#path of vengeance

[archfey-edda]

"They talk to the dead, you know, the Evereni." [Path of Vengeance by Cavan Scott]

The Ro cousins and their personal ghosts.

[sunnynwanda]

[In]sanity

When Villain's lifeless body hit the floor with a loud thud, the crowd let out a gasp of relief. For a long moment, everyone was stunned into silence. Until a singular triumphant cry was heard, and the atrium drowned in sounds of cheers and laughter. People hugged strangers, patted each other's backs, some even kissed, unable to express their happiness. The police officer that managed to shoot Villain was brought forward to receive a round of standing applause, to be showered in gratitude from the citizens. They were, after all, the saviour of the day. The one that ended it. It was the happiest day their city had seen. No one expected it to be the last.

When Hero showed up a week later, they looked different. Their hair was a tangled mess of dirty curls, dark bags adorned their eyes, and their lips no longer carried the usual gleeful smile. They had descended in front of the city hall to attend the funeral of their lifelong nemesis. That was what everyone assumed.

But when Hero's eyes landed on Villain's rigid features, they shuddered. Something flashed in the depths of their eyes, something so acute and fervent that those standing in the front lines stumbled back. They could feel the change, the shift that happened within Hero. Yet they were unable to grasp the severity of it all. Not until Villain's body was buried.

Then came the rage. Hero's eyes burned into anyone that tried to drag them away from the grave. They thrashed around, not making out who or what it was they were breaking, leaving the special forces a mess of mangled limbs and smashed ammunition. Consumed by their wrath, they ripped the police officer that shot Villain into pieces, gauging their eyes out as tears streamed down their own face.

Hero took over the city in less than an hour, executing anyone that dared speak against. They found and eliminated the mayor next, claiming the position and announcing the start of their reign. A reign of terror and revenge. For the light that faded in their lover's eyes was the one thing keeping them on the verge of sanity.

When Villain's lifeless body hit the floor, so did Hero's heart, shattering into a million pieces, digging into their flesh and sending them over the edge. Hero went batshit crazy. They became so so much worse than Villain ever was. And the city would pay for their loss. Until the last drop of blood would quench their thirst.

Masterlist

[girl4music]

The brutality of this boxer ring fight Gabrielle had with Varia in ‘Path Of Vengeance’ and Gabrielle just gets fucking butchered. She didn’t have to do it. She chooses to - once again - for Xena ‘cause Xena is trying to help and save her daughter. Which again, only proves to me that Eve is Gabrielle’s daughter as well. Would she go through this shit if she wasn’t? Or is it really just because that’s how much she loves Xena? But yeah, Gabrielle’s level of love and loyalty and dedication to the ones she loves is fucking insane.

What won’t she do? Crazy woman. Amazing woman.

[shield-and-saber]

padawan matthea matty cathley, the high republic phase ii

[lowcountry-gothic]

Jedi can be afraid. Jedi can be scared. There’s no shame in it. Everyone is scared at one time or another. The difference for a Jedi is that we know fear is fleeting and should never win. A Jedi never runs from their fear. They face it, safe in the knowledge that the Force is with them, and they are one with the Force.

Cavan Scott, Star Wars: The High Republic: Path of Vengeance

[milkmanviii]

The Rod of Daybreak and the Rod of Seasons, made with tanga tanga, cherry, cedar, and red mallee burl with an ash base.

I got a chunk of red mallee burl for Christmas and I was really hesitant to use it cause it was too nice, but I finally bit the bullet for this, and I think it worked out pretty well. I wanted something a bit different to go in place of the crystal parts (echo stones?). It was a pain to carve though because the grain goes in all directions at the same time so it’s really hard to get a clean cut.

It was also a challenge to get the two rods to fit together. I haven’t done much of it before so I went very slowly and it’s a pretty decent fit.

[ihassheepquake]

So as I finish Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland, I've noticed a theme throughout the High Republic that comes back to different variations of Rose Tico's line from The Last Jedi "That's how we gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, saving what we love." It's never exactly the same, but the essence is always there. Victory not through defeating an enemy or destroying something, but in saving something. I do think there's an ideological difference between the two approaches to achieving victory. Vernestra Rwoh says something kinda similar to the Jedi Council at the end of this book, and Belin told Avar Kriss something similar in The Eye of Darkness by George Mann.

I really love seeing this idea show up as a theme throughout this era because I think it's really central to the theme of Star Wars. That scene of Rose in the movie gets a lot of hate for being "stupid" and because "that's what Finn was trying to do." But in my experience, the people who react that way tend to be the same people who love Luke "redeeming" Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi (in quotes because I'm sorry Vader, but doing one good thing and then dying after being a tyrant for decades isn't redemption) and fail to realize that that's what Luke was doing. He was winning not by defeating what he hated, but by saving what he loved. The ability for even the worst people to choose to do something good is one of the core tenants of this franchise. Now, it obviously doesn't always work. Anakin was, in his own really fucked up and selfish way, ultimately trying to save what we loved when he fell to the dark side (but I think that's also very much a result of love with attachment vs love without attachment, which is a different conversation for a different time). But this idea working is still pretty consistent throughout the movies, even when they throw in a little destroying what you hate.

Anyway, as I get ready to start my next book of The High Republic (Temptation of the Force is technically next but I still need to read The Rising Storm, Path of Deceit, and Path of Vengeance before Tears of the Nameless releases on the 24th), I'm excited to see if and how this theme comes back up again.

[darth-memes]

STAR WARS THE ACOLYTE COMES IN 30 DAYS!

[xenagabrielleforever]

[galacticvampire]

Once again the High Republic explicitly showing how healthily the Jedi dealt with feelings :

- Path of Vengeance

[arkham-prisoner]

How I imagine any Sith Lords secretly watching the Jedi face The Path of The Open Hand, Nihil and Nameless during The High Republic Era

[enfysandember]

Hey Marda... what've you got there?

[bluntblade]

Revisiting Path of Vengeance and I feel like Marda ought to have escalated to actually doing more wrongs in her fanatic era, but conversely, it's both poignant and darkly funny that so much of what happens in Phases 1 and 3 hinges on her. Because ye gods, girlfailure out the wazzoo.

Marda got totally and utterly screwed over by a con artist to the point of losing pretty much everyone she was ever close to, and at no point did the revelation of being lied to prompt any questioning of the creed she had swallowed. Equally, she still couldn't bring herself to accept the full ramifications of the Path's doctrine, so Marchion Ro is actually pushing with much more commitment than her.

[jewishcissiekj]

something something The Path of the Open Hand and (OWK's) The Hidden Path both being comprised of mostly non-force sensitive but both wanting to lead force-sensitives down a certain path, fighting a hopeless war, being created (or at least released) in 2022, with one making the Jedi their Enemies and the other trying to keep the Jedi's light going. Is that anything

[shield-and-saber]

this just in: i want matty and oliviah to smooch

[artistsmellslikeunemployment]

Parallels between Gale and Jet:

Around the same age.

Both live in the woods but not because they feel alive there but because that’s their only way to survive. As soon as the opportunity arises both choose to live in another city. For Gale that is district Two‘s military ground and for Jet Ba Sing Se.

Both choose revenge over peace and healing to the point it consumes their mind and they don’t see how citizens of the fire nation / the capitol are under indoctrination and threat as well.

Won’t grant forgiveness, even if those civilians flee to join the side of the rebels.

The moment Iroh and Zuko arrive at Ba Sing Se as refugees and the moment the prep team is released from the prison cells in 13, so they can go freely as refugees, both Jet and Gale treat them as less and deserving of punishment.

Casualties from the Nut in Two and the village near the dam are more than tolerable to them.

They don’t let their better side, represented by Katara and Katniss, in on their plans because they are more demanding than understanding. For Gale that would be the design of the second bomb, for Jet as seen above, when he lied to Aang and Katara about there being a forest fire.

Even their handling of the situation is similar as neither would go as far as pushing others to do as the see fit, yet won’t hold back from blaming them by being passive aggressive and guilt tripping.

This gets evident when we see how they react once a new and more peaceful way opens up. They still hold on, even regretting a missed opportunity:

They have enemies rather than a problem that needs to be fixed, which is a kind of perspective that endangers meaningful connections, so that they loose sight of what it is that they fight for.

The freedom fighters call Jet out until he decides to continue without them, basically turning his back on them and Katniss confronts Gale about the parachute bomb before releasing him.

They start thinking just like the enemy, looking for justifications of their actions. In fact, they adapt the mind of their enemy to reach the same greatness, to maximize the damage, subdue them, to equalize the damage. Because to them justice can only be repaid but never not redefined. An eye for an eye. A hug for an eye appears to mean to eschew to Gale and Jet. So much really, that the counter to control can’t be something less rigid, hence freedom will be of secondary importance.

From the hope leaks rancour.

Chasing an aim can sometimes disguise as escaping a threat that one fixates on, becomes obsessed with.

And sacrificing their sanity appears to them to be the most noble act.

Vengeance is their response but that merely perpetuates the cycle of violence.