - @sassyyassi - @norasincubi - @cottoncandyloverrrr - @one-piece-frvr7

Being so deep in your thoughts, the voices of the two others sound like you're underwater. You haven't followed the conversation for a long time and you don't bother to join in as if it were just a normal day...

You can see a few servants working in the distance. Gardeners tending the plants and others going about their duties. Everyone has a smile on their face, the day is beautiful and life couldn't be easier.

So why do you want to leave?

As if you had some kind of urge. Your stomach feels heavy, as if you've eaten stones, but it's your gut that wants to tell you something. You just don't know what. You've always wondered why it's so important for the holy child to stay on Tanata. Why do we avoid the world?

Your reflection in the teacup shows you your tired eyes. You racked your brains all night but all you got from it was a nasty headache. Barely audible, you exhale deeply out your nose… who can give you the answers to your questions? With your head low, your eyes go carefully to your grandfather.

"Grandpa, can I ask you something?"

The conversation between the two stops abruptly and they both look at you, almost surprised.

"Of course my child, tell me, what's on your mind?" Your grandfather leans back, with a worried look on his face but with a touch of skepticism in his eyes.

"Did mother wanted to leave Tanata with my father back then?" Your voice a little colder than intended. Was she forced to stay too?

"No." The king laughed as he ran a hand through his beard. His gaze was distant, as if he had remembered something.

A little unsure, you try not to lose your composure. The king realizes that you are serious and clears his throat.

"Quite the opposite." His smile fills with pride. "She forced your father to stay!" He falls into laughter again. Your gaze goes over to Delia, who just nods at you with a soft grin. You wait silently for the king's laughter to stop.

"She told him, that she had a duty to fulfill, and not just as queen…" He shook his head with a melancholic smile.

"I was quite upset when she told him, 'she had a prophecy to fulfill'." His eyes find yours. It was the prophecy that the queen would give birth to the holy child. That she would give birth to you.

"But hey, what could I have done back then? After all, she was already the queen and I was retired." He throws his arms slightly in the air as if admitting defeat. He takes a deep breath and you hear the tone in his voice change.

"No matter what we tried to tell her, she ignored it and blindly trusted your father… I was surprised that your father was willing to leave his life behind, but I wasn't thrilled." His gaze drifted away. Yes, you are well aware that Grandpa wasn't exactly happy that his daughter, the queen, wanted to marry a foreigner. And you know that your mother was forced to listen to his lectures, but she ignored them all.

"At that time I asked her if she could live with the punishment for bearing the holy child, tainted with the blood of a stranger…" His eyes filled with sadness as he gazed into the void. "The punishment will come, I told her…" There was regret in his voice.

He blames himself to this day… He believes he gave the gods an idea with his words and brought out the misfortune. But you know, of course, that it was all down to the sick people. The greed in the pirates when they burned down the city and slaughtered our people… It wasn't the gods. They were demons in human form.

"She told me in her determined voice, that she would overcome any obstacle." His gaze turns empty.

Delia reaches for the king's arm.

"My king, you know it's not your fault." Your heart breaks a little. Everyone has lost many things, but the worst thing is, that your grandfather has lost his faith. He lost faith in the gods, in people and cut himself off from everyone.

It was only when you woke up from your coma that a renewed faith awoke in him. But this man, who is probably the wisest man in the world, cannot accept the fact that the gods did not send us these pirates as punishment.

"The gods had nothing to do with it. If the gods hadn't wanted it that way, Heraia wouldn't have given birth." Delia tries to remind him of the obvious facts. The huge man looked at her with a weak gaze. A look that is rarely seen in the king's eyes. Sadness, pain and blame.

You're thankful that Delia interferes in the conversation, because you're so scatterbrained anyway that you can't get a word past your lips. The confusion in your heart pushes you to the edge and if you were to speak, you would have to hear your own weak voice.

But that's not the only reason why you're grateful to Delia. Delia is the greatest proof that the gods were not responsible for the attack. After all, Delia is the Oracle of Tanata and as a child she heard the gods and saw your face. It's clear that the gods wanted it that way. It was just bad luck… a sad fate in your world.

"I'm sure the gods were looking for two very specific souls back then, and they were Heraia and Isaac… You know it, the eyes are the greatest proof!" Your eyes meet.

Long before you were born, Delia was the first to see your eyes and at the time she was very confused, because you didn't have eyes like everyone else. Here on Tanata, everyone has the same eye color, but you are the exception. You had your father's eyes.

"Your mother just did what she wanted. She listened to her heart, as she would say. She was reckless but I wouldn't say she made mistakes." He remembers her only too fondly.

How much he missed her, his daughter. There is silence for a brief moment and your grandfather closes his eyes. He finds it difficult to get the words straight in his head, because he has to admit that he made a mistake.

"I made the mistake." You draw in your breath, your chest fills until it squeezes. Tears are already gathering. Your grandfather never really talked about it, if anyone ever told you something it was mostly Delia. But no one ever talked about how your parents died. You know that they died in the raid, but you don't remember any of it.

"Parents have to be there, to protect their children and when you were in danger, she protected you. But I should have protected her too... but I couldn't." His fists clench so hard that his knuckles turn white. He can barely get it past his lips.

"Grandpa stop. Please…" you plead. The whole time you couldn't make a sound and when you spoke, your voice was almost strange and stiff. As if your voice didn't belong to you, but now? You can no longer watch your grandfather suffer and your voice takes on its familiar warmth. Even with sorrow all over his face, he doesn't shed a tear, he only feels shame.

"I was always proud of your mother. She fulfilled her duty in her own way."

You're all ears; Fulfilled her duty in her own way?

"So you believe that you don't necessarily have to follow that one path to fulfill all expectations?" Excited, you ask. You grip the armrests of your chair to prevent yourself from falling forward.

The king senses what you're getting at and exhales heavily. All the vulnerable feelings that were still visible on his face a short while ago, have turned into a serious expression.

"What are you getting at, y/n?" It's getting dangerous, he doesn't use your name often. You are visibly surprised by the change in tone and wonder what you said wrong. In a low voice, you try to explain yourself.

"You know, Grandpa, I can't shake this feeling that there's more out there. That my place is somewhere else..." Your voice almost trembles, you know that your grandfather won't like these words.

"What if there's something out there waiting for me. A much bigger task. I can't deny the world my powers." You muster up your courage again. You've always wanted to make the world a better place.

You remember exactly how lonely you felt when you woke up from your coma. When you found out that not only your mother but also your father and all his friends had died in battle. You couldn't understand how there were people out there who were so cruel.

You wanted to experience the world as your father had always described it. The wonders of the world, the different islands with their wonderful creatures.

"I don't want to hear about it!" he announced and smashed the table with his fists, which collapsed immediately. The food and your tea crushed on the ground and the maids quickly rushed to you, to clean up the mess.

Meanwhile, you and your grandfather stared into each other's eyes. His breathing quickened and his nostrils flared angrily.

"Your place is here y/n. It's always been that way and it will stay that way. There is no other route for you. Your mother was something else, but you are the holy child and must protect this place!"

You stand up angrily, your hands clenched into fists.

"But everything has changed! My father was a stranger, I can't use Haki… why shouldn't more things be able to change?" You squint your eyes.

"And who will protect the island if you're not here? How are you going to perform the ritual if you think, you have to chase after your foolish dreams?" His words come across as mockery.

He takes a step forward and comes close to you. A few shards of glass crunch unpleasantly under his shoes, but you are not intimidated.

"And what if I find a solution to this? Will you let me go then?!" You also take a step forward, you won't back down even if your chest is shaking in agitation.

You are already very frustrated and it's no surprise that it's now turning into anger. Your emotions get the better of you and your otherwise delicate features turn harsh.

The king looks at you with not a spark of emotion in his eyes. He studies the anger on your face. How your nostrils flare in small rhythmic puffs and your narrowed eyes wrinkle, but in your eyes he recognizes devastation.

He couldn't protect your mother, so he must protect you at all costs and if it meant locking you away, he would. He's not in a position to leave the country himself and he can't protect you from the things out there, even if he went with you. He knows that only too well.

Even if you were to find a way, which he has no doubt you would, he wouldn't let you go. He knows how sick the world out there is, you just don't realize it. He knows, from contacts unknown to you, how the world out there has developed and he wants to protect you from that, no, he needs to.

It hurts him that he has to oppose your wishes so strongly, but it's only for your own good, how can he make that clear to you?

"No." The growl in his voice goes through your whole body. You don't understand why he's so against it. Even if you find a way, he won't listen to you. He won't let you go.

You roar in rage and throw your leaf crown on the ground, between your feet and among the broken pieces of remaining teacups.

You turn your back on him and leave without saying a word. Tears roll down your cheeks. You don't allow him to see your weakness as you run away from the pavilion.

Your chest feels like it's running out of oxygen and as you run through the garden you press your hand to your chest to fight the feeling.

Some servants who saw you tried to stop you, to calm you down. They ran after you but you had no intention of listening to them, you didn't want to show your tears to anyone in this kingdom.

You would only feel bad if they knew that their beloved priestess was unwell. You are there to give people hope and life... you don't want to know how they would react, if they knew, that their holy princess cried because she wanted to leave the kingdom.

Arriving at your favorite spot, you drop to your knees in front of the stone bench, put your arms on the bench and cry with your face on your arms. You are alone here because hardly anyone comes here and even if a few people have seen you, they don't dare come any closer.

A princess should always laugh but all you can do is cry. You cannot, but be unhappy with the life you lead. You can only be yourself in your dreams.

"Hey y/n what's going on?" A woman's voice makes you look up. It's Nami looking down at you worriedly, just a few meters away from you. You quickly wipe the tears from your face and try to look as cheerful as usual.

"Nothing, it's all right." Your smile trembles and your voice tells Nami that nothing is 'all right' at all. She slowly approaches you as if she doesn't want to frighten a deer.

"Don't lie to me…" Her voice is very soft. She sits down on the bench and looks down at you. Your red eyes find hers and you can barely hold your gaze without tears running down your face. It's somehow relieving that you can cry in front of her, but why? Is it because Nami doesn't expect anything from you? Or because she is a stranger? Is it because you don't need to show her your sunny side? Your smile? An elegant wave? Your purity?

The words coming out of your mouth are so hard to understand that Nami has no chance understanding you. She strokes your head and tries to calm you down, but you can't get a comprehensible word out of your lips and in desperation you let your face fall back onto your arms, letting all your feelings out through your eyes.

How are you supposed to explain to someone how unfair you think your life is? Would they laugh at you? After all, you were born as a princess, in luxury and a lot of love on all sides. What if even Nami gets mad at you for your selfish thoughts?

Can you even express your true thoughts to someone when not even your family has your back?

It hurts Nami to see you so upset and she has the feeling that it won't be enough if she just strokes your head and waits for you to calm down.

"Hey y/n, I'll be right back okay? Please stay here until then and don't go away." With your face still hidden from her, you nod your head. You have no intention of leaving. Where are you supposed to go? This is the only place you'd disappear to anyway...

Your wimpering and bawling attracts the attention of Law, who is flicking through some books in his room. He is a little annoyed that someone is disturbing his peace and as he reaches for the window to close it, he dropped his arm again.

For a moment, he just looks down at you as you let out all your tears. Furious, you bang your little fists on the bench and mutter 'Unfair' under your breath. You repeat yourself over and over again as your voice becomes increasingly blurred in the sounds of sobbing. [A/N: lol like a lil disney princess]

Law turns and lies back down on his bed, one arm behind his head and the book in his other hand. He tries to concentrate on the book but by now your crying has turned into swearing and he can't really overhear your words.

"Stupid old man!" you grit your teeth angrily, your voice a little shaky.

"I'd even come back!" you shout "…I just want to see the world…" you add, slightly whining.

Then it was quiet for a little while... and Law became even more attentive. The silence somewhat rattles him.

His book makes a muffled noise as he closes it in his one hand and throws it to his side. With both arms behind his head, he considers whether he should look out of the window again… and then?

Does he lie down again? It's not as if he knew what he could do, besides, he had heard Nami before and that she would be right back with her. Nami is definitely the better supporter at this moment. His thoughts wander a little and he reviews the last few days.

The people here are all very peaceful, harmonious and a strong community. It's like being in a Fairytale. Even if these people are not exactly up to date in general, they are far ahead of the others in their own way.

The people who helped repair the Polar Tang were constantly amazed like little children. Technologically they are definitely inferior to the world out there but over the days Law watched you for his own interest, which wasn't even that hard or conspicuous.

You're like a public figure here, performing your duties regularly in the community. You help people speed up the harvesting from the fields, heal the kids on the street when they get hurt playing and regulate the weather. He was quite amazed when you put out the huge forest fire outside the city walls. The whole town was in an uproar and many volunteers were on standby to help. The Straw Hats, being the people they are, immediately offered to help and in the end Law found himself in the forest too.

Their job though wasn't to put out the fire, no… their job was to rescue the animals and evacuate everyone to a safe place, so that you can heal them all in the end.

You took over the fire and it was a real spectacle. You had stopped time of this huge forest fire and suddenly the forest was calm again. The crackling and blazing sound of the destructive flames was muted and all the helping hands found themselves in front of a 'frozen' wall of fire.

You stood beside him and the Straw Hats, calm and unconcerned, and with a snap of your fingers you had turned the fire into smoke and fumes, as if you had jumped ahead to where the fire went out. If that's not superior to the world outside, then Law doesn't know what is…

They go about their lives so naturally and openly, do they even know that her power could become a target out there?

He thinks about how nice y'all are… almost naive. Even though they are strangers, pirates even, the people of Tanata have taken them in like old, beloved friends.

How foolish.

Law's thought is not mocking but rather concerned. They are good people and he has learned a lot here, especially about medicine. Herbs grow here that he has never seen in his life, not even in a book. Chopper and he have helped the herbalists a lot and shared their own knowledge in return, for which the people here were actually very grateful.

It is quite refreshing for Law, that despite his identity and pirate life, he is not resented or judged in this Kingdom.

With his mind full of you, the black haired man decided to get up and take a look. Maybe you're already gone anyway and then he could stop thinking about you… but you're still there. Only you're not crying anymore.

You just sit quietly on the bench and look at the pond in front of you. Law tries to take a look at your face but you're sitting with your back to him. He can slightly see the side of your face and how your gaze goes to the pond. Your gaze looks blank, but that's all he can see…

You never thought your grandfather would be so harsh with you. Just what is that supposed to tell you? You can't shake the feeling that there was more in his eyes than just anger. You're not quite sure, but wasn't it fear?

Maybe you should just enjoy your time with them and when they leave, you'll keep this memory in your heart like an little adventure. But the thought still makes you sad. A dull ache appears in your chest and robs you of your joy.

How can I feel like this? Like I have to say goodbye to myself when they leave?

You sigh a little with a depressed expression as you stare into the reflection in the pond.

"Princess-ya?"

You flinch violently. You would have expected Nami, but not Law. Your body remains fixed to the front and you try to avoid eye contact, especially with Law. Somehow it makes you particularly uncomfortable that Law sees you like this.

You don't want to look weak… that would be totally not cool. You can hear his footsteps coming a little closer, but he just stands next to you. You glance at him out of the corner of your eye, but Law's gaze is fixed on the pond.

"Everything's fine with you." He asks you dryly.

It is at this moment, that you realize, that behind you is the Hera's palace and Law's balcony… He must have heard you… You're not really used to someone living here, because this area has been quite neglected for years.

"Yeah, sure, everything's fine and with you?"

"Liar." Came it promptly in a deep voice.

"Maybe so." Your voice harbored a wounded undertone. You hear him sigh and immediately tense every muscle as he takes a seat next to you on the bench.

Now you sit there, both of you with your eyes focused on the water. The situation is a little awkward for you because you don't know what to say. Silence is louder than anything else right now and you find yourself unable to make a sound.

What are you supposed to say either? And what if you can't stop talking? You don't want to have a complete meltdown on Law.

"You shouted earlier, that you would come back… Where do you want to go?" You glance over at Law.

Where do I want to go anyway? It's not like I have anything ready at the starting lines.

"I don't know. I thought I could come with you guys and you would let me out somewhere." You mutter the words a little quickly and fumble nervously with your hands.

"With us?" Law scoffs in surprise. "I don't think that's a good idea princess-ya." Even though he has a grin on his face, he furrows his eyebrows.

"But why?" Your words come out more desperate than you intended. Yayyy another one who wants to get in the way of your dreams.

"We're pirates, you shouldn't forget that. We are criminals." The depth of his eyes engulf you, as if he is looking into your soul.

"I know that." Any risk is fine with you and Law should have seen what you've got in store.

"You're a princess, do you really think you should turn your back to the crown and sail the seas with pirates?" He asks you almost challengingly, as if he wants to test you, as if he's eager to hear your answer.

"Absolutely." You turn your gaze back to the pond and whisper to him so that only the two of you can hear your reply.

"Here, I'm just the holy princess… but out there I can be whoever I want." Your gaze goes back to Law, who looks steady into your gorgeous eyes.

"I can be y/n… my own person." A slight blush settles on your cheeks as you look into each other's eyes. It all seems too poetic and intimate. Thalia may be able to say such things but somehow you find it a little weird.

Law leans down towards you, so close that you can take in his scent. You look up at him with wide eyes, but you don't have enough air to ask him why he's getting so close to you now. Normally you would push anyone else away from your face, but with Law you find yourself unable to move. His eyes move over your face.

"You've been crying." - "Well guessed." You laugh at him. You can well imagine how miserable you must look, after all, you gave it your all when you bawled.

"And now what?" He straightens up again, but his eyes are still on you. Before you can answer him, you hear a shout in the distance.

"Sorry y/n, unfortunately it took a little longer because Sanji couldn't stop cooking." The redhead came running to you.

"Hey Traffy, you're here too." she remarks casually. She's carrying a small picnic basket in her hand and you can already smell all the yummy treats hidden inside.

Your eyes light up as she opens the lid and the snacks sparkle at you.

"Awww Sanji made all of this for us?" A little tear gathers in your eye. Nami shakes her head with a gentle grin.

"No no, he prepared this for you! I thought maybe it would cheer you up a bit." She admits a little shyly. You are totally touched by her attention and jump into her arms.

"Hey Traffy, I'll take it from here, I think y/n needs girl power now." She winks at him as she pushes you in the back to shove you forward. You look down over your shoulder at Law, a little flustered because you were actually quite enjoying his presence but you can't bring yourself to say anything.

He just nods at Nami and without you being able to do anything about it, Nami drags you somewhere else.

See you next time, kiss kiss ♡

➽ Next chapter

#trafalgar d water law #trafalgar one piece #one piece #law x reader #trafalgar d law x reader #trafalgar d water law x reader #trafalgar law x oc #trafalgar law x reader #trafalgardwaterlaw #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom #one piece fanfiction #one piece fandom #trafalgar law

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writerbuddha · 3 days

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I am conflicted about something with Star Wars. I have been thinking about the Jedi, Anakin, and what could have been done different and what would have happened if the Jedi Council had just said no to training Anakin.

I feel a lot of Anakin's issues stem from being separated from his mother when he was 9. Luke and Leia handled the lose of their loved ones better because they lost theirs when they were 19. Whereas Anakin spent a decade worrying about his mother because as far as he knew she was a slave until Watto told him what became of her.

I feel if the Jedi had freed her and give Anakin a note from her that explained she was free his training about have gone better and he would have been able to handle things better. And before it is brought up, yes she died when she was free, but my focus is on Anakin and him spending 10 years worrying about her.

But the Jedi do not help her and even stranger she has made no attempt to contact Anakin at the Jedi Temple. I guess she could have, I don't know if the Jedi would allow them to talk. Based on a line from Anakin, he says he's not allowed to be with the people he loves, I assume the Jedi would not.

So we have the story as told and we know what happens there.

If the Jedi Council refuses Anakin's training and he goes back to Tatooine or Obi-Wan leaves and trains Anakin he isn't around Palpatine and all that so he might do better but the Jedi Order still gets taken out.

I did a rewatch of the Prequels over the last few days and found Anakin really was not key to any part of Palpatine's plan. Remove Anakin and Mace and the other masters would not know Palpatine is a Sith Lord when they confront him. Although that situation probably wouldn't happen like that because I believe Palpatine revealed where General Grievous was to get Obi-Wan out of the picture and it is Palpatine that tells Anakin in the opera.

With all this in mind I have come to the conclusion that the Jedi were handed the Golden Ticket (Anakin) to destroy the Sith and instead of cashing it in to win they punched their own ticket out of existence by not addressing the situation with his mother.

The Jedi need Anakin to win, I watched a behind the scenes video where Lucas says the prophecy is real, Anakin is the chosen one, and he does fulfill the prophecy in Return of the Jedi.

And given a theme of Star Wars is nature, balance, and I see that the Jedi Order had reacted it's evolutionary dead end because the Jedi could not adapt to survive which is do something outside their rules and no allowing Anakin's training was not that in of itself. They needed to do more to help the child.

With Lucas confirming the prophecy is real and all that I am left to conclude that Anakin would have destroyed the Sith some other way.

I guess the lesson with the Jedi Order is that institutional stagnation will lead to destruction. The Jedi and Sith are cycles of life, both predators, and the Sith had evolved while the Jedi did not. Nature and the Force are unforgiving I guess.

So I guess in the grand scheme of things, what I am trying to say, is the Jedi Order had reached it's end and was mean to shuffle off.

Dear Anon,

You feel, a lot of Anakin's issues stem from being separated from his mother when he was 9, and you feel, if the Jedi had freed her and give Anakin a note from her that explained she was free his training about have gone better and he would have been able to handle things better.

The thing is, I don't get these feelings when I watch the movies. And I have to admit, I'm a bit in trouble here, because I am not sure if I can put my finger on what evokes these feelings in you. I'm all virtual ears if you are OK with telling me!

To me, it was always clear that Anakin himself tells us the cause of his issues: "I don't want things to change." And as the Jedi Masters point it out: he is afraid to lose his mother. Yoda explains he has much fear in him, which can be a problem, because there's always fear behind anger, which is behind hate, and these are adding up to a state of suffering, which also a state of being on the dark side.

The story what's told illustrates this perfectly.

You imply that you think, the older one gets, the easier for them to handle the loss of a loved one.

With all kindness in my heart, I have to tell you, that's just not true. The only thing age does is that when we get older, we more or less successfully internalize a sense of "I must get over this, I must beat this, I must take this blow with a straight face." So, we learn how to suffer with clenched teeth and screaming and weeping in the inside, because we're told, that's adult and mature. In my experience, real, genuine ability to handle the loss in a constructive way requires ceasing attachment to your loved one and develop unconditional love for them. That is, however, accessible for us in any age.

You say, Anakin spent the ten years between Episode I and II in constant worry for his mother's well-being, which undermined his Jedi training.

Since you said, you re-watched Episodes I-II-III recently, please help me: on which part or parts of the movies you draw this conclusion? What makes you think that he felt that his mother is in constant danger? Because to be honest, I see Anakin being afraid of losing his mother, I see him missing his mother, I see him being sad over not being with his mother, but I don't see him worrying for her well-being. He is afraid of losing her - he is not fearing for her.

He even says, "I don't know why I keep dreaming about her" in Episode II, and when he realizes that he’s having premonitions about his mother being in pain, and returns to Tatooine, his behavior toward Watto is quite friendly, rather than jumping to the conclusion that it must be his former slaver, who harmed Shmi, pretty heavily implying that he did not expect Shmi to get hurt while he is away, training.

You find it strange that Shmi did not contact with Anakin, and you vaguely suggest that she was not allowed to communicate with Anakin, because the Jedi would forbid it.

In Episode II, when they discuss the life of the Jedi Knight, Padmé says, "Must be difficult, having sworn your life to the Jedi... not being able to visit the places you like or do the things you like." To which Anakin replies: "Or be with the people that I love." Now, you read this in a way that says: Jedi Knights are not allowed to do the things they enjoy, visit the places they enjoy or be with the people they enjoy to be with. To me, this does not make too much sense.

To me, the discussion is about the fact that Jedi Knights go to the places and be with the people where they are needed, with who they need them, as their duty dictates this. Not where they would like to be, or with the people they would like to be.

When I watch Episode I, I see no reason to believe that Shmi and Anakin expected to be able to communicate, which makes sense - Tatooine is the seat of a crime lord, it would be rather strange if the heart of the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order would be a "phone call" away. I'm afraid, you read too much into this, which seems to be founded on the idea that the Jedi are frowning upon love.

You say, the Jedi could have done more for Anakin and they were supposed to change.

Well, at the end of the day, Anakin was resisting their teachings - that's not something that only he could have change. Instead, he wanted to stop things changing, he wanted to stop the sun from setting and to stop people from dying. From where I stand, I can see no flaw in how the Jedi Order operated.

You seem to say that the Jedi Council was wrong to not to say no to training Anakin.

With all fairness, the Jedi Council actually did say no to training Anakin, because he was too old to be trained. In the end, they said yes, because they felt, the right thing to do is to train him to cultivate unconditional love for all living beings, to cease his grasping and clinging to coming and passing things and to overcome his fear, anger, hate and aggression, and to train him to be a selfless guardian of peace and justice in the known universe. So we have the story as told and we know what happens there. But in Episodes IV, V and VI it's powerfully stated that it's not impossible. Luke started his own training even later in his life, and he was able to become a true Jedi Knight, something that Anakin failed to achieve until the very end.

You seem to say, since Darth Sidious would have been able to orchestrate the separatist crisis and the clone wars with the clone army, thus he would have been able to butcher the Jedi and turn the Republic into the Empire without Anakin helping him, proves that the Jedi Order was beyond saving, it was "institutionally dead". And that they are "predators" and they were meant to be erased.

I am truly sorry, but I have to say, I genuine have no idea of what makes you draw this conclusion. I have the feeling that there is something else going on that is unrelated to Star Wars, that you might need to work out... If I'm wrong about this, I apologize. It comes off like something else is going on.

#jedi order #anakin skywalker #george lucas #star wars

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emilystheories · 1 year

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Bryce Quinlan's true home: A compilation of all the evidence.

[ACOTAR, CC and slight TOG spoilers!]

It seems that the consensus among fans is that Bryce will return back to Midgard at the end of CC3, and that most of the story will be wrapped up. On the contrary, I think it's just getting started, and instead believe that:

Bryce Quinlan's true home is Prythian. She will be the Starborn Queen, and ruler of the Dusk Court.

And not just Bryce. I think Hunt, Ruhn and everyone else will be joining her too... because (to put it bluntly).. Midgard is fucked.

Allow me to go through the evidence.

Bryce is repeatedly connected to dusk.

One of the first thing Hunt notices about Bryce is that her scent is of the "first stars at nightfall." Nightfall is another word for dusk. SJM often uses scent to foreshadow a character's home (ie. Rowan of TOG smelling like Terrasen, and Rhys smelling like Velaris).

Bryce has been obsessed with Pegasus dolls since book 1. It's then no coincidence that the Pegasus's in Prythian came from the Prison Island... where the Dusk Court (most likely) used to be. (And... think about that Pegasus doll that SJM included in the CC3 reveal video...)

Bryce often has her nails painted in "twilight" colours (another word for dusk), and even her damn nipples are described as "dusk pink" (lmfao).

"Dusk's Truth" seems to be of great importance, and I'm willing to bet that everything Danika did - from giving Bryce the Horn, to even her own death - was so that Bryce could escape Midgard and reach Prythian and the Dusk Court. Recall Baxian's words; that Danika was searching for a way into a new world - one without the Asteri.

The home of the Starborn fae isn't Midgard, it's Prythian - the Dusk Court. Bryce Quinlan is heir to the Starborn fae. She is Queen Theia's descendant.

Bryce is also connected to Prythian.

The star on Bryce's chest is a "beacon" for Prythian, and glows for people who also originate from the ACOTAR world (I don't think people understand how big a deal this is...). If Bryce returns to Midgard permanently, then she'll forever wear a star on her chest that glows for another world.

Bryce is the Horn. If you subscribe to the theory that the Horn is the 4th Dread Trove item, with the other 3 being in Prythian, then she is obviously needed there - especially when ACOSF hinted that all 4 items joined together allows for something big to happen...

The prophecy about the knife and the sword suggests that the ACOTAR and CC fae are going to be reunited. Bryce owns this prophetic sword - she has a big part to play (one that surely can't be fulfilled if Bryce just pops into Prythian for a quick visit, and then leaves again... and really, what would be the point of that?)

Foreshadowing that Bryce will be a queen.

It is repeatedly stated that Bryce bears the exact light of the Starborn Queen.

Bryce's name in Hunt's phone is 'Bryce Is a Queen.'

Hunt himself often remarks on Bryce's queenly demeanour:

And in CC2, Hunt again thinks to himself that the 'princess' title isn't enough for Bryce... that she is something more...

Then in the final CC2 chapters, we see Ruhn pleading with Bryce to become Queen:

To which Cormac agrees, and then says that the future of their people moving forward, all depends upon Bryce...

And most importantly, Ruhn's last words to Bryce: "Long live the Queen."

And now that I'm thinking about it, it is repeatedly stated that Hel's armies strike at Bryce's command. The entirety of Hel... await Bryce's orders. As if she too is their Queen. (It won't surprise me if the Dusk Court is strongly intertwined with Hel, there's SO much evidence... but that's for another post).

Other characters and their connection to Prythian.

Bryce isn't the only one with ties to Prythian. We also have:

Ruhn and Rhys looking identical.

The Asteri originating from Prythian, and making clear that their true goal is to go back there to get revenge (so the plot is likely to follow in this direction...)

The Princes of Hel are connected to Prythian: the Illyrian's and Hel's armies have the same wings, we have a "Lord Thanatos" in the Hewn City, the 7 layers of the library, that "cat presence" watching...

When Bryce is taken to the town house in Prythian, she remarks that the interior decorating is the same as Jesiba's and the Autumn King's - they are both likely from Prythian.

The Bone Carver drew three interlocking circles in the sand, which is the exact symbol of Parthos (and the symbol of Bryce's Archesian amulet). The Bone Carver's brother is Koschei (the upcoming ACOTAR antagonist) - he is also likely connected to Parthos.

The Under-King is described exactly like The Suriel (they're likely the same species). Bryce's star even glows for the Under-King, which tells us he is from Prythian.

Bryce's star also glows for Cormac and the Avallen fae; they're likely from Prythian also (and the Dusk Court). In fact, one of the first thing Bryce notices when she lands in Prythian, is that everyone is wearing the same clothes as the Avallen fae.

The Thunderbirds (and likely Hunt) were connected to "Dusk's Truth." (So, Bryce ending up in Prythian isn't just about the Bryce x Azriel theory...).

And this leads me to my most controversial opinion of all: although unbeknownst to readers, Crescent City is an ACOTAR spin-off series. That's not to say it can't stand on it's own, or that is has lesser value - but rather that almost all characters have ties back to the ACOTAR world - and this is surely not a coincidence.

I truly believe that SJM is planning a full multiverse crossover series between all 3 of her worlds, and CC was the series needed to bridge ACOTAR and TOG together. But, more on this later...

We don't want the characters staying in Midgard. They need to get out.

Midgard is entirely different to the ACOTAR and TOG worlds. The Asteri entered Midgard, absolutely obliterated everyone and everything, and then built their own world from the ground up. Every building, road, every inch of this world - was created and orchestrated by the Asteri. Their power and influence is absolute. Bryce realises this too:

We see the death camps in Kavalla... but I would argue that the whole of Midgard is one giant death camp. Any sense of freedom... is an illusion.

And because the Asteri control everything, they see everything, and know everything. I can't see how any of the CC characters will overthrow the Asteri in Midgard (I mean, they get close to Rigelus at the end of CC2, and Bryce has to world jump to escape, and Hunt and Ruhn are facing slavery, or worse. And yet we're to believe that SIX Asteri will be defeated in one book...?)

However, if this is all part of a larger scheme, where a multiverse book series in the works, and ACOTAR, TOG, and CC characters will rally together to defeat the Asteri (TOG Spoilers - as well as Orcus and Mantyx... they're still out there, don't forget), then maybe there's a chance.

And, let's not also forget that Bryce bargained away her resting place to the Under-King. If Bryce dies in Midgard... she's screwed. She has no chance of reincarnation, or eternal peace, or... whatever happens after death. But, if she dies in Prythian, it's a different story...

Midgard is doomed.

Following the final chapters of CC2, it is clear that Midgard is heading towards imminent destruction.

We know that Bryce has been thrown into another world. Ruhn is in the Asteri dungeons, his future uncertain. Cormac was killed. Do we really think the two fae kings; the Autumn King, and The Avallen King, are just going to sit back and accept this? Let the Asteri murder and torture their children?

We also know that the leader of the human rebels, Pippa Spetsos, was killed. I can't think of anything that would enrage the rebels more (and their mech suits, the synth - everything they've been brewing, feels like it's reaching its climax...)

Then we have Apollion mentioning that the 'Northern Rift' is groaning, and that he senses war approaching. (And for what it's worth, I'm not sure I trust Apollion...)

Lastly, we are still yet to see the consequences of Tharion's actions, and the River Queen's wrath. It is stated multiple times that the River Queen has the power to flood Lunathion if she wished, and I can't help but feel that is relevant.

The flooding of Midgard.

When reading CC1 and CC2, did you happen to notice the sheer amount of times it is raining?

SJM even makes a point to tell readers that there is record rainfall... (and thank you to @/highladyfeyre on TT for her theory on this!)

Then, in Throne of Glass, Aelin falls through the worlds, and sees the ACOTAR world and the Crescent City world. However, she also sees a world entirely covered in water.

Linking to this, in ACOSF, Merrill explains that all of the worlds are stacked on top of each other, even sharing the same space - but what separates them is TIME. Again going back to TOG where Aelin falls through the worlds, it says this; "She was falling. Falling and being thrown. The Wyrdgate sealed behind her, and yet she was not home. As it closed, ALL WORLDS OVERLAPPED. And she now fell through them."

If the worlds are separated by time, then it can be argued that Aelin wasn't looking at separate planets - she was looking at the same world, throughout differing time periods (more evidence for this here). Meaning, the world covered in water... is still yet to happen.

And following CC3, what is the final Crescent City book to be called...?

House of Many Waters.

The Multiverse series.

You might be thinking - what the hell is the point of Midgard flooding?

Well, the 'flooding of Midgard' is a key event in Norse Mythology, and signals the arrival of Ragnarok (a huge war across all of the worlds, that resulted in the end of life as they know it).

Another term for Ragnarok, is "Twilight of the Gods."

The same name as Sarah's WIP book series... one that she appeared to draft at the same time as Crescent City...

Twilight is another word for DUSK. It all just fits too perfectly to be a coincidence.

Thus, I wholeheartedly believe that CC3 and CC4, as well as the final ACOTAR books, are the precursors to SJM's endgame series - Twilight of the Gods. Where the ACOTAR, CC and TOG characters will unite for a universal war, in order to stop the end of the world.

"But SJM said ACOTAR and CC will be standalone!"

Firstly, with all due respect to SJM, her word in interviews is not always gospel. She is known to deceive fans in interviews; for example, in 2020, SJM said a multiverse crossover would never happen, and in her most recent interview, she revealed that she has actually been planning the crossover for years. I'm not suggesting SJM has malicious intent, if anything, it's the opposite - she does not want to spoil the books for us.

Secondly, SJM never confirmed that ACOTAR and CC are both entirely standalone reads (if they were, she'd never go forth with the crossover). Instead, she said that you don't need to read ACOTAR to understand CC3. That makes sense, and to me just means that she is going to include extra contextual information to help out those fans who are indeed standalone readers (which won't be hard, because Bryce will be learning everything about Prythian for the first time too).

But the most important point is this - the multiverse crossover changes everything, and 100% changes the ACOTAR world as well.

As proof of this, consider Rhys. He has been studying the universe intently for years now. He even built his own orrery - his own map of the universe. As of CC2, he has just met a girl from another world. This girl will almost certainly be telling him about the Asteri, and that their true goal is to go back to Prythian - Rhys's home - and exact revenge.

So, do you really think that Rhys will learn about the existence of other worlds, the existence of the Asteri (who actively want to hurt his loved ones), and then just.. forget about it in future books? Send Bryce back to Midgard alone, simply wishing her well, and then going back to his ordinary life? No.

Elain's book.

As even further proof of this, consider that Elain's story will be the centre of the next ACOTAR book.

In ACOSF, we are told that there are three prominent mountains in Prythian, known as the "three sister peaks." The mountain where 'Under the Mountain' took place (and where Amarantha held people captive), Ramiel, and the mountain of the Prison Island.

Feyre conquered the first mountain; when she defeated Amarantha.

Nesta conquered Ramiel.

Which leaves the third mountain, the Prison Island mountain, to the third sister... Elain.

And what is the Prison Island most likely to be....? The Dusk Court.

I'm willing to bet that Elain's story intertwines heavily with Crescent City also.

That all of this... is so much bigger than we can imagine.

#crescent city theory #crescent city #bryce quinlan #acotar #acotar theory #sjm theory #sjm universe #sjm spoilers #sjm multiverse #sjm crossover #sjm books

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