thinking about the phrase "kill in sustainable ways." the fact that if you eat meat you should be comfortable with killing. the necessity of Death, Sustainably; the way a creature eats to nourish, and dies to nourish; the way it is kind to let an animal eat well and die quickly; the way you should use every part to make its death as valuable as possible.
thinking about lyctorhood and how john convinced them all it was not murder but a sacred, necessary act. you can see the thought process, you can see the way they reasoned: this will feed, this will heal, this will nourish forever. but a soul is not a body; a soul is not meat. it is not yours to take. it is not yours to feed on.
thinking about campal and their death, sustaining a new life, creating as MUCH new life as is possible from two deaths. and still pyrrha says it is not beautiful. it is not love. because you were there, and now you're gone. you created someone new, and you are still gone.
thinking about gideon. she dies thinking: at least my death will matter. but to harrow, her death is not nearly anywhere as valuable as her life. and who better to know the value of death than a girl whose own power is fueled by it? harrow understands what the lyctors did not, what god cannot. eat me, says gideon, and harrow says no, no, no, you are not mine to swallow. keep your soul, i cannot stomach it. how can we be together when you are silent. how can i call it love if you are nowhere to be found.