Returning to the long-standing discussion of music. I think this music video fits A Mage Reborn.
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I wanted to ask, a lot of people say there should have been a trail butā¦why?.
Itās pretty open and shut. Ignoring your route you at least killed antes men and the saintess in front of people. And Iām not going to apply my modern day veiw on justice to a medieval setting. Just because your motive is Unclear doesnāt really mean anything
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The thing about crimes is, unless youāre completely out of your mind, every person has a motive for committing them. Basically, MC just did a 180 and went from self sacrificing hero to anti-param murderer in like a month, thatās not something that just happens; so either MC completely snapped, or they had some reason to kill the saintess. If it wasnāt out of hatred for param or hatred for the saintess, then itād have to be pretty good motivation to walk into the most guarded area in the country to kill an important religious figure. If they figured that much out, and delved deeper into the possible reasons, theyād possibly realize that it was a necessity (and totally Anteās fault) that the saintess was killed; to make a more modern comparison, no one would kill the pope publicly unless they had a darn good reason, really hated him, or was outright insane.
tl;dr: either MC snapped and went on a murder spree, or had a really good reason to pull a stunt like this without an escape plan or a way to avoid incrimination, and the latter is more likely than the former.
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I mean, why wouldnāt Leon assume that the MC just snapped or something? He says that he would have let the MC go, staged an execution and everything, if only they offered some sort of explanation. But none comes. Sure, Leon could have trusted us anyway, should have trustedā¦ But in his eyes, shouldnāt have the MC offered him the same trust? As if in to rely on their friends and confine in them, whatever is weighting on them, whatever has pushed them to do such a terrible crime? In Leonās eyes itās the MC who broke the contract, so to speak, by refusing to talk and to confess their true reasons.
And I donāt know why everybody is so sure that there were no investigation, I guess, if we havenāt heard anything about it, we can assume there was noneā¦ But even if there were - there are no experts on the Arcadian magic in Param. Nobody would be able to say: āListen, the MC is probably silent because there is a curse preventing them from speakingā. So the only things to see are a dead saintess and ten dead secret agents. And a witness who saw us doing the deed after killing at least ten people. Yeah, it just doesnāt look good.
Plus the revolt is a very plausible thing, not a popular one, but a noble one. We know that Parami nobles like to intervene in successions, that they like to pit royal heirs against each other, we know they hated the Mage for ascending to power even before the war. Imagine how much the nobility hates the Mage by the end of the war. And if Leon is in love with them? Thatās just the worst case scenario, really. And while Leon is a dumb-dumb (maybe a bit autistic and/or demisexual, because his social skills areā¦ a bit lacking, mhm), he is not an idiot. You canāt be a good general if you canāt read and predict your opponents. You canāt win while being an underdog if you donāt have a plan. And when Leon and Saine left to let Julius have his throne in peace, Saine was still basically a kid. I believe that it was Leon who chose to do it, and not just because he wanted to have fun, but because he knew he needed to protect both of his brothers. So yeah, he would have understood how much pressure there wasā¦ and he wasnāt able to justify doing the good thing instead of the right thing when he didnāt have a reason for it. Because Mage werenāt able to give him one.
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Being a Commander and being a King are different things, and, I am sorry, but I just canāt see Leon as someone who would sit and think about every possibility and go āHmm yes, judging by my possible peasant revolts chart, the safest option is to simply execute my comrade/close friend/loved oneā. Maybe itās just how I see this character but oh well.
Also, I never said that he should immediately release us like nothing happened, that would be dumb even for Leon. He could have simply kept us in a cell until at least some revelation would come out. Ilya managed to learn about out curse all on her own so yea, I think they could have figured it out in lets say 1-2 months span. If Leon would be still scared about the revolt, he could have put up a staged execution and continue his investigation āin secretā.
I am not saying that, what Leon did was 100% wrong, I am just saying that he wasnāt really thinking straight at the moment he decided to kill us. At that moment he had an ultimatum: Release Mage and fail his old brother and his entire Kingdom OR Execute Mage to secure trust and hope of paramians.
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Got to say, if your a king and you donāt take the threat of a possible peasant revolution seriously, you wonāt be king long, and this isnāt a simple ālet them eat cakeā moment either
On another note if I see someone steal something it doesnāt matter thier motivation, If they were just stealing to feed their family I would have mercy but Leon canāt. Heās the apex of the legal hierarchy and in this day and age a thief gets his hands cut off. No if ands or buts about it.
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Resisting the urge to debate law and politics of a medieval fantasy setting
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People keep saying that what Leon did is totally logical for a ruler to do but, fuck my life, I do not think so. You shouldnāt just kill powerful people you donāt like without getting to the root of things. There was no guarantee that MC acted on their own and that there will be no continuation after the Saintessā āassassinationā. For all we know MCās āevil mage alliesā could arrive next month through spirit gates to murder Ilya in her sleep who is a next candidate for the Saintess position. You MUST investigate to keep your subjects safe, it was not a matter of a peasant killing their neighbor over two copper coins, itās a matter of a national scale!!! MC is an extremely powerful mage with a suspicious undefined past, you canāt just kill them and call it a day unless youāre an absolute moron of a ruler. Itās like killing a powerful nobleās underling who didnāt yet tell you anything: you didnāt solve the problem, nor did you escape the consequences. So guess what, because the king didnāt do his homework my MC is pretty fucking pissed and is coming back with his new shiny allies to do some magical mischief 
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Counterpoint number one: not peasant, but aristocratic, because we know that Parami noble do like their machinations and hate the Mage;
Counterpoint number two: after the Arcadian village it was Leon who were like āHm, this is sus, it canāt be just one noble, letās investigate thisā. So he does have some brains, even if itās not his favorite muscle to flex.
And yeah, while there is a difference in a skill set for a king and a general, there is a good overlap between the two - at the very least you need to predict what comes next and be ready to sacrifice some good people for the good of others.
Donāt.
Give in.
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Donāt have anything smart to write about counterpoint one. I would say that Leon was being the vocal one at counterpoint two, but then I would start playing favorites.
Also, I never said that Leon canāt be a good king, he has all the characteristics of one.
Alright, here is why I think he did what he did with us, it can all be bullshit but I donāt care at this point:
Summary
Leon is afraid of his future responsibilities, so he rans away with his younger brother and another friend for a more simple life to form an adventuring party. After returning to his home with a new friend of which he knows nothing about, he would much rather prefer to have a 20 minute spar session than to prepare to for his future mantle like his old brother wants him to.
After having his old brother killed by someone whoās his new friend calls āSisterā he decides to put his trust in them, and go to war against Miriel for mostly two reasons: Avenge his brother and Liberate his Kingdom. After winning a two-year war, he realizes that now he will be the future king whether he wants to be one or not. After becoming the new Beacon of Light for paramians and having to live up to his Brotherās legacy, he feels nervous but fine, he has good friends on his side that will he knows he can trust.
Suddenly, his trusted friend/lover decides to leave him without giving any possible explanation. Itās not clear whether they even promised to come back at some point.
Leon has no one to really rely on. Saine also never wanted to have any of those responsibilities and Ilya is too busy with her Saintess training. All he has now is a trusted spymaster, some nobles who are waiting for an opportunity to have this new King do their bidding and an entire kingdom half of which in ruins after the war.
Fast forward a couple months, and suddenly Ante shows up with unconscious body of the Mage, explaining how they just murdered a comatosed Saintess and at least 10 guards who were stationed to guard her.
After trying to get an answer from Mage, he is either met with Plead, Silence or insults. Even if Mage didnāt leave him back then, it is still a very bad and emotional place for Leon to make a logical and proper decision. Right at that moment his only two choices are: Spare Mage and look inferior to his old brother Jullius, both in his eyes and in the eyes of an entire kingdom, OR Kill the Mage to secure his position as King (also a possibly petty revenge against Mage for leaving him but I dont fucking know at this point, i am not very smart)
I go sleep
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Luckily for all of us, we can all decide how we want our MCs to treat Leon. We all are basically gods of parallel universes. In one universe, Leon is forgiven. In another, the Mc is plotting revenge big-time.
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The golden sun mask in the music video kinda fits the legend of the Ishavak faith of the Arcadians. Especially if you have watched the Yotai opera on the Ishavak legend during the Blue Harvest festival with Yu.
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it feels wild to me that anyone in param would be like that eager to go back to war after several years of an incredibly bloody conflict in which you have only just placed your heavenly-ordained dynasty back on the throne but really it seems like the mc doesnāt pay very much attention to the political context leonās in so we donāt really know much about it. it feels like just guessing. however! honestly i do not think this logic would make me feel better if i was the mage!
āSo, you understand, MC, I know that you have fought and bled and suffered for my cause for years with no complaint, but no, I cannot try to figure out why you have done this very uncharacteristic and bizarre thing because, you see, I might look bad for a second.ā BROTHER.
imho i donāt think he does it to appease anyone. i think he sincerely believes mc is straight up a murderer i was just shocked to see him come to that conclusion so quickly after everything.
why on ishaās green earth canāt leon do this for us!!!
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True. He did say that the MC he knows has died and called the MC āa demon who wears (MCās) faceā in the dungeon the night before the execution. He was rather quick to believe in the worst of the MC instead of thinking there must be more to what happened, like Ilya and Saine did.
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In the cell, he could have chosen to punch the MC, yet he chose to punch the wall instead. At the execution itself, he couldāve riled up the crowd with A bit of hate speech or whatever you want to call it, yet he didnāt. Finally, when things got revealed, he went and lock himself into his room. Perhaps his actions was a bit messed up in some sense, but heās got to feel something.
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OH I just spotted song stuff, lemme dump some of my favorites, mostly for the Mage, and 1 for each of the White Fangs.
Fish in a Birdcage
For Eli, Sister and the Mage!
Fish in a Birdcage [Official Video] - YouTube
As I breathe into our silence
Thereās a voice that comforts me
Itās a voice of understanding
Itās the voice of empathy
Wings of feathers, tails and fin tips
We feel it works so differently
You gave me more than I could ask for
Indistinguishability
The Moon Will Sing
The Mage and Leon
The Moon Will Sing - YouTube
Name your courage now
We could have had anything, anything else
Instead, you hoarded all thatās left of me
Swallowing your doubt
Like swords to the pit of my belly
I want to feel the fire that you kept from me
The moon will sing a song for me
I loved you like the sun
Bore the shadows that you made
With no light of my own
I shine only with the light you gave me
Black Pear Tree
The Mageā¦ Esp a resigned one who slowly turns bitter about what happened.
Black Pear Tree - The Mountain Goats and Kaki King - YouTube
I set the sapling in the hole
Started gently tamping down the dirt
I saw the future in a dream last night
Somebodyās gonna get hurt, somebodyās gonna get hurt
I hope itās not me
But I suspect itās going to have to be
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And when its time came I could see it happen
Blossoms black and sweet as Texas crude
I saw the future flowering like a ruptured vessel
Somebodyās gonna get screwed
It wonāt be me
Someday I am going to walk out of here free
Theseus
A more forgiving mc for this one!
The Oh Hellos - Theseus - YouTube
Maybe thatās what itās all about
We keep fixing what we know is only bound to break
Whatās worth saving is never worth letting go to waste
I want to mend what Iāve got, instead of throwing away
Aināt nothing come easy
No, nothing comes quick
Itās gonna hurt like hell to become well
But if we set the bone straight
Itāll mend
Itāll fix
And weāll be well
Hebrews 11:40
This is just like, the Mage after the barbecue in my head, esp one with a positive relationship with the Arcadians (and possibly also with the White Fangs!)
The Mountain Goats Hebrews 11:40 - YouTube
Build fires to keep the beacon flashing
Where the earth lies flat
Blood calls to blood as the hours draw down
Invent my own family if it comes to that
Hold them close, hold them near
Tell them no oneās ever going to hurt them here
Steal the treasure and try to leave town
Fight my way back down
Donāt want to hurt anyone
Probably gonna have to before itās all done
Take to the hills, run away
Iām gonna get my perfect body back someday
If not by faith then by the sword
Iām going to be restored
Creature
This is an Ilya song to me for some reason?
halfĀ·alive - creature (Audio) - YouTube
Look inside of me and see that I am not afraid
To walk inside the void like a kid inside a cave
Discovering the patterns of my soul and where itās placed
Iāve been mapping many caverns but it still feels like a maze
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I am creation, both haunted and holy
Made in glory
Even the depths of the night cannot blind me
See the Day
Saine. This song is just Saine to me.
See the Day - YouTube
The sleeping slip has begun to fray
I never thought Iād see the day
The pious hunter stops stalking prey
I never thought Iād see the day
Spent too much time writing all the lore
I canāt quite tell what Iām hoping for
So Iāll live my life being so unsure
'Cause I canāt quite tell what Iām hoping for
Parrot
Stepdad - Parrot [HQ] - YouTube
This feels very Leon to me.
Iāve said a fair share of stupid things that I canāt hide
My wonderful friends just roll their eyes, stay by my side
Sometimes I even realize that I might risk physical harm
Thatās when you glare into my eyes and clench your teeth and squeeze my arm
Then I feel like a pet store parrot ever spouting words
And when Iāve had a few too many I get quite excited
I start talking very loudly and this is when
Sometimes I get obnoxious, my ego gets the best of me
I think Buy the Stars by Marina is also a very Leon/MC song!
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I never ran into that. Perhaps it has something to do with the MCās personality?
I believe it happens when you pick āInsist on your innocenceā option and then āā¦I will never forgive you for thisā Doesnāt have much to do with personality stats, but I may be wrong.
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I picked Leon I understand. Well, now I also understand why Leon will smack you across the face if you choose the other option. First you plead your innocence, then you start issuing threats? Ahem lol.
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