mrsdiorama

[mrsdiorama]

About narratives: the story of Sarcean, Anharion and the Collar.

Ok soooooo I finished Dark Heir and I have THOUGHTS.

This could be my delusional mind speaking BUT I firmly believe that the whole thing about the Collar and the relationship between Sarcy and Anharion depicted in the story written and established by the winners (the Lady's faction) and Gauthier is far from the truth and a lot more complex and fascinating.

More ramblings under the cut!

Putting all the hints given in DH aside for the moment (I will discuss them later) for me the biggest red flag about these narratives is the way Anharion is depicted in both.

This is a little twisted but it’s something I’ve been thinking about since DR, so let me elaborate.

In DR, the Stewards DON’T know about the Collar. James himself admits that he found out about it from Sinclair, and so the Stewards are convinced that James/Anharion had willingly betrayed the Lady’s side, becoming willingly Sarcean’s lieutenant and his lover.

Gauthier instead reveals a more twisted version of the story.

It’s clear that the two narratives are in contradiction with each other: the one told by the Lady’s faction and echoed throughout the centuries among the Stewards doesn’t include the knowledge of the Collar, and it entirely blames Anharion for his deeds and his betrayal; Gauthier’s version instead, serving for the readers as an introduction to the existence of the Collar, specifies that Anharion didn’t have any agency.

So, which version is the true one? Neither of them, because both, as it often happens in history, took the truth, and twisted it to serve its own purpose.

Let’s start with the narrative ‘written’ by the Lady.

My biggest doubt about it is why the f*ck it seems that A LOT of people outside the Hall know about the Collar. Gauthier knows about it because his ancestor was the one who stole it, but Sinclair? Let’s hypothesize that he knew about it from Kettering. Kettering knows about it because he is a Returner, so someone who was THERE, in the Old World. It’s not a stretch then to theorize that the existence of the Collar and its power was somehow known in the past.

And in DH, the presence of the chain attached to the throne in the Sun Court, where EVERYONE could see it, hypothetically ( and I underline this because I don’t trust ANYTHING of what we saw in the Undahar for it was the Sun King’s court before Sarcean’s) linked to the Collar around Anharion’s neck, makes me think that the Collar and its power weren’t such a well-kept secret.

So, the whole “the Lady’s side didn’t absolutely know about the Collar” narrative is a bit sketchy at this point. I believe someone knew at some point, so why would they iterate this version of the story, instead of depicting Anharion as a victim and blaming Sarcean for it?

Well, the answer is simple: damnatio memoriae. The version of the story known at this point had been written by the Lady’s faction, so of course her enemies are painted in the worst light possible. Anharion’s memory is, in my opinion, even more tainted by this narrative than Sarcean’s one; we don’t even know his true name. It didn’t matter that he could have had reasons for his actions: he went against the "good side" and chose the dark, the end.

This narrative is not interested in reporting the truth. Its purpose is to celebrate the Lady as a Saint figure and vilify her opponents, disregarding their reasons, their feelings, their insight of the events entirely.

So, it’s not so difficult to believe that underneath all the twists and the lies, in this version of the story there is a grain of truth; that, in a way, Anharion did betray willingly the Lady. Maybe he understood that the so righteous Lady was, in fact, not that pure and good. Maybe, at the culmination of the fight, he somehow hesitated to kill Sarcean, because he was a human being, not just a cold hearted betrayer. All factors that would of course be excluded from this narrative, for they would expose the Lady’s true face.

At this point this is all but speculations, but one thing is certain, and this takes us to the second point: it’s canon that Anharion had feelings for Sarcy. Before the Collar.

I would not call it ‘undying love’ at this point of the story, but the affection is there. Palpable, visible, corporeal in glances and words. This is, like, a HUGE revelation.

Because this proves that the narrative told by Gauthier is not the truth either!

While I believe that the Collar has some kind of power (I’ll explain this too), in the Gauthier’s version of the story, it’s clear that the emphasis on the submitting part of this power comes from the desire to possess Anharion, from the (false) conviction passed on for generations that whoever put it around his neck would master him. I suspect it consumed not only Gauthier himself, but also every member of his family who owned the Collar before him.

In the end both narratives, pushing for their own agenda, give an insight on the relationship between Sarcean and Anharion not only false but also humiliating for Anharion, for he is depicted as a selfish, cold hearted betrayer where his own agency is totally dismissed (and not even mentioned) in one, and a plaything slave of the Collar in the other.

The truth is far more complex than this, of course, and the one million dollar question about it is then: how much influence did have the Collar on the true nature of their relationship?

In these days I have read a lot of theories about this. One of my favourites is the one depicting the Collar as a mere object of fashion without any power and Anharion not only conscious but also willing the whole time and the fact that this may be hinted in the text makes me feel unhinged (if this is true, you will hear me screaming about it for years)

In my opinion, and I will believe this until I read the third book, the Collar has some kind of power on James/Anharion but not in the way it has been described so far. This is but a mere speculation for the moment, but maybe this power leans more on binding Anharion’s magic to Sarcean’s than controlling his free will or feelings. (this bit in DH is soooo interesting!!!)

I’m convinced that the Collar cannot create something that is not there and that underneath its power, it’s clear that Anharion had conflicted feelings for Sarcean, he always had, because James REMEMBERS feeling this even with the Collar:

This means those conflicted feelings are still there and are not magically morphed by the Collar into pure and simple obedience and that whatever Anharion felt was real, whatever James feels is real, contradictions and all.

We still know so little about this two at this point, and since Pacat really loves plot twists, I believe that their real story will come out in the end and that Will and James will achieve what their past selves couldn’t had, unravelling the conflicts and the misunderstandings between them, and conquering the freedom they search in each other’s arms to be just Will and James.

I had fun writing this, please feel free to give me your opinion on this!

(PS. I think I needed to specify that this whole rambling is focused on Anharion’s feelings. What about Sarcy? I believe his feelings were a deadly cocktail of desire, affection, possessiveness, admiration and horny thoughts, like the disaster babygirl he was, thanks for your attention)

#dark heir #dark heir spoilers #oh my god

[mrsdiorama]

I'm so hurt I'm cryingggggggg

I still have Dark Heir brain rot and I can't stop thinking about Will: a literal unwanted child, whose mother tried to kill him at birth and then once that failed, abused him for over a decade.

The whole time in the book he was trying to help everyone and they were all so brainwashed that they wanted him dead.

#dark rise #dark heir #dark heir spoilers #will

[mrsdiorama]

dark heir was a gay comedy

#dark heir #dark heir spoilers #cs pacat #dark rise #visander #phillip #LMFAO

[mrsdiorama]

#dark rise #dark heir #cs pacat #c.s pacat #sarcean #anharion #will kempen #james st clair #art

[mrsdiorama]

Also, I've finished reading Dark Heir... 😳

#dark heir #dark rise #sarcean #anharion #art #SO BEAUTIFUL

[mrsdiorama]

Can we talk about how, when Anharion and the Lady arrest Sarcean in Will's vision, Sarcean says to them:

And then, when James arrives in the palace and stands alongside Visander in Katherine's body, Will says:

Punch me in the throat, why don't you, Pacat.

#dark rise #dark heir #dark heir spoilers #will kempen #sarcean #anharion #james st. clair #visander

[mrsdiorama]

what's so refreshing about will as a character is that he doesn't throw a denial tantrum about it at any point like most characters with Darkness Within Them do. he's not a moral paragon, his angst and secretkeeping don't get annoying at any point. and i think it's because there's no contrast between who will Really Is, which is Good and True, and the dark king as his shadow or his dark self.

will is the dark king. he behaves like the dark king. he lies and he manipulates and he's a "sneak" and he's scaringly charming and he's possessive over james and a ton of other messed up shit and he tells himself it's for a good reason, and maybe it is!! and will is clearly you know. a Good Person. while his methods are sneaky, he does not actually do anything wrong. but those are his methods still, and they are cool moments and badass and also kind of eerie.

with the way he's written, i would argue will doesn't have or even need a corruption arc, he's just like that from the get-go and he's not gonna change. and i don't mean he was born evil or whatever other bullshit i mean that he was born a full person, including the dark king and will both, and there's complexity, but no clear line separates them.

#dark rise #dark heir #dark heir spoilers #will kempen #this is so true!!! #exactly what i was thinking while reading #this is the reason why i loved him so much

[mrsdiorama]

“James lay like a sleeping Ganymede, his enervated beauty belying the cruelty and destruction he rained down on the Stewards” —CS Pacat, Dark Heir

#cs pacat #dark heir #will kempen #violet ballard #james st. clair #dark heir spoilers #dark rise #SO CUTE ADFDADGGDSSGH

[mrsdiorama]

Does anyone else think the Elder Steward knew what Will is - knew the entire time and took him in because she believed that Sarcean turned out the way he did because of how he was treated and not because he was inherently evil?

I’d put money on there being a huge moment of catharsis for Will in book 3 when he finds this out. It’s a good explanation for the continued existence of the Elder Stone, too. It’s going to be used again in book 3 and I think this will be the conversation he ends up having with it/her.

#dark rise #dark heir #cs pacat #elder steward #will kempen #HE IS JUST A BOY

[mrsdiorama]

Seeing him now, Will felt lost forever to the knowledge that James was all he had wanted in his past life, and could never possess in this one.

#dark rise #dark heir #willjames

[mrsdiorama]

who remembers this run bts episode?

I don't remember the context but there was a moment where jin said "Be quiet, friends with no aesthetic sense" (조용히 하세요 미적 감각이 없는 친구들아)

I noted down his words bc i thought it was funny but now i don't remember anything about this ep. I've been trying to find it for a long time someone help aslkdjaslkd

It's most likely within the first 85 eps, i didn't watch the more recent ones.

If no one remembers it i will have to watch all the eps from the beginning pleaseee help

#run bts #bts #bangtan #seokjin #namjoon #jimin #jungkook #hoseok #taehyung #yoongi #run! bts #tumblr i'm trusting you please #i'm actually going insane

[mrsdiorama]

𝗐𝖾'𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗐𝗈 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽𝗌 𝖺𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍 — ♡ 𝗈𝗋 𝗋𝖻.

#yeonjun #soobin #txt

[mrsdiorama]

#yeonjun #txt

[mrsdiorama]

YEONJUN  — SUGAR RUSH RIDE; Music Bank (230127)

#I LOVE GLITTER SO MUCH #glitter #txt #srr #yeonjun

[mrsdiorama]

(230129 | inkigayo) soobin ✜ “sugar rush ride” ending fairy [fancam]

#srr #soobin #txt

[mrsdiorama]

tgcf ad hualians

#xie lian #tgcf #hua cheng #heaven official's blessing

[mrsdiorama]

I'm in love with this song and this translation made me understand and appreciate it more ♡

Twilight | ChroNoiR

歌詞と英訳 Lyrics and English Translation

夜じゃないよ 目を閉じているだけ あけてごらんよ 何も見えないから

It's not night Your eyes are just closed Open your eyes and look Because you can't see anything

ここは海の底 朝も夜も変わらないけど 大丈夫　この先もずっと 僕だけが　小さな灯りをともしてあげる

This is the bottom of the sea There's no difference between morning and night It's okay, from here on always Only I will shine a small light for you

トワイライト　止まらない 時を漂うカレント トワイライト　こわくない こわいねと言い合えてるから 僕しか君を見ていないよ だから君は僕から目を絶対逸らさないで

Twilight, ceaseless Currents drifting through time Twilight, it's not scary Because we're able to say "It's scary" to each other I'm the only one watching you So you must not look away from me

遠くから 光は見えるから 天敵にだって 見つかりやすいのさ

From far away Light is visible So for the natural enemy It is easy to find

いつでも背中を 狙うやつらに追われている 千切れても生えてくる腕は 元通り　泳いでいるけど 痛みは消せない

I'm always being chased By those targeting me Even if my limb gets torn off it grows back I am swimming like before But the pain is still there

トワイライト　バカみたい 虚像も真実も嫌悪 トワイライト　終わらない 闇に溺れたくなる日でも 君の目に映る僕の 灯りがまた僕を照らしてくれる 君だって希望だ 希望だ

Twilight, foolish Pretenses, reality, loathing Twilight, unending Even on days I want darkness to swallow me up My light reflected in your eyes will shine back on me You are hope Hope

たまたま君の隣に立ったんだ はたまた僕の隣に立ったんだ ほんとは寂しかったんだ

By chance I stood next to you or you stood next to me In truth it was lonely

トワイライト　トワイライト やわらかい　あたたかい

Twilight, twilight Soft, warm

トワイライト　止まらない 時を漂うカレント トワイライト　それでも 僕らはたしかに生きている １つにはなれないけど 照らし合って影重ねよう 目を　開けたままで そっと　夢を見よう

Twilight, ceaseless Currents drifting through time Twilight, even then We are definitely alive We can't be together, but We can illuminate each other and overlap our shadows With our eyes open Let us dream

As usual, translations were done for fun. Do not use for anything important. Ask a professional for that. My own thoughts on the lyrics and the translation process after the cut.

There are many parts of the lyrics that carry double meaning (or at least I can interpret them that way). My favorite being this part 「僕だけが　小さな灯りをともしてあげる」 which I chose to translate as "Only I will shine a small light for you". However, the verb I translated as "shine" (ともす) is not in kanji. This allows me to interpret it as "Only I will accompany the small light", which also makes sense because the song speaks of both of them as small lights in the dark.

Another thing is how the song allows the lyrics to be cut in various ways, making room for even more interpretation. This is especially noticeable in the "Twilight" parts. For example, in "Twilight, ceaseless" the "ceaseless" can be read as an adjective to "twilight". However, it can also be continued with the next line and read as "ceaseless currents drifting through time".

The original Japanese could be cut in the same way and I tried to translate it so that the English worked as well. The only part I really couldn't translate in a way that played on the double reading is 「トワイライト　終わらない \ 闇に溺れたくなる日でも」 which I translated as "Twilight, unending \ Even on days I want darkness to swallow me up". This is the translation of the phrase as it is written and sung. But, if you connect the second word to the line after it, it will instead mean "Twlight \ Even on days I want the unending darkness to swallow me up".

There are also other parts I had a really hard time translating. I just couldn't find a word that I felt captured what the original was trying to say. I personally think those parts are pretty obviously awkward so I won't list them out here anymore.

Anyways, I really love this song and I had a lot of fun translating this.

#twilight #chronoir #くろのわーる #translation #lyrics #nijisanji #vtuber #japanese #kanae #kuzuha #favorite