I love that the modern-day tumblr post equivalent of chain emails only requires me to reblog a relatively pleasant image instead of forward an email to a bunch of my friends and family members to quell my raging anxiety.
the truth is, i now don't travel back at all, not even for the day. i just try to live every day as if i've deliberately come back to this one day to enjoy it as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life.
So I made a post how Tay-Tay's "I Can See You" fits Conor and Lin? Well, got something better for you: THE CHORUS OF "WILDEST DREAMS". THIS IS BASICALLY CONLIN AT THE TAIL END OF THE RAGPICKER KING.
"Say you'll remember me standing in a nice dress" is SO Lin, and the "Say you'll see me again even if it's just in your wildest dreams" is the PERFECT response from Conor.
The toxic relationship between Kel and Prince Conor in Sword Catcher is ... wow ... something to think about.
Because Kel, as he's so often reminded, is palace property. However, Conor treats him as a brother, a best friend. The loyalty Kel feels is both one of love and duty, though the authenticity of the affection he has for the Prince is clouded because he was quite literally conditioned to put Conor's life above his own.
And Conor's immense privilege has left him ignorant to that fact. To me it’s like he sees Kel as an extension of himself — maybe even his better half. He cannot even fathom why Kel would want his own room or why questioning the idea would make Kel feel guilty for suggesting it in the first place.
Kel cannot even have his own eye color. A fact that Kel mentions so casually that it’s obvious Conor probably didn’t notice the change at all.
Conor’s a good-hearted Prince who simply doesn't grasp the privilege and power he has over people, especially his Sword Catcher, because he feels powerless over his own life.
And it's on full display at the end banquet when Conor doesn't show up because he is sulking over Lin checking his privilege and the mess he made trying to regain his autonomy (while ignoring Kel’s).
Of course Kel would be sent in his place; the Prince is an ignorant dingbat for being surprised at it. It's his duty. He recites his oath even without Conor there to add his defiance of death. And if the assassins weren't able tell the difference, Kel would've been killed in the Prince's stead. As is his duty.
I just don’t think Conor understands the weight of it all even after years of seeing Kel take arrows and swords for him. He hasn’t had to. … Kel is a person, not a shield or toy. But the palace treats him as such, and it is not Kel’s duty to tell the Prince otherwise.
Kel and Conor are so connected, yet so estranged. Two sides of the same coin ... but it turns out it's actually a gold dollar welded to a penny. And yeah. Wow. I’m ranting.
Finished the Ragpicker King, opened Ao3 and to my horror there are only 3 fics???? With less then 1000 words??? How is this possible? I guess I'll just have to reread Sword Catcher again...
Loved this book so much and so I’d decided to break my tumblr silence and share my review. I’d love you discuss with yall so pls DM me if you wanna talk spoilers!!!
5/5: 4.75⭐️ rounded to 5⭐️ What an absolutely incredible sequel! I have been anticipating this book since Sword Catcher was released and i
So I finally read The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare
Lies, Damned Lies And Taxation.
Spoilers ahead for The Ragpicker King:
I try to not have any expectation in my various relationships no matter what kind of connection that is. People come in all kinds and creeds and I want people to be themselves and not feel forced to become somenoe they're not. I do have one rule, or more accurately request, of anyone I know: communicate with me.
It might seem like an obvious one and kind of simple in it's request and that's kind of the point. I value talking through problems and disagreements in order to understand where everyone is coming from and how best to work to a solution that suits all parties involved. This can be difficult but relationships can be difficult at times but I find all of my connections to be vastly easier when we know we can trust each other implicitly.
However, reality can meeting idealism and not always find common ground leading to the need to keep secrets, to lie to someone for their benefit or for the benefit of someone else involved. This is the central tension running through Cassandra Clare's sequel to Sword Catcher, The Ragpicker King.
Kel is stuck between doing the right thing and being honest with Conor; his King, best friend and the one he's been raised to protect with his life. This protection sometimes goes behind standing infront of a sword or taking a poison in place of the intended target - sometimes, it means working outside of Conor's knowledge and blessing with people who are seen as avdersaries of the King's rule.
The monicor The Kind on the Hill and the King in The City is mentioned occasionally and serves as a fitting surmation not only of the political power in Castellane but of Kel's predicament. Sometimes, serving his Prince and King on high also meaning working with the King down below to ensure the structures are not burned down by malevolent elements working to destroy what peace there is.
I think Conor and Lin's relationship is wonderfully written - there are several layers of tension that are dificult for the both of them to navigate and it is clear neither can have what they truly want because of their place in the world, in the hierarchy imposed upon Castellane. They are both products of this power structure and even if Conor exists at the top of this structure, he is equally unable to do what he wants for the benefit of society has been raised to rule over. Lin, by comparison, is restricted by her own class position as an Ashkar - a society of people who do and do not live in Castellane, a people's not just in the margins but completely separate from them. In order to have even a fraction of what she wants with Conor she must give up her live and her people and accept a life not wholely hers.
It would have been easy for Clare to use this as a place of tension and strife, using their class divide not only as motivation and pain for both characters, but also as a way to put them at odds with each other. However, I like how Cassandra Clare allows the character's to talk about their situation and the impossibility of them to overcome these walls that separate them. They do not blame each other for situations of their birth, they come to understand why they cannot simply have what they want no matter how much they want it. It is a deeper conversation than one would expect, defying genre norms not by upending them but by going a layer deeper than usual.
Meanwhile, Conor and Kel's relationship seems to have been broken by the end of the novel by Kel's need to keep the secrets he did. However, the people who understand the wider picture of the oncoming threat to Castellane work to ensure Conor sees what is right in front of him. This leads him to save Kel's life and allow him to work outside of the Hill while making people believe he is dead while thinking Conor has been left entirely alone.
The narrative is one that pushes forward genre expectations while being a compelling story distinguishing itself from the crowd.
