#redemption

[rylie-m]

redemption

Summary: In which Y/N Thomas is left to raise her and Rafe Cameron’s baby after he refuses to take responsibility for it. He shows up after two years, ready to redeem himself, but is it too late?

Chapter 1:

5 years ago - September 2nd

“Are you by any chance from the Outer Banks?” you ask the boy sitting next to you in your freshman year English class. “I am, why?” He states, with a very charming smile. “You look familiar. Do you know Topper Thornton?” He nods and chuckles slightly, “I do.” “Topper’s my cousin,” you smile softly at the thought of the younger boy who you loved like a little brother. “Yeah?” He asks, “Where are you from?” You smile and flip to a page in your notebook, “Charleston, but I’ve visited the Outer Banks a lot to see Topper and the rest of my family.” 

5 years ago - September 5th

The party you’re at is already packed, the smell of weed and alcohol is in the air, and the noise is enough to give you a headache already. As you and your friend, Ella, start to walk up the stairs to the frat house  you hear, “Hey! Y/N, right?” 

It’s Rafe. 

Unfortunately (for you) charming, extremely put together, and just bad enough to get you in trouble. That’s how Ella described him when you asked about him. And that’s the impression you got from his instagram. 

“Yeah, you’re Rafe, right?” He smirks and nods while walking over to you, abandoning his friends. Ella sighs behind you and shakes her head subtly. “Hi Ella,” Rafe smiles, obnoxiously. “Hey, Cameron.”  Ella gives Rafe an unimpressed look, “Y/N and I are busy. Good to see you.” She grabs your arm and drags you into the frat house, looking for her boyfriend. 

4 years ago - October 1st 

Ella finally picks up the phone and you immediately squeal into it. “Rafe asked me out! Finally!” You giggle and you hear Ella chuckle softly on the other side of the phone, “Took him long enough, I’m happy for you. Tell me all about it.” You both can hear each other’s smiles on the other side of the phone. 

3 years ago - August 22nd 

You and Rafe are laying in his bed, after getting back from a week-long visit to the Outer Banks, where you had met his family, who undoubtedly loved you, for the first time. Even his father, who clearly faked his support and affection for his son the whole week, this was easy to tell only because Rafe had told you all about him and his father while driving there, as a warning for you, just in case. 

“I love you,” He says, smiling into your stomach as you run your fingers through his hair. “Don’t see a future without you in it.” He mumbles and you smile, probably the widest you’ve ever smiled. “I love you, can’t wait to be with you forever and deal with the wonderful in-laws.” You laugh, teasingly and he chuckles, half out of embarrassment and half out of humor. Rafe had watched you immediately get along with his whole family and after telling you about his struggles with his family, he thought that you would think he was the problem, but you understood his point of view and believed him wholeheartedly.

3 years ago - August 23rd 

“Rafe, I’m pregnant. That’s why I’ve been sick. Went to the doctor’s today.” You stated, shaking from nerves and speaking in short sentences to make sure that he got point. Rafe stares at you, unmoving. His eyes are colder and emptier than you’ve ever seen them. It’s the way his father looks at him. “I don’t- I don’t know what to do. I’m so sorry, Rafe.” You stutter, trying to get him to say anything, do anything. Anything but what he’s doing right now. He quietly stands up from his bed and towers over you, “I’m sorry.” He says, looking away. “You know I can’t do that right now.” Your eyes widen, “Do what? Take care of a child? And I can? Alone?” He sighs and opens his door, “I’m sorry.” He says coldly, waiting for you to leave. Your eyes look at the door and immediately water. “What happened to being excited for the future? You never meant that, did you? Rafe, I’m twenty. I can’t do this alone!” You hope to get to him somehow, but you can see his walls are already built taller than you could ever break down. After taking one last look at him, you walk out of his room, for the last time. Preparing to raise a baby alone. 

2 years ago - April 23rd 

“You would have a baby on Earth Day.” Sarah laughs, while walking in the room. You smile at her, and the joke. “He’s already a little hippie.” Wheezie says from behind her, while holding flowers. “Hi you two,” You smile and give them weak hugs from your spot on your bed. After you let them go, they immediately swarm the cot that your newborn baby is laying in, cooing over him instantly. Sarah looks at you, “What name did you decide on?” 

“Crew Joseph Thomas.” You say, with a weak smile. They both coo in awe at him and his name quietly. You hear Wheezie mumble something about using Rafe’s middle name to Sarah, who quickly shushes her. 

A few hours later, Wheezie leaves to go get some food, leaving just you and Sarah in the room. “Did you tell him?” She asks, and you shake your head. “He said he couldn’t do it. I’m respecting that. I don’t think he should be in and out of Crew’s life. He’s either completely in or completely out.” You shrug, watching Crew sleep in his aunt Sarah’s arms. Wheezie walks in, frantically, “I’m so sorry, Y/N.” You and Sarah look up, confused. “What?” You say, furrowing your brows. “He’s here.” You and Sarah both look at each other, and your brain goes completely numb. “How did he find out?” Sarah asks, and Wheezie shakes her head, shrugging, “Maybe Rose told him, or dad? But I think he saw me.” She looks at you, apologetically, “I’m so sorry.” You sigh, “It’s alright, Wheeze. It’s not your fault. He was gonna find out at some point, better here than anywhere else, I guess.” 

After a few minutes of sitting in silence, there is a knock on the door. Sarah and Wheezie look at you, and you nod. Sarah hands Crew off to you and grabs Wheezie to sit outside. She opens the door and rolls her eyes at Rafe, pushing her and Wheezie past him and into the hallway. He walks in with his hands in his jeans pocket, trying to shrink in on himself. Maybe if he did, he wouldn’t be in a hospital room with his ex-girlfriend and their baby. He sniffs, “Hey.” You watch him walk across the room and stand at your feet, awkwardly. “Hi Rafe.” You say, quietly, “His name is Crew Joseph," watching Rafe eye Crew in your arms. “Joseph?” He asks, his eyes widening slightly and you nod. “Cameron?” He asks, finally making eye contact with you. You look at him and shake your head slowly, “Thomas. Thought it would be easier while he grows up.” He deflates slightly, but nods, “Yeah, no, makes sense.” 

There’s a moment of silence before you look down at Crew, who is now wide awake, “Do you want to hold him?” You ask quietly, not wanting to startle Rafe even further. You did feel slightly bad for him, you had all of your pregnancy to prepare for this moment, but Rafe is just now showing up and seeing his baby, without seeing the birth, or your pregnancy stomach. He looks up at you, and his lips separate, before closing back quickly. “You don’t hav-” “Yes, ple-” You both speak at the same time. He chuckles softly, “I do, I want to hold him.” 

After Rafe gets settled on the bed, at your feet, you pass Crew to him. Crew whines softly, and Rafe looks up at you, worried. You smile at him, reassuring him, “He’s fine. He’s just getting settled.” Rafe nods, trying to play it off, “Right, I remember Wheezie at this age.” He says, quietly. You smile softly at him, this is your Rafe. Well, not anymore, but he was. This is who you knew, not the cold, angry boy who threw you out of his room when you told him. He speaks up, “I can’t stick around. You know I can’t. I’m sorry.” He stares at Crew, staring up at Rafe from his place in his father’s protective arms. You nod, you expected this, you knew he wouldn’t stick around, you’ve prepared for it. “I think you should know that we’re moving back to Charleston after I graduate.” You say, just because he doesn’t want to be involved, doesn’t mean he shouldn’t know where his son is. 

After an hour of sitting with Crew and Rafe in peaceful silence, Rafe has to leave. With his hand on the doorknob, he turns to look at you, “I’ll be in the Outer Banks after this year. If you need anything, please let me know.” He says, quietly. You nod, “Rafe.” He looks up at you, “He’ll grow up knowing who you are. He’ll know who is dad is, but I won’t say why you couldn’t be here.” He blinks rapidly and nods, before closing the door. 

[sihayadunee]

🌘 THE ECLIPSE a UNION of OPPOSITES 🌒

an analysis of the mythic motifs in dune part two through the lens of mythologist joseph campbell, and some predictions for dune messiah

• Divine Couple

• Death and Rebirth

• Redemption Through Divine Union

• House of Atreus

• Lunar-Masculine / Solar-Feminine

• Goddesses

THE ECLIPSE

This motif has been connected to Dune since the first film’s promo, especially with the concluding track of Dark Side of the Moon accompanying the initial trailer. Some fans believed this theme had been dropped as it wasn’t very present in the first film. However the eclipse continued throughout the promo of the second film. This was because Part Two is where the real pay off is, already in the first 10 minutes.

This concept is intrinsic to Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation. Since the first film I have been saying that Dune embraces the Lunar-Masculine (Paul) and Solar-Feminine (Chani). However beyond just that, Dune: Part Two showcases multiple pairings of the lunar-solar dynamic.

But before we jump into that, let’s establish the meaning of an eclipses in general mythology. Typically they are a symbol of death and renewal. Common interpretations have a beast devouring the sun, or a celestial couple evading or pursuing one another. These interpretations are consistent over and again in Dune.

What we will see, is that the greater Imperium holds a Solar-Masculine identity, but when it comes to Arrakis there is a distinct shift to the Solar-Feminine archetype.

PAUL as the MOON

There are an innumerable amount of connections. Bull motifs are reoccurring throughout the first film, where he grew up on a water world. After all, the moon is associated with the tides. He takes the name Muad’Dib, and one of the moons of Arrakis has the icon of a Muad’Dib aka Desert Mouse visible on its surface. And ultimately, Paul experiences rebirth in Part Two.

The bull is a figure of sacrifice which aligns very well with the lineage of House Atreides which can be traced back to the House of Atreus and it’s curse of familial murder, betrayal and symbolic consumption. Sacrifice of the children in each new generation.

IRULAN and the GOLDEN LION THRONE

Starting here is a good place, because it shows the transition of the Solar-Masculine of the wider Imperium toward the Solar-Feminine of Arrakis. Irulan Corrino of House Corrino is the daughter of Emperor Shaddam who sits on the Golden Lion Throne. His reign is coming to a close as Paul rises on Arrakis, and with no male heirs Irulan his eldest is the successor destined for marriage. In this way Irulan becomes the embodiment of the Lion Throne, and her determination in Dune Messiah to produce Paul’s heir becomes clear. That function of the Queen Mother and how that feeds back into the Solar-Masculine as the King becomes tied to the lion and the throne once more.

In particular I would say her story is best reflected in the myth of the goddess Cybele who falls for Attis and when he falls for a mortal girl Cybele plots betrayal. Something for which she later feels guilt and tries to make amends for (Children of Dune).

PAUL and JESSICA

Their dynamic is incredibly complicated, but I think the opening of the film during the eclipse sums it up very well. You follow the path of the moon as it covers the sun, and as it meets its full coverage Paul is the one taking action in the fight against the Harkonnen. However as the moon passes by and the sun takes over again, Jessica emerges to save Paul’s life.

This was intentional by the filmmakers, as is revealed in the Art and Soul of Dune Part Two, DP Greig Fraser identified the exact time, date and location in order to shoot the sun as it appears directly behind Rebecca Ferguson.

Jessica represents the sun on Arrakis, and in this scene we see how the moon dies into the sun to be reborn in their dynamic. It also lines up with motifs of the sun goddess giving birth to the sacrificial bull. Sacrifice toward this death and rebirth.

What we see is the separation of mother and son that brings them back together in the same place. Paul takes the lead and rejects his mother’s influence, but she leads him toward the death and rebirth he must experience, and this brings them back to a common understanding.

This is also why having Jessica sit the Atreides “throne” in the finale instead of Paul (who did so in the book) makes mythic sense. Because again we return to the Solar-Feminine mother as the throne, and her son as king. But in a different context here then what Irulan aspires toward.

A SYMBOLIC UNION aka THE BULL SACRIFICE

The House Harkonnen family seal in the books is the griffin, which makes his introduction in a gladiator arena killing Atreides even more appropriate. Feyd’s birthday is also associated with a solar event. Because ultimately Feyd is the matador and Paul is the bull.

What works so fantastically about the dual, is how it is bathed in the sunlight. After all, the sun figure (day) is facing off against the moon (night) figure in this sequence. Plus the bull was the eventual demise of Paul’s grandfather who was a matador. This takes place at sunrise, and it’s a dual for the throne, where whoever is victorious inherits the Golden Lion Throne. The

Denis specially describes the dual as a symbolic union, and it works on multiple layers. This bull sacrifice, is in essence the quote from part one of “when you take a life you take your own” so Paul killing Feyd is penetration, intimacy, it is rebirth.

It is also reminiscent of how Campbell describes the sun-moon twins of Navajo myth:

The two, Sun-child and Water-child, antagonistic yet cooperative, represent a single cosmic force, polarized, split, and turned against itself in mutual portions. The life-supporting sap-power, mysterious in the lunar rhythm of its tides, growing and decaying at a time, counters and tempers the solar file of the zenith, life- desiccating it its brilliance, yet by whose heat all lives.

— Joseph Campbell's Commentary from "Where the Two Came to Their Father: A Navaho War Ceremonial" by Jeff King and Maud Oakes

DESERT SPRING TEARS and DIVINE UNION

There is a section in the Dune Encyclopedia that talks about the foundation of the Bene Gesserit beliefs. In particular the teachings of a certain ancestral memory personality, called Inanna (yes that is the name of the Sumerian goddess who was also in a divine union caught between life and death glad you asked) about the Kwisatz Haderach. It basically establishes that the entire premise of the Bene Gesserit and the Kwisatz Haderach is in essence the Divine Couple.

It specifies two mirrored dynamics the son saved/resurrected by the mother and the husband saved/resurrected by the wife. Inanna called them Au Set and Au Sar. The Kemet names for Isis and Osiris. The idea of the Bene Gesserit would have this as the mother of the KH, and the Corrino princess he would have married. But with things thrown off course, it represents outside their control.

In Dune, we see it between Paul and Chani. Like Isis who has the solar disc and Osiris who is tied to water and death, her lover has died and she is the one to revive him.

Furthermore the concept of mythical tears can be found in the goddess Freya (who arguably is compatible with sun-goddess motifs) who weeps when her husband Odin is lost to her.

But perhaps most compatible—the healing tears of a phoenix. A bird archetype similar to Isis as bird. This is where the yin-yang dynamic of Chani and Paul becomes most apparent, since the serpent is synonymous with the bull and therefore Paul who “makes peace with Shai-Hulud” encompasses the dragon (yang) as a complement to Chani’s phoenix (yin).

In the behind the scenes of Dune Part Two, the Maker Temple is said to be designed like the infinity symbol with the two circles (one of sand and one of water). Sand being death and water being life, but also the reverse. As the sandworm thrives in the sand but is drowned in the water. And Paul is stuck between life and death, literally laying between both pools, when Chani comes to resurrect him.

This film literally has three kisses. Their first kiss when Chani says she will show him the way of the Fremen, their second kiss on screen when she says he will never lose her before going South, and the third symbolic kiss of life.

This marriage/death is also foreshadowed in Paul’s visions in Part One when Chani kisses him and then stabs him. Which is where we return to Isis and Osiris because Paul’s death state (dying again as we established, after killing Feyd, similar in a way to Set and Osiris) is where we will eventually get the twins Leto II and Ghanima with Leto II being the Horus in this equation.

As the Pink Floyd lyrics say, the sun is eclipsed by the moon and this is captured in the heartbreak Chani feels over losing Paul and losing her people to the Lisan al Gaib. The Fremen way of life has been eclipsed and over taken by the Atreides and the Bene Gesserit. Here we see more of the concept of that beast devouring the sun from the beginning, verses the celestial couple dynamic.

Chani leaving the residency chamber is also reminiscent of certain myths like Amaterasu going into hiding, or the Inuit folktale about the sun goddess fleeing her moon god brother/lover who pursues her.

However the Dune Encyclopedia also talks about the concept of redemption (which is why in the film Mohiam asks Margot if Feyd is capable of redemption) of the “mate savior”. The Kwisatz Haderach. They would bring about a release from bondage through redemption and rebirth.

Which is relevant to the dynamic of Paul and Chani in Dune Messiah for Denis, because he has said Paul is going to be looking to save his soul in part three, and how Paul and Chani come back together won’t just be explained away off screen between films. It will be that continued cycle of rebirth, through redemptive love. Rebirth as a whole in Dune is worth its own discussion, since all the different Jungian descriptions of it can be found within this universe.

CONCLUSION

The eclipse, a lunar-solar dynamic representing the union of opposites, is very significant in Dune Part Two and sheds a lot of light onto what we can anticipate next in Dune Messiah, particularly in regards to the central romance between Paul and Chani and the changes Denis has made from book to screen.

[azertyrobaz]

The color red. A door closing. Behind it your worst nightmare.

[drag0nashes]

Something I'd like to mention about episode 6 and episode 8 is the fact that Sir Pentious got Redeemed. So why didn't Angel dust? He did all the things that Sir pentious did and does genuinely want to be a better person.

I believe this is because Angel dust's soul belongs to Valentino. Even while he showed the proper qualities to get to heaven, because of this deal he wasn't free to be redeemed, while Sir Pentious (a free soul) was able to go to heaven.

This leaves a good plot for next season. If they find out that Pentious got redeemed then they may figure this out, causing them to work on helping Angel get out of his deal with Val somehow. And possibly leading into Husk and why he's in his deal with Alastor

[scribble333]

So like this is legit proof that redemption was possible all along and Charlie was onto something the whole time, the look on Seras face is fucking pricless, like now you have cold hard proof slapped in your face bitch, what are you gonna say now.

[starogeorgina]

Redemption

Warning: Swearing, smut, hints of violence

Pairing: Ivar × reader

1.01

“Ivar!”

“What?” He whines like a child before placing a soft kiss on your bare hip and pouting up at you, his lips still slightly red and swollen from kissing you so roughly. “I told you I wanted us to have a child of our own,” he states, pushing himself further down the bed so he can have a full view of your own puffy lips. Ivar had a fascination with watching his cum drip out of you. He would often try to push it back in with his fingers or clean you up with his tongue. “I want to see you around with my child, a creation of our love.”

“I know you do.” You let out a soft groan when his finger lightly brushes over your clit. “But I’m so sensitive, I just need a moment to…”

“You’ve spilled too much of my seed,” he says, ignoring what you previously said. “I’ll need to put more inside you if we wish for this to work.”

“Hmm… fuck!” You moan loudly as he places a strong hand on either side of your head before thrusting himself inside you for the third time that evening.

Fucking was one of your favourite things to do, but Ivar would push you to the point of exhaustion with how many orgasms he gave you. He always made sure you came at least once before fucking you into oblivion.

—

You nip at Ivar’s bare chest with your teeth, and he flinches slightly, causing you to giggle. Burying your face into his neck, you mumble, “How long will you be gone for?”

“I am unsure, but I will return to you,” he says, kissing the back of your knuckles, “to our family as a proud man, not as a cripple.”

Shuffling into a more comfortable position on your back, you let out a huff. You understood why Ivar needed to go to England with his father, but you still didn’t like it. Usually you remained close by his side, but being pregnant, you decided to stay behind in Kattegat, despite Ragnar asking you to join them personally. Queen Aslaug had a dream of her husband and son drowning because of a storm, but neither of them cared much for her warning, so you tried not to worry too much; you needed to believe Ivar would always find his way back to you. Letting out a deep sigh, your hand moves to cradle your ever-growing bump.

“My sweet, sweet Drifa, I can see the doubt in your eyes, but I assure you I will not die on this journey.”

“You better not; I’ll need you by my side when I deliver our child. I don’t want to do it alone.”

“You won’t be alone. If I’m not here, my brothers and mother will remain by your side.”

“I know,” you say, toying with strands of fur from the blanket covering your chest, “but they aren’t you.”

Ivar kisses the crown of your head, stroking your hair as you start to fall asleep. There was no possible way he could assure you he wouldn’t die, but he would try to comfort you the best he could. You’d grown up alongside the sons of Ragnar, with your mother and Aslaug being so close, so you’d known Ivar all your life. You had considered him your closest friend before any romantic relationship had developed between you, but the flames of desire had been burning ever since he killed a boy who tried to force himself on you.

It would absolutely break your heart if Ivar didn’t return home.

—

You opened your eyes, scanning the dimly lit room to see where the sound in the distance was coming from. You saw nothing but recognised the heavy breathing as your husband's, so you closed your eyes again. Leaning your head back, you try to enjoy the warmth surrounding your body as Ivar drags himself into the room. You had the slaves fill you with a bath as soon as you woke, scrubbing continuously to wash away the blood that stained your skin. Your thighs and groin were red and raw, but you continued to clean each time you saw the blood from your miscarriage reappear.

It seemed like the right decision at the time to remain in Kattegat, but you were there when the village came under attack and witnessed Lagertha killing Aslaug while her back was turned. Moments later, you fell to the ground, screaming as a pain ripped through your lower abdomen as you lost your unborn child.

Lagertha had spared your life after you attempted to kill her by throwing an ax at her head. She thought that by letting you live, the sons of Ragnar wouldn’t seek revenge for their mother. Oh, how wrong she was.

“They say being in water so warm isn’t good for you, my love.” Your husband says he's propping himself up by his arms, leaning them on the side of the tub so he’s level with you.

You shrug.

“I can have one of the slaves help you get out and dressed if you’re in too much pain.”

Shaking your head, you press your forehead against Ivar’s. To most, he was a sadist and bloodthirsty man, nothing more than a man who craved violence to fill the void in his heart, but he had never treated you with anything but kindness and respect. Ivar found the love he always craved from you in spite of others thinking your relationship would fail. Since Margarethe spread rumors claiming Ivar couldn’t please a woman sexually, the other sons of Ragner enjoyed teasing Ivar, saying it wouldn’t be long until you left him for someone else, not that you ever would.

“No, that won’t be necessary. Besides, I want to stay in here until the water cools down.”

Ivar brushes damp hair behind your ear as tears start to roll down your cheeks. “Perhaps the gods took our child early so that my mother wouldn’t be alone.”

“Perhaps,” you sob. Ivar had been furious upon learning of his mother's death and had sworn to kill Lagertha one day, but he was trying his best to contain his rage around you. “Queen Aslaug deserved better. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop what happened to her, but her death will be avenged.”

“We will have our revenge on Lagertha, but for now we will bid our time. First you will regain your strength, then we will have revenge on those who are responsible for my father's death, and then we will have retribution for what happened to my mother.”

—

A mixture of dampness and thick smoke hung heavily in the air as you stepped outside for the first time in days. Hiding away wasn’t going to change what happened, and you wanted to at least appear strong on the outside. The first person to greet you is Ubbe, who pulls you into a hug. “I’m sorry, Drifa; I know how happy you and Ivar were to finally start a family of your own.”

Hvitserk hugs you next but says nothing. Behind you, Sigurd makes a crude comment about Ivar losing his mommy and then his surrogate mommy right after. You keep your composure, not wanting to give him satisfaction. Sigurd had attempted to seduce you several times since you married his brother, but each time you rejected him, making him bitter towards you.

“That’s enough,” Ubbe snaps.

Irritated, your fingers tap against one of the tables loudly, gaining all of the brothers attention. You narrow your eyes at Sigurd as your fingers slide over the selection of weapons already laid out on the table for the purpose of gutting fish.

“Just ignore him,” Hvitserk says, attempting to calm you down. “My brother is just jealous; he doesn’t even have a woman to stick his cock in.”

“Is that right, Sigurd? You are making jokes at the expense of my dead child because your dick is lonely? I’m sure we could find a nice pig for you.”

His face reddens with embarrassment when his brothers all laugh at him. “You’re nothing but a whore; we all know Ivar couldn’t possibly be the father of that thing that was growing inside you. He isn’t man enough.”

“Do not insult Ivar in front of me!”

“Why? Nobody cares. Nobody gives a shit about a cripple.”

You grab hold of the knife next to you and aim it at Sigurd. The edge of the knife scrapes across the side of his face, cutting it in the process. When Sigurd goes to take a step towards you, Ubbe steps in between you and says, “No more; you’ve upset our sister enough for one day.”

Another reason Sigurd hates you is because his family accepts you as one of their own. Aslaug treated you like a daughter, and his brothers were very protective of you. They admired your loyalty to Ivar.

“I am counting down the days until my husband finally kills you!” You hiss.

Hearing a laugh, you turn your head back to see Ivar observing the scene with a smile on his face. He had managed to crawl so quietly that nobody noticed him sitting on the opposite side of the table from where you stood. He claps his hands in amusement and says, “Isn’t she fantastic? Beautiful and violent.” Ivar licks his lips before sitting back in the chair. “Now, let us begin to plan our next move.”

Ivar motions for you to come over to him; when you do, he guides you till you’re sitting atop his thighs, his arm wrapping around your back while your legs dangle over his. He kisses your cheek and says, “Good girl, your aim is getting better.”

Admittedly, you weren’t the best at welding a weapon or firing an arrow until Ivar decided to teach you. You whisper, “I still think I’ll need a few more one-on-one lessons.”

He smirks before turning his attention to his brothers, who seem unfazed by you sitting on his lap, all aside from Sigurd, whose glare is burning into you.

[foreverneverandalways]

I know I know she married into it, but thought it was worth mentioning her story arc was amazing to me. Whether you can jive with the happy wrap up of an ending or not, watching her get a backbone... priceless.

Long live Juno and her accent... let's be real here. I'll sit in that empty tomb of a house and talk to you 🙂

[kindkiosk]

izzy looking so tired. izzy knowing he made the right choice but just absolutely weary with what it means. walking away from something like that is like killing a part of yourself. and maybe he did in that moment. but i know he's going to grow because of it.

[thieves-never-say-die]

I am begging John Rogers to make an Eliot/Hardison flashback episode

Please. We need it

[autumnmobile12]

Now that Sir Pentious has been redeemed, do you think Heaven is going to let Charlie and co. know that her hotel works and sinners can in fact find redemption?

Or do you think they're going to 'shelve that topic' until they figure out what's going on--*cough, cough* cover up that information because they fear it will cause a panic or something, upsetting the balance of their familiar order, and all that?

Because I kinda really want his arc in Season 2 to be a Prison Break style quest of him and Emily teaming up and desperately trying to find a way to contact Hell and let his friends know that he's alive and well, so to speak. Maybe secretly building a transmitter or something to communicate with Alastor's radio tower.

[foresttoffee]

Was it worth it?

If Angel Dust ever got redeemed, but Husk couldn’t come with him.

[rylie-m]

frat rafe's instagram

[hansdampfinallengassen]

“Redemption.”

Zerxus Ilerez, First Knight of Avalir, and Asmodeus, Lord of the Nine Hells.

[withoutrunes]

Sir Pentious' Death

So there's something glorious about Sir Pentious' death being INglorious.

It proves that redemption isn't about success.

What makes Sir Pentious worthy of Heaven isn't that he hurt Adam with his final attack. That'd be one thing, but this is Heaven, not Valhalla; great and epic feats of warfare are not what earns one a ticket to the Pearly Gates.

It is the courage and willingness to die to save others- i.e. not the act itself, but the decision to perform the act- that is the mark of glory, that evinces the greatness that makes redemption possible.

And we've even seen him develop this courage in a smaller subplot: look how he started out with talking to Cherri in the last episode!

But eventually he got the gumption to tell Cherri how he felt, in the most dramatic way possible.

Sir Pentious changed, and THAT change is what propelled him to make the decision to risk his life- a risk that became entirely real- to save his friends.

Letting Adam wipe out Sir Pentious, beyond being a good way to really establish just how damn STRONG Adam really was, shows that his redemption wasn't about Sir Pentious' success.

It was about Sir Pentious' heart, who he was inside.

And it was enough to earn him not just Heaven, but to appear there before the Seraphim themselves.

And you can see the heart on his design, on his bowtie!

[alpaca-clouds]

How redeeming Gortash would improve Karlach's story

I will admit, that the title is a bit overstated, because by the time you actually get to interact with Gortash, the plot just does not have enough time left to redeem him. Because other than what some folks in Hollywood think: No, giving a character one last minute "heel-face-turn" with one big symbolic act does not in fact redeem a character. Redemption is a process that takes time.

BG3 actually understands this, because Astarion's arc basically ends with: "You took the first steps towards redemption." Which is really good.

However: You could end the game at least in a way to set Gortash up for a possible redemption arc - and more importantly just... not have him die. Because actually that would improve Karlach's character arc.

I will get one thing out of the way first: The entire "Gortash redemption" idea is always contentious on the fact that he is a really bad guy. Like, he is bad. He brutally killed and tortured, he enslaved people, all of that.

I am an anarchist though. Hence, I do not really believe that punishment is in any way just. And to put it differently: Killing Gortash does not undo any of the harm he has caused. Not a single dead person will live through it, not a single tortured person will become untortured through it, and no slave is freed through it either (you kinda gotta say that as the player in a different mission).

And yes, I will say at this point that in general I was iffed by the fact that in many fights of the game I was not given a choice really. It was "either join the bad guys or kill them", and my "all charisma bard", who does not believe in killing for revenge, was like: "But... But..."

Like, my Tav was on board with killing Cazador (because literally in the situation it is "kill Cazador or have 7000 people die") and killing Ketheric (because he needed to die to end the curse), but he is already iffy on Orin (as she never had a choice but to be a killer) and definitely is not on board with killing Gortash (because there is no good reason to do it).

But let me talk about Karlach. Because the thing is... I have seen a lot of commentary on how Wyll is underwritten. And he is. But not as underwritten as Karlach. Like, her entire companion quest basically goes: "Kill some fake paladins, find Dammon, find two pieces of Infernal Iron, kill Gortash (which you have to do for plot reasons either way)". She doesn't really have a dungeon connected to her quest. Nor really an exclusive boss fight, because again: Gortash you kinda gotta fight for the story either way. Nothing really.

Every other character, too, also has to make one hard decision. Where they want one thing - but what is actually the good thing is something else. I wrote about this before, the "become what you hate" decision, basically.

Karlach doesn't. Sure, you could argue that the "die or go back to Avernus" decision is her big decision. But it feels very different than the decisions of the others.

Which brings me to Gortash and saving him.

Here is the thing: Logically speaking Gortash should probably be able to fix Karlach's engine. He understands infernal engines, as he built the Steel Watch around them. You can easily argue that yeah, he should be able to fix Karlach. And that... would actually make for a great decision for Karlach's story.

If I would get to fix Karlach's companion quest, I would probably do it like this: Put in some sort of dungeon where Dammon sends you in the hope that you can find some plans there, that might give him an understanding on how to fix the engine. Heck, if you do not wanna do a whole new dungeon, you could also just put some plans or whatever into the Steel Foundry.

The point is that it will then turn out that, yeah, even with those plans for some reason Gortash is the only one who could fix it. Putting Karlach into the spot to make this decision: Does she value her life more than her revenge on Gortash?

Because here is the thing: Gortash is supposed to be 1) the intelligent one of the dead three chosen, and 2) also clearly is the one who acts first and foremost in some sense for his own self-preservation. Which made me go like: "Nah, this does not make sense," when he decides to fight against me after his Steel Watch was disabled and I already killed the other two chosen.

So, yeah... You should get at least a chance to persuade him to just give up - or, going back to what I was talking about before - to save Karlach.

And again, I actually think that even for the Gortash part of the story it would make for more interesting storytelling. Killing him is not really that interesting.

Especially as, once again, killing him does not undo any of the harm he has caused. But given that he is this big egghead he could actually do something good if he got to live. And yeah, also there is the fact that... You know... Given what we know about his backstory, his actions are about as understandable as those of some of the companions.

Some of you might already know, I have written some fics dealing with the way how I would imagine something like this to go. Mainly Hurt begets Hurt (which is basically my Tav convincing Gortash to give up), An Impossible Future (Karlach inner turmoil after her engine is fixed) and Cheesy Noodles (Gortash being a big meany towards Tav, who is unphased by this).

I am right now writing a story featuring Astarion dealing with a very, very depressed Gortash.

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

Me: I mean, I like Astarion well enough, always good to ahve a tortured morally ambiguous twink around, but I'm not sure I understand why players thirst over him so much. I dunno, maybe he's just not my type?

Me, later: *recruits Minthara in a Good playthrough and facilitates her subsequent redemption arc and bringing out the hidden goodness in her as she learns to see the world beyond power and cruelty and falls for you at the same time.*

Me:

Larian, give my girl more content I swear to God-