#Hands of Time - A Time of Traitors

[crossroads-of-the-raven]

Kai, Nya and their Parents - The Difference between knowing and not knowing what you're missing - and the sacrifices made by a caring brother

The day Nya was brought home - the day Kai met Nya face to face for the first time; Kai is two (Hands of Time, episode 3, A Time of Traitors)

Three years later

Ray and Maya are kidnapped, thus forcing Kai to take on the responsibility of becoming a five year old Dad aka the death of Kai's babyhood and childhood so as to preserve Nya's babyhood and childhood (Hands of Time, episode 8, Pause and Effect)

Thirteen years later

Kai and Nya are reunited with their parents (Hands of Time, Episode 8, Pause and Effect)

Three years later (vid from Seabound, episode 2, The Call of the Deep)

Though Kai had pointed out that Nya and Maya did not get along (due to Nya's independence from having grown up without her parents); at Master Wu's insistence, Kai calls in his mother to help Nya with her power problem.

Nya, however, dislikes Maya's mothering (what she considers babying).

When Wu suggests that Nya should discuss her issues with Kai, Nya insists with scorn that Kai likely enjoys being waited on and loves to be treated like a baby.

(Note how Nya goes from the probability statement of "probably, likes, being waited on" to the presumption in her absolute statement of "I bet he loves being treated like a baby" -- Nya, please tell me if this is your thoughts on your brother who raised you and gave up everything for you then when has he ever previously behaved in such a way that would suggest your statements to be true.)

The difference here is that Kai remembers what it was like to have someone taking care of him only to have it ripped away - to go from being the baby boy to suddenly having to be the adult for his sister.

Nya, though, doesn't really remember what it was like to be cared for by her parents; but, she remembers what it was like to be cared for (by her brother).

Kai is, in a way, reveling in the joy of being able to play games with his father, eat food cooked by his mother, and learn once more from his parents.

All things he hoped for but never once thought he'd ever have again.

While growing up, Nya was likely allowed to play games, eat homemade food that she didn't have to cook, and learn from Kai the lessons that he remembers their parents teaching them.

Kai on the other hand, had to get straight to work, schedule time in a busy day to cook so that Nya could eat, and be the one to teach trusted lessons from his parents (while likely having to weed out good advice from bad, given to him by whichever random adult decided to give it to him).

Kai's sacrifices for Nya can even be seen in the clothes they wear in the pilot.

When we first see Nya it looks like she's dressed in silk clothes which we know didn't come from Maya's closet since she generally dresses in blue.

Kai on the other hand is introduced in his blacksmithing clothes and goes to train with Wu, in his blacksmithing clothes, which may indicate a limited closet - he may even be wearing his Father's clothes as a way to save money.

But, you might say, he has different clothes in the episode, The Royal Blacksmiths.

Yes, he does have different clothes, but these clothes, like his and the Ninja's matching pajamas (color coded but with the same golden dragon on the chest pocket) are likely the result of Kai now being able to lean on Wu, financially.

Note that Kai's clothes are the only ones that indicate his elemental power - the others likely already had these clothes on hand before they met Wu (except maybe Zane - IDK).

Another way Kai's sacrifices and generosity torwards his sister can be shown is by comparing the first pilot episode to the Season 2 episode 6, Wrong Place, Wrong Time.

In this episode it is shown that, were it not for Nya getting kidnapped by Garmadon, Kai would never had cared about becoming a ninja.

It was only the knowledge that becoming a ninja was the only way to save Nya that motivated Kai to become a ninja.

Yet in a timeline where Nya was never kidnapped, all Kai cared about was getting the blacksmith shop back on its feet after the Skulkin attack.

So how did Wu convince Kai to come to the Monastery, the answer, he didn't - Nya did.

Wu unintentionally convinced Nya to become a ninja and since Kai wasn't just going to let her go off on her own (this is his fourteen year old little sister who he raised after all) Kai went with her so they could become Ninja.

Kai gave up what he wanted in favor of what Nya wanted.

~~~~~

Kai's sacrifices, his giving nature, and everything he does for Nya is almost practically an automatic habit, because he and Nya lost their parents at a young age thus forcing Kai to give up being a child to be Nya's caretaker.

And yet throughout the series whenever the siblings bring up their parents, it becomes clear that Kai made sure that Nya never forgot them and that they were remembered well, that they were missed and not forgotten.

I really like Nya; and while Seabound is a great season it also points out that Nya may just be truly unaware of how much Kai sacrificed for her to the point where she doesn't understand exactly why Kai likes having their parents around; among other details that she and others misunderstand about Kai.

Believe me, I like the idea that Nya knows and helps her brother out where she can, and she definitely loves him, but it seems like Seabound has shown her to be unaware of Kai's trials and tribulations in raising her and keeping them both from landing in the grave of the fireflies.

#Ninjago #Ninjago Hands of Time #Hands of Time - A Time of Traitors #Hands of Time - Pause and Effect #Ninjago Seabound #Seabound - The Call of the Deep #Ninjago pilot #Ninjago Pilot 1 #Ninjago Season 2 #Ninjago Season 2 - Wrong Place Wrong Time #Ray Smith #Ray Jiang #Ray Jiang Smith #Ray Ninjago #Maya Smith #Maya Jiang #Maya Jiang Smith #Maya Ninjago #Kai Smith #Kai Jiang #Kai Jiang Smith #Kai Ninjago #Nya Smith #Nya Jiang #Nya Jiang Smith #Nya Ninjago #Hostess Analysis #Hostess Analysis - Ninjago #Ninjago Analysis #That feeling when you want to keep it in editing but gotta post it or it will never see the light of day

[emile-hides]

I was watching a Youtube video of all the Cinematic from the new Overwatch Invasion update (cause heaven knows I ain't buying it) and I noticed at the end Ramattra has this like.. Burn? Mark?? On his chest that goes through his cape

So I downloaded Overwatch on my PC to get a look at the Wandering/Traveling Monk skins this scene is using and I noticed..

Traveling and Wandering have a lot of visual differences, most notably in the burn the originally got my attention.

Wandering has been used canonically to show Ramattra's monk days previously, in his origin story and in the Developer commentary, but interestingly the artwork in those videos is lacking that very burn

Overwatch character designers are very good at visual storytelling, especially with Omnics (I could write an essay on what they've done with Zenyatta), so I believe this burn may very well be what became the Last Straw for Ramattra, what pushed him to leave the Shambali, what caused his fall into violence and eventually Talon.

Was he attacked? Or was he attempting to protect someone else? Despite his best efforts to shield them, the shot fired right past him, scorching his metal, cutting through his cape, and taking their life...

I hope we learn more about it.

#Overwatch #Ramattra #It's Emile goes insane about Overwatch Lore but only for the Omnics time again #Also while gathering screen shots for this I did become mildly obsessed with the red?? bag?? Cloth??? Ramattra is wearing when he meets Zen #99% because Zenyatta is wearing it on their walk to the Shambali #But also because Zen seems to STILL be wearing it AT the Shambali but as an obi(?) and he was also still wearing it in OW1 #But not anymore in OW2??? #Where'd Zenyatta's comfort red fabric go??? What happened??? #(well his ow2 design would have been cluttered with it with all the red cables is the real answer but kfdjgkdf) #I'M OBSESSED WITH ZENYATTA'S VISUAL STORYTELLING #Other Omnics have it too like Maximilien who has a lot of Human Augmentations like opening his mouth #Because he's a class traitor #Love that for him #Or how Bars has Tribalera Boots implying she's originally from Northern Mexico #I might be wrong about that one actually fkjgkf Assumption there #Anyway RAMATTRA'S BURN #I'm sooooooo unhinged about it actually #The idea of hims shielding someone begging the humans around him to put down their weapons not to shoot etc #Watching them die... Ooooh yeah #It wasn't his first time seeing his siblings die at human hands.. But he vowed it to be the last time... #It could also have been Zenyatta who got shot #We're still not 100% about that whole #'Those were the exact words I'd said to Zenyatta.. Right before I nearly got him killed' #Like when it happened or how it went down #I ASSUMED that was post First Meeting before Shambali #But it could have been while they were traveling and serving the community around them.... #God I have you Activation Blizzard but I LOVE you Overwatch Creative Team #Can't wait to know more

[icy-watch]

Stop it. They are adorable.

#liveblogging #ninjago #hands of time #season 7 #episode 3 #a time of traitors #s07e03

[withasideofshakespeare]

Poins! Come get your boyfriend! I know you disappeared from the narrative, but he’s been traumatized by the death of his father and is now executing conspirators in the most terrifying way possible.

#shakespeare #Henry v #ned Poins #I said ‘holy fucking shit???’ out loud at the scene where Hal asks the traitors’ opinions on mercy #and then hands them letters that I can only assume just say ‘I KNOW.’ #and then when they ask for mercy he tells them he’ll take their advice on punishing criminals #apparently having your father die immediately after accusing you of being a fuckup one last time does things to your brain #as if Ned is a good influence lmao #maybe he’d come up with something more funny and less terrifying #either way #please come pick up Hal #he’s scaring us #also I just think hal deserves to have fun sometimes #and Poins would go NUTS for walking around a military camp in disguise and challenging people to stupid duels

[meadowlarkx]

One of my favorite things about the worldbuilding in The Left Hand of Darkness is the "perverts" in Gethenian society—those who are permanently in one of the kemmer forms. The "normal" person on Gethen goes through a kemmer cycle with periods of somer, but that's not every Gethenian. People whose bodies don't work this way get treated with repulsion. Genly compares them to "homosexuals" in his society, and that comparison is really instructive. Gethenians may not have gender roles and identities the way we do, but they do have societal norms, including about bodies and sexuality. And those norms leave people out. They are imperfect and sometimes they are unfair. I think this is part of the point.

In subtle ways, this theme is woven throughout the book's descriptions of Gethenian cultures. To stick to sexuality, something similar can be said about the different norms surrounding incest on Gethen and the empathic treatment of Estraven's past relationship with Arek. There is no taboo about incest between siblings on Gethen, only on siblings vowing kemmering, but if a child is born of it, the parents have to separate (and it seems like Estraven is separated from Sorve because of this). The reason for including this element, in my reading, isn't to impose our own moral standards by "showing" that Estraven's relationship with Arek was "bad" (in fact, we learn fairly little about it, beyond that Estraven cared deeply for him.) Instead, I think it's partly to demonstrate the dissonance between Gethenian mores and our own, and unsettle both. Because, like Genly, we see Gethenian norms as strange, we can notice that they bring about particular situations and cause particular hurts. Even the custom of vowing kemmering monogamously for life, which sounds more familiar, is shown as double-edged. Estraven breaks a taboo by making his "false" vow to Ashe, but was trying to build a new life with Ashe really wrong?

These things are not 1:1 to any "real life" issue, but like everything else in this story, I think they're chosen because they are provocative. It's really meaningful to me that even in terms of gender and sexuality, Gethen isn't painted as a utopia, but as a real place. Le Guin shows us two sets of norms and asks us not just "are our norms arbitrary and/or constructed rather than essential truths?" but also "are norms always socially constructed? Should we question them sometimes? What harm is done to maintain them? Who is being left out?"

#the left hand of darkness #lhod #my posts #thank you alix jouissants for reading over this and aiding me to express more clearly <3 <3 <3 #and idk i am obsessed with ''estraven the traitor'' being a name from folk legend. with the way the character who comes across most moral #and most thoughtful betrays the norms of patriotism and of prejudice against ''perverts''. vows twice and had a child with his sibling #it says something powerful i think about what is really important and more important about a person ultimately. character of all time. #this is not to say the normless utopia could/should exist or that the portrayal of gethenian cultures is wholly negative btw--not at all #constructed =/= useless or without power/meaning or completely arbitrary either #just it is such a thoughtful book. and it's saying so much on so many levels #obviously i haven't even touched here shifgrethor or suicide or the budding nationalism... and i don't have my copy on me. #maybe some of this seems obvious but it feels worth highlighting #edit: there's more to say about the sibling thing and ursula's logic in why a society that places different associations on sex might be #mainly concerned with avoiding kids born of those unions--but i'm thinking here about what we see of estraven's experience

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

every time i have to do a vision fields test, im the epitome of the this is great. im going to get a good grade in therapy peripheral vision, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve tweet

except its not great because theres just long gaps where im not seeing any dots so i really dont think im going to get a good grade, and also this is relatively normal to want because losing peripheral vision is not typically a sign of healthy eyes and its possible to achieve by seeing all the dots and pressing the button to register that youve seen them, which again, i dont think i have.

oh and also, i havent got a bad grade in peripheral vision for at least a year so all of this stress is completely pointless. its like collateral damage from an accident that hasnt happened.

#kai rambles #idiopathic intracranial hypertension #iih #i get so stressed about it you dont understand #im just sat there #eyepatch on #button in hand #staring into a big bowl with a small light in the middle #tiny dots of luminance appearing around the bowl as i desperately try to press the button in time to tell the nurse that i saw the dots #fighting my adhd with bloodied bare knuckles because i have to focus on this my eyes cannot stray from the middle light #my mind swerving me one way and my traitorous eyes swerving the other #and when its finally over #i have to do it again for the other damn eye #also when i say eye patch #i mean im wearing an eyepatch #with a woolen jumper #and flowery hippy trousers

[drawbudd]

LOVE WINS???

#wow actually me talking #Cult of the lamb #I'm????? #I literally had no idea that could even HAPPEN in cult of the lamb??? #Anyways I would die for them now I guess #Like from time to time I'm doing chores around the cult and I'll see them give a lil smooch before returning to whatever they were doing #And every time i like #Go into sopping wet cat mode #Shoutout to the two slowly aging disciples who have been through thick and thin real #Webber from being in my cult since like the start of the game (I'm at like day 140 or something) #And amdusias who has died like 4 times at least (and has also dissented and tried to run off just as many times) #Like he's such a traitor at heart but I revived him like twice because of quests and this time just because I was bored #It was purely out of spite like yeah let's bring that bitch back again. Why not #And then love happened!!! #This hasn't stopped him though amdusias has dissented twice since then #But this time around he has his priest bf to talk to him and hold his hand through it :)

[darklight-owl]

Multifandom...? Nah man I'm a Fandom Traitor. I stay in a single fandom long enough to establish my presence there and then immediately switch to another one leaving my followers confused.

#i'm sick of explaining the term Fandom Traitor every time I use it so here ya go #Head in hands. Past Owl people aren’t gonna read this if you just leave it in drafts #scrolling through these like ‘haha what the fuck is wrong with me’ #owl's posts

[birdmenmanga]

Hour 4 of my computer restarting

#just thinking thoughts... #i need her back (my computer) #it's time to draw pictures of Sagisawa until i feel better #you can tell when I'm going through it because i don't even care about the themes #like it should totally be Takayama kissing Sagisawa's foot instead #since you know. christ figure. traitor arc. waves hands you know the deal #but we're beyond that now we're just drawing to keep my skills sharp for when i need them again #good god. #pinning down half light going 'shut up. not everyone hates you. it's going to be okay'

[owlf45]

i love ur fic sm but the entire time im reading im thinking oh god there are like at least 40 people that are watching this (class a and b) and getting secondhand embarrassment for izuku bc i could never show my face again 💀

Izuku (and yourself) are embarrassed. Izuku is like “oh teehee im sorry i murdered myself”. Everyone else is horrified. Everyone else is like “wtf are you okay??? Can i get you a mental icepack???”

Also half the time class A and B are duking it out with full on quirk use and destroying the whole gym so I promise you the embarrassment is minimal

#class 1-B is raring to destroy izuku so that way their class is safe bc they are also found family #class 1-A is diehard izuku fans (mostly) and anyone who gets near him is fuckin toast #they eventually (finally) agree that izukus not the traitor. but not before several students get detentiob #vlad king is suspicious #maybe the only two people who pay attention the whole time are aizawa and all might #and nedzu whenever he shows up #aizawa watched his student die like 30 times there is absolutely no embarrassment hes capable of feeling. he is simply dumbfounded #candor fic #my asks #on another note i feel like i didnt pick memories that were too embarrassing??? #i too suffer from second hand embarrassment but. i didnt feel embarrassed #the only embarrassing scenes are near the end but i feel like it comes so long after all the horrific scenes that everyone would be numb to- #it

[nejackdaw]

"Ralof of Riverwood." Aka the intro scene angst post that got out of hand. 1.5k words

The son of a blacksmith and the son of a mill worker. It was inevitable they meet and become part of each other's lives–not only because Riverwood was a small town and everyone knew everyone, but because their families so often worked together. Hadvar, who was learning how to wield a hammer but too small to help around the forge; Ralof, too young to work the mill but old enough to get into trouble, learning how to handle wood without getting splinters in his fingers. They were young when they met and became fast friends, boys with wide eyes and toothy little grins swapping secrets and bragging about how much help they were to their parents. 

But boys don't stay young forever, and they aged into young men, taller and stronger and growing into a sense of pride over their work. Contests over who was stronger, faster, quiet evenings by the river talking softly about their visions for the future. It had never been a question: whatever that future was, they were in each other's. Two young men making an oath under the setting sun to always stick together–to the end. 

Except, older now, they're aware of what's been on the wind without them ever noticing: the strained relationship between their families, tense words, a mask of politeness put on only for their sons. Until they came of age. Leaving boyhood behind and becoming men, they listened to their mothers and fathers, heard about the fighting over who Skyrim belonged to, the conflict over whether or not the Empire had any place in the province. The truth, no longer watered down.

[You were the one that I wasn't supposed to lose.] 

They had their first full blown argument after what had started as a joke and had left each other full of apprehension. They'd once thought it ridiculous, thought the conflict over the war would never–could never–bother them here. But neither man was willing to concede, and stilted interactions became fewer and fewer, until Ralof watched his oldest friend leave for the last time, heading out of the gate towards Solitude. To join the Empire. Hadn't he been listening? The Imperials made demands and they were expected to follow them–but who was the Empire to give commands on Skyrim's soil? Initial despair slowly burned away into a sense of betrayal, and soon Ralof was leaving, too, making the journey to Windhelm to join Ulfric. 

Years and worlds apart, promotion after promotion, as much as they hated it, as guilty and terrible as they felt when memories returned, they still thought about one another; it's not often you forget such an old friend–maybe even your first friend. They never saw each other on the battlefield and prayed that was enough, that they'd never have to be the one to end each other's life. And their wish was granted. 

[Never again will I look into the only eyes that knew me, feels like a bullet running through me!]

It was while Hadvar read the prison logs his captain gave him after an unexpected detour that the world came to a sudden halt. The sounds of armor and weapons, voices and footsteps–everything faded, replaced with his heart pounding in his ears. He sucked in a single, shallow breath when his chest ached and he realized he'd stopped breathing and he read the list again. 'Stormcloak; Ralof; Riverwood.' His blood ran ice cold and he shivered despite the warmth of his station. He'd known the names on the list were why he was here, was why Tullius had so abruptly changed course and had ridden so hard to Helgen; they were here for an execution, or a few, and he'd already been struggling to cope with the fact, head full of cotton for the last day and a half as he assisted with preparations. It was bad enough he was here as a part of something as gruesome as an execution–death was awful enough on a battlefield, full of adrenaline and necessity–but when he realized his friend's name was on the list, everything just… stopped. He scanned the list again and again, trembling fingers tracing each name on the page, but it never changed from what he knew it was. When he came back to himself some time later–so much later that the candle nearby had burned down–he pleaded for a different assignment, a different role during the event, and each time he was harshly denied. He'd been given an order. It would be followed.

He practiced reading the names through the burning lump in his throat, and it took hours before he could speak them without breaking down. 

[You were the one that I wasn't supposed to lose–I thought I'd have you for a lifetime! Have you for a lifetime.] 

It had been days since the Imperial ambush, and Ralof had gotten better about hiding how uncertain he was. He was part of Ulfric's guard–he needed to appear calm, needed to keep it together for the rest of the Stormcloaks, but exhaustion weighed heavily and he knew they could see it in his glassy eyes. He had no idea how the Empire seemingly knew where they'd be, and he had no idea where it was taking him, where it was taking Ulfric and the heart of their campaign. All he knew was that they wouldn't survive wherever they were going, and while his last days would be full of fear and remorse, his kinsmen didn't have to spend theirs the same. He did his best to keep them calm, reassure them–lie through his teeth to avoid starting a panic and having them all killed somewhere in the woods instead. 

He had a series of realizations once the prison caravan reached the first gate. There was Tullius, arguing with the Thalmor he'd betrayed his citizens for, here for the show; as the cart rattled along over the cobbles, he started to distantly recognize where they were beneath all the Imperial banners; and as the caravan came to a stop and something caught his eye–sunlight gleaming on wicked, curved steel in the distance–that this was going to be their last hour alive. You've prepared for this, he told himself, and he had; fighting against sleep to keep the peace, he'd done what praying and pleading for forgiveness he could to prepare himself for the death he knew was coming. 

Ralof was not prepared for Hadvar to be holding the ledger when he stepped off the cart.

It had been years since they'd seen each other, but he'd know his friend's face anywhere, as often as it haunted his dreams. His chest felt tight as he watched the soldier look over the prisoners, and when their eyes met between the shoulders of everyone between them, he watched Hadvar's expression crumple before he forced it into something more presentable, bowing his head low over the book in his hands to hide the despair in his eyes and the miserable twist of his mouth. Somehow, despite the exhaustion that had him swaying on his feet and the overwhelming urge to run, get out, escape running through his veins, he managed enough energy to feel a flicker of anger. What good would Hadvar's regret do him? What good did it do as his shoulders rose with a deep, measured breath and he read aloud Ulfric's name? 

"Ralof of Riverwood." Quiet, steady–steady in the way a man spoke when he was trying not to cry, steady like his own words had been hours before. Dark, miserable eyes followed him as he moved off the path towards an expectant soldier, and as they passed one another, whatever anger Ralof had mustered died out. What good did forcing himself to hate a friend do him in his last moments? Even as he passed him by and the headsman came clearly into view, he could admit to himself that all this time, he's still considered Hadvar a friend. And the darkness under his eyes, a face as tired as his own: Ralof knew without anything being said that the Imperial felt the same. 

He stood as tall as he could on unsteady legs next to Ulfric, proud to stand and die beside him, as much as it terrified him–he was young, after all, had known the risks but thought he'd have more time. Hadvar, hardly a distance away, could only take in what would be the last time he'd ever see his best friend, exhausted, bound, and sent to the block by his own words. His condemnation. Heads filled with duties and regrets, both men tried to face what was coming with their heads as high as they could and wondered how much of it was for each other. 

Later, they would meet again, though they were unaware–it would be sooner than they'd ever think, surrounded by smoke and ash and raining hellfire, shouting to be heard over the din. Voices straining to be heard, a desperate performance as steel shines wickedly in the firelight, two enemies knowing what their station demands and unwilling to do it, hoping, once again, they wouldn't be the one to end the other's life. 

#skyrim #hadvar #ralof #LOOK THE ANGST POST WASNT SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS #BUT LIFETIME (3DG) HIT ME OVER THE HEAD WITH A BASEBALL BAT #looklooklooklooklook #okay #it got a little out of hand #but like. the end. the END OKAY. WHEN YOURE ESCAPING #'ralof you damned traitor! out of my way!' #'you wont stop us this time!' #ITS NEVER READ AS GENUINE TO ME #THOSE ARE NOT GUYS WHO WANT TO KILL EACH OTHER #THAT IS PURELY THEATRE #DENIABILITY

[megagrind]

The 9th Michael Vey book is coming out in a week so I am once again apologizing in advance for the person I will become

#except not really bc I’m probably one of the last souls still reading #maybe I’ll make art again #it’s been over two years since I made a Michael illustration. I’m due for another one #I have unfortunately passed through all 5 stages of grief last book and have finally accepted that there’s basically no more ts rep anymore #I think I counted one 1 hand every time michael mentioned his tics last book and Im mentally prepping myself this time around #it’s ok tho I’m here for the characters at this point #speaking of characters #holding Richard at knife point #I swear to god if anything happens to Jack #that man’s not a traitor there’s smthn else going on. I just need my man alive sir #anyway #counting down the days #I gotta reread book 8 #(and count again and see if my math was right)

[terendelev]

Tbh people often blame Lucien for the Purification but I don’t think he fully went ‘oh yeah let’s kill off my entire Sanctuary including my adopted children’ I always thought the Listener suggested it and the rest of the Black Hand voted for it. He says the Purification is a very rare and unwanted situation.

#lucien lachance #i am more surprised at how the black hand decided to spare the HoK #like yeah they joined AFTER the entire traitor business but they have stayed in cheydinhal sanctuary for a long time #who could even know the traitor is converted them

[icy-watch]

Ok, calling each other "brother" or "sister" is really starting to get to me. I don't know any siblings that actually call each other that unless it's mocking the other.

#liveblogging #ninjago #hands of time #season 7 #episode 3 #a time of traitors #s07e03

[that-banhus]

Ten Books To Know Me

Rules: 10 (non-ancient) books for people to get to know you better, or that you just really like.

Tagged by @landwriter​, whose list I am pillaging for reading tips. In no particular order: 

Paladin of Souls - Lois Bujold. Cordelia Naismith is still my favourite of her characters, but the World of the Five Gods series is so kind. Bujold does religion better than anyone, and in a deeply humanist way. The exact inverse experience of reading Maria Russell’s The Sparrow, though both are phenomenal. 

Labyrinths - Jorge Luis Borges. The short story collection version of someone leaning in and going “would you like to hear a fucked up thought about set theory? No? Time?”

Watership Down - Richard Adams.

I was (understandably, I think) leery of books with rabbits after my Mom insisted that the first time I’d broken down sobbing over The Velveteen Rabbit was a fluke, and I’d misunderstood the point of the book, and then tried reading it to me another two times. I cried every time. HER point is that the bunny became real at the end, so it’s a happy book. MY point is that to the boy, the bunny was real the whole time, and that from his point of view it was essentially one of those horribly moralising 19th century fairy tales where the main character’s best friend dies horribly half way through but they go to Heaven so you’re expected to be happy about it. Except in this case, they’re burned alive. Watership Down was the runner-up for most traumatic childhood book about bunnies, but it made no bones about what it was. It knew when it was being brutal, and did it on purpose and well, and I love it still. It also was one of several deeply formative books for introducing me to my favourite trope: stories-in-stories.

The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien. Yes, I know, everyone’s favourite, etc etc. Still, I read it young enough to sort of grow up along it as a trellis. I can’t put any of my favourite medieval works on this list per the rules, but Tolkien’s the reason I could read them as an adult and go oh, but you’re familiar. Also, the older I get, the more the whole ‘no kindness is ever wasted’ element makes me verklempt. 

Jackalope Wives - T. Kingfisher. I know, it’s not a book, but you’ll forgive me for that once you’ve read it, for free, right here: https://apex-magazine.com/short-fiction/jackalope-wives/

How good was that? Right?

Gaudy Night - Dorothy L. Sayers. I’ve never related to anything or anyone more than Harriet Vane as I read this, belly down on the grass in the Oxford botanical gardens this summer, in the middle of having a Bad Fucking Time romantically. Sayers’ characters are complicated and human, a little too smart for their own good sometimes, and prone to self-sabotage and overthinking. This book is so profoundly good at capturing the absurdities of love, and the negotiations of self that requires, while still being very tender about the whole thing.

American Gods - Neil Gaiman. I’ve never been in the US for longer than three months at a stretch since I was three, and growing up, it was largely mythological to me. America was Where Stories Happen. I read Stardust first, and possibly like Good Omens best of Gaiman’s, but American Gods put words to a lot of the experience of looking at the US from a one-foot-in-the-door-one-foot-out perspective.   

Caedmon - Denise Levertov. Once again cheating, this time it’s a poem:

http://www.southernhumanitiesreview.com/denise-levertov-caedmon.html

I’m also a tremendously basic poetry person in terms of liking Donne, Blake and Eliot. Mmm, weird feelings about God and/or WWI.

The Lacuna - Barbara Kingsolver. Possibly my favourite ending in anything I’ve read ever? I can’t say anything concrete without spoiling it, but the book starts out big, and then, at the end, gets narrower, and narrower down to a fine point, and - look, it’s very good. It has opinions about how we tell stories. The Bean Trees is also very good, though it’s been near a decade since I read that one, and I remember it less.

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley. Look, it has stories within stories, and a big, gothic, sweep of thought and emotion. It feels big, and deep, and bigger and deeper every time I go back.

Special mention because almost everyone who follows me is into Sandman: Doomsday Book - Connie Willis.

Would you like to CRY about the middle ages, and how people were people always and how no kindness is wasted? I bet you would. Maybe only read this if you’re feeling stable about pandemics again, though. I’m giving it another few months personally before going back.

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I am, as usual, a tiny bit late to the tagging game and have lost track of who’s already been tagged. HOWEVER, I have a bunch of lovely amazing mutuals and new followers and if you want, please consider yourself tagged (that way I can also see who’s interested in maybe being tagged in the future, and get to know you better?)

#special mentions to half a dozen exceptional sci-fi/fantasy series i had to cut #Le Guin's left hand of Darkness #Ann leckie's ancillary justice #and Seth Dickinson's traitor Baru cormorant #particularly #also #landwriter's prev tags: tamora pierce #tiny six year old me spent SO MUCH TIME hitting things with sticks pretending to be a knight

[spiderwarden]

Don't forget that Minthara was there when Viconia DeVir was cast out of the Underdark. Often times mothers would bring their children to witness rituals and ceremonies so they'd learn about the duties and the occasions that they themselves would take part in later - and more importantly. The effects of what would happen if they failed, and watching what Viconia went through left an impression on Minthara and locked in her loyalty to Lolth tighter than ever.

#[ 🕷️ ] —— headcanons #[ 🕷️ ] —— musings #[ minth says it herself that she was young enough and since it was like 200 years ago ] #[ that implies minth herself wa a literal child at only 50 years old ] #[ im imaging that drawing faun did over at faun-draws where tiny minth was standing in front of her mother ] #[ while her mother had her hands on her shoulders- and minth looked a bit :< as she did ] #[ yes thats the impression that i had on that drawing and right up until bg3 where she first saw viconia ] #[ fake viconia but still in name she reacted to- she had no kind words minus a small disclaimer that #often times its good to go against the grain and defy the ones above you- but still ended it in an insult. ] #[ even in her exile- minth finds no connection to viconia and is insulted if you compare her to viconia ] #[ it seems that even then- the taught disdain for outright TRAITORS is still in minth ] #[ it's a good reminder that she did not leave menzobarranzan willingly and grieves her home and even says herself that she will #'miss it until the day she dies." ] #faun-draws