“Evil's for me -- you can have good.
It doesn't suit me to be Robin Hood!”
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HPHM Cardverse developed by @ariparri ♠️
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It was common knowledge in the Kingdom of Hearts that their Queen, Carewyn, had originally been from the Country of Spades. What was less common knowledge was her rationale for leaving home...and the woman who helped spur that decision on in the first place.
Carewyn Cromwell first met the woman who would become known as the Tyrant of Spades while she was still merely the Ace under the previous King of Spades, Coby McQuaid. She sadly hadn’t gotten to know the King very well before his well-publicized assassination, but she had become close to the Jack of Spades, Duncan Ashe, through her brother Jacob. Jacob’s genius intellect had served Duncan and by extension Coby very well, helping spark new reforms and innovations in chemistry, architecture, machinery, and even food preservation, so Jacob was given permission by Duncan often enough to bring his precious little sister to work with him so that he could show her his progress, as well as just to spoil her rotten while she was in the capitol.
It was on one of these outings where Jacob first brought Carewyn up into the royal zeppelin that Carewyn first collided with Patricia Rakepick. The Ace of Spades had been engaged in conversation elsewhere when she caught part of a conversation between the Jack and his companions.
“...is all well and good,” said Carewyn, “but no matter how much we might advance in technology, it’ll be people who will have the power to use it -- many of whom won’t use it wisely.”
“But one man’s advancement will ultimately benefit us all, Wyn,” Jacob said earnestly. “Every new discovery opens up new doorways -- fresh knowledge, to be built on by future generations! With the improvements we’ve made to steam power, we may even be able to make this new power source self-sustainable -- making expensive refueling a thing of the past!”
"Yes...and that is a good thing, Jacob, it really is,” Carewyn said, “but not everyone sees your work as something to improve the lives of the common man. I wouldn’t even say most do. They see it as something they can apply to weapons of war.”
Rakepick’s gaze flickered over her shoulder in the direction of the conversation.
“War?” recurred Duncan, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Where did you hear that?”
“Military officers are very talkative when they think no one’s paying attention,” Carewyn said very coolly. “I suppose they think the ‘pretty little shopgirl’ behind the counter is too empty-headed to care about what they have to say.”
Rakepick turned away to obscure her smile hearing this. This girl is sharp.
“I’m afraid I must cut this short,” she said dryly to the person she’d been speaking to. “Excuse me.”
She turned and made her way over to the corner of the room where Carewyn, Jacob, and Duncan were still talking.
“The court of Spades isn’t really entertaining the idea of war, is it, Ashe?” Jacob asked Duncan. His brows were knit tightly over his eyes. “What possible reason could they have for it?”
“Not a good one,” Duncan said dryly.
“Greed and self-aggrandizement never is,” Carewyn remarked cynically. “That doesn’t mean people don’t still act on it -- especially when we all know that when rich men start wars, it’s the poor who die in them.”
The Jack of Spades was frowning deeply as he considered this.
“...The King has no interest in declaring war on anyone,” he said after a moment. “He’s always sought out peace. However many people in the military might be itching for a fight, they won’t get one, with him at the helm.”
“That’s not good enough!” said Carewyn, her expression deeply troubled. “The King is a noble man...but he can’t trust people like that to do the right thing, if push comes to shove. If the army can’t stand behind him united, then it will crumble from within.”
“I have to agree.”
Duncan, Jacob, and Carewyn all turned, startled, when Rakepick finally entered their circle. Her dark blue eyes surveyed Carewyn carefully as her lips curled up in a small smirk.
“Would this be the famous Carewyn I’ve heard you speak so glowingly of, Master Cromwell?” she asked.
Jacob’s eyes flitted from Rakepick to Carewyn and back.
“...Yes,” he said after a moment.
“Then you would still be in school, Miss Cromwell?” said Rakepick. “How old are you, if I may ask?”
“Fifteen, as of this September,” Carewyn said politely.
Rakepick raised her eyebrows. “Just fifteen? And already quoting the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre. Most impressive.”
Carewyn felt Jacob bring an arm around her, his hand enclosing over her shoulder. Duncan crossed his arms, cocking his eyebrows at Rakepick.
“That’s high praise from the Ace of Spades,” the Jack remarked rather sardonically. “Especially considering that Carewyn was critiquing the army you oversee.”
Rakepick’s eyes flashed in Duncan’s direction. “What can I say, I like seeing young women who aren’t afraid to speak their minds. It rather reminds me of myself, in a way.”
Her eyes drifted back over to Carewyn as she smiled again.
“You and I agree that the army should be loyal to its ruler,” said the Ace. “Tell me -- how would you inspire such loyalty, in the men that you have seen among its ranks?”
Carewyn crossed her arms. Her eyes drifted off out the closest window.
“You can’t inspire loyalty in people who are only out for their own self-interest,” Carewyn answered lowly.
“And yet these are the soldiers we have,” said Rakepick. “Until our whole army is nothing but mechanical soldiers, we must instill some loyalty in them.”
“You can instill obedience, but not loyalty,” Carewyn corrected. “Loyalty is a feeling, more than an action. It’s sincere devotion to someone else -- love, dedication, admiration. It’s respecting the person, or thing, or cause you’re fighting for...honoring them and everything they stand for, even when it’s in direct opposition to what benefits you. Willingly sacrificing for their sake, simply because you want to do right by them.”
Her almond-shaped blue eyes grew a little smaller.
“Those are things a selfish person could never understand.”
Rakepick’s eyes ran critically over Carewyn’s face, even as her lips spread into a broader, yet still rather arrogant smile.
“And so such men could only be compelled to stay and fight out of fear for their own livelihood, not out of duty to someone else. Well reasoned.”
“Madam Ace!”
An attendant had abruptly rushed up to her, carrying a gilded envelope. Rakepick took it from him with an oddly miffed glare, before plastering on another cool smile as she addressed Carewyn again.
“Please excuse me, Miss Cromwell -- it seems my attention is needed elsewhere,” she said crisply.
“Of course, Madam,” Carewyn said with a clipped nod.
Rakepick extended a hand, which Carewyn reluctantly took so she could shake it.
“Thank you for your stimulating conversation,” said Rakepick with a dewy smile. “I sincerely hope that you shall return to the capitol soon, so that we might speak further.”
Carewyn avoided her gaze, instead keeping it on their interlocked hands.
“...Thank you.”
Even after Rakepick released her hand, Carewyn still felt a weird, cold, uncomfortable shudder in her hand -- one that made her want to wash her hand immediately after.
“Be mindful, Carewyn,” Duncan told her very solemnly.
Carewyn looked at him, startled. She’d never heard his voice sound quite so low before.
“Patricia Rakepick is not a person who’s easy to impress,” he said. “She was chosen as Ace for how much fear and respect she’s instilled in the army, so she’s not someone who plays nice with others. And yet it seems she’s taken a real shine to you. Most would say you should consider yourself very fortunate.”
Carewyn’s brows knit over her eyes.
“Would you say I am?” she asked softly.
Duncan’s eyes narrowed on Rakepick’s retreating back.
“...I don’t know,” he said at last.
He looked at Carewyn, his dark eyes oddly grim.
“I know how the Ace of Spades treats those she sees as beneath her. I don’t know anything about how she treats those few people she actually likes.”
~*~
Several years later, Rakepick took control of the Country of Spades, first as a quasi-regent and then as a “Queen” herself. It was this act that prompted many people to refer to her as “the Tyrant of Spades” -- and it was not long after she took full control that her new Jack of Spades, Verucca Buckthorn-Snyde, brought back a rather interesting message from the court of the Kingdom of Hearts.
“Their new Queen has requested an audience with you,” Verucca said coldly, holding out a letter with a red-rose-decked wax seal.
Rakepick scoffed.
“Has she now?” she said with an arrogant smirk.
She handed her glass of red wine to her attendant so she could take the letter from Verucca and rip open the envelope.
“She told me to pass along her disappointment that you would hide behind your courtiers,” Verucca added, her eyes flashing with distaste. “The young lady also made a point to lament that you didn’t have the previous Jack of Spades advocating on your behalf.”
Rakepick’s smirk only seemed to broaden. “Comparing you to your predecessor and insinuating that I’m a coward? That takes real cheek.”
She opened the letter and began to read. Once she did, however, her arrogant smirk slowly faded.
To Her Excellency, the former Ace of Spades and current Queen, from Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts;
Madam --
My counterpart, the King of Hearts, has recently received word that you will abstain from the Passion Ball set to be held at the Palace of Hearts this upcoming winter. Please know that your presence will be felt, if not missed.
I had hoped to speak more cordially in person, but since you’ve seen fit to send others in your stead, these words I have will have to be restrained to just this page. I don’t fully understand the motivations behind your sudden withdrawal from the world stage, nor what you hope to gain by so ruthlessly fortifying your borders -- but whatever they are, I assure you, you make no friends, treating your citizens like prisoners. The world outside sees your actions as cruelty, and although I can glean nothing of how your own people view you thanks to your efforts, I was once one of them, so I can only surmise that they’re similarly displeased. Like any wild beast that yearns to run free, they won’t take kindly to the jailer that has imprisoned them -- so truly, it’s in your best interest to loosen your grip, and set free those whom you’ve imprisoned. Jacob Cromwell would be a good man to start with.
My deepest condolences go out to Duncan Ashe’s family, as well as whatever friends he had that remain at your court. I grieve him as I would a brother, and it disheartens me that you would pick a replacement for him who has no sense of honor or compassion.
Signed,
Carewyn R
Rakepick read over the letter once more, her expression oddly unreadable. Then, when she’d finished, her lips curled up in a much colder smirk than before.
“Take this down,” she said curtly.
The attendant hurriedly scrambled to grab some parchment and a pen so that he could copy what Rakepick said aloud to him,
“‘To Her Majesty, the newly Crowned Queen of Hearts, from her Majesty, the Queen of Spades;
‘Miss Cromwell --
‘I must say, you have impressed me yet again. I always knew you belonged at the court of a royal -- I had merely thought that that court would be mine, rather than in the Kingdom of Hearts. But I suppose it’s as you once said yourself: I could never command any loyalty from you. It’s just a shame that you have seemingly divested yourself of any such loyalty to your home country, as well. But it seems that the world has finally seen the potential I saw in you from the start. A shame that I couldn’t capitalize on it when I had the chance.
‘I regret to say that your brother is no longer in my custody, however much I wish he still was. He disappeared from his cell not too long ago, and I’ve yet to hear any further news of him. If you hear anything of him, I hope that you’ll let me know...but otherwise, I’m afraid I can’t help you.
‘As to my motives, I’m confident in saying that they are the same as yours. I shall protect what’s mine -- just as I’m sure you likewise wish to protect the throne and people you’ve taken as your own. I would’ve extended that same protection to you, had you chosen to stay in Spades. You would’ve made an excellent Ace yourself, if one follows your qualifications for a courtier -- though I might’ve proposed guarding your heart more, in such a role. Such sensitivity is rife to be taken advantage of. And from one Queen to another, I would say it still is, in the role you have now.
‘Enjoy your little ball, Miss Cromwell. Take care not to let your heart run away with you -- your position as Queen ordains you choose your country’s needs over whatever trifles you might seek from me.
Regards,
Her Majesty, Patricia Rakepick, Queen of the Country of Spades.’”
Once the attendant had finished writing the letter and putting it in an envelope with a black wax seal of an upside-down spade, Rakepick gestured for Verucca to take it.
“Bring that back with you when you return to the Kingdom of Hearts,” she said coolly. “And when you give it to her Majesty, be sure to express my regret, that I had to miss her coronation.”
Verucca took the envelope and slipped it into her interior coat pocket, her eyebrows raised sardonically. “Do I detect sarcasm, Patricia?”
“I’m quite sincere,” said Rakepick, though her voice still sounded oddly passive-aggressive. “Miss Cromwell has always been rather disinterested in parties -- I’m sure not having her brother there to keep her company made it quite a bit less enjoyable...”
Her dark blue eyes flashed with a strange glint.
“If she’d only stayed here rather than fled...perhaps then she’d have both status and her family, as she so clearly wishes.”
“Status as a courtier, you mean?” Verucca said coldly. “Don’t think I didn’t catch that you thought to bestow your old position to a mere child.”
“Tone down your condescension, Jack of Spades,” Rakepick answered pitilessly. “That child has advanced to a position most maids her age can only dream of. Your niece included.”
Verucca’s thin lips knit together tightly, but otherwise her face remained very stony as she gave Rakepick a clipped bow and left the room.
Rakepick lounged back on the throne that had once belonged to Coby McQuaid, resting her chin on her hand as she glanced out the closest window.
Perhaps it was fitting that Carewyn ended up a queen in her own right. She’d never sought out any leader to follow or mentor to idolize, even as a mere maid of sixteen. That mature, independent, self-sufficient streak was part of what had reminded Rakepick so much of herself, from the very beginning.
Carewyn Cromwell, like Rakepick, was not meant to follow others. She was destined to be a queen.
So, first of all, MC know him. MC show "oh that you da... DAD?" face, so MC know their father. Also,
As well as Jacob, for sure.
But now look at this little drawing I made during this scence:
MC could see their father, because NOTHING stop her from seeng him (There is no sigh of invisibility cloak, also, before you think about it) - there is even light suppose to show him. Verucca turn her head into another direction, while talking.
So, my question is: how in hell this kind of work was accepted by JC?
do you hear that? It’s the sound of ‘I TOLD YOU SO’ being screamed in the distance
you should have told me you were leaving Merula, I would have packed your bags for you
OH SHIT SHE’S THE HANDLER :O
because she... helped to access the Final Vault? helped get rid of Rakepick? exactly how did she prove herself worthy, and what is the truth she knows?
ah yes, power. as always.
Merula I didn’t like you anyway, how tf do you plan to get me to join R? still, getting MC on board has to be a new term in this deal, considering that Merula tried killing them in year 1. maybe she felt her chances of joining R were threatened by them back then?
well have fun with that, now please never come back.
Is it just me, or was there WAY more content in the chapter than there was for the fucking FINAL VAULT?????????? R wanting to know about MC’s wand and reading habits... They’re trying to get a feel for MC’s personality, their character, how they’ve been approaching the Vaults, or at least that’s my impression.
I’m still not sold that the ‘Final Vault’ wasn’t a dud or something. Maybe it’s actually a trial or test that R concocted for potential candidates? That would actually be an interesting plot twist - badly executed because that chapter fucking sucked - and could really show how ingrained R’s history is with the Cursed Vaults. If the group was formed by the Vault’s Protector’s, creating a phony Vault as a trial for initiates before they attempt to reach the real Final Vault could be a good process for weeding out those who aren’t capable of handling the Final Vault.
Which... does not bode well for MC considering that they got very much stuck in the loop before she pulled them out. Merula must have had some preparation, therefore explaining how she escaped the curse, and she needed to make sure MC made it out too because that’s the deal. MC joins R and she gets the power they’ve promised her. Question is, why would R want a leader who can’t overcome their trial? Because they need MC specifically because of their bloodline? That would make MC more of a figurehead than a leader, but I guess it makes no difference to R. They need MC for a reason, and if that means breaking their own rules, so be it.
Now... Rakepick. As always we come to Rakepick. And maybe I’m once again wandering into my own hc land, but I’ve got Thoughts okay.
Merula was suspicious of Rakepick when she first showed up and never trusted her until that sudden turnabout at the end of Year 5. And with Merula working for R, it adds a layer of new context to her mistrust. Initially, Rakepick’s loyalties are to herself, and she could end up intefering with R’s operation in her search for the Vaults. She’s a threat to R, and thus Merula’s chances of joining them. But then, one day, Merula is told that Rakepick has joined R, and that they will have to work together in the Portrait Vault to set up a chain of events - namely Vault!Jacob’s release, and give MC a reason to go after R and continue pursuing the Vaults.
Merula is livid over this development because Rakepick Can’t Be Trusted and Hasn’t Proven Herself Worthy Yet. She, Merula, has been working hard to get in with R, and Rakepick just has to rock up and she’s in??? Don’t tell me that Merula wouldn’t be furious over that.
Anyways, the Portrait Vault. Merula is in on the Betrayal and knew she was going to be hit with the Cruciatus Curse... but it just further compounds her already existing grudge towards Rakepick, turning it into full-blown hatred. So Merula’s grudge is real, but it’s not because Rakepick ‘betrayed’ the group. It’s all that anger and distrust and jealousy finally reaching their peak, and it makes it real easy for Merula to sell her anger to the others. It’s real, she’s just lying about the precise reason behind it.
The ‘Final’ *cough*Trial*cough* Vault Confrontation? Merula tries to kill Rakepick, even after she’s already been subdued. Why? Maybe to prove herself worthy, maybe to tie a loose end, maybe because Rakepick’s defeat proves her unworthy, maybe to keep the others from becoming suspicious of her. Or maybe Merula just wanted to prove that she was deserving of joining R while Rakepick was not. The fact that Jacob stops her from casting the Killing Curse means that R probably doesn’t want Rakepick dead, and whether she’s trapped in the Final/Trial Vault or sent to Azkaban, they’ll be coming to get her. For good or ill.
Anyway I am dying to hear thoughts on this chapter if only to see what other folks took away from this. Seriously though, please let that lameass Final Vault be a decoy created by R as a means of testing potential recruits and the real Final Vault is in the Black Lake or smth. Pleeeeeeeeeease.
The Circle of Khanna VS Merula Snyde (as penned by Carewyn Cromwell)
Well, this isn’t exactly the Wizengamot courtroom I envisioned. Oh well...all I can do is my best.
“...Good day, esteemed members of the court.”
Of public opinion, I suppose.
“...My name is Carewyn Cromwell. I’m one of five founding members of a student organization that was called the Circle of Khanna.”
And still is. Even with R gone...those bonds are forever.
“The Circle of Khanna was instrumental in the Auror Department taking down the criminal organization R, after winning a decisive battle against its core leadership in the Sunken Vault during my sixth year. It’s also thanks to the Circle helping the Auror Department deal with R that several of the Circle’s members are now in line to take jobs at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement next year, when we graduate.”
Like me.
“...In an...alternate universe, however...one that my Mundane calls the ‘canon plotline’ of a game called Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery...one of that Circle of Khanna’s three founding members -- Merula Snyde -- recently had to face a vote by the other members regarding her continued membership within the organization.”
Merlin, if the Merula I knew had regressed that badly...
“...Given that this set-up has echoes of a trial -- though perhaps without a proper Chief Prosecutor or Witness for the Defense -- my Mundane assigned me the task of examining this case with the scrutiny I would give it as an aspiring lawyer. I’ll attempt to play the role of both Prosecutor and Witness to a degree, weighing out both sides of the issue to the best of my abilities...and trust me when I say that I’ll do my very best to treat the ‘Merula Snyde’ addressed in this case as completely different to the one I’m familiar with.”
It shouldn’t be too hard -- Merula has always been selfish, but she was never stupid.
“I’ll use screenshots my Mundane has provided me of game playthroughs by a ‘Youtube user’ she calls ‘I-GGames’ -- ”
I know this must be something Muggle, but damned if I’ve ever heard of it...
“ -- to support my case, in the place of witness testimony or collected Pensieve memories.”
“Now then...let’s start with the charges. What has Merula Snyde done that now violates her membership, in the eyes of the other members of the Circle of Khanna?”
Ugh, to think there could be any reality where Merula would join the likes of R...
“...Yes. As stated, the point of contention against Merula Snyde is this -- that she’s currently part of a secret student organization that was specifically formed to protect themselves and the rest of Hogwarts from the likes of the secret criminal organization known as R -- ”
“ -- while being an active member of said criminal organization herself. Not for the sake of espionage or sabotaging R from the inside...but actually helping them, by carrying out their dirty work and orders...even against one of the Circle of Khanna’s own members.”
Corey Hayden actually being part of the Circle is kind of strange...I mean, he’s perfectly amiable, but he had no clue about R, that whole time. But I suppose this isn’t the Corey I know, just like this isn’t the Merula or the Circle I know...
“Arguably even two, since the whole reason R even ordered the defendant to kidnap Corey Hayden in the first place was supposedly so that ‘MC’ and ‘R’s Leader’ could meet and the second could start trying to coerce the first into joining R too.”
This is R’s Leader, in this reality? ...This is officially weird.
“...So...now that we have our charges, how does our defendant plead?”
“...She...guilt-trips the person delivering the charges to her for not trusting her with the Circle’s activities after thoroughly abusing both that person and the Circle’s trust...and then proceeds to get offended when the group she betrayed tries to hold her responsible for her actions.”
Typical.
“...All right. Let’s try to be fair here. Clearly this response is more motivated out of shock and pain than anything, and the defendant is just the type to bite back with anger when hurt, rather than actually reflect and try to address past mistakes.”
So this Merula Snyde is like Merula back when she was still a bratty eleven-year-old. Good to know.
“And yet the defendant has, as of yet, made no attempt to accept responsibility or make amends for the abuse of trust she made against the Circle of Khanna. When challenged on kidnapping Corey, she instead diverted the conversation, trying to paint MC as ‘the same as her’ simply because they likewise withheld information from the Circle -- in this case, about them being related to R’s Leader.”
“And yes, although I will grant that information is something the Circle deserved to know and MC really had no good reason to withhold it from them...particularly considering that R’s Leader has hardly been any sort of parent to them and was directly responsible for the organization threatening their and their friends’ lives and actually taking both Duncan and Rowan’s lives...that truly is irrelevant to the case at hand. Because Merula Snyde is not having her membership revoked because of her lying -- it’s because of her active membership with R and complicity in their activities. Even while knowing full well of their involvement in Rowan’s death and in sending the white-robed wizard to hurt both her and MC. Even while knowing of Patricia Rakepick’s criminal involvement with them. Even after claiming, when confronted earlier that year about her supposed membership and given the chance to play double agent, that she was done helping R.”
“So the question must be asked -- why would Merula even want to remain with the Circle, if she’s made her true allegiance clear?”
Oh, for goodness’ sake...
“...So. We come to the crux of the defense case in favor of Merula Snyde --
“‘The defendant is not evil -- she's just a complete and total idiot.’
“Putting aside the fact that a witch raised with knowledge of Dark magic would know full well how dangerous Unbreakable Vows are...as well as that Verucca Buckthorn-Snyde was a relative who would only ever ‘pop in’ to see the defendant now and again and therefore hadn’t developed any particularly strong bond with her that would merit such trust...not to mention that it would be easy to try Verucca Buckthorn-Snyde for attempted murder, considering she forced a minor to make a magical contract that could result in her death... I have three very important questions, regarding this Unbreakable Vow.
“One, when did the defendant make this Vow? Was it before or after she knew R was responsible for Rowan’s death?”
“So if I have this correct, Merula Snyde made an Unbreakable Vow to her aunt without knowing she was in R, a year before Rowan died. There’s a problem with this testimony, which we’ll get to in a minute, but for now, we’ll take it at face value. What’s not clear from this account is when Merula Snyde figured out Verucca was part of R...but we know at the very least she knew at the end of her sixth year, as MC overheard Merula say this -- ”
“So by Merula Snyde’s own timeline, she knew that she was serving the criminal organization that was responsible for Rowan’s death and that the Circle of Khanna was formed specifically to oppose for an entire year. Keep that in your head for the rest of this discussion. Merula Snyde had full awareness of all of this -- her aunt’s manipulation of her, the full terms of the Unbreakable Vow and its connotations, her forced alignment with the criminal organization that sent Rakepick to kill Rowan -- for an entire year.
“But moving onto our next question.
“Two -- what are the exact terms of this Unbreakable Vow?”
‘True family?’ Who even talks like that?
“Now I hope I’m not being too presumptuous...and truly, I don’t say this to be too demeaning toward either Ms. Buckthorn-Snyde or the defendant...but I’m seeing loopholes galore in this particular statement without any effort, and I’m frankly shocked that a Slytherin like Merula Snyde would be oblivious to them.
“The first and most glaringly obvious is the phrase ‘true family.’ Anyone who knows what family truly is knows that its core tenant is selfless love -- and most assuredly, Verucca Buckthorn-Snyde knows nothing of that. Even the defendant herself stated that the Circle of Khanna is all she really has, since they would never treat her the way her aunt did. They’ve protected, supported, and encouraged her, the way Ms. Buckthorn-Snyde never has. Therefore, it’s not hard to see that the ‘true family’ in Merula’s life is the Circle of Khanna, or more specifically, the friends she’s made among their ranks, not Verucca. Even the defendant herself seems to be somewhat aware of this loophole, because she uses very similar wording when talking to someone she thinks is a random R member -- ”
“But even if someone doesn’t want to follow that logic -- because truly, if that were the case, wouldn’t the defendant have died, once she’d betrayed the Circle’s trust? -- Ms. Buckthorn-Snyde is not Merula Snyde’s only family. Her parents are still alive, even if they’re in Azkaban. Hell, if Merula got married and/or had or adopted any children, they would also be her family. Even if someone else adopted her into their family, those people would also fulfill the Vow’s instructions. She could truly be loyal to whichever family was her ‘true family.’
“This is not the only loophole I can see in this wording, however. Another big one involves the concept of loyalty. Loyalty is about one’s relationship to another person -- one’s feelings, in support of another person. It can be partnered with, but is not identical to, obedience, which involves doing what you’re told. So just because Merula is loyal to her aunt should not have to mean doing whatever R says...because, one could argue, as long as R exists, the Ministry will hunt Ms. Buckthorn-Snyde down for being one of its members. The defendant could just as easily work to stop R while still protecting and caring for her aunt. There are plenty of occasions where you sometimes have to work against what someone wants you to do for their own benefit -- for instance, if someone you love is drunk, you may choose to not buy them another drink.”
“So yes, within the span of perhaps a few minutes, I’ve already found multiple ways to circumvent this particular Vow in a way that could help the affected party sabotage R. When the defendant herself -- as a reminder -- had at least a year to do so, but did not act out on any of them. Which brings us to my final question...
“Three -- why didn’t the defendant tell anyone any of this?
“Clearly since Merula Snyde is telling MC this information now, there’s nothing preventing her from sharing the terms of her Unbreakable Vow. She does claim that she couldn’t tell MC ‘the truth’ until they met R’s Leader -- ”
“-- but entire days have passed since then. Why didn’t Merula Snyde tell MC the very first moment she could? Or better yet, if you want to play around with loopholes some more, why not tell someone besides MC? Why not tell another member of the Circle of Khanna? Or what ‘truth’ is the defendant not allowed to tell, exactly? The truth about MC’s relation to R? Merula’s membership? It’s never specified. As another loophole, you could tell MC one lie for every truth and make it glaringly obvious what’s true and what’s not -- the terms never required that you lie convincingly. ‘I was forced to make an Unbreakable Vow by my aunt and I’ve watched every episode of Star Trek in existence.’
“Because here’s the big problem with the defendant’s timeline that I mentioned earlier -- she had the perfect opportunity to tell us about her Vow before, when she was supposedly coming clean about her membership with R. MC even challenges Merula Snyde on this point -- ”
“So let’s look back on that confrontation, shall we? MC asked Merula about her involvement with R -- they even explicitly said this -- ”
“And yet the testimony the defendant gave then is nothing like the account she’s given here.”
‘Slipping information’ -- right -- information besides anything that would actually be useful to stopping R or bringing them to justice...
“...In this meeting, Merula Snyde had a golden opportunity to give MC and by extension her other friends in the Circle of Khanna some inkling of the trouble she was in and how unwilling of a participant she was in R’s activities...and instead, she told a story justifying her joining R, as if it was something she chose for herself. That cannot be something outlined in the terms of the Unbreakable Vow set down by her aunt. Truly, even now, I struggle to understand the logic behind such a lie. I don’t see how much of anyone would sympathize with the thought process outlined by the defendant -- namely, ‘I felt weak, so I joined the criminal organization that made me feel weak and scared in the first place, even if my enemy worked for them and killed one of my classmates on their orders’...but if the defendant truly had come to the...belated conclusion that her friends’ safety was more important than obeying R, why did she obey R in kidnapping Corey so as to lure MC? Why did she make no further effort after coming to this conclusion to actually take down R? Why did she not try harder to help the Circle of Khanna learn the whole truth, rather than actively try to dissuade MC from trusting Corey Hayden and only relying on Merula Snyde herself for support?”
Pot calling the kettle black.
“After all, as the defendant herself said at one point -- ”
“So why is it that Merula Snyde didn’t find a way to share her secrets with MC, Corey, and the rest of the Circle, rather than only keeping more and more of them and yet expecting universal trust from others? Perhaps it’s the same reason she got so offended at the idea that the Circle of Khanna doubted whether she should remain a member -- the defendant expects to be forgiven for her actions without having to put in any of the legwork to earn that forgiveness. Even just expressing any remorse for her actions didn’t even occur to her until she was put in a position where she’d lose her place in the Circle of Khanna.”
“In other words, she’s sorry now that she’s facing consequences and blow-back for her behavior. She’s not sorry for the behavior itself. And this is ultimately the biggest problem with the argument that the defendant is only guilty of being criminally stupid. Because if she was actually sorry for having done anything she’d done, she wouldn’t have acted like this when she was kidnapping Corey Hayden.”
“The defendant was forced to join the bad guys? Well, here, she played the part to a tee. No one can argue that this kind of talk was required by Verucca Buckthorn-Snyde’s Unbreakable Vow. If all that was required was kidnapping Corey and making MC follow, the defendant signaling she was doing it under duress would’ve brought MC running. Instead, there is flat-out satisfaction here. And even after the whole thing went down, the defendant still expresses no remorse. Even when asked to explain herself, both before MC and before the Circle of Khanna, she merely does that -- explain her actions. In other words, justify and excuse them. She does not apologize. She does not say she was wrong. She does not say she’ll try to make things right. She doesn’t even take enough responsibility to say there was more she could’ve and should’ve done, to stand by the people she said herself were ‘all she had.’
“Merula Snyde trusted her aunt Verucca -- a woman who she had no reason to trust at all, given their history -- to make her powerful enough to defeat Patricia Rakepick. And yet she never, not for a single instant, all the way up until she was in the position to lose something she wanted -- namely, her place in the Circle of Khanna --...ever trusted her friends. Even though she knew full well they would help her, if she went to them. Even if she knew full well they’d understand her rationale, if she came clean sooner. Even though she knew that however dangerous R was, she had a better chance of fighting back against them with the Circle’s help, rather than alone, or just with MC and Corey.”
I know I shut everyone else out after what happened in the Portrait Vault, but...but Rowan’s death proved to me how wrong that was. Rowan’s death proved none of us could face this threat alone...nor should we...
“...I myself...have always had trouble trusting others to help...but even I can’t understand that thought process. To trust someone who clearly has never loved you enough to make an Unbreakable Vow with them -- particularly after you were so cruelly betrayed by a mentor you truly respected and trusted...that alone is staggering. But to then express no shame or remorse for not trusting those people who do care about you and your safety...especially after that lack of trust on your part resulted in you kidnapping somebody, just to try to force someone else to join the organization you were forced to join...it baffles me.”
“...In the end...I have to reiterate Talbott’s argument from earlier on. The Circle of Khanna was founded to stop R. Merula is part of R, and she made no substantial effort to try to halt their dealings in the entire year she knowingly worked as one of their pawns. In that year, she never sought out loopholes to the Vow’s wording. She never sought out legal help from the Ministry. She never leaked any information useful enough that they led to any consequential arrests of R members. She had plenty of opportunity, both before and especially after being enlisted as a double agent for the Circle of Khanna. And even upon being confronted with her betrayal of her friends’ trust, she expressed no remorse or shame for any of her actions until such words could earn her enough sympathy that she’d keep the position in the Circle of Khanna that she places such value in. But truly, why does she even value it at all? Because it’s been made very clear she no longer places value in the Circle of Khanna’s purpose, nor its members, since she wouldn’t even try to use her cunning to circumvent R enough to protect them. What Merula Snyde values, apparently, is the safety of her friends within the Circle. She said herself that the reason she didn’t like working for R was because her friends were getting hurt -- most relevantly, Ismelda Murk, who got stuck in the crossfire of one of R’s less-thought-out missions.”
How unfortunate it is that the R I had to deal with had my grandfather calling the shots, rather than someone as incompetent as this. Then again, it seems the Auror Department is likewise much more incompetent, if they couldn’t take him down a lot sooner...
“But here’s the rub -- Merula’s friendships are not at risk here. She still has plenty of support among the Circle’s membership.”
“The defendant has what she wanted anyway. There are still people who care about and support her, even despite everything. There are just other people she’s hurt who won’t forgive what she’s done so easily -- and even then, any decent person would see that as a chance to try to make amends and make up for one’s past mistakes, not a flat-out rejection. Forgiveness doesn’t always come easy, but it’s not impossible. And even if that person were to never forgive you, it still behooves you to try to make things right. It’s particularly justified since these are people you claim to care about, want to protect, and see more like family than your actual blood aunt. And at present, Merula Snyde has not properly contradicted the charges laid at her feet -- namely, that she no longer stands for what the Circle of Khanna was founded upon. She has not shown her commitment to defeating R, rather doubled down on fulfilling their orders without any remorse or attempt to re-earn the Circle’s trust.”
For all of her many...many faults...the Merula I know wouldn’t do this. She would never just mindlessly obey someone without question...especially anyone aligned with the likes of R...
“...Therefore...there is only one choice that, in my opinion, seems just, in regards to Merula Snyde’s place in the Circle of Khanna...
“Merula Snyde should be removed from the Circle of Khanna’s membership.
“She should no longer be privy to any more of its intelligence regarding R, nor should she have any further say in the Circle’s activities. Should she require help in protecting herself against R, perhaps one of her remaining friends in the Circle’s ranks will speak out on her behalf, just as they could anyone else R’s threatened...but Merula Snyde has forgotten that the Circle of Khanna was formed in the memory of Rowan Khanna -- to stop R from hurting anyone else -- not for her own sake. It can more than function without her, or any of its founding members, if push came to shove. Even MC themselves isn’t necessary for the Circle to live on. MC’s blindness regarding R’s Leader and almost purposeful ignorance regarding his true intentions for them certainly make them a bit more than a liability.”
Even the Circle I know...they didn’t need me, or Bill, or Charlie, Ben, and Merula. I’m glad they fought with me -- I’m grateful they did...
“...The cause the Circle of Khanna was built on...and the lives of the people who chose to fight for it...are far more important than the membership of a single person.”
Giving it some thought...but I reckon the only way for the game to “save” canon!Merula at this point is for Merula to have really been the Director the whole time in Chapter 38, the same way she masqueraded as Tonks. It would certainly explain why she seemed to regress back to “overly-mean!year-1!Merula” a bit. (Though that also is well-explained by Jam City frequently making Merula regress in personality throughout the game, like having her join R in the first place for power even though, yeah, you SAW RAKEPICK KILL ROWAN KHANNA ON THEIR ORDERS.) And if the game follows the angle that she and Merula are related, that might explain the Director knowing enough about MC and Merula’s relationship that she knew a bit more about which buttons to push, like Rowan’s death, since Merula likely told her about them at some point. (Maybe this is the aunt that sometimes “pops in” on Merula at home??)
The thing is, though...the fact that it took me really thinking about this before considering it a possibility, even though the “Metamorphagus impersonating our friend” thing was literally established earlier this same year, is almost sad, in a way. Because Merula’s writing is so inconsistent and MC treated her behavior as so normal that her turning on MC to advance herself doesn’t seem out of character, for most fans. And it seems like Merula should have had enough of an arc by this point that we all wouldn’t immediately assume the worst. I mean, congratulations, Jam City, if you end up surprising us with this twist...but again, the fact that Merula wouldn’t stab us in the back, even after everything we’ve been through and some of our MC’s have even started dating her, would be a twist is kind of tragic. Also this still wouldn’t fix how much Ben and the rest of the Circle of Khanna should’ve been involved in this storyline the entire time. Unless Jam City wants to actually USE all those battle animations they put the work into in year 6 in a final confrontation between R and the Circle of Khanna one year later, but I’m not holding out much hope.
you said before that you reckon that the only way for the game to save Merula would be to have it actually be the director the whole time in chapter 38, but this chapter shows it was the real Merula who kidnapped Corey and not Verucca so do you think she can’t be salvaged anymore? i think JC will probably redeem Merula at some point, it doesn’t really seem like they’d have her betray MC for good in my opinion.
I agree, Jam City will almost certainly try to redeem Merula. She's too popular of a character and dating option for them not to. But as much as Jam City might try, I don't think there'll be much they can do to try to rationalize Merula's choice, aside from the old "oh, but she was my family, I had to do what she said" nonsense. And yeah, that would be a pretty damn weak reason, especially for someone like Merula, who has always had such strong ambition focused solely on herself. Even when we heard her talk about her aunt, she says that she just "pops in" -- that she doesn't live with her, and that Merula thinks that's reasonable, considering how people act about the name "Snyde." Clearly it's established these two aren't close, and unlike with Rakepick, Verucca doesn't even seem to give Merula any validation either. This doesn't seem like a person who the character we've established would go out of her way to seek the approval of.
I've already developed my own Merula in my own canon, one that's completely disconnected from the Merula in the game from the creation of the Circle of Khanna onward, and that's the version of Merula I'm sticking with. This Merula is my girl Carewyn's foil in every way -- a selfish, blunt, insensitive anti-hero -- and she goes through an arc of her own after Rowan's death, just as all the other founding members of my version of the Circle of Khanna do.
Carewyn learns that isolating herself and refusing to trust the ones she loves with the truth will only hurt both them and herself in the long term.
Bill learns that he can't just put a strong face on and try to soldier through -- that sometimes he has to face that pain head-on, to overcome it.
Charlie learns that people will abuse your trust and so you can't trust everyone, but that doesn't mean they're beyond saving or forgiveness.
Ben learns that being brave isn't about never being afraid or doing dangerous things, but about standing up for others even when you're afraid.
Merula learns that -- however much she might try to deny it due to her own pride -- she cares about the people around her and she doesn't want them to get hurt. She learns that she is different from who she used to be, because along the line, she has somehow learned how to care about the well-being of others to the point that she would fight to make sure that no one else gets hurt. And this includes Carewyn, who she's always resented. Merula learns that she has more ambitions than just to be "the Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts" -- that she wants to prove the nay-sayers wrong -- that she wants to surpass her parents and be greater than them -- that she wants to take down Rakepick and R because they threaten her own self-preservation as well as the safety of those around her, as long as they are free. In other words...my Merula learns that she'd be better than the likes of R, all on her own.
