oh, what the hell

[janne_d]

May as well stick the Highlander drabble in here too - at least I won't lose it again that way. (Incidentally, mòrchuis is the Gaelic for pride, specifically splendour; ambition)



Mòrchuis

He'd never wanted a life outside his Clan. The canniest warriors, the fiercest fighters and the truest men all bore the name MacLeod, he'd known that since he was a bairn. The clansmen striding off to battle, plaid swirling, had always caused a shiver of awe, even as the skirl of the pipes lifted his heart.

But that pride broke on the wheel when they stoned him from the only life he had ever known. His home has been ruined forever, and claiming he’s of the Clan MacLeod stings with a bitter bite of loss. Death has taken it all.

Comments

[bonspiel.livejournal.com]

Ah, poor Duncan (or Connor?). (Images of the "where do I come from? where do I come from?!?!" scene run through my mind.) It is interesting how the "of the Clan MacLeod" became such a defining point when strictly it wasn't true anymore (or ever, depending on your theory on immie baby generation).

[janne-d.livejournal.com]

I wrote it with Connor in mind, mainly because I haven't seen the episodes where Duncan was kicked out. Was he driven out in the same way as Connor was? It feels more bitter to me, and I tend to think of Connor being a harder character. In my head, this is at a point not that long after he's driven out and before time has had a chance to heal the wounds so he is still very broken up and it's later on that he gets the pride in the clan back enough to claim it again.

But it could just as easily be Duncan in a way - lost and hurting and alone.

I suppose that neither of them is genetically of the Clan MacLeod, but since that is how they were raised, it is the basic point of identity for both characters. But it must have taken a while for them to sort that out after being banished and disowned. I don't supposed they ever filmed anything with Duncan struggling with whether he was a MacLeod or not, and I know they didn't with Connor. It is an interesting issue though.

[bonspiel.livejournal.com]

I agree that Connor comes across as a harder character, even without the stuff in Endgame about him. There are some interesting scenes in the series about Duncan's life after he dies the first time - I'd have to check back to see which ones had those flashbacks. I always thought the fact that Duncan had Connor, but Connor had Ramirez made a difference - both were somewhat unsympathetic, but Connor was of the clan and Duncan had heard of him. (All a conceit to make the series reasonable, I know, but...)

I don't supposed they ever filmed anything with Duncan struggling with whether he was a MacLeod or not, and I know they didn't with Connor. It is an interesting issue though.
I don't believe there was anything w/ Duncan struggling with it either. It would have been a very interesting Methos-like question, along the lines of "why are you a boy scout? why do you insist on being chivalrous with women who are trying to chop your head off?" I think, though, as much as Methos liked to poke Duncan about that sort of thing, he also respected his character (or found him convenient for his own purposes) enough to not really fuck with him that way.

I need to rewatch the first movie...I haven't seen it in a long time.

[janne-d.livejournal.com]

I always thought the fact that Duncan had Connor, but Connor had Ramirez made a difference
Ooh, interesting. I never thought of it like that - I suppose that would help Duncan to feel a little less cast off but Connor didn't really have that. I seem to remember something about his uncle getting him his own branch of the clan but I can't remember if that was actually canon, and it wouldn't be the same kind of connection in any case.

From the point of view of Methos poking Duncan about it, I would think that it was an issue that Duncan would have had to deal with at some point in his life already. He seems to have settled pretty well with where he comes from and he chooses to define himself as a MacLeod apart from whatever his origins actually are. He just seems to sure of who he is (and this applies to Connor as well) to not have thought about the whole who-am-I issue fairly seriously, and we know he hung about with deep thinkers like Darius a lot too.

On the other hand, maybe he never considered it at all, because it is such an integral part of his self-image and Methos pointing out he isn't actually a MacLeod at all would really mess with his head... but I can't really see it. I think with the chivalry/heroism thing, he's never been put in a position where he's forced to really question his own behaviour, whereas by being banished and told he's a foundling, he was forced to question who he is and where he belongs.

[bonspiel.livejournal.com]

Hmm, interesting. I see your line of reasoning; it does seem odd if Duncan never thought about it at all, and Darius would be the type to comment about that sort of thing. It's just that, as far as I can recall, it never came up in the series at all. The whole "I am who I decide to be" sort of approach just seems rather modern for any immortal born before, say, 1850 or so. Of course, now I'm off on a whole "do immortals have some kind of dissociative personality disorder" tangent...