Is Murphy truly dead

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Murphy may be a repeat customer.

[Arjan]

It is all about free will sure but it is maybe not about the faith you confess but about the choices you make. If you look at Murphy’s choices in the past were those choices more in line with Christ or with Vadderung?

At the end she made the choice that lead to a warrior dead.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

But all choices, the very act of Free Will is the way of the White God.

[Mira]

It is all about free will sure but it is maybe not about the faith you confess but about the choices you make. If you look at Murphy’s choices in the past were those choices more in line with Christ or with Vadderung?

At the end she made the choice that lead to a warrior dead.

I guess you could say that, she was a bit hypercritical when she was the self appointed custodian of the Swords.

[Arjan]

I guess you could say that, she was a bit hypercritical when she was the self appointed custodian of the Swords.

But every Valkyrie and einherjar she met liked her and had no problems with her choices. I can imagine Uriel and Vadderung having a discussion about her during lunch and they decide to look at her last choice.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I guess you could say that, she was a bit hypercritical when she was the self appointed custodian of the Swords.

And her choice resulted in the creation of the Faithsaber, a new Knight and the defeat by that Knight in combat of the previously undefeatable Denarian, and the White God’s relics.

[Mira]

And her choice resulted in the creation of the Faithsaber, a new Knight and the defeat by that Knight in combat of the previously undefeatable Denarian, and the White God’s relics.

Perhaps, but that isn't why she made that choice, others had to clean up her mess.

[Arjan]

Perhaps, but that isn't why she made that choice, others had to clean up her mess.

The point is Vadderung would have approved of that choice. If it was his sword and his opposite the story would have been different.

[Mira]

The point is Vadderung would have approved of that choice. If it was his sword and his opposite the story would have been different.

That isn't the point though, did Murphy have a choice?  As a good Christian, she would have chosen Heaven, that basically is what the Faith is about.  Unless she feared Judgement?  I don't say that because I think she was a bad person, I don't.  However, yet another thing that Jim never explored, Murphy dealing with the aftermath of her own serious screw up with the Holy Swords and disability.  Yeah, it came out okay as everyone points out, but that doesn't excuse the mistakes she made while she had them.  Murphy knew she screwed up, and judge herself way harder perhaps than Divine Judgement would.  A short story from her point of view after Skin Game would have been great.

[Arjan]

That isn't the point though, did Murphy have a choice?  As a good Christian, she would have chosen Heaven, that basically is what the Faith is about.  Unless she feared Judgement?  I don't say that because I think she was a bad person, I don't.  However, yet another thing that Jim never explored, Murphy dealing with the aftermath of her own serious screw up with the Holy Swords and disability.  Yeah, it came out okay as everyone points out, but that doesn't excuse the mistakes she made while she had them.  Murphy knew she screwed up, and judge herself way harder perhaps than Divine Judgement would.  A short story from her point of view after Skin Game would have been great.

But Jim’s world is not exactly the same as a Christian world. Deirdre would have ended up in hell otherwise and though her destination is not without punishment it is different.

And while your choices are important it does not mean you end up at the destination of your choice. I do not think Murphy was driven by a fear of hell into the embrace of Walhalla. She was probably a bit surprised ending up there.

What comes next is deliberately kept vague but though Murphy was born a catholic her morality was not. She always had more of a warrior mentality. I don’t think she was overly busy with eternal reward and punishment but she was trying to do what was right. That shaped her soul and attracted Vadderung’s attention.

There is a woj about it somewhere. About not getting where you think you are going to because Vadderung made some deal when both he and someone else have a claim.

[vincentric]

Why would we need a story about Murphy dealing with her bad choices with the Swords? She had no time to feel any guilt about a bad decision.

She fights Nic and the Sword is broken. The next day Butters gets the Faithsaber and  beats Nic. By the time she wakes up from her pain meds in the hospital, Butters is there to show her it all worked out. At most, 48 hours go by and she spends most of that unconscious.

We'd already seen enough angsty Murphy with all the time she spent talking about the Nightmare and her grieving in GS. PT's Murphy is moving forward, trying to rehab and dealing with her relationship with Harry. Worrying about old coulda, woulda, shoulda problems that have been resolved in a good manner makes no sense for the practical Murphy we see beginning in SJ.

[Mira]

She fights Nic and the Sword is broken. The next day Butters gets the Faithsaber and  beats Nic. By the time she wakes up from her pain meds in the hospital, Butters is there to show her it all worked out. At most, 48 hours go by and she spends most of that unconscious.

It's about why the Sword got broken.

We'd already seen enough angsty Murphy with all the time she spent talking about the Nightmare and her grieving in GS. PT's Murphy is moving forward, trying to rehab and dealing with her relationship with Harry. Worrying about old coulda, woulda, shoulda problems that have been resolved in a good manner makes no sense for the practical Murphy we see beginning in SJ.
.

Not the same, in Grave Peril it was about what Nightmare did to her, she was the victim.  In Skin Game she was hypocritical with what she told Harry as to why she wouldn't give him the Swords back, then she did what she said shouldn't be done in her fight with Nic.  She claimed to be the Sword's custodian, when she wasn't.  She presumed to judge Nic and attempted to execute him with the Holy Sword, that is the Almighty's job, not hers, that is why the Sword got broken.  None of that was ever dealt with in the aftermath.. No, suddenly she was cutting her cast away and while there were moments when she limped, mostly she had transformed into "Wonder Woman."

[Arjan]

It's about why the Sword got broken.Not the same, in Grave Peril it was about what Nightmare did to her, she was the victim.  In Skin Game she was hypocritical with what she told Harry as to why she wouldn't give him the Swords back, then she did what she said shouldn't be done in her fight with Nic.  She claimed to be the Sword's custodian, when she wasn't.  She presumed to judge Nic and attempted to execute him with the Holy Sword, that is the Almighty's job, not hers, that is why the Sword got broken.  None of that was ever dealt with in the aftermath.. No, suddenly she was cutting her cast away and while there were moments when she limped, mostly she had transformed into "Wonder Woman."

She was never hypocritical. She did her best. Failing is part of that, the only sure way not to fail is to do nothing at all. She knew who she was, she came into a situation and she did her best. If she thought she was the ideal knight she would have taken the sword, Harry asked her often enough.

When she picked it up again it was because she saw no other option. That does not make her hypocritical. I think describing her as hypocritical is a complete misunderstanding of her whole being.

But what her choice made clear is that she was more suited for another mission.

[Mira]

She was never hypocritical.

That is a matter of opinion, she tells Harry all the reasons why she won't give him back the Swords.
Then she violates one of the main rules governing them.. 

When she picked it up again it was because she saw no other option. That does not make her hypocritical. I think describing her as hypocritical is a complete misunderstanding of her whole being.

It isn't about her picking up the Sword, that doesn't make her hypocritical.. After her very long soliloquy implying if the Swords got back in Harry's hands they could be misused but if they stayed in her hands they wouldn't..  It isn't about her using the Sword, it is about how she used it. 

Here is the definition of a hypocritical action;

adjective: hypocritical

    behaving in a way that suggests one has higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case.
    "we don't go to church and we thought it would be hypocritical to have him christened"

When Nic surrendered, gave up both noose and coin, instead of accepting it as a Holy Knight, or knowing the rules for the Swords.. Judgement wasn't up to her, yet she felt that he should die, judged him, tried to kill him and broke the Sword.. That wasn't doing what she had to do, it was doing what she knew to be wrong after berating Harry about the rules governing the Swords and why they were better off in her hands.  That my friend is hypocritical.

But what her choice made clear is that she was more suited for another mission.

That has nothing to do with it, if it made anything clear, it was she had no business keeping the Swords once Harry came back.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

The same with Butters and Bob. Harry’s friends tried to second guess him, but those truly in the know Mab, Uriel, Odin and Hades knew Harry could be trusted with even greater things.

Murphy and Butters can’t be faulted for having imperfect vision but both of their decisions to not fully trust Harry worked out. Perhaps those who could see more clearly could see that outcome.