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volkswagonblues · 4 years ago

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a lil guide to the Fire Nation for the ATLA fic writers out there

(aka. a no means exhaustive primer on east asia by an asian person)

This is a guide for fic writers want to write a canon-era story set in the Fire Nation, or featuring Fire Nation characters. A quick little primer on the tiny details of everyday life that you might not think about, but certainly stuff that would make me, an asian person, wince if I were to encounter it. BRUSHES, not quills. CHOPSTICKS, not forks.

(note #1: this was partly inspired by a chat with @elilim)

(note: #2: I originally intended it for zukka fic writers before realizing that other writers might find it useful. so apologies for a slight Zuko-bias for that reason)

(note #3: this is all stuff i was thinking about when writing firebender’s guide, in case anyone was wondering)

1. CLOTHING

Okay, I think the most straightforward way to describe what everyone’s wearing most of the time is “tunic��. They’re all just...tunics of different colours and varieties. Later when Zuko’s the Fire Lord he wears robes. The show provides a better visual guide than I could, here are a few notes to keep in mind:

a) Japanese people wear their collars LEFT crossed over RIGHT

I don’t think this would come up in writing as much as it would in art, but it’s considered bad luck to do it the wrong way because that’s only for dead people. Let my boy Zuko demonstrate:

b) There are no buttons

This is picky, but Wikipedia says “Functional buttons with buttonholes for fastening or closing clothes appeared first in Germany in the 13th century.[6] They soon became widespread with the rise of snug-fitting garments in 13th- and 14th-century Europe.” I kinda believe it. If you look closely, characters’ clothes are always tied together or wrapped in some way with a belt. If there are fasteners, they’re braided frog closures that go into a little loop, like the qipao-style dresses women wear in Ba Sing Se, or Zuko’s casual prince’s clothes in the topmost image. Anyways, I don’t think Zuko or Azula or the Gaang would technically button or unbutton anything when they’re changing clothes. Clothing is designed to be tied, not buttoned.

[so much more under cut]

c) This isn’t a real rule, but there’s something called koromogae, or the seasonal changing of clothing in Japan.

This is something I learned when I was writing firebender’s guide, and I just liked the fun detail about there being a strict calendar for when to wear something. I liked the idea of someone like Zuko, who actually spent most of his formative years outside of the Fire Nation, coming home and just suffering mutely through the summer heat because upper class etiquette says no changing into cooler clothes until August 15.

From My Asakusa:

And this website:

Generally, people change from thick, heavy, dark-coloured clothes for winter to thin, lighter, bright-coloured clothes for spring and summer. In traditional Japanese culture, particularly in formal settings such as tea ceremony, it is important to acknowledge the changes of seasons—in such circumstances, not only the patterns and colours of the kimono that are worn but also the utensils and furniture that are used are required to change. By changing their clothing, people notice and appreciate the change of seasons. [Japan Foundation]

Here are some visual guides from the official creators for clothes: (notice how it’s pretty much always left over right)

2.FOOD AND EATING

a) Traditional cuisine

It seems like the most common foods in canon are Fire Flakes and meat, to the point where poor Aang had to eat lettuce out of the garbage at some point.

HOWEVER, the Fire Nation seems to basically a big subtropical archipelago, so I would guess that seafood and rice are common. If you want to write about characters eating, a. quick google for “traditional japanese cuisine” would help you come up with a menu really quickly.

Wikipedia says:

The traditional cuisine of Japan, washoku (和食), lit. "Japanese eating" (or kappō (ja:割烹)), is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes; there is an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. Side dishes often consist of fish, pickled vegetables, and vegetables cooked in broth. Seafood is common, often grilled, but also served raw as sashimi or in sushi.

But before we get too serious, at one point the Gaang eats a “smoked sea slug” (Sokka’s Master)

Oh ATLA, never stop being you.

b) Utensils

One thing to keep in mind is chopstick etiquette. Someone like Zuko or Toph, for instance, would have completely internalized all of these.

Another thing is that there are no glasses. Cups and bowls are made of ceramic or clay. Let the Gaang show you:

And another note: characters won’t eat “bread” in the European sense, ie. a baked lump of dough. Steamed buns, yes. Fried pancakes made from batter, yes. Flatbreads, okay I’ll give it a pass. Rice or noodles should be the most common carbs of choice.

3.ETIQUETTE

“In the homeland, we bow to our elders” - angry schoolmistress in The Headband.

Japan Guide has a list of etiquette rules for visiting Japan, which is interesting but not too necessary to read. In general, based on what The Headband tells us, Fire Nation characters would have been raised with a strong nationalist curriculum that values communal contribution over individualist expression. Even someone like Zuko, who openly rebels against that, probably couldn’t help but be affected by it. In general the Fire Nation seems to have an East Asian-ish set of values. It’s patriarchal, all the positions of authority are filled by men; there seems to be a strong emphasis on patriotism; there’s a sense of diffidence and respect towards one’s elders; and finally, there’s an emphasis on “knowing” one’s place in society and fitting into what’s expected of oneself.

I don’t really know how to describe it, but in China and Japan I sometimes feel like there’s rules for everything, and even people born and raised there acknowledge it could be stifling at times. You could go down a rabbit hole researching points of etiquette (for instance, rules on who has to sit where in group dinners...), but to me the most important thing is acknowledging that Fire Nation has a rigid system of etiquette, and also, they’re an imperialist power who’s pretty prejudiced against foreigners. Poor Aang/Kuzon gets called “mannerless colony slob” just for being slow on the bowing action (!!!)

(in firebender’s guide I had a lot of fun imagining the stupid microaggressions Ambassador Sokka has to face in the Fire Nation, so obviously I’m just biased)

4.WRITING AND DESKS

Characters would probably write on paper, with a calligraphy brush. Not quills or pens -- a brush. Technically, old Japanese and Chinese texts should be written top to bottom, right to left, but the show itself doesn’t do this, so I think you’re fine.

One fun thing about traditional calligraphy is that you don’t use bottled ink. You have something called an ink stone, and then you grind your ink yourself by rubbing the ink stone in a special little dish with a bit of water. In my (very few) encounters with this stuff in the calligraphy lessons of my youth, the ink stones can be plain or have beautiful designs on the side. It looks something like this:

ATLA is an East Asian-ish universe, so characters are likely to be kneeling at a table, not sitting. To demonstrate, here’s my boy Sokka doing his famous rainbow at Piandao’s:

and here’s the war chamber meeting when Zuko speaks out against a general’s plans to sacrifice some soldiers:

THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS: This is Zuko’s cute little setup when he’s writing his goodbye letter to Mai. In this case he’s writing in a chair and table. It’s possible that some furniture items, like a sitting desk and a bed in a bedframe (not a bedroll or futon) are special royal palace features. Normally in a private setting we see characters sitting on the ground or on a slightly elevated platform with a low table. Maybe Caldera is just different? Or rich people are just different: the Bei Fongs also have a sit-down dining table + chair setup.

(That little rectangular box is his ink dish!!)

5.A NOTE ON GENERAL CULTURE

It’s worth talking about a few general points of East Asian culture. I can’t claim to speak for ALL of Asia, and I don’t think I should. But I do think ATLA fic writers who want to set something in the Fire Nation should take a few moments to at least skim the wiki pages for filial piety and Nihonjinron (literally, "theories/discussions about the Japanese"). There’s a certain...vibe to...asianness... that I’m not sure I can explain without like, a doctorate degree in sociology.

It’s a bit like gender, I guess. There’s no definitive checklist to what is a woman and what is a man, and we can argue that gender is performative, that it’s a construct, but at the end of the day gender is still (tragically) real in the sense that it still shapes people and affects how we walk and talk and dress and think. Nationality is the same. Obviously, the Fire Nation is a made up place in a made up show, but out of respect to the cultures that inspired it, I do think it’s worth familiarizing yourself with some of these cultures’ codes and values.

Also, ahem, if I can direct you to war crimes in the Japan’s colonial empire. Again, worth remembering that the Fire Nation was an imperalist colonizer too.

I might do a continuation of this post and talk through my more abstract takes about Fire Nation culture - Is Zuko an example of filial piety gone right or filial piety gone wrong? Why I think Zuko’s flashbacks are like, at least part teenage melodrama bullshit (the reason is son preference), how someone like Sokka might be treated once he’s openly Water Tribe in the Fire Nation (probably with racism...), specific aspects of asian homophobia and racism, etc. We’ll see.

This is not a definitive guide. Comments and critique welcome.

If you think there’s a factual mistake, PLEASE hop in my asks and let me know. I also think there’s a huge blind spot in ATLA for South and Southeast Asian representation, so I acknowledge that I can’t speak for all Asians, and there is no such thing as a “pan-asian” identity.

If there’s something else you’re curious about, I’m not a historian or anything, but I like research. Ask me and I’ll try to answer the best I can.

And oh, one last thing, this is how I do research when I wrote firebender’s guide, in case anyone’s interested in learning more (LINK)

#Avatar The Last Airbender #zukka #atla fic #my fic #fire nation

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sepublic · 3 years ago

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Kikimora’s Motives?

I wonder if Kikimora is motivated to access Belos’ secrets, and that’s why she hates Hunter and tries to kill him?

Like, it’s obvious that Belos has a LOT of secrets and all sorts of weird, hidden knowledge… Kikimora could be like other characters in that she’s extremely fascinated and curious with magic, and/or powerhungry, so it makes sense that her obsession to learn more would drive her to latch onto the Emperor- The mysterious Emperor, with his inexplicable abilities and skills, who can hear what the Titan has to teach!

That might be why Kikimora prizes herself and wants to be Belos’ confidant so much… She wants in on the secrets, she wants to learn more- And someone like Hunter gets in the way of that. Kikimora knows that Belos isn’t invincible nor infallible, he’s struggling and needs help, he can’t do this on his own and needs a person he can trust with most of everything…

So, Kikimora offers herself up- To take advantage of this closeness and trust by Belos, by someone who has no choice but to rely on and trust someone with that… And that’s what she does, for a few decades! Belos needs people to help him with things, his most personal rituals and whatnot… So he needs Kikimora, and by her involvement, she inevitably finds out a LOT of things!

Belos may or may not be aware of Kikimora’s desires, and he might tolerate it simply because he needs someone to help him, anyhow… And Kikimora doesn’t seem interested in betraying him anytime soon necessarily, just being that confidant by his side, who can access Belos’ knowledge and plans as a requirement for her role. But, maybe Belos was wary of Kikimora, which would then influence a later decision in life…

And so in comes Hunter! This young brat, who lived at least a few years before being ‘found’ by Belos… So it’s even less than sixteen years ago, when the Golden Guard came into the picture and usurped everything! For decades, Kikimora has been faithfully acting as Belos’ right-hand witch, she’s schemed and fought and worked to achieve this, those precious secrets, she’s acted as the Emperor’s proxy for him in public!

And this is how he thanks her- By replacing Kikimora with Hunter, this little brat? This nephew, who showed up out of nowhere, because why now, why now does Belos suddenly fall back on this elusive family that he ignored for so long as Emperor? Maybe Kikimora knows the real reason as part of her aforementioned understanding of a lot of things…

But with Hunter, with Hunter as a kid who feels dependent upon Belos, whose entire life is revolving around pleasing his uncle because he actually cares for him, unconditionally… Hunter is more useful and trustworthy as a secretkeeper and a proxy, then. Hunter knows nothing else and seemingly has no desires of his own, he feels obligated to take care of his last family member- So Belos won’t have to worry about Hunter rebelling, he won’t have to worry about Hunter using his position to find forbidden knowledge.

And even if Hunter DID do so, it’d at least be for Belos’ sake, not his own… So, Belos replaces Kikimora with Hunter. Kiki still does her normal duties and legislation, but when it comes to personally caring for Belos? Being trusted by him, being privy to his deepest, darkest moments of vulnerability? Hunter gets in on that, too… That ruins the pride and prestige for Kikimora, as the ONLY one Belos trusts…

But now, Hunter isn’t just with her here- He’s completely replaced her! Hunter is leaving Kikimora out, because he doesn’t trust this gremlin despite her decades of actual experience and willing, ruthless murder for Belos… Because Hunter is ‘family’, so obviously that means more!

And Kikimora is resentful… Hunter doesn’t see Kikimora as truly in it for Belos’ sake, so it’s better to keep her out of the picture, now that someone better-suited for the job is here. And Kikimora, she’s angered by that- She found pride in being the only person that the invincible Emperor could, and HAD to be vulnerable around...

It gave her a certain power, a special superiority- To know that she’d seen Belos at his lowest, and he had to trust and need her for this! So even if it’s not a literal position of power at the top, in a way… Kikimora feels above even Belos, as someone whose health isn’t deteriorating, as someone he’s dependent upon, as someone who takes care of him- And she derives plenty of power from that realization.

Having Hunter come in, taking that special power, that prestigious role away… Taking away Kikimora’s power over Belos, the most skilled witch of all- That displaces Kikimora and knocks her down at least two pegs. And, because Belos has found a new confidant, he doesn’t need to let Kiki in on his later plans and ideas anymore… Effectively barring Kikimora from the knowledge she so craves and desires.

Does Belos not care for Hunter at all, and does Kikimora recognize this? Or at least, understandably believe the Emperor doesn’t care… She overheard everything that went on, so it’s likely that Kikimora is aware of Belos’ physical abuse. That’d motivate her to believe that Hunter isn’t TRULY important to Belos, he isn’t really attached… Meaning there’s less risk and repercussion in being found out, if Kikimora had Hunter killed.

And then Hunting Palismen occurs as we know it- Belos is vulnerable, he needs to let someone in on this moment of dependency, this deep and dark secret… And Kikimora instinctively goes along out of the habit of decades, only to be rudely reminded when Hunter makes it clear that Belos no longer needs her for that, that Kiki can no longer have this kind of leverage over the Emperor in a sense, of being needed by him- Of Belos having no choice but to let someone else see him, and know his weakness.

Kikimora hates that… She likes lording power over others, like when she taunts Lilith- And she likes having information and dirt on others. She likes that sensation of leverage, of knowing something that others don’t, something a person is trying to hide. Kikimora likes to snoop around and know people’s secrets, and wave that in front of them in her arrogance- She’s a little gremlin who controls a huge and powerful dragon, Kikimora potentially has a Napoleon Complex like King… So she compensates through knowledge and other forms of leverage.

Kiki likes to feel better than people, to have her thumb over beings that should theoretically outclass her- Lilith, her pet, Hunter, even Emperor Belos himself! And Hunter is an outlier she can’t control, someone she doesn’t really know, who just sort of showed up out of nowhere- So out he goes! And now Kikimora knows that Hunter was the one who sabotaged her Palisman delivery, and Hunter doesn’t realize that…

Hunter might have his own dirt on Kikimora, he can confirm that Kiki’s Handragon attacked him, it’s no secret that it belongs to her! That could land Kikimora into trouble, but presumably out of his innate mercy and chivalry, Hunter doesn’t tell this to Belos… But still. With how her eye narrows and its pupil shrinks, you can tell Kikimora is up to something- And she plans to weaponized it, no doubt… Because she likes having things as insurance in general.

So if Hunter tries to put her back in line by threatening to reveal her assassination attempt by Belos, who knows? Kikimora might reveal her own hidden ace in the sleeve… And that’ll put the two at a tense stand-still as they try to figure each other out, and navigate. Hunter sees himself as protecting his uncle AND himself, now- And Kikimora is trying to defend her power and sense of control, at being relied upon and needed by others, because she’s needy that way.

As for Belos? Maybe he thinks the competition encourages ‘growth’, he sure likes pitting witches against each other, after all- Hence competition to join his coven. Maybe he’s secretly aware and is amused by it… Maybe he was actually the one who put Kikimora up to the task after all, to ‘test’ his nephew and his resolve and power! Maybe Belos and Kiki are mutually aware of their own selfish desires…

But because they need each other for that desire, because Kikimora prefers the subtle power of being Belos’ confidant –openly being the Emperor would paint a big target on HER back- they can sort of, weirdly, trust each other… Trust the other to act in their own self-interest, which includes their own benefit;

So while they’d gladly sell the other out for a corn chip if the opportunity came up, Belos and Kikimora know it probably won’t ever, so they’re content in their little adversarial alliance! They can count on the other to serve their self-interests, which includes one another out of necessity in the end.

It really is nothing personal, so they don’t take it that way- Belos is using Kikimora, Kikimora is using Belos! But with the Day of Unity, with the ‘Titan’ having plans for Hunter… Well, if Hunter is already here and truly loyal, why not make use of him instead? Belos is cracking down on loose threads and preparing for a merging of worlds, there’s a pivotal moment approaching- So he should play it safe and confront the liability that is Kikimora’s self-interest.

With the likelihood of Hunter betraying Belos and siding with the protagonists, for his own gain, or possibly being rejected by his uncle for petty reasons… Who knows? Maybe we’ll see Hunter demoted but still kept around for whatever plans that the ‘Titan’ has, and Kikimora? Depending on how things turn out, she’ll carefully watch and play her cards, for the right opportunity, and hitchhike off of whatever happens for herself!

She might not have to do much at all, really- Belos might just get rid of Hunter for her, after all! Because Hunter might care, but he’s fettered by the morality that forms the foundation of his concern… And THAT might be the bigger liability after all, unlike Kikimora’s lack of morals. So Belos might recognize that this is playing into what she wants, but so what? She’s more useful to him anyway, and Kiki recognizes this vice-versa and goes along. It’s nothing personal in the end, so it doesn’t hurt to be well-mannered with one another in the mean time, when things are still good.

Maybe Belos and Kikimora will even come to a mutual understanding in regards to their suspicions of Hunter… And THAT will bring back that power and special privilege of being a secret-keeper, that Kiki always wanted! Especially with her knowledge on Hunter being the one who fought her, and the possibility of his palisman being discovered. Kikimora and Hunter have their pro’s and con’s, so Belos has to figure out which is best for him in the end, and Kiki seems more aware of and involved in the competition than Hunter anyway- So points for actually trying!

In Slavic mythology, Kikimora are house demons that can enter through keyholes. Maybe listening at keyholes or going through them plays into Kiki’s desire and ability to eavesdrop on others, unnoticed- And in a scene where she DOES eavesdrop on Belos and Hunter, the doors to his throne room have no keyholes. Which, they originally did in Agony of a Witch, which makes me wonder if Belos is wizening up to Kikimora.

She does seem inquisitive when it comes to Lilith’s bias towards Eda, so what with catching her off guard, and Kikimora might be the kind of person who has a tendency to stick her nose in things and snoop around, much to the detriment and annoyance of others- And she resents being left out as a result. I guess it’s like King’s feelings of abandonment, except way more sinister.

#the owl house #the owl house kikimora #the owl house belos #emperor belos #the owl house hunter #speculation #meta

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breakoutime · 4 years ago

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Rewarded

Hades x (Neutral)Reader

Warning, nsfw!

Tags: Cockwarming, size kink, exibitionism? praise kink? (ask to tag pls)

Summary: Reader has been working hard for the house of Hades, and the master of the house has noticed and wants to reward them.

Authors note: Ok, VERYFIRST TIME writing smut, hopefully its good, or at least passable, english isnt my first language soooo yeah keep that in mind... P-please gimme feedback >///<

Your job at the House of the dead was a strange one. You weren't quite sure how to name it, but for now everyone referred to you as “The assistant”, you never really stayed in the same place for long, always being the one everyone called for help when a task was too much to handle. You have been assigned to Dusa to help with the cleaning, you’ve been working hard with the other shades inside the archive, you’ve been even assigned to stand by Achilles' side when the master of the house had visitors and considered some extra security was necessary. Dusa would always tell you how happy everyone was with your presence in the house, how helpful you’ve been, and how amazingly adaptable you were, having skills that allowed you to act and serve in all these different areas. Your face was quite often on the board at the Lounge, and it was obvious Hades himself was quite pleased with your performance. It was often that you would be called into his desk, to either give a report on your current task or to be praised for your hard work, which always left you inspired and happy for your next task.

You had to admit, your hard working attitude came not only for your passion for your work, but also for the passion you felt towards your master. You couldn't be quite sure when it started, it definitely wasn't there when you first arrived at the house. Hade´s was a rough man, cold, strict, serius. You would always hear him berate the others when their performance was not enough, often punishing them if their results were lacking. It was somewhere between Orpheus' punishment for refusing to sing, and when Zagreus started to openly fight back against his father, that you were called, alone, to Hades’ desk. Of course, at that time, you were anxious, wondering if even with your efforts, the master was disappointed in you and called to have you berated and punished, just like Orpheus was not so long ago, but no. Hades had specially called you simply to praise you, to say how, when so many of his workers, when even his own son was unable to handle his duties, you alone were there to support, cover and pull the needed effort and time to have the house working properly. You weren't able to suppress the smile in your face, or the tingling in your stomach as you heard the so often strict and stern master, praise your hard work for the whole house to hear. Slowly but surely you became obsessed with it. With working hard just to hear Hades himself telling you of your good work and how pleased he was with you. Soon you realized that those words did more than just kindle the fire of your hard work, but also left you warm with another kind of fire, one that burned between your legs. Now, everytime Hades praised you, you had to- no, you needed to take a short break to indulge yourself in that heat, to touch yourself and satisfy this burning need that arouse from you each time that booming, rough voice reverberated through your being, just to tell you how good you’ve been to this house, to him.

Today, you were hoping for such a praise, since you’ve been assigned to work at the archives, getting a lot of paperwork ready for Hades’ reviewing. This was your favorite thing to do, since the Lord was always so busy with paperwork at his desk, always reading and writing and filing, he never had anybody else there to help him with that particular part of the process, sure, at the archives many shades worked to get said paperwork ready for him, but no matter how hard you worked or how many shades he had at his disposal, he was always glued to his work, concentrated and dedicated, but also tired and slightly bored of the repetitive tasks he has at hand. There wasn't much you could do other than work hard and please him with your work, which immediately sent another jolt of heat through you. Of course, your stack of documents was done, which meant you now needed to personally deliver them to his desk. Your smile was proud and your face was slightly flushed from the heat you felt, feeling a bit too eager today to hear what your master had to say. Silently you wondered if it was noticeable, if the master knew that your enthusiastic work and demeanor came from these kinds of feelings, or even if the other people in the house knew. For a moment you thought how would Zagreus react, if he knew you had the hots for his father, but you quickly had to shake that thought and compose yourself, as you passed Achilles and walked straight up to Hades’s desk.

As always, he was seated there, in his throne, reading attentively one of the many documents he had in his desk. One small part of you felt bad, because the stack of documents was considerably going to grow with the one you were holding, but sadly that stack was going to work either way. Patiently you waited, the stack was heavy but his desk was way too tall for you, and you already knew that interrupting him was never a good idea. If only you could float like Hypnos or Thanatos, or if you were taller, but just like the prince, your stature meant that you’d need some help to get up the desk. Soon, you saw Hades pick up his plume, signing one of the documents, a sign that he was done with his current one, and immediately you made your wade to his side, ready to hand the paperwork for when he stretched his arms to receive them. With a pleased hum, he acknowledged you, taking the stack of papers and thanking you in the process.

“Quick and efficient as always. Glad that there is someone here who never disappoints me.” You had to stifle a laugh, the comment was not only a praise to you but also a small insult to Hypnos, who was floating and sleeping soundly in the hallway in front of you two.

“Now,” he said, tidying the new stack of documents before fully turning to you. “The house has been working quite efficiently lately, so i'm afraid there are few dignified chores left for someone of your skill and dedication...” That wasn't exactly a bad thing, sometimes you were given time off to rest, but there was something different about the way he spoke, the way he was looking at you. Anxiety started to build in you, and as you opened your mouth to say something, he simply raised his hand, stopping you. “Except one thing.” He moved, lowering his hand to your level. “Come here.” You could feel your heart hammering in your chest, your knees trembling, and cold drops of sweat falling from your brow. Was he really telling you to climb his hand? Nervously, you took a seat on it, allowing your master to raise you and place you comfortably in his lap. This was new, very new and confusing, you’ve never seen anyone have the honor of sitting on Hade's lap, but there you were, comfortable laying in one of his powerful thighs, staring up at him. Your master, who everyone respected and feared, who always made your very being burn was giving you this sort of treatment, of affection? His voice is lower this time, huskier, “Today I have a different task for you… A different kind of service that I need” His hand was on your back now, rubbing it gently. “One which will be quite pleasurable for you and for me.” You had been staring at him this whole time, looking at his eyes, his expression, which was something you’ve never seen before, desire was evident in his face. Desire for you. “I have made a concoction, to allow you to handle such a task-” he continued, now his other hand lifting his robes, exposing himself for you. You could not believe it. Your master wanted this from you, just as much as you wanted it from him. His size was massive, proportional to a man of his build and stature, you couldn't help but reach out, running your hand over it, how were you supposed to please him? Even with your both hands you wouldn't be able to stroke him firmly, much less fit him inside of you- But your thoughts were interrupted by something uncorking. He did say something about a concoction, but how-

A small vial was in his hands, the liquid of which looked like nothing you had ever seen. It shifted in color, going from red to orange to green, it must have been made from Hades’ power. “Do not fear. Spread yourself for me, and I'll take care of the rest...” You didn't have to be told twice. Breathing heavy, you allowed your master to pour that strange liquid into your entrance, which seemed to burn you in the most pleasurable way, making you let out soft pleased sounds. “It was about time we took some sort of break, so few of us take our work seriously...” gently, he applied pressure with his finger into your entrance, which to your surprise stretched without problem to fit his finger, coating your insides with the strange liquid as it went in. “And you are one of the bests of course.” His words were like honey, fueling the need inside you. “That's why I know only you will be up to this task….” He removed his finger, having your insides well coated and warm for his member. “I want you to keep me company, to keep me warm... While im at my desk today.” Your legs were shaking, but you knew what you had to do, he really didn't have to tell you. Bracing yourself against his chest, slowly you pressed your entrance into his member, even with the concoction, it took some effort, the tip slipping a couple of times before being able to get in. The stretch should have been painful, but all you could feel was pleasure, the burn of the strange liquid must have changed you, allowing you to take such size and not feel an ounce of pain. “Hmmmmm, go on now, get comfortable- Ah~!” Your master moaned when you started moving, the tightness of your hole breaking a small part of his determination to keep this quiet. You yourself weren't being quite quiet either, whimpers, moans and whines coming out of you as you slowly adjusted your tight grip on Lord Hades’ cock as you sank down, coming to a rest against him, now his member fully sheathed inside of you. Your Lord seemed to be taking a moment to compose himself while you simply slumped against him, your thighs twitching as your insides squeezed exquisitely around your master. In the back of your mind, you wondered if this was some sort of dream, one witch you’d never want to wake up from, but as Hades moved a document from the stack to be reviewed, one of his hands went for you, lifting you barely from his cock and pushing you down again, making him growl in satisfaction and you cry out in pleasure. “Absolutely perfect. Even now your performance is impeccable.” You couldn't really answer much to that, being a bit overwhelmed by this whole situation. “I was hoping to work while you kept me pleased, but you’ve demonstrated to be far more… stimulating than I thought.” He shifted you again, making you see stars and your insides to tremble. “But It hardly matters, this just means my paper work can wait....” He looked hungry at you, even more so, now holding you with both hands with the clear intention of focusing on you. “Now I’ll have to work on giving us both a reward for working so hard.”

With that, he started really moving you, pounding at you slowly and gently at first, but quickly picking up pace and intensity. Your screams of pleasure practically echoed in the house, you were unable to repress them, far too gone in the pleasure to care. “That's it, L-let everyone know your price- your pleasure!” He boomed on top of you, now lifting you up to lay on the desk as he stood and pounded away at you. “Let this be an example for everyone- Only the best can get this from me” Hades growls and loudly proclaims on top of you now, his movements so fanatic you can't understand how you havent came ten times by now, but the ecstasy you felt right now was more than worth it. You couldn't help but look around, now laying in said desk you had vision of Hypnos, who clearly had woken up and was openly staring with both of his hands over his mouth, a deep flush evident in his face, and achilles, who clearly was looking away, red and ashamed of being in proximity of such an act, and of course, many shades where looking, some even cheering at the expectable, even with the little features they had, you could see a pang of envy on them, which only fueled your pleasure. With a mighty grunt, he slammed deep inside of you, filling your insides with his seed, which was all you needed to break and finally cum yourself, blacking out for a second, over the overwhelming wave of pleasure he had just given you, that delicious burn his liquid gave you coming back with vengeance, making you ride your orgasm with that pleasure too, leaving you utterly spent and satisfied. Maybe it was that same liquid which made your orgasm wait, so that you could reach it with master Hades.

Now, with both of you panting, he gently pulls out of you, covering himself again and using a clan rag on one of his drawers to help you clean up. The adoration in your face must have been evident, since the look he gave you was both gentle and smug. “I’ll leave you to rest in my quarters, but once I'm finished with this paperwork, I'll join you one more there, I won't be long.” With that, he picked you up and carried you to his room, just in time for zagreus to rise from the river, shooting you a questioning look as he saw his father carry you away. You were far too tired to care, really, the only thing that mattered now was the fact that Lord Hades himself was laying you on his bed, where he would surely instruct you to pleasure him, now in private. Curling up. you knew you needed some rest if you wanted, like always, to give your very best for the task.

#Hades #hades game #reader insert #reader #reader x hades #hades x reader #hades game reader #reader hades game #breakoutime's post #dirty tag #sexy tag #yes those two are my ns fw tags ok

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secret-engima · 4 years ago

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...Rufus Shinra and the Turks in KHR

-Pure, total, utter, CHAOS.

-This boy was raised to rule an EMPIRE that played pretend as a power company there is no one more suited to wreak havoc with the Mafia than this boi and his pack of trained killers.

-Let’s be really mean and make Rufus be reborn as Tsuna and OH BOY the chaos starts from a young age.

-Tsuna doesn’t remember his old like until Nono seals him, and several days later (after Nono and Iemitsu have left) in the continuous desperation to LIVE-SURVIVE-NO-NO-NO that comes from having part of his soul locked away, Tsuna cracks open a part of his mind that should have never been touched, and Rufus spills out across the young, vulnerable mind of his second life with a gasp and a shudder, and he feels something in his veins screaming to be let out, and it feels like drowning-freezing-dying so he FIGHTS with every ounce of Will he has.

-The seal was meant to restrain the young, untrained Flame of a toddler. This new and unsettled, it was not prepared to hold back the surge of Will that came from an adult mind honed to a razor edged and tempered in world-ending apocalypses. The seal shatters into a thousand shards, but not before it carves at Rufus’s soul on the way out, and Nana rushes her son to the hospital for what looks like a seizure.

-The doctors have to restart his heart three times before he finally stabilizes (before his Flames finally flush the last of the seal shards from his system and are allowed to flow free through his veins). During the tense, hours long struggle to keep him alive, Nana calls the number Iemitsu gave her over and over.

-No one answers.

-Rufus wakes up in a hospital, and the sensation is not unfamiliar. It still takes him a moment to recognize the woman dozing in the chair by his bed with dark marks under her eyes as his mother (new mother) and this life as Tsuna’s life, not Rufus’s.

-Well. This is.

-Not what he expected when he died.

-He gets the feeling Gaia is laughing at him.

-The doctors can’t figure out what caused his seizures, nothing unusual shows up on any of their tests or scans. The only thing is heightened stress hormones and blood pressure, but not nearly high enough to cause damage. Eventually they let Nana take him home, but the woman who was previously so distant and ... ditzy in Tsuna’s memories is now protective, alert. Rufus assumes it’s because having your child nearly die horribly for unknown causes would make anyone (barring say, his old father) terribly upset.

-(He doesn’t know that Nana carried him all the way to the hospital because she doesn’t have a car, that his Flames, screaming Sky and biting, feral Mist, soaked into her own soul in their desperation, and in their quest to tear off his seal, shattered the one Iemitsu had sneakily applied to Nana’s passive Sky flames as well).

-Rufus thinks on Tsuna’s memories and realizes that it was his absentee father and “grandfather” (hah if that’s not a crime lord euphemism he’ll eat his own shoes) that caused his awakening and near death. There is something morbidly amusing in having a terrible, probably criminal father in both lifetimes.

-It would be funnier if he had any of his old allies to help him along (to make him feel less lonely).

-He also has powers now, and for a while he wonders if that makes him some kind of Ancient or halfbreed of one, but either way he keeps them secret, and he’s pretty sure Ancients didn’t use quite this much fire in their powers.

-He keeps his head down, he gets top marks in school but makes no real effort to socialize with his peers (none of them are worth knowing except maybe Hibari, but Hibari is feral and Rufus isn’t sure he wants to deal with that), and in secret he practices control over his Flames. He has two of them, one is bright orange and bright and POWERFUL, it’s the easiest to call. The other is weaker, but it’s incredibly useful. It’s light indigo in color, and with it Rufus can weave illusions from simple “don’t notice me” things to full on imagined animals or people as distractions.

-One day though, he gets caught playing with his powers by one Yamamoto Takeshi. The boy looks at him with an implacably neutral expression and Rufus is wondering if his purple fire can erase minds, when suddenly he smiles and holds out a palmful of blue fire.

-Rufus’s orange Flame lurches out of his skin in a breathless, needy desperation that startles them both, the Intuition in Rufus’s head SINGING found-you-found-you-mine-mine-mine- and there’s a click in both their souls-.

-Takeshi relaxes and something in Rufus’s soul cries with joy and recognition. Then Takeshi folds his hands politely in front of him and smiles a smile Rufus would know anywhere in the world, “Hello sir,” Tseng murmurs, “it’s good to finally see you again.”

-After that, their adult reserve crumbles, and the two children (only ten years old) cry heart wrenchingly on each other’s shoulders, because they saw the world end, they saw death, and now they woke up and thought for years they were the only ones.

-The others trickle in slowly after that, in fits and starts. Kyoko wanders over one day and introduces herself as Elena, and Rufus realizes Ryohei, her very quiet brother, has been something of a Martial Arts fanatic since a few years ago (since Rufus broke his seal, he doesn’t know it, but the sheer power and desperation of his Flames echoed over the town and woke up the others, though they did not realize where their awakening had come from).

-Cissnei shows up on his doorstep without explanation, her hair dark purple now and her body skinny from malnutrition that Rufus’s new mother happily sets about fixing.

-One by one his Turks drift in, and when Hibari starts growling over the intrusion of a budding gang in his territory, Rufus finally deigns to give Hibari his full attention.

-It’s a fight that ends in two broken arms, three broken ribs, a black eye and a nasty concussion, but one of those arms, the black eye, one of the ribs, and the concussion aren’t his and Hibari looks at Rufus in something like awe before he names Rufus Fluffy Carnivore and suddenly Hibari has a new turk recruit who comes with his own small army of pompadour wearing minions.

-Excellent.

-Rufus is content to start small. He doesn’t want to attract the attention of his father’s organization yet, but he has established himself as a small Yakuza now (though no one knows he rules it, his illusions are so helpful in making him seem smaller and weaker and clumsier than he is, to the point the oblivious students and teachers call him Dame-Tsuna) and he is looking into uncovering which Mafia group his father works for (so he can someday tear it up by the roots and burn it down, just to see the look on Iemitsu’s face).

-Of course, when he turns 14, everything gets ... complicated.

-Namely a tiny hitman shaped vaguely like a toddler shows up on his doorstep, calls him Dame-Tsuna, and says he’s here to teach Tsuna how to be a proper Mafia boss.

-Rufus and his Turks are Not Impressed™.

-But Iemitsu sent this tiny hitman, and Rufus is never one to pass up a chance to play the enemy for a fool, so he plays along. He plays the startled, skeptical civilian, the klutzy middle schooler with a group of wacky friends who don’t fit in any better than him, and when the TRAINED KILLER who is the best in the world (or so he claims) buys it wholesale, Rufus has to struggle not to roll his eyes at the sky because HONESTLY.

-Then Reborn drags a boy from Italy here, one who is quiet and wears sunglasses and has perhaps too much love of explosions and Rufus grins to himself and clicks his fingers at Tseng. Tseng takes the boy aside, and when they come back, Rude calmly swears fealty to Rufus without batting an eye.

-Reborn’s strangled surprise in the corner is priceless.

-It’s less priceless when Reborn shrugs it off as coincidence and keeps buying the “Dame-Tsuna” persona.

-It takes until Mukuro (Reno, a nearly broken, fractured Reno who has kept his sanity only because of the memories his torture dragged up out of his soul) shows up with two more of his Turks and Rufus and Rude talk them down in minutes (and with a lot of tears afterward, because these bodies are only 14 and Reno and his comrades have been through too much already) that Reborn starts to get suspicious that Something Is Up.

-Even so. The Dame-Tsuna insults and condescension persist, and Nana is bristly from it now (from being lied to in the face and expected not to notice) and Reborn still doesn’t notice and it is honestly getting on Rufus’s nerves.

-The day the Varia show up and he is told that Tsuna is to fight for the throne of Vongola, a pack of seeming 14 year olds against TRAINED ADULT ASSASSINS. Rufus decides enough is enough.

-On the day of the first fight, Rufus calmly and openly tells his Turks to “Take the Field”. The leader of the Varia, a man who’s Flames all but scream pain and betrayal and anguish (a familiar set of emotions, albeit not hidden and turned into poison, and it seems like Rufus is destined to be reminded of his first childhood at every turn doesn’t it) laughs at the “arrogance of the small trash”. Rufus just smiles, thin and polite and sweet.

-Martial Arts tears through Lussuria with a flurry of punches and kicks that send little shockwaves through the arena and the laughter slows.

-Knives (now named Haru) doesn’t even bat an eye at the lightning umbrellas and instead goes straight for the man’s sensitive bits with a lightning enhanced foot, then holds a knife to his sensitive parts and sweetly asks him to yield.

-By the time the Storm battle occurs and Rude has neatly burned off a good chunk of the Varia Storm’s hair with his bombs, the laughter has stopped and the staring has begun. Reborn and Iemitsu are deathly silent as they watch “Tsuna’s civilian friends” shred the Varia like paper, but really what did they expect to happen when they pitted the only group of unenhanced alive who could go toe to toe with SOLDIERs and win against some over-confident assassins?

-The Varia leader gets steadily more furious with each uninterrupted victory from the Turks, snarling and raging at his subordinates in a way that is most unbecoming. By the time it’s the turn of the Skies (and Nono is there to watch and such a PITY he didn’t get killed in the exploding mecha suit, truly), Rufus is still smiling thinly and Xanxus is fit to burst with fury.

-”What are you?” Xanxus roars not long into their fight, when Rufus calmly dodges every blast and seems to all but fade from the senses if they take their eyes off him for a mere moment, “You’re supposed to be a Sky! Stop fighting like a trash Mist!”

-Rufus stops, and pointedly does not look at Reborn or Iemitsu or Nono. He just grins, wild and bloody, “Alright.”

-He lets his Sky Flames out.

-The two so-called referees, Iemitsu’s pet Rain, and the Varia’s Lightning all drop to their knees from the pressure.

-Xanxus gapes.

-”Turns out,” Rufus hums calmly as he creates a shotgun out of Mist Flames and fires a round of pure Sky Flame at Xanxus’s chest (the man barely dodges with a stream of curses), “that nearly dying of a prolonged seizure and three heart attacks when you are just a toddler because of the Flame Seal that your dearest father and father’s boss tried to carve into your soul means your Dying Will is very, very strong. Who knew.”

-Xanxus actually lowers his pistols to stare at Rufus, “They. What.”

-Rufus politely refrains from shooting this man while his guard is down, because an enemy of Nono is a potential ally that shouldn’t be wasted, “You heard me. Ask mother dearest if you want. She was the one who ran to the hospital with my seizing body in her arms and spent the next seven hours outside the emergency room calling my father’s number with no response, unsure if I would live or die. But please, don’t let mere facts stop you from telling me how I’m trash who can’t light a candle with my Will. It certainly doesn’t stop my so-called Tutor.”

-Somewhere in the background, Reborn makes a strangled noise, and Rufus thinks that the Varia Sun is the one making the angry kettle noises all medics make when their medical sensibilities have been gutted and set on fire in front of them.

#SE asks #oliverslewty asks #Secret Engima Rambles #Tear Down the Sky verse #Rufus as Tsuna verse #long post #oh look new au #giving this two names for now #we'll see which one I remember

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bleuspirit · 4 years ago

Text

A take on some “analyses” about Zuko and Katara’s relationship

Ever since A:TLA aired, I have always been (and still am!) a Zutara shipper. I was already around deviantart back in 2008 and so for many years I’ve seen countless arguments and counter-arguments about this ship and almost all of them were in comparison with Kataang (w/c is understandable). Admittedly, I used to agree with the anti-Kataang sentiments back then, but over time (and with age and experience! Ahaha), I learned to appreciate the different ships in ATLA better — even Kataang. It’s just personally, I enjoyed the canon development of Zuko and Katara’s relationship more. I find it more fleshed out I guess — probably because they’re literally the “textbook definition” of relationship development (enemies to best friends kind of thing). But anyway, I’d like to point out that what made me do this is because a lot of the arguments surrounding Zutara and Kataang seem to disregard the canon development of each individual characters, and are specially enclosed in a spicy worded “analysis”. What actually made me see the other ships in a better light are those posts which nicely point out their strengths rather than banking on the weaknesses of the other ships. And since I ship Zutara, I’ll only be talking about their relationship here.

(Long post ahead)

One of the main arguments against Zutara is that Katara wouldn’t want to be the Fire Lady and be the mother symbol of the nation who literally killed her mom. This will be my starting point.

There are already a lot of Katara-centered metas out there which discussed her character development. One of the recurring points in them is that as much as Katara held so much anger against the Fire Nation, The Puppet Master and The Painted Lady proved that she doesn’t take it out on the innocent citizens of the country. Hence, we can safely argue that Katara was mainly angry at those who held power. Unfortunately, it seems like a lot of people still overlook this aspect of Katara’s character — even if it’s what makes her more nuanced. This is the Katara that we love. She’s fierce, compassionate, and fiercely compassionate.

Now, in The Southern Raiders, Zuko himself realized this. Katara told him back in Crossroads of Destiny that “It’s just for so long now, whenever I think of the face of the enemy, it was your face.” Katara knew Zuko was the Prince of Fire Nation. She knew that his forefathers started this war. She saw how persistent he was in (her words) “capturing the world’s last hope for peace”. To her, he was THAT “power” that she hated. That blurry image of the Fire Nation that she hated now had a face (of course, there was Yon Rha but Zuko was the prince). “But what do you know? You’re the Fire Lord’s son.”

And Zuko realizes this. “I think she’s connected her anger about that (her mother’s death), to her anger at me.” And as we’ve seen in The Southern Raiders, Zuko genuinely tried to atone for every hurt that he has caused her. He sought out for her forgiveness, for her to see that he’s a friend that she could rely on. And he did atone himself!

Unfortunately again, most anti-Zutara sentiments seem to brush off Zuko’s entire character arc. Zuko undeniably has one of the best arcs in the history of television entertainment, and he is hands down one of the most beloved fictional characters of all time. But then in trying to deconstruct his plausible romantic relationship with Katara, I often read “but he was a bad person!” or “he’s a bad influence for Katara!”. And honestly, it pains me to read those. We were given one of the greatest scenes in A:TLA where Zuko himself denounced the “Fire Nation Legacy” against the Fire Lord himself. A lot of good commentaries about the show expressly said how glorious that confrontation with Ozai was especially when he called him out on his abuse and their propaganda. “What a great lie that was!” As known to us fans, that was already the turning point of Zuko’s character. From there, he broke free from being part of that line of power.

The conclusion of the The Southern Raiders has shown us that Katara no longer viewed Zuko as the enemy; that he was a good Fire Nation guy. And in fact, she has fully accepted that Zuko represented change in the Fire Nation; that he’s not going to be like his father or grandfather. She forgives him and trusts him completely at the end of the episode. That is why by The Old Masters, Katara readily accompanies Zuko to face Azula because she knows that by defeating his sister, Zuko will be the Fire Lord who will bring a new era of peace to the world. She has to help put Zuko to the throne, and Katara knew damn well that she’s capable to go toe-to-toe with Azula. And we could always view this without the romantic undertones.

It’s actually amazing how the Last Agni Kai parallels the Crossroads of Destiny because if Katara still had reservations about Zuko’s intentions, then she wouldn’t be so down to fight in the Fire Nation capital alone with those two surrounded by comet-powered soldiers. It’s so satisfying to see Zuko and Katara’s canon relationship journey (like as friends) come to full circle in that episode.

And with that, I don’t think Katara will hate the idea of being Fire Lady just because of her previous hatred towards the Fire Nation. Putting on my Zutara glasses now (ahaha), as the Fire Lady, Katara will most likely push for education reform debunking the previous propaganda set by Sozin’s era. As shippers, we can only explore as to what kind of Fire Lady Katara would want to be; and I can even see her and Zuko making some changes regarding traditional marriages. Who knows? Only fanfics can tell haha.

We can probably argue that there might be other reasons why Katara wouldn’t want to be Fire Lady (or like a traditional Fire Lady), but surely it’s not because she hates Fire Nation citizens or that because Zuko did them wrong before. I just wish we won’t overlook their character developments often. Yes, Zuko deserved the anger Katara held against him before, but he had already atoned himself to her. We all know that by the end of the series, they would literally and canonically die for each other — with or without romantic feelings.

Additionally, another thing that I adore about Zuko and Katara’s relationship is that they have a strong emotional bond. Of course, it is already granted that Zuko shares strong emotional bonds with the rest of the gaang as well, and I’m not here to point out that he has the best bond with Katara, because in canon, he’s great with everyone. We’ve seen him have a heart-to-heart talk with every member of the gaang. And now for a shipper, I think this is a great foundation for a healthy relationship!

Zuko grew up suppressing a lot of things and he needs to be in an environment where he can freely express himself, especially that he has a tendency to have self-destructive thoughts. And I’m really glad that he got to have that safe space with the gaang. Zuko could openly air out his frustrations and worries to them, and the gaang understands where he is coming from and helps him sort his issues out — including Katara (see: The Old Masters, conversation outside Iroh’s tent). As for Katara, we can safely infer that Zuko is a good listener and makes good responses. (”Your mother was a brave woman.”) If Zutara did become endgame, it wouldn’t have been a stretch since the series have already showed us that his relationship with each member of the gang is healthy.

The entire show is complex and it was written extremely well that it reflects a lot of things in our world — including relationship dynamics. Meaning, nothing’s really perfect.

Finally, to end this, I’d like to remind everyone that there’s no point in trying to engage in a messy fanwar. Just enjoy your ships in peace and if you don’t agree with one, then don’t go around asks insulting people about their ships. There’s more to life than that. ✨

#zutara #meta #is this a meta idk #zuko #katara #even the criticisms against aang are just downright sad #i have steered clear from fanwars but i see it brewing on my dashboard #and it aint pretty #no salt here!!#no to fanwars!!!

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plus-size-reader · 5 years ago

Text

Only a Mortal

Harvey Kinkle x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 1885 words

Warnings: none

Summary: Reader is Nick Scratch’s witch ex. She goes out with Harvey Kinkle, but what kind of problems could that bring up for the territorial warlock she left behind?

———————————————————————————————————

If you thought that Sabrina was shocked to see you and Harvey together at Dr. Cerberus's, it would have nearly killed you to know how rattled it had made Nicholas.

For Sabrina, it was jealousy and shock, and perhaps the same could be said for the warlock. However, what confused him more than anything was the fact that you, a witch, were openly with a mortal.

You were supposed to be at the academy tonight for bed check and by the looks of how deep in conversation you'd been with the mortal, that wasn't going to happen.

...But he wasn't jealous.

You and Nick had broken up quite a while ago and it was none of his business who you chose to hang out with, even if it did happen to be some human boy. He had no reason to be jealous. He'd had you before, and if he wanted you, there was no doubt in his mind that he could have you again.

Now, on your end, you had absolutely no idea that Nicholas was watching you. You had been so enthralled in conversation with Harvey all night that you didn't even notice the world outside.

It had never happened to you before, but for once in your life, you wanted nothing more than to spend all evening talking to him.

There was nothing else on your mind, nothing else other than the young mortal, Harvey Kinkle.

He was a strange man, with many different ideas about how the world should work and stories from his life. It was so funny to see how the other half lived, so to speak. You hadn't spent much time with the mortals in your life, but you and Harvey had crossed paths and one thing led to another, as they often did.

By this point in the evening, you had been sitting here for hours, sharing a milkshake and talking about life...

And you continued talking through the night until you got on the conversation of Valentines day, and how fast it was approaching.

Admittedly, it took you a moment to realize what he was talking about but you knew that valentine's day was like lupercalia for the mortals. It was a lot less fun, with more cards and confetti, over rituals and sex.

Still, it seemed to mean something to Harvey as he spoke about it.

"There is a dance at my school, and I was wondering if you would go with me?" he asked, shocking you. There was a bit of sparkle in his eyes as he watched you, waiting for some kind of response.

You weren't really sure what to do.

There was no good way to react in a situation like that. Harvey looked to be expecting something from you and you weren't sure at all what it was he wanted.

However, you had to answer him at some point.

"Oh Harvey, a dance? Are you sure?" you asked, fully understanding that you were in no way the school dance kind. You didn't want to give him any kind of false hope about what kind of person you were.

After everything that had happened with him and Sabrina in their past, you didn't want him to expect something of you that you couldn't deliver but you also didn't want to frighten him.

His relationship with Sabrina had left him a little sensitive to magic as a general rule, and the main thing you'd learned from being with Nick was that magic was something you couldn't live without.

At the academy, you learned everything you'd ever wanted to know on the path of dark.

It showed you things that you needed, and gave you the things that you wanted but you knew that if you even mentioned magic around Harvey, he would freak out. Not to mention that going to a valentine's dance with him would probably result in him accompanying you to lupercalia which probably wouldn't be his scene.

He would be completely surrounded by witches and warlocks.

"I'm positive Y/N, don't you think it would be a good time?" he asked, worried that he'd somehow upset you by suggesting it.

He must have misread the whole situation.

"I think it would be a great time, but there is just too much that could go wrong. You know what I am" you reasoned, keeping your tone as quiet as possible in hopes that would somehow calm him.

You didn't want him to leave, but you just had a feeling that this wouldn't work out.

"I don't care. I like spending time with you and I think it would be nice"

He seemed pretty sure but you just didn't understand. How could he be so confident in such a thing even with a past like his? It simply didn't make any sense.

...But even you had to admit that you didn’t want to say no to his tempting offer, especially not after all the fun you’d had with him tonight.

Perhaps the mortal Harvey Kinkle was worth the risk.

“I agree, I have to go now Harvey, but I’ll let you know what I decide” you promised, gathering your things and heading out before you could get any more attached to the darling mortal.

There was something so dangerous about what you were doing, and it wasn’t right.

Witches didn’t mingle with mortals, and mortals didn’t mingle with witches. It was the only way. It had always been that way, and as you walked up the stairs to the academy, you made your decision...

You couldn’t go to that dance with Harvey.

There was no way you could put him in danger like that, ever. It was far too upsetting to imagine something bad happening to him.

Not to mention what Nicholas would do if you ever dared show up at the academy of unseen arts with him on your arm. He had always been such a jealous creature.

After the two of you had separated, he had been so angry but it was only because he loved you so. Nick had always loved you more than words could express but that was one of the problems you had, he couldn’t express his feelings at all.

That was just one of the things the mortal lacked.

Harvey spoke so earnestly about his emotions and didn’t shy away from them in fear of looking weak. He spoke freely and made you feel free to do the same in a way you never had before.

As you walked quickly away from Dr. Cerberus's, you couldn’t stop yourself from thinking about him, and the amazing time you’d just shared. Not once did magic come up, or did he make you feel ignored.

For the entire time you were sitting across from Harvey, you knew that his attention was only on you and you liked that.

You really liked that.

You liked it so much in fact, that by the time you’d made it back to the academy, you had completely changed your mind. The risk of being with Harvey for one night was worth the joy it would bring you.

Besides, you could keep track of him the entire time and you knew that he would be protected. Nothing would ever happen to Harvey as long as he was by your side.

Bathed in the darkness of the night, you decided to indulge yourself on this valentines day, which would be your very first. Not only that, but you were going to ask Harvey to accompany you on lupercalia, just for the heaven of it.

Nothing worth having was ever easy anyway.

It wasn’t until the night of the valentines dance finally came that you debated whether or not you should even show up.

You didn't want to make a fool of yourself, not in front of a bunch of mortals. Not to mention that lupercalia was right around the corner and you knew that Sabrina and Nicholas would be there. You didn't want to have to see them both, not right now.

It would just be too hard to explain.

There were also rules for those sorts of things, no mortal was permitted on the hallowed ground of the academy. If you wanted to take part in lupercalia at all with Harvey, it would have to be somewhere other than school.

It was just too complicated.

...But before you could panic too much, you simply looked in the mirror and reminded yourself what you were. You were a witch, a very powerful witch under the protection of the dark lord himself, and there was nothing in the cosmos that could scare you.

Especially not a warlock like Nicholas.

Whatever you’d had with him was long gone and you weren’t going to let his opinions of you change anything between you and Harvey. The mortal brought you happiness and you weren’t going to sacrifice that…

Not this time.

You had asked Harvey to meet you at the school, explaining that it would be much simpler that way until you could figure out everything at the academy. Right now, the two of you were just enjoying each other’s company so there was no reason to complicate things.

You didn’t want to risk someone at the academy seeing you two together and having a problem with it. At least, not until you were much more secure in whatever you and Harvey had.

Luckily, he had understood and by the time you made it to Baxter high, your darling mortal was already waiting for you, a button up shirt under a flannel in true Kinkle fashion.

“You look incredible” he gushed, shocked that you had even really shown up. He was glad you had, of course, but in the time it took you to arrive, he’d been rather anxious.

All you did was smile at first, looking down to admire the work you’d done in your wardrobe earlier.

Fashion in the witches world was different than that of the mortal world, but it was clear that Harvey didn’t care. All he knew was that you looked really good and he was excited for the night to come.

You made everything so easy, respecting his touchy past with your kind and letting him process things at his own speed. You respected what he needed while still avoiding looking at him like he’s wounded.

He wouldn’t trade that for the world.

“Thank you, so do you” you tried, doing your best to keep him from knowing how uncomfortable you were. When it came to the supernatural world and the coven, there was no one more confident than you.

...But this was a public high school.

You had never attended one of these, and in all honesty, you never thought you would even step foot in one before today.

Harvey may not have known you for that long, but even he could tell that you were much more tense and anxious than you had been before. Without a word, he slipped his hand into your own.

The touch shocked your flesh but only served to make you feel more alive than before. He was incredible, in everything that he was, if anyone could give you the strength to enjoy tonight...

It was Harvey.

Now all you had to do was go in.

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obeymeluv · 5 years ago

Note

Ohhh how about the boys reacting to a lower demon hitting on reader? Like aggressively hitting on them that it’s already quite uncomfortable? Or it could be the shy, almost sweet type?

Hey there! Holy wow, how long has this been here? I usually check Tumblr from my phone and I guess message notifications don’t come through? So sorry T_T

Either way, Nonnie, this isn’t good :o

Divider from Glitter Geeks

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“It cannot be helped, for I am born of sin and they inspire it in me.”

♥.·:*¨¨*:·.♥.·:*:·.♥.·:*¨¨*:·.♥ ♥.·:*¨¨*:·.♥.·:*:·.♥.·:*¨¨*:·.♥ ♥.·:*¨¨*:·.♥.·:*:·.♥.·:*¨¨*:·.♥

Lucifer

This is the BIGGEST, ULTIMATE NO

Like, all of Mammon’s past transgressions don’t POSSIBLY add up to this insult

At first Lucifer pays no mind because you seem to be integrating into the Devildom and furthering Diavolo’s grand plan. Good!

Then it starts to gnaw at him and he really pays attention. Call it the keen eye of an ex-angel, to watch over humans

Half of him is earnestly trying to plan things to say on the way over, not hearing how his own footsteps echo thunderously with impending doom, but half of him can’t even concentrate due to the overwhelming sense of wrong.

You seem very uncomfortable, this lesser demon is more incompetent than he thought possible, and there’s something hot and nauseating burning in him. It almost hurts to clear his throat, honestly

It feels like the part he’d forgotten about...almost all that Satan was. He honestly thought he didn’t have any wrath left in him, for pride seemed far nastier a thing to be stuck with

He lets those big black wings, once the pride of the Celestial Realm, unfurl in a great and terrifying display. He used to shine in the Celestial Realm when he revealed his true form, but in the Devildom it translates as pure heat

He fans his wings to cool the air around you but the lesser demon now knows his looming shadow and his terrifying presence

If the demon is bold enough to stick around, Lucifer introduces you as the resident human transfer, discourages them from making you late, and suggests any further interaction happen in the presence of one of your seven guardians (“Of which I am one.”)

Although he mentioned seven guardians, it’s clear that he’s the key guardian. The one who will oversee all, and that’s enough to send the demon skittering away.

It takes a few minutes for the air to cool and his wings to fold back in and Lucifer uses that time to glare a burning hole into the lesser creature.

Finally he looks at you and asks you how you’re feeling. Nothing bad happened? Do you need to file paperwork?

Would probably consort with Diavolo to cast a minor enchantment so you could protect yourself if one of the brothers weren’t around

Mammon

You think another demon’s going to get close enough to talk to you? While in the presence of your NUMBER ONE MAN?! Ha!

Mammon may complain about having to go to classes and tries to convince you to ditch more often than not, but he really does look out for you

And boy is Greed’s Avatar so he’s not going to skimp on the company

That also means he’s not going to share your company when he doesn’t feel like it

Mammon may not be openly flirtatious like Asmo, but he knows all about swindling people for their heart (for it is just as valuable as money) and he knows when this demon comes slithering up that he’s BAD NEWS

He’s clever with money-making schemes, has successfully stolen from almost all of his brothers to pawn things, and has brokered deals with witches in such a way that he’s barely affected. Boy’s going to know how to dodge a creep

And for a while, it works. He teaches you back passages and all sorts of little things

But, inevitably, you have to face it alone. He’s not going to always be there.

And he kicks himself when he’s not. Seems he’s only minutes late but ANYBODY who knows you--like your number one man!--knows you’re uncomfortable and THE GREAT MAMMON has to do something!

What does he do? The biggest, loudest, flashiest thing possible. THE BIGGEST SIGN YOU COULD GIVE ANYBODY

If the demon isn’t discouraged from Mammon yell-talking at you halfway down the corridor, Mammon gets to see the delicious way he deflates after he throws an arm around your neck and starts apologizing to ‘his human’ about being late

If he’s in a bad mood that day, he’ll probably toss the demon a single Grimm and tell him to get lost or go buy himself something nice.

The height difference is probably pretty significant so it’s easier for him to just scoop you under his arm and carry you down the hall. Or let his tail wrap around you and walk you down the hall.

Leviathan

I’d be interested to see Levi in this position, honestly. Part of me thinks he’d be too shy to do anything, instead sulking in his room, but part of me thinks once he sees you as a friend (or something more) he’s going to go to bat for you

If it’s that second one, he’d be slyly demeaning. Being the third-born, he’s probably got an intelligent sarcastic streak like Lucifer and a subtle underhandedness like Mammon.

As the Avatar of Envy, his main game is to make the lesser demon feel insignificant by pointing out how little they know you. They’re not your real friend like him so obviously they’re nothing.

He’s much better, anyways. They’re an NPC, he’s Player 1.

I’m also very, very curious about his position in the Devildom Navy. Is that some kind of a switch-flip moment where he can command a room no questions asked, or is it some kind of wickedly good strategy innateness?

Being a background person (and having Asmo as a brother), he probably overhears a lot of gossip. He’d probably drop some real gossip, something embarrassing. Probably say you were needed by Lucifer, as that’s more to-the-point and believable

The aim of the game is to send the demon away, to create distance. Mission accomplished.

Satan

He won’t intervene until he gets the idea that you’re uncomfortable. It’s a whole process with this one.

On the one hand, he wants you to be able to handle yourself. If you are not enough to send the creature away, then he’ll intervene. Partly because he’s technically responsible for you, partly because he cannot stand idly by and entertain this idiocy.

Satan has many tricks but his favorite one is to freeze the demon out by ignoring him.

Totally dominates/inserts himself into the conversation. Makes the demon feel like he isn’t there.

If that doesn’t work and your scrambling to corroborate him or just back out of the conversation, Satan speaks for you. (”We’re studying later.”, etc.). If the demon tries for another day, Satan just coolly adds ‘and tomorrow’ or ‘for the rest of the week’ until the point is made.

The longer this issue continues--despite his help--the more the Avatar of Wrath begins to reveal himself. That aura alone is usually enough to send anything running.

Kinda feels like he made an ass of himself no matter what, and apologizes after you two are alone. Is very cute and embarrassed.

Gives you a biting book. It’s an enchanted tome you can train not to bite certain people. You two are the only ones that can hold it. He looks forward to seeing how many people it bites before the week is over (a little too happy).

Asmodeus

Oh the many ways this could be handled! Asmo has so many ideas!

At first his little heart skips a beat because how cute is this?! A cliche romance unfolding in the halls of RAD between a human and a demon? Then his little ‘radar’ begins to ping and he realizes not all is well or cute

He was kind of glad, honestly. You could do MUCH better (like him!)

It could be as easy as Asmo sliding in and charming the lesser demon to leave you alone, walking away in a stupor, or more complicated and sinister

Asmo’s never done anything truly, intentionally sinister but rumor mills can be pretty devastating. The lesser demon may find himself at the center of some unsavory rumors that cause him to slink around the general populous

The narcissistic fifth-born probably has something of a following. He may appoint some of his followers as body guards or just extra eyes to keep you safe

Or he could do a total 180 and make this lesser demon seem totally dreamy to others so they get chased and leave you alone. Yes, he quite likes that one!

Then there’s the traditional route, the most obvious (which Asmo prefers because, honestly, you two would be the CUTEST couple) where he’s your boyfriend and you guys didn’t want to tell anyone but OOPS! SECRET’S OUT! Great, now go away! Wait, take a picture for his Devilgram first! Okay, now go.

Beelzebub

Probably takes Beel a bit to notice your discomfort. If he’s not distracted with food, it’s because he didn’t want to act in bad faith. What if you actually liked talking to that demon? What if you were just awkward like Levi? It’s a delicate matter.

Beel is no fool, though. He’s very friendly. If he introduces himself and the lesser demon doesn’t quit his behavior, Beel will then turn serious.

Tries to emphasize to the demon that you’ve said no

May show muscle or offer up a challenge. Sometimes people are hard-headed like that and need action.

“You want to date them? Beat me in an arm-wrestling competition.” (they won’t)

Beelzebub can be down-right crafty. “You want to date them? Beat me in an eating competition.” (he’s the undisputed champion).

I think he’d use his size in a good way. If this demon keeps cornering you/pestering you, Beel’s going to make a habit of walking between you or just picking you up until the demon gets the hint that if Beel’s around, he’s not talking to you

Belphegor

The smallest part of him is too tired to deal with this but he’s powered by the sheer amount of HELL NO and decides he has to fix it.

Fix it once and it stops

Belphie, like Satan and Lucifer, has a low tolerance for stupid things. This demon is one of them.

Very cut-throat and point blank. “They’re not interested. Go away.”

Lord Diavolo and Lucifer expressly mentioned they couldn’t use their powers on YOU, not other demons. Belphie can probably make people really sleepy. He’d make this demon so deliriously tired that he couldn’t flirt with you

Definitely the type to make the demon pass out in the hall and leave him there. Head injury? No clue, he had to go to class. It’s okay, the other RAD students probably won’t step on them.

So mad about the demon. “Honestly!” as he fluffs his pillow angrily after you two have settled in your next class. It’s the angriest nap he’s ever taken.

I don’t think he takes his pillow to school but you can bet he’d but a brick or something in it and whack them. Maybe try to suffocate them. Probably wouldn’t risk his precious pillow like that.

I bet he’d fake nap if the demon tries to flirt with you in class. LOUD, OBNOXIOUS, GRATING fake snoring.

Hope you liked it :)

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msbluebell · 5 years ago

Note

In the captured!AU, let‘s pretend for a moment that Jeralt didn’t die. He wouldn’t just be protective-dad, he‘d be livid-almost blind with fury-dad. Then upon being reunited with his kid he would be nothing short of a supportive father helping his child through a horrible trauma.

Ooooooooooooooooooh ho ho. You. You keep talking Anon, because this prompt is as delicious as Mac and Cheese.

Jeralt has always been silently protective of Byleth. He once set a building on fire, faked his death, and ran off for twenty years just to protect Byleth from Rhea. Byleth is his ONLY child, one of the last things he has of his wife, and many people in game remark how openly proud of his child he is and how much he very obviously loves them. Jeralt may not be the most emotional parent, but he’s a loving, reasonably protective, good father.

So if he survived Monica’s assassination attempt (which I’m going to say still happened, but he survived because Monica’s aim went off when Byleth tried to interfere and she only wounded him) and made it to the war he’d be...destroyed for lack of a better term.

I find it funny that English doesn’t have a word for parents that outlive their children. We have one for a child that outlives their parent, and a spouse that outlives their spouse, but we don’t have one for a parent that outlives their child. I think we need one, because I can’t imagine something so painful. You can move on from a spouse, but moving on from your child’s death? That’s the kind of bitter, stinging, empty pain that I think would be so difficult that for some it would be impossible. Yeah, we should have a word for that. The Germans have a word, Verwaiste Eltern,because of course they do, they have a word for everything. I once saw a Duke article that argued we should use the word Vilomah, because we use the term widow, which is Sanskirt.

Either way, I think the pain of a parent losing their child is so devastating that it deserves it’s own word. Or...maybe...the reasons we don’t have a word is because, for a loving parent, the pain is so great that they can’t even bare to imagine a word for it.

Jeralt is probably one of those parents that never even considered outliving his child.

In the game he repeatedly mentions his own death, and makes plans and takes steps for if HE dies. But he never once brings up Byleth’s possible death. I think, in his mind, while he OBJECTIVELY knows it’s a possibility, he never once registered it as something that could legitimately happen. For him, Byleth’s death is a far off thing that’s going to happen LONG after he’s gone. He’s taking steps to ensure Byleth has a long and happy life. He’s giving them his wife’s wedding ring, the only other memento he has of her, so they can start finding their own happiness and setting up their own life. These aren’t the actions of a man ready to lose his child at all.

So when the war happens, and Byleth is lost, he’s devastated.

He’s probably not worried at first, because it’s a battle and Byleth is strong and they’ve probably just been delayed in their escape. They’ll be here soon. The safe spot is good for days.

Then a week passes.

Then two.

It’s not safe to stay in this spot anymore, and Byleth still isn’t here, and there’s a pit forming in his stomach, and his men are starting to think it’s maybe time to tell their bass that there MIGHT be a possibility that maybe, if it’s been this long, their kid ain’t coming back. But no one wants to outright SAY it because, well, how do you tell a man his only child might have been killed?

They’re forced to flee, after a while, because with Imperials marching everywhere and looking for enemies it’s just not safe to stay in one spot for too long. So they run.

As time goes by, Jeralt is starting to think his kid may not be coming back.

Jeralt isn’t an emotional man. He’s always had trouble expressing his feelings. He’s not the type to burst into tears, or plan a wedding the moment someone he knows starts liking someone else. Jeralt is made of quite things, quite moments. He’s the warm hand on your head, the cup of morning coffee that gets you through the day, the small and proud smile when you win, and the shoulder to cry on when you lose. He’s a quite parent that’s quietly supportive and honest when you need him to be.

But when he realizes Byleth isn’t coming back, he cries. It’s not loud sobbing, but a stream of quite, steady, tears that roll down his face. He doesn’t do it in front of his men, he waits until he’s alone, sitting on a rock and facing away from their direction, and he whips them away before he goes back to them.

(He didn’t need to. His eyes are red. They know. But they’re gracious enough not to comment)

He goes back to try and find the body, when it’s safe, but he never does. And it’s that just cruel? First life takes his kid and now he can’t even bury them. He at least got to bury his wife.

Jeralt decides that, if he can’t even bury the body, than he might as well try to do something Byleth would want him to do, since they’re not here anymore. He’s lived twenty years protecting Byleth, he can spend the rest of his years fighting for the life they’d have lived. The only thing he can think of is protecting those students of theirs, so he heads towards Faerghus.

What he finds is a damn mess.

The King Regent has been assassinated, and now Cornelia is in charge, and Dimitri was supposedly killed. Half the country is sworn to the Empire and the other half is putting up a resistance. Jeralt sighs heavily and points his men toward the resistance, where he thinks Byleth’s students would be set up. He’s pretty sure the two lords in charge of it are parents of her students.

He’s welcomed by Rodrigue with a sad smile. Rodrigue knows what it’s like to lose a child (and, oh, what pain that causes. It swallows you whole. And nothing makes it better. You can tell yourself they died for something good, that they died right, but that only makes your other child hate you), and he’s very sympathetic. He wouldn’t have said no to the extra forces even if Jeralt wasn’t there, but his heart is soft for another parent that’s known such loss.

Jeralt serves as both a tactical adviser and a captain for his forces. He also helps Rodrigue and Gustav try to track Dimitri (Byelth had really liked that kid, he remembers. Byleth had mentioned him a few times, anyway, which was a lot for them, so Jeralt figures there must have been a lot of fondness there. He doesn’t have the whole story, and now he kinda wishes he did so he’d have something to say, but he’ll have to contend with trying to find the kid), but the kid is slippery as and eel and good at staying hidden. Jeralt is honestly impressed that the kid is so good at surviving when the entire Empire is hunting him down. Even HE can’t find the kid and he’s good at his job.

He tries to take care of the other students in the meantime. He tries to visit them when he can, check up on them, make sure they’re healthy. It’s what Byleth would want. And, to be honest, he’s growing quite fond of them himself. Annette is a sweet girl, and so is Mercedes. And Ashe is a good kid that he can see going far. Felix is intense, but Jeralt knows deep down he cares a lot, maybe too much, and he’s just guarding his heart. Sylvain he keeps out of trouble too, because he seems to find it a lot. And, really, they don’t fill the hole Byleth left behind, but they numb it for a bit and that’s the best he can ask for.

He never gets over Byleth’s death, and the lack of funeral, but he’s able to at least live a meaningful life for them. That’s not enough, but it’s something.

Then, one day, Rodrigue comes to him with a letter from the Alliance.

Byleth is alive.

Byleth is ALIVE.

His child is alive.

Claude wrote out all the details from his “reliable source I have in Enbarr”. Byleth was captured in the battle five years ago after falling off a cliff and being knocked unconscious. They’ve been held in solitary confinement in the top of a tower in Enbarr for the last five years. The reasons no announcement from the Empire has been made is because Edelgard is keeping them as her personal prisoner and not a political one, and the reason his spies haven’t found out about this sooner is because Byleth is confined to that single room with no access to the outside world, no windows to spy through, and no one but the most trusted staff allowed within a tower full of traps and mazes. Apparently, according to Claude, only Edelgard’s inner circle are even allowed to deliver meals.

Jeralt is...livid to say the least.

Rodrigue is barely a third of the way through the letter, reading it to a horrified council, when Jeralt slams his hands on the table and throws himself up, knocking back his chair. He’s marching out the room in moments. When Rodrigue asks where he’s going he just gruffly and furiously spits out, “Enbarr.”

It takes all of Rodrigues power to stop him, furiously chasing after the enraged man and trying to talk reasons and sense into him. Telling him that he can’t go alone or he’ll die, and that they need to increase their army, and that Gustav found another lead on Dimitri so give them time to get him, and the Alliance and they could combine forces, and they’ve gotten into contact with Seteth recently so they could gather the remaining Knights of Seiros. The’ll rescue Byleth, that will be a top priority, but they need TIME and FORCES.

Jeralt is not having it. He argues back. That’s his KID in there, trapped like some sort of...of...of PET. They’ve been stuck there for YEARS while he’s been wasting time. And you wouldn’t be so calm if that were GLENN.

A silence falls over them, and Jeralt realizes he’s made a terrible mistake.

He sighs, rubbing his forehead. He knows that was uncalled for. That was massively uncalled for. He says that, and he apologies. But Rodrigue shakes his head, saying he’s right, if that were Glenn he’d be acting like this too, and there’s no need to apologize, and he’s heard worse from Felix anyway (and Jeralt should really get those two to actually sit down and TALK sometime before it’s too late). Jeralt says that there is, because Rodrigue is right, he can’t get Byleth out on his own. It’s just...that’s his KID. That’s his kid and he thought they were DEAD and now they’re ALIVE and they’re being kept as a PET away from them and he can’t stand it.

Rodrigue puts his hands on Jeralt’s shoulders and promises that they’re going to get Byleth back. That it will be one of the first things they do. He swears his life on it.

Jeralt nods and says the same about Dimitri.

Turns out, Rodrigue was right to stop him, because a few weeks later they’re at Garreg Mach, and both Byleth AND Dimitri are there, showing up together like ghosts returning from the dead.

And, shit, both kids have had a rough time of it. Dimitri is half mad and feral from being hunted in the woods for five years, and some clearly unresolved issues have only made him worse than ever. And he’s glad that Rodrigue is still holding up the front in Faerghus because he doesn’t want him to see his kid like this.

Byleth isn’t much better. They’re not half mad like Dimitri, but captivity wasn’t a good look on them. They’re wearing Empire Red silks and they’re pale as a ghost. They can’t stand outside too long without turning pink as a big, but they can’t stand to stay inside either. They won’t even sleep in their room anymore, taking up a spot in the chapel. And Dimitri is always standing by them too, half mad but ready to skewer people at a moment’s notice if Byleth asks it.

It’s...hard for him to see his kid like that.

He can’t huge his kid for too long anymore, because they don’t like feeling trapped. So even though he wants to hold them tight and never let go, he has to let go quickly or they’ll start to panic, and that will set Dimitri off, and he’s like a guard dog as it is.

Most nights Jeralt sleeps in the chapel with Dimitri and Byleth (though he has yet to see Dimitri actually sleep. It’s more like he just stands there, looming over everything. It’s unnerving, downright disturbing, and Jeralt is legitimately worried that Dimitri may have trained himself to sleep standing up or something. Or worse, not sleep at all. It explains why he’s gone mad for damn sure, and he makes a not to try and pump Chamomile in that kid and try to get him a nap because maybe that’ll help calm him down. It helps Byleth get to sleep these days. Lavender and Chamomile. And him being there). Byleth doesn’t really wake up screaming from nightmares, but when they do wake up they always end up panicking for a moment before looking around, making sure there’s sunlight and a place to escape. It breaks his damn heart.

He has to help Byelth get used to sunlight again. They need limited time, even though all they seem to want to do most days is lay in the grass. He has to herd them back in though, before they’re burned. But every day they get a little more time. It’s slow going, but he thinks it helps.

Still, he can’t help but hate Edelgard. He has his kid back, but Goddess above, look at them. Dimitri and Byleth are both a wreck at best, and he and the others have to take care of them and get them back on their feet for the battles ahead (which is hard, because Dimitri only listens to Byleth, and sometimes even that isn’t reliable if he gets too lost on the battlefield. Still, it looks like for the most part Byleth has got Dimitri’s recovery in their hands, and Jeralt has Byleth’s so it’s FINE).

When the day comes, he’ll kill that Edelgard woman himself if she even looks at Byleth wrong. He’s going to destroy that tower and scatter it’s stone across the seas.

He’s going to help these kids get better, and rub it in the world’s face. He’ll look every god in the eye and spit in their face before he lets anything bad happen to them ever again.

#fe3h #Dimileth #Captive AU #jeralt eisner #byleth eisner #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #rodrigue fraldarius #I didn't know I needed Rodrigue and Jeralt friendship until I started writing it #Now it's my brotp #Rodrigue and Jeralt BroTP #asks #fe16 #Fire Emblem Three Houses #jeralt is a good dad

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imagine-loki · 4 years ago

Text

Soulbonds and Fairy Dust (rewrite)

TITLE: Soulbonds and Fairy Dust (rewrite) CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 4/?

AUTHOR: nekoamamori ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine one of the fae has been helping the Avengers, jumping in to help them on missions and vanishing before Shield can bring her in. Loki joins the team and convinces her to come talk to the team and consider joining before Shield takes more drastic measures. RATING: M NOTES/WARNINGS: This is a rewrite of the original work of the same name. Also on AO3 here

Even though the hug felt like home, it eventually had to end. Neither of them wanted it to end, they wanted to stay in each other’s arms forever, to not lose that feeling of home that they’d both so desperately been looking for.

Loki eventually seemed to remember his propriety and his grip on Sigyn loosened as he took a step back. Even Thor could see just how much effort it took and how much he just wanted to hug her again, to hold her in his arms so he wouldn’t have to risk losing her again.

“What does this mean for my future?” Sigyn asked them warily when she’d taken a step back, when she’d shaken off the feeling of home and comfort of being in Loki’s arms. She knew they weren’t just going to let her leave, especially not Loki, especially not now that he was so overly excited to have his best friend back from the dead. She didn’t blame him. she barely remembered and she couldn’t help feeling ecstatic to have him back too.

She didn’t want to leave them. Not really, but she still had to know what they intended for her.

“You do not have to change anything, unless you so wish. You may do as you please. Though I am sure there are people who miss you back on Asgard. You would be welcome there,” Loki told her, his voice gentle and caring, though he still seemed in shock that she was back from the dead.

Sigyn rolled her eyes and huffed at him. That seemed familiar too, such a usual gesture of annoyance at him. “You already brought me here to change my life, remember?” she reminded him with a bit of temper in her voice. They had dragged her here and her life was going to change, whether she wanted it to or not. They wanted something from her. No matter what the Lord of Lies said, she wasn’t free to do as she pleased.

Loki inclined his head. “At the very least, you do need to speak with the team. Thor will go with you… they do not exactly like nor trust me,” he said a bit sheepishly, as if he felt bad about that now. “After that, you decisions are you own. They will not force you to do anything. I will not allow it,” he told her firmly. He would protect her, despite any consequences to himself.

Sigyn gave him a disbelieving look. “Didn’t you say that they’re making you work for them?” she asked him, wary of the whole situation she found herself in.

He sighed and inclined his head. “As retribution. I don’t exactly have a choice in the matter. Besides, it was the Allfather who forced me, not the team here,” he explained. That made sense, then. The Allfather was way more powerful that these Midgardians, though if he didn’t have a choice, she didn’t see how she’d have much of one either. Not really.

Sig jumped when the rest of the team came into the room. On instinct, she had automatically summoned a blade as long as her forearm in one hand and a purple bolt of magic in the other. Loki placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder to calm her. “Stand down, Lady Fae. They will not harm you. They would not, but even if they were to try, they cannot do anything to hurt you as long as I am here,” he told her gently. “You’re under my protection,” he reassured her, pleadingly.

She was still wary, still afraid, but she vanished her blade and bolt of magic and turned to face the rest of the team. It was Cap who greeted her, who introduced the team officially. He also asked her for her story and she couldn’t see a good way or reason to avoid telling them, so she shyly told them about the fae taking her as a child. She told them how they tried to turn her fae and had succeeded at least partly. She didn’t realize she had absently tucked her hair behind her ears as she was talking, letting them see her pointed ears, sidhe-red hair, and tri-colored eyes clearly. She conveniently left out her newfound revelations about her heritage. They didn’t need to know about that yet, or possibly ever.

As she was telling her story, she unconsciously took a step closer to Loki, nearly tucking herself against his side as if he would protect her from the others. She was under his protection, but it felt like more than that.

When she finished sharing as much as she was willing at that time, Cap spoke again. “We have a choice for you, and I’m afraid it’s not a good one, but SHIELD isn’t giving any of us much of a choice,” he paused before he continued. He didn’t want to say this any more than Sig inevitably didn’t want to hear it. “You can either stay here with the team, move into the tower, become an Avenger if you so desire. You can live your life, make your own choices, and have our safety and protection,” he paused yet again. “Or you can leave and SHIELD will come find you and it will be much less comfortable in their care…”

Ah. That was the part he hadn’t wanted to say.

She was being forced after all.

Loki rolled his eyes and Sig heard his huff of exasperation, could practically feel his anger. “I should have known you would force her to remain here. She just escaped captivity, you expect her to willingly join another prison?” Loki snarled at the team.

Stark glared at him and Sigyn took another step closer to Loki afraid of the angry men. “This isn’t a prison,” Stark insisted. “She’s free to come and go as she wishes, just as you are, by the way. And the living arrangements are way better than the shithole apartment she’s currently living in. And we’re not asking anything of her besides that she doesn’t try to take over the Earth!” Stark told him firmly.

Loki’s glare hardened when Stark brought up the incident with the alien invasion. The annoying puny mortal knew that it wasn’t Loki’s fault what had happened. “It was not my decision to be here. I was dragged here by my brother at the Allfather’s orders. She might enjoy the life she is living. It is not for you to decide what life she wishes to have,”

“No,” she said softly, gently, knowing instinctively the tone she needed to cool Loki’s rage and temper. “The life I’ve built has been better than what I had among the fae, but it’s no life, not really.” Seriously, even with all her power, she was only just surviving. It wasn’t a life. Living here would be better than what she had and way better than being hunted down by SHIELD. “I-I can try staying here,” she told them a bit warily and very shyly. At least she wouldn’t go hungry here, not with Tony Stark and a crazy government organization paying for this endeavor. “I’ll return after I go to my apartment and get my things…” she said it partially as a test to see if they would let her leave.

“Not everything revolves around this team. She should be allowed to do as she pleases without the threat of SHIELD,” Loki protested again, wanting to protect his oldest and best friend.

Nat gave him a kind look. “As should we all, but SHIELD keeps a close eye on anyone who might be a threat. She’s safer here with us than out on her own. There are plenty of people who would love to use someone with as much power as she has and an individual can be taken much easier than a group. She’s done nothing but help us, and I for one want nothing more than to make sure she’s safe and happy too.” Sigyn realized that Nat was too observant and it hadn’t escaped her notice that all of her things were second hand and she was too thin.

Sig really was just surviving.

Loki sighed and finally relented. He turned to Sig, blatantly ignoring the others. “Would she like me to accompany you to collect you things, Lady Fae?” He asked her kindly.

“No need to go out of her way for me…” she told him quickly, embarrassed and shy. She looked up at Loki and tried to ignore that the team was staring at the pair, surprised that Loki was even offering to help her. "I… don’t have much. It won’t take very long,” she tried to reassure him.

“It would not be a bother. Plus, it would give me some time away from this lot,” he added with a smirk. She could hear the annoyance in his tone at the rest of the team. He always had been a bit of a loner and around so many people his introvert batteries were sure to be drained.

“A-alright,” she said softly, still shy and wary. She walked with him to the elevator while everyone else was still staring openly. “Though you’re not going to like my apartment…” she added even more softly. Loki didn’t both responding to that. She wouldn’t be living there anymore.

The pair left the tower together and Sig led Loki on the short walk to her apartment building. “I’m sorry you’re being dragged into this, Sigyn,” Loki finally said as they were strolling together to her apartment.

“It’s alright,” she replied with a tentative smile. “It’s actually probably a blessing in disguise. You’ll understand when you see my place…” It didn’t take them long to get to the run-down apartment building. She only lived a few blocks from the Avenger’s tower. She walked up the stairs to her tiny, dingy apartment. It was only one room besides the bathroom and kitchen and she had next to nothing in it, besides a mattress on the floor for a bed and a scavenged dresser. She flushed in embarrassment. “I know, it’s not much…”

“You live here? Why?” Loki asked as he looked around the tiny space horrified. “I know you have enough magic to have a much better life…” Of course he knew how much power she had. He’d trained alongside her when they were. She should have been able to create a much better life for herself than this.

Sig shook her head and looked sad and weary. “The fae are hunting me and until recently I couldn’t risk using my powers without risking them finding me. So I had to make do with what I could get on my own…” she explained. Though she didn’t tell him why she was suddenly able to use her powers more openly.

“Sigyn, I’m so sorry…” he said softly and she could see the hurt in his eyes and knew that he was feeling terrible about how she’d been living when he was a literal prince. He would have come to help her had he known she was alive. He would have done anything to get her back.

She shook her head again. “It’s not your fault and things will be different now,” she told him with a smile and summoned a cardboard box to empty the contents of her dresser into quickly. Really, there wasn’t much besides a few changes of clothes and a couple of books. She’d really only come to make sure the team would let her leave.

Loki took the box out of her hands while she was throwing her few things into it. She tried to protest, but she saw the look in his eyes that he wouldn’t listen, so she let him hold the box. “Why help me?” she asked him.

“Sigyn, I know you don’t remember, but you and I were very close when we were younger. You were my best friend,” he told her earnestly. He wanted so badly for her to remember. He knew it would take time for her memories to come back, but he still hoped.

“Mama Frigga taught us magic,” she replied softly, remembering bits and pieces. She’d have to undo the blocks she’d placed on her memories soon. As soon as she got time. “So why are you forced for work with them, Lokes?” she asked. She noted how he stiffened at the nickname and she blushed. “Sorry, habit. Where I was… raised… it is incredibly rude to call friends or allies by name, especially where it can be overheard. There is power in the name of things. I can explain it better at the tower…” she told him quickly before he could demand an explanation.

He nodded, accepting her explanation, and the nickname if he had to put up with it. “There was an incident… Have you ever heard of the battle of New York?” He asked and she could hear the embarrassment in his tone, see it in his expression.

“The alien attack?”

He nodded. “I was the one who led the attack, though it was against my will; I was being controlled. The Allfather has decreed that I live on Midgard with Thor and aid the team as retribution for my role in the attack,” he explained.

Sig consider that and nodded. His story was true. She’d be able to tell if it wasn’t. “And they don’t believe that you were being controlled?” she guessed based on his tone and body language. She finished throwing her things in the box he was holding and grabbed the box to take it from him.

He smirked at her as he moved the box out of her reach. “Exactly. Though, I have not exactly gone out of my way to try to befriend them. They have already decided how they wish to see me. There is very little I can do to change their minds at this juncture,”

“Maybe they’ll come around someday,” she suggested hopefully. She liked the trickster and didn’t like seeing him so sad. She glared at the box he was holding out of her reach. “Now if she’ll just hand that over we can get out of here…”

His smirk only grew. Smug bastard. “I am perfectly capable of carrying your things for you, Lady Fae,” he told her pleasantly.

She huffed, puffing up in grumpiness as she always had as a child. "You’re wearing a full suit and you’re a prince. There is no reason for you to carry my grubby box of things,” she replied grumpily.

He held the box more securely, refusing to return it to her. “Shall we return to the tower? I’m sure there is more the team wishes to speak with you about.”

She groaned at that. She didn’t want to answer more questions from the team. Though she knew they had to be curious about her. Knowledge about the fae was rare, especially true knowledge, not just fairy tales. She did however recognize a lost cause and gave up on getting the box from Loki without a real fight. And it wasn’t worth a real fight. Not when he was just being a gentleman. “Alright, Lokes,” she replied with a smirk and started to lead him from her pathetic little apartment.

He followed right behind her. “I could easily just teleport the two of us back to the tower?” He reminded her, though made it a question of whether she wanted him to or not.

“If you’d prefer,” she replied with a shrug. “You’re the one who wanted to escape the others for awhile…” she reminded him. “Though I’m sure you have questions for me too, which will be easier to answer in private…” she placed her hand tentatively on his arm. She had a feeling he didn’t like physical contact very much, but it was required for him to teleport a passenger. Plus her hand was on his suit jacket instead of his bare skin.

He nodded and teleported she both back to the common room of the tower. she dropped Loki’s arm as soon as she reappeared. He hadn’t seemed upset about being touched, but she had the feeling he didn’t generally like it. “I’m sure Stark already has a room picked out for you,” Loki told her.

“I do in fact have a room picked out for her, Reindeer Games,” Stark replied as he looked up from the blue screen he was working on. “Thor decided which of the free rooms were best. He’s taken an interest in you for some reason,” he added with a shrug, though clearly wondered why both Asgardians were taking an interest in the fae. He smirked at Loki. “She got you to carry her things, Reindeer Games?” He teased, clearly enjoying antagonizing Loki.

Loki glared at Stark. “I volunteered, you imbecile. It is called being a gentleman. Look it up.” After one more glare at Stark, he turned his attention back to Sig. “Lady Fae, would you wish for me to escort you to your room?”

She nodded, if only to keep Loki from killing Stark. “That would be appreciated,” she told Loki pleasantly.

Stark’s smirk remained in place. “Her room is on five,” he told Loki.

Loki’s eyes narrowed at Stark, but his expression softened when he offered her his arm to take so he could escort her to her room. She placed her hand on his arm and while nothing appeared to have changed about her, she suddenly had the air of a court lady, which she was. Stark just didn’t know that.

She followed Loki up to her new room and looked over the simple room appreciatively once she had arrived. It had a real bed, dresser, bookshelf, and it’s own bathroom. It was much nicer than anywhere she’d stayed in a long, long time. It wasn’t decorated yet, but she had a feeling that would change. Loki had set her box next to the dresser while she checked out the room.

She sat cross-legged on her bed and gestured in invitation for him to sit with her. He sat at the foot of the bed. She tucked her hair behind her pointed ears. “You look like you have a million questions, Lokes,” she started with a smirk. “Where would you like to start?”

“With anything you are willing to tell me. I do not wish to pry into anything you are not willing to reveal yet,” he told her politely, though she could hear the effort it took not to just demand answers to the questions that were killing him.

“Well that’s exceedingly unhelpful,” she teased, sticking her tongue out at him and in that instant sounding and acting so much like the girl he knew. “By the way, you owe me my ring back. I kept up my end of the bargain,” she informed him, holding her hand out for said ring. He removed it from his hand and handed it back to her without complaint or argument. She slipped it back onto her finger with a small smile for him. “Thanks,” she told him warmly and considered what he might want to know. “I did promise to tell you why it’s rude to address your friends by name in the land of the fae,” she started. He inclined his head to indicate he was interested, so she continued. “There’s power in the name of things.” That wasn’t the full explanation, but it was a good place start.

Loki nodded, following along with her so far. “And why is that?”

She gave him an appraising look. “To have a being’s full name is to have some level of control over that being,” she explained, but she saw the disbelief in his eyes. He wouldn’t believe she until she showed him, so with a small apologetic look she continued: “I name you, Loptr Laufeyson, called Loki Odinson, adopted son of Odin, brother of Thor, master magician of Odin’s court, god of Mischief, Chaos, Lies, and Stories…” as she spoke, his Asgardian form shattered, leaving him in Jotun form with his beautiful patterned sapphire skin and scarlet eyes.

She thought him absolutely stunning and gorgeous, with his true form laid bare for her.

#Loki #Lover #Submitted fic #submission #soulbonds and fairy dust #Chapter 4 #rewrite #nekoamamori

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jcmorrigan · 5 years ago

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In Defense of Archibald Snatcher

Oh, wow, we’re coming up on almost the sixth anniversary of The Boxtrolls, my favorite film of all time, and though the fandom for it seems to be either dead or in hibernation, I still have the torch lit.

I actually have been of the mindset of the opinion/s I’m about to present here for all those six years, but never really thought it prudent to lay them out until I recently had a friend I was recommending the film to who I warned about some of the elements considered “problematic” and I offhandedly mentioned that I could do a whole essay about why they don’t bother me and said friend replied with a desire to want to hear it because we share infodump for infodump, so here we go, I’m poking the hornet’s nest surrounding a controversial film with a dead fandom.

But if you were on Tumblr back in the heyday, you might’ve seen the reaction to this film when it first debuted. Specifically, what a lot of people honed in on wa that the villain, Archibald Snatcher, employed a dragsona to be able to push his agenda and implement his evil scheme. There was outrage. There were accusations. There was lambasting. And above it all, one question hovers: was this transphobic?

I want to start, before we get into the weeds, by saying that if you are anywhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum and you were offended by this film or this character, your experiences are completely valid. I’m about to present the counterargument in language that assumes my take is fact for the purpose of not having to write fifty thousand clunky disclaimers, but analytical as this may be, it IS an opinion, and if you don’t think it’s right, then hey, that’s super valid, and I’m not gonna try and change your mind, because if you’re hurt, then you’re hurt! You just may want to nope out of this post right now because I’m about to lay out my observations and thoughts to the contrary of the accusations of this being homo/transphobic.

First of all, the obvious facet that comes to mind is how strange it is that we only ever saw the word “transphobia” put on this phenomenon rather than “homophobia” when using a female alter ego as a disguise or a performance art is not the same as being a woman assigned male at birth. One only needs to take a look over at RuPaul’s Drag Race to see examples of this culture. Lots of gay men wearing dresses. No women perceived male.

All the same, I will say that on the surface, adding any kind of queercoding to the story’s villain, who the audience is supposed to boo and hiss at, looks really, really bad on paper. However you interpret it, Snatcher is definitely queercoded. He openly flirts with the man he’s trying to trick as a means of getting what he wants, he displays sincere enjoyment of wearing the dress, and he runs the gamut of flamboyant hand gestures. But if you dig a little further, there’s even more to the story: his tale is one of a man who desires to pass as one of the elite class in his society, but is held back by something he can’t change about himself no matter how he denies it.

Let’s look at the rest of his story. Snatcher is in pursuit of the White Hat: the ultimate status symbol. To that end, he’s decided to otherize the Boxtroll population of the town and play upon the culture shock in Cheesebridge to convince the humans of the “upper world” that the Boxtrolls are predatory monsters who must be killed. This sounds like a pretty black-and-white good-and-evil scenario, right? You’ve got your population of innocent sweethearts being attacked and your genocidal racist orchestrating their destruction. But there’s a third layer still: Lord Portley-Rind, the chief White Hat himself. Lord PR is actually the worst of the lot. It’s because he doesn’t accept Snatcher that Snatcher feels he has to resort to this tactic. He demonstrates open hatred of the Boxtrolls and of Snatcher (”I’m not sure who should be more worried: the Boxtrolls or us!”). There are implications in how he treats his daughter that he’s a textbook sexist who believes there are men’s roles and women’s roles in society and nary the twain shall cross. And he’s the rich guy controlling the entire city and letting children’s hospitals and crumbling bridges go to waste by spending the budget on frivolous cheese. In short, Lord PR is basically the ur-example of a nightmarish fictional Republican (and oh, how I WISH he hadn’t been so prophetic).

I’m not saying Snatcher was justified or good. No. He’s in no way redeemable. But over the course of his interactions with Lord PR, you can see just how much society’s elites treat him as inhuman or like a dirty buffoon. He’s looked down upon, he’s insulted even when he’s doing the “service” Lord PR desires, he’s rejected until he’s gone above and beyond his contract and I think it’s even a little bit implied that Lord PR would’ve reneged on the whole deal if the mob hadn’t cheered for Snatcher in the end. So what you have is a prim and proper billionaire who subscribes to gender roles telling a man of the lower class, obviously economically downtrodden, that he doesn’t deserve what Lord PR has.

The idea of meritocracy is woven throughout the film. Listening to the speech in the background of Snatcher’s anaphylactic attack, while the visuals are focused on Eggs rescuing Fish, you can hear Snatcher rambling about how his father told him that if you work hard, you will receive a White Hat, but he worked hard all his life and got nothing. One of the White Hats literally says he got his through being rich. It’s not hard to infer that Snatcher has figured out how broken the system is and realized the only way to win the game is to cheat.

But there’s still one more thing holding him back from his victory, something that actually trips him up when he achieves what he wanted. Cheese is presented as another status symbol: the rich eat it and are connoisseurs of its flavor. Snatcher is deathly allergic to it. The goal he’s chasing, he can’t even have without threat to his own life. His reaction is to pretend he isn’t allergic and to expose himself to having allergic reactions on the regular to show how much he’s ready to become part of the elites. I’ll reiterate: Archibald Snatcher wants to join the elites, but is held back because of something about himself he cannot change that only matters because the upper crust said it should.

Okay. So we’ve established the man is gay, or somewhere on the queer spectrum. How is this not really, really horrible?

Because the narrative invites you to feel some sympathy for him. No, not for his actions or any secret soft side or tragic backstory (that’s a job for the fans), but because he is chasing a dream he cannot attain. Perhaps the film’s biggest shortcoming is how little consequence comes to Lord PR in the end, because Lord PR, for all intents and purposes, is the worse villain on the board. Snatcher’s ploy is to take the class below the one he inhabits and paint its members as the bad guys: a nuisance that must be exterminated for the betterment of society. And we’ve seen this. We’ve seen plenty of real-life examples of have-nots turning on have-lessers because the haves benefit from oppressed groups infighting and being distracted from who holds the money and the power. A lot of times, you see that while intersectionality is definitely something we need to pay attention to, racism, sexism, and homophobia are not concepts that are all explicitly linked. If you experience one, that doesn’t mean you don’t project one or two of the others on other people - particularly if you’re trying to make yourself feel better about the discrimination you face.

When you look at the hierarchy, Snatcher is, I reiterate, a very bad person. But he’s also a victim. Not as much of a victim as the poor Boxtrolls, who get the malice trickling down from both the Red Hats and the White Hats, but he is a victim. We see him mocked, laughed at, turned away. And though he’s not redeemable, there are aspects in which he is sympathetic.

But what about Frou Frou? What about that particular disguise?

Well, for one, it’s used to make yet another allegorical statement. Snatcher is able to get attention paid to him if he weaponizes female sexuality - though it is a very shallow attention that largely results in the straight men of the town swallowing his propaganda while also objectifying him. Most of the comments made on Frou Frou are slimy, smarmy “compliments” on her body from the White Hats. Lord PR’s wife harbors a distinct distaste for Frou Frou because her husband most certainly prefers ogling Frou Frou to actually paying attention to their marriage. Frou Frou is a propaganda vehicle to make it look like more than one person is on the same page as Snatcher; Snatcher himself drives the action of his scheme and gets the dirty work done.

It’s also worth noting that if you take away the implications, villains using alter egos to trick their nemeses is a tale as old as time, from sea witch Ursula making herself more supermodel-esque in order to marry the prince to mythological Loki actually crossdressing much in the same vein in order to fool the Frost Giants. There’s a reason disguise masters and shapeshifters are intriguing villain archetypes: because we’re always a little bit afraid that someone isn’t who they say they are, and because - yeah, I’m about to go here - I think we all wish we could shift shape ourselves to take on new forms that suit the goals we’re trying to accomplish, even if that means “fooling” others. So it’s reasonable to think Laika wasn’t aware that there was any queercoding to even be had here - but I do think the crew was aware, and not in a malicious way.

However, watching Snatcher’s scenes as Frou Frou, there’s something that comes across in his character that you don’t see so often when he’s presenting male: he’s legitimately having fun. He dances, he flirts with the crowd, he adds more flourishes to his speech, he gets sassy. Frou Frou is a means for him to express himself, to allow himself to be feminine when he has built his philosophy on needing to do “what a man does” (he repeats this at least twice) in order to achieve greatness. He can be a little more himself when he’s Frou Frou, even though Frou Frou isn’t him. Taking a new identity that’s allowed the other half of the gender roles allowed in Cheesebridge (which runs on a binary because it’s run by the White Hats) lets him act a little less like what he needs to be to be taken seriously and a little more like he has freedom.

Put this back in context of the greater narrative: given all the parallels we’ve seen, it’s safe to assume that Cheesebridge, as a whole, is not accepting of deviations from gender roles, whether it’s being open and proud of your LGBTQ+ identity or simply wearing the clothes that don’t belong to your gender. Snatcher is taking an enormous gamble here by using Frou Frou at all. On one hand, it’s a calculated risk; he knows if he can appeal to Lord PR’s unchecked sexist libido, he can secure another avenue to being heard. On the other, however, it’s not really much of a leap to say this is something he wants to do, someone he wants to be more like, and isn’t allowed to, and since he’s cheating at the game anyway, he might as well go all the way and do what he wants with his life.

I’ve seen a lot of people take issue with the scene where he reveals himself to Lord PR and comparing it to some actual homophobic/transphobic media. And again, if that still stands to you as your primary analysis and emotional reaction, then feel free to turn away, reject my analysis, and know your thoughts and feelings are completely valid. But I think this scene differs from your usual “person with male parts tricked you into thinking they were a woman” scene in a couple ways.

For one, Snatcher decides to out himself on his own. To Lord PR, it’s when he’s got nothing left to lose. Again, when he realizes the game is broken and the odds are against him, he takes control and decides to be himself a little more. Now everyone knows he likes to act a dragsona because he wanted them to. But also, earlier on, when he revealed himself to Eggs, it was again on purpose. Eggs didn’t figure him out. Snatcher needed Eggs to know the level of the threat he was dealing with: that he was the person Eggs has been running from since the start and is no less dangerous in a dress. It’s always been of his own volition. There’s no “I thought you knew” or disrobing to see a body that doesn’t match expectations - Eggs ripping Snatcher’s wig off is maybe a little iffier, but again, in context, that’s him trying to show Snatcher’s identity, not as a man but as Archibald Snatcher, to expose the corruption, and Snatcher actually plays it completely off because he’s that good of an actor.

Which brings me to my second point. There’s only one person who reacts in an “Oh, gross!” manner to this revelation, and it’s Lord Portley-Rind. The one we’ve established is sexist, homophobic, and your textbook Rich White Straight Cis Man. The one at the top of the food chain. The one who’s been objectifying Snatcher and acting like a slobbering pervert about Frou Frou from the beginning. The homophobe realizes he has been a little gay. The sexist realizes his objectifying a particular person he perceived female has consequences. And this is why to me, that scene is actually hilarious. Because I don’t feel like I’m laughing at Snatcher’s expense. I’m laughing because Lord PR just got called OUT, and this is exactly the kind of discomfort that is karmic given how he’s treated his daughter, his wife, and everyone in his city who’s needed him.

Cycling back to when Snatcher outs himself at the ball, Eggs doesn’t really seem to care that there’s a gender-role-play involved here. His concern is not that this is actually a man; his concern is that it’s specifically the person who he knows is trying to ruin everything. Same with Winnie when Eggs passes it on. Eggs trying to reveal Snatcher to the crowd doesn’t even begin with “Frou Frou is fake,” but a line I will never forget: “Archibald Snatcher has lied to you all.” Not even drawing attention yet to the fact that he’s in the room. Starting out by having everyone remember that guy they are all sure ISN’T there and pointing out he’s bad news.

To look at Lord Portley-Rind’s “Oh my God! I regret so much!” as a dig at Snatcher is to say that Lord Portley-Rind is the lens through which we should be viewing this story, which it most certainly isn’t. The lens is Eggs and Winnie. Adjacent lenses are Fish, Shoe, and Jelly. Lord Portley-Rind is an antagonist to every single character in this film save the other White Hats.

Which is why if this film falls flat anywhere, it’s in letting Lord Portley-Rind get away without consequence. I think I can take a guess as to why this primarily happened: it needed to wrap up in a little under two hours, and dismantling systematic oppression and abuse of socioeconomic power can’t be done in a two-hour escapade. I still wish he were at least villainized a little more, as that’s where the narrative was leading up to that point. One of his earliest scenes with Winnie foreshadows that he will have to choose between her and the hat, and it takes him two tries to make the right choice. This story, until the very last act, has not supported him being a character to like or sympathize with, even in such subtle ways as Trout and Pickles stealing his hat and running around with it to taunt Snatcher - showing that a symbol is really only a symbol, and doesn’t indicate your worth. Anyone can put on a hat. Lord PR has just been brought onto an equal footing with them, if only for a moment.

Okay, so why have this whole three-layer narrative anyway? Couldn’t we have made this story more clear-cut between the Boxtrolls and White Hats, with no queercoded villain to get in between?

Yes...but I’m not sure that would have been best for the viewing audience. And there’s plenty of precedent as to why Laika thought it was a move for the better.

Queercoded villains are in every aspect of our fictional and fandom lives. Here’s a bitter pill to swallow: all your favorite Disney villains are queercoded. All of them. “But Frollo’s arc is about - “ Being a man in a religious system afraid of being tainted as sinful for being attracted to the wrong person. “Gaston, though, is - “ Very chummy with LeFou, and I’m talking the animated versions. They’re all colorful, flamboyant, foppish for the men and full of socially-unacceptable strength for the women. These were the cornerstones of our childhood nostalgia and characters we still feel culturally attached to.

It’s not just in Disney. Are you a fan of musical theater? Well, then your favorite villain probably got a big song and dance in which they wore some glitter. Classic lit? Google the name of your favorite literary canon villain and “queer theory” and see what happens.

I don’t think we can really say this is good or bad. On one hand, it’s not great that a marginalized group can only see themselves in the character we’re supposed to hate. On the other, though, we don’t always hate that character. Villains hold a unique place in our culture. They do bad things, horrible things, but the story can’t take place without a conflict, and we like when that conflict has a name and a cool design such as a tall, imposing sorcerer/witch in flowing robes - or perhaps a tall, graceful man in a long red coat and a towering crooked top hat.

I’ve had lots of friends and trusted Internet reviewers talking about how queercoding in villains can actually be really empowering. If you’re a fan of the villain, you get to see a power fantasy in which someone who has something very big in common with you gets to enact karma on others for wronging them! You get to wear the cool robes, sing the fun song, do things that are not really legal or acceptable! I think a great analogy is if you check out the book “Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers” by Sady Doyle. It’s primarily about sexism rather than queer issues (though it does touch upon them!), but examines how women throughout pop culture and storytelling history have always been the witch, the monster, the demon, and how that sucks, but it also means that women have a great pile of fictional power fantasies to pick from to indulge in. It’s the same principle. I myself may not be same-gender-attracted, but I am asexual, and still waiting on my glamorous villain who uproots society as revenge for being forced to do something analogous to having a sexual relationship...*taps wristwatch*

Meanwhile, queercoding is not as prevalent in heroes. And I think that’s where everything’s tripping on its own feet. Because a gay villain among a bunch of straight heroes does look pretty bad. Are some of the heroes queercoded as well, though? Well, that’s just realistic diversity. People are gay, and there happen to be some good ones and some evil ones here. I don’t think Snatcher’s dragsona is entirely unproblematic, but I do think it could have been mitigated a lot with more implications that Eggs and Winnie might be queer in some way (and believe me, I choose to interpret them that way, because the more the merrier).

The thing is that in pop culture as of late, there seems to be a trend to scrub away all villainous queercoding because it’s seen as a black-and-white issue. To go back to the Disney villains, do you feel like the live-action recreations of Jafar, Scar, and Gaston are missing a certain je ne sais quoi? Well, think about it through this lens and it might be that you savez quoi after all. They’ve all been made incredibly straight as of late, with off-the-record actor confirmations about having obsessive crushes on the film heroines. I can’t speak to why this has happened; there’s a lot of history behind any given social movement, and I haven’t managed to really unpack this one. “Blame Tumblr” is too easy; I would want to know who were the loudest voices, why they said what they said, and what was the intended accomplishment, not to mention if this had built on other social-media or real-life platforms over the years and was influenced by any outside source by news or marketing. I can’t say why queercoded villains are being burned; I can only say it’s happening. And it was happening big-time in 2014, when The Boxtrolls was released.

I also feel like I would be remiss to mention that The Boxtrolls is based on “Here Be Monsters,” which I believe to be one of the worst books I’ve ever read, bar none. That version of the story has...pretty much everything that’s perceived to be in the film version’s text as problematic. Frou Frou is presented as something to laugh at Snatcher about throughout, largely because everything about Snatcher is presented to make him seem gross or like a buffoon. There’s a whole scene of the hero rifling through his desk to find soiled underwear. Not to mention that the original purpose of Frou Frou in the text was to manipulate the town’s women by dictating the fashion trends they should follow and the beliefs they should hold in order to fit in. This is something that does need commentary on it, but in that text in particular, it seems like the women are silly and easily swayed, and that they’re the town’s weak link because they’re slaves to fashion. The Boxtrolls completely flips this around so that the town’s weak link re: Frou Frou is the rich MEN who objectify women, particularly the men that happen to be in charge of the whole town, and looking at that divide alone tells me how much care was put into this adaptation at every level.

So why’d I do this, besides having a friend who wanted to read it? Because Archibald Snatcher is legitimately one of my favorite fictional characters. Yeah, I know, he’s a horrible person and terribly racist, and no, I don’t think his demonizing an entire people is anything to be emulated. But on one hand, there are places where I not only empathize but identify with him, particularly where it comes to living out the majority of one’s life trying to live up to a meritocracy - I did everything right, so why am I not on top? He’s also just fun and satisfying to me. He’s the exact brand of evil I eat up. He’s quippy, flamboyant, sadistic to a point, and altogether enjoying his job way too much. Even though he isn’t in power all that long, he is a power fantasy for me, too - wishing I had his talent to talk my way into others’ hearts by saying the right thing, and maybe cultivating a little bit of that I didn’t realize I had (but not to use for evil purposes). I loved him from the moment he turned up because of his sheer dynamic presence - his drawn-out vowels, his sinister smile, his silver-tongued manipulations - and to this day I find him an inspiring character when it comes to writing fiction, both in the realms of fanfiction and original villain creation. You could say he’s a comfort character to me. And maybe this has been the delusional rambling of a woman trying to protect a character she likes for surface reasons by spelling out what look like analytical points of discussion.

But I don’t think Laika was trying to be mean-spirited or homo/transphobic in their character creation. I think they were trying to make an engaging villain who had some layers you could pick at to see more about the narrative as a whole and the message of societal corruption and how the way to overcome it is to be true to yourself rather than defined by your status: a lesson Snatcher fails at the finish line when Eggs gives him one last chance to “make you.” And ultimately, if you really and truly did like Archibald Snatcher, you’re not wrong or invalid in the least.

#archibald snatcher #the boxtrolls #boxtrolls #laika #analysis #discourse #long post #hot takes #controversial opinions #you know...all the fun stuff #and then the sequel: op gives him a crossover villain ship to help him self-actualize

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arcticdementor · 4 years ago

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Angelo Codevilla is one of the most vigorous polemicists in American politics. He is one of the pioneers of based politics — eyes open to the madness of the times, heart on fire. He doesn’t hide the bad news or the ugly truths. The FBI and CIA are rotten, the military is corrupt and being turned against America as we speak, elite institutions are now in the power of a minority that hates most of us openly. But he also doesn’t run away from politics into cultural commentary or metaphysics. We have a fight on our hands and we have to want to fight in order to find the leaders willing to risk everything on our behalf.

…

What follows, is an edited version of our conversation, recorder on March 18th, 2021.

…

Titus Techera: Sir, you write about we the democracy destroying the oligarchy. Where do we start?

Angelo Codevilla: Well, the very first thing is: Take away respect. Cancellation is inherently a two-way street: They’re canceling you and you are canceling them. You can’t simply say: Oh, let me in, let me in! No, you say: You don’t like me? Guess what? I don’t like you either. Buh-bye!

The number one practical problem we’re facing is inherent in oligarchies, namely that state powers, public powers, are being wielded by ostensibly private organizations. You try to fly in an airplane without a mask and you’re in trouble. You go into a national chain store without a mask and they try to throw you out. Well, the only way to deal with that is to do it en masse, and to say: OK, starting on April 1st, if this store, airline, or whatever tries to enforce masks on anybody, it will be boycotted by everybody. Thank you and good night!

…

This is one of the things we are shocked most to see happening around us: Supposedly private corporations busy as bees in the free market are in fact private political authorities. Privilege is the right word, because it means private law. Any corporation big enough can now act like it’s a feudal fief in the oligarchy, lording it over mere serfs who don’t dare talk politics. How do we get back from serfdom to political protest?

There are all sorts of examples out there already. They’re not particularly happy examples, but ever since 1964 [the Civil Rights Act], if you own a bakery or a lunch counter, you cannot turn away someone for service, on the ground of race or anything else. Public accommodation law means that if you are open to the public, you must serve the public, period. Now, it’s entirely logical to add political statements to the list of things that may not be discriminated against. There are all sorts of things that can be done, but all of these things take leadership, and that’s what we haven’t got.

Yes, we should make it the law that being a normal citizen isn’t a crime you can be punished for. No power can discriminate against ordinary people, indeed. It seems much of your polemic is trying to remind us that we should behave with self-respect, to not let ourselves be trampled.

Yes. Look, politics is inherently a collective activity. For example, during the Occupation in the 1940s, Charles de Gaulle warned the people against individual acts of resistance. This is something I’ve pointed out before: Don’t do these things individually, do them only as part of a larger national political enterprise led by… Well, at that time, Charles de Gaulle.

What we need here is for someone to step forward and say: “I will lead the Deplorables out of slavery in Egypt, yeah? And I will organize: Follow me!”

…

But again, the condition for that is that some prominent person — or two, or three, or four — stepping forward and saying: OK, this is the way it’s gonna be. Follow me and we’ll wreck these bastards! You know: Follow me and I’ll take you out of here. Right now, the closest we’ve got to this is Gov. DeSantis of Florida. The other one is Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota… [The interview took place before Gov. Noem vetoed a bill intended to protect women from trans-gender competition in school athletics.]

But there has to be national-level leadership. That’s the way it’s always been! Think back in the 1780s and 90s, there were a whole bunch of Washingtonians. Well, there wouldn’t be any Washingtonians without Washington — there wouldn’t have been any Jeffersonians without Jefferson — any Jacksonians without Andrew Jackson. And on and on and on. The reason that the country was rallied as it was to stop the spread of slavery had a lot to do with Abraham Lincoln, who stepped forward and made the argument and sustained it.

…

We talk politics each from his isolated perch on top of a computer, and we don’t see how people might come together in revolt. It seems like all the powerful institutions are against us and we have no memberships or contracts to trust in. We need some way of organizing so we can be less scared of our individual vulnerability. We tried with the Trump rallies and what do we have to show for it?

Donald Trump was something like that, except that Donald Trump barked a lot and bit only a little. You know, you can’t go around saying big things and then letting the bad guys run all over you.

…

That’s maybe the strangest thing happening to us. There are so many of us, yet all so vulnerable to cancellation, to threats of losing jobs, or just losing job opportunities. The internet should mean we can band together, communicate, but it’s not happening yet. The only organizations up and running are the ones trying to indoctrinate us into woke.

If you don’t go to one of these sessions where you’re told about white privilege, you’re fired? Alright, but if your national leader has organized ten thousand or one million people to protest on a particular day, well, then it’s different. In that situation, you’re in power, they’re not. You simply can’t fire everybody…

So we need organizations just so people can go on with ordinary life without feeling afraid?

Look, in politics, as well as in economics, there is a law of supply and demand. Put yourself in the shoes of someone with national ambitions on the conservative side of things: Well, you know what you’ve got to do! Number one, get out in front — number two, you know that you’ve got to actually deliver safety.

It took the political strife after 2016 for people to realize how much demand there is for safety on the conservative side. Does this create opportunities for the leaders now only beginning to come up?

That’s right. They know they’re not going to go anywhere by being recycled versions of Jeb Bush. Or Mitt Romney, or McConnell… If you have national ambitions and you present yourself that way, you’ve just committed hara-kiri! The only way you’re going to go somewhere is by being literally to the right of Donald Trump. And I don’t mean in terms of rhetoric, I mean in terms of real leadership for real safety and promotion of our way of life.

…

I wrote an essay for American Greatness, Clarity After Trump. Clarity means a lot — there’s no doubt about what’s going on. I mean, cancellation of Dr. Seuss? You gotta be kidding me! Bugs Bunny? No, no, no — that’s not normal in anybody’s book. Even the president of France, Macron has said that this movement coming out of America [Critical Race Theory] is a danger to all countries, to all people…

There was a time not long ago when the woke left was claiming that their culture, what they’re pushing, was inclusive, and it was really the culture of cultures — that it was friendly to all cultures. Well, the truth, as it turns out, is now pretty indisputable: the woke movement is the reverse of all that; a very, very peculiar culture that is meaningful only to a very small number of people.

So is this the revolutionary woke democracy, where the demos is the first to be excluded?

Yes, politically and culturally they have painted themselves into a corner and the corner is getting smaller and smaller. They hold all the power, but the number of people on whose behalf they wield that power is small and shrinking.

…

But let’s now go back to the original question: What is to be done? It would be counter-productive for the right to struggle for control of the institutions, because those institutions are now so thoroughly identified with the people who run them that it’s extraordinarily difficult to unseat them all and reseat other men. Plus why should we even try? Why not just make our own and say: OK, you want Facebook and Twitter to be organs of wokeness? Take it, all yours, now go away! Except none of us are going to be involved with them…

…

You said we need to deny respect to those who would humiliate us. But another part of the problem is that conservatives are learning, shocked, that institutions they used to believe in, above all law enforcement and the military, are at least at the top corrupted and against conservatism. Something that has been going on for a long time.

Oh, yes. Absolutely. You don’t hear it anymore, but up until recently, you could turn on the Hannity show and hear: “Oh, these wonderful policemen! The police are on our side — the police, the police, the police, the police…” No, no, and no! The police work for whoever pays them and that is the problem. The police will taze a lady or arrest somebody because they violate what the mayor or the governor says ought to be done. So — no!

It was in the news the other week that Tucker Carlson was being criticized by various generals and other high officials in the military. How do we come to grips with these big national problems?

As far as the armed forces are concerned, this cannot be allowed, and the way to disallow it is for conservatives to vote as a bloc against appropriations for the armed forces. Not so long ago, bills that fund the armed forces used to come in many pieces and each of the pieces was voted on separately. There used to be personnel account, a military construction account, weapons, etc. That used to give a great deal of power to whoever would make a point out of particular problems. Now, these terrible personnel policies are in the process of ruining the armed forces. If conservatives can protest the bundling of all military appropriations into one lump, and if they can go back to the system of having hearings and votes, they can darn well kill or cut the personnel counts.

…

Sure, but the Senate it’s mostly a free enterprise institution. I served in the Senate for eight years [as staff] and I know for a fact that whoever is bloody-minded, whoever really has a bug up his rear, and really wants to have something done, can have his way, because most people will not oppose him. Those who are really interested in something generally can get their way.

And so it should encourage ambitious politicians to pursue something of great importance to their electorate. Can a Senator become the voice of the people by denying approvals?

Yes, that’s it — you just put your finger on it: Denying something is a lot easier than affirming it. Saying no in Congress is a lot easier than saying yes…

…

We have ended up in an America where the former director of the FBI or of the CIA can turn into a partisan pundit on MSNBC, and people don’t even blink. How is this possible, for such high officials?

Well, this is the problem. See, Donald Trump was a jerk, a complete jerk. He could have stopped that instantly. There are laws on the books — black letter, clear as a bell laws — against these people even mentioning or hinting at information obtained through communications intelligence. Those laws, unlike the Espionage Act, do not require all manner of proof about intentions or anything like that. They are what are called strict liability laws. You reveal or purport to reveal something gained through communications intelligence — you go to jail, period.

Now, Donald Trump could have appointed — should have appointed — an Attorney General to do exactly that. This is black letter law, not legal reaching — this is plain black letter law. He didn’t do it! He was scared of the agencies. This is one reason why I think the prospect of Donald Trump running again would be a disaster. Tell me, Donald, what are you going to do now that you didn’t do your first time around?

…

So this would seem to be the most important thing we have achieved: Political clarity about just how serious the problem is. Couldn’t we say that this is a reason to hope? Isn’t this is how American politics works: Each major change in our politics has begun with an attack on centralized oligarchy, usually in Washington D.C. This is how Jefferson did it, Jackson, and Lincoln. This is what Reagan did, too.

Yes, and again, I hate to sound like a broken record, but it’s leadershis, leadership, leadership.

…

That’s right. Donald Trump handed the keys of the country to Anthony Fauci. We can’t say: Oh, the left, the left, the left! Trump did it!

The point that I made in the original Ruling Class essay, is that this ruling class is a bipartisan thing — the oligarchy is a bipartisan thing, which is why we have to sort of exit these institutions and forget about a lot of so-called leaders. The nicest thing about the 2016 election happened during the primaries, when it was impossible for anyone to get traction who wasn’t against the ruling class. So it really came down to two people: Trump and Cruz, and Trump won because he was more adamant. Never mind that it was a multi-candidate field and in a multi-candidate field, the choice is never between A and B.

In the future, it’s not going to be any different. The only people who are going to get any traction are people who are going to make Donald Trump look like a moderate.

…

Victory has to be bold.

Look at Nancy Pelosi. Back in 2009 when Obamacare was being cooked up, some reporter asked her: In what way is this constitutional? And her answer was: Are you kidding? I don’t give a damn whether it’s constitutional or not. We’re gonna do it!

Nobody follows an uncertain trumpet. That’s why the motto of the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School is: Ductus Exemplo, “Leadership by Example.” Follow me!

#titus techera #interview #angelo codevilla #im1776 #leadership #definitely some overlap with that moldbug piece #read the whole thing

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wanna-b-poet31 · 5 years ago

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Aziraphale’s Lies and Crowley’s Truth (A 3-Part Series) Part 3: Liminal Spaces, Happy Faces

A final installment of a series I started!! Will wonders ever cease? >tbh I want to preemptively start this final installment saying that I’ve been staring at the word doc for a solid 3 months trying to will the right words to come to me... let’s hope these are good ones?< #sorrynotsorry for the delay

Honestly, I could do a whole other series about why Crowley is fallen and Aziraphale is not. However, I wanted to refocus this series on my central argument that honesty (or lack thereof) is a strategic tool for establishing their in-between status...their humanity, as it were.

To grossly summarize parts 1 and 2 (but no seriously check them out) Crowley can lie, he’s actually pretty slippery but he chooses to be honest and forthright with Aziraphale on purpose. Meanwhile, Aziraphale wields his lies like his sword, trying to protect the two of them from Heaven’s wrath.

The problem is, when Crowley is so heartbreakingly honest, like genuinely, unapologetically honest, to Aziraphale, he leaves both of them vulnerable. Without the security Heaven claims to provide him, Aziraphale panics, is afraid that revealing his hand -- that he feels for Crowley, wants to go to Alpha Centauri with Crowley -- will put both of them in danger. So, he does what he does best, he lies, cutting both of them. They fall out of sync, they’re set up for failure, they’re not on the same page, and ultimately they’ can’t occupy the same space or same side.

See Aziraphale’s face here? [a gif where Aziraphale is shouting at Crowley that “We’re on opposite sides”] The tone of voice? The desperation in his face? It’s clear that he’s lying, and it’s detrimental.

BUT when Aziraphale (and it has to be Aziraphale) realizes he’s miscalculated his lies, realizes that his position is not protecting Crowley (or the earth), but realizes that he IS, and perhaps has always needed to be, on Crowley’s side, the true nature of Heaven is revealed (to him).

Once they are reunited, their lies are weaponized, their honesty is protective, and they create a new space for themselves and humanity to exist. They don’t fit in Heaven or Hell or even in a garden. In a very real way, they become more human once the realize the impact of their actions and the weight of their choices.

No, I don’t mean I literally think they’re human now, they’re as magical as ever. But by the end of the series, they DO become a new kind of hybrid, occupying the same liminal space between holy and hellish that humans do. And the evolution of their honesty and lies -- their supposed “flaws” -- enable them to form their own side.

It allows them the freedom of choices.

ANGELS OF LIES

I think it’s important to point out that Aziraphale isn’t the only lying angel.

All of them lie. Often.

Examples:

We first see the lies appear when Gabriel praises Aziraphale for trying to “turn” Warlock to the good side. It becomes evident that by the end of the series, the angels never had any intention of stopping the war.

We see Michael lie (by omission) when she shows Gabriel the photos of our ineffable duo. She neglects to mention that she got them from Ligur.

The only true difference is the target of their lies and the fact that they all justify their actions under the flag of dogmatic loyalty and their presumed “goodness”. None of the other angels ever quite question their own actions. They simply “do” in the name of the Lord. Their prophecy of a great war drives each of their actions, and each reads it as an immutable fact.

While the vague nature of the prophecy allows them some wiggle room (like Michael conspiring with Ligur, and Gabriel with Beelzebub) to behave and build an ineffable bureaucracy around it, at the end of the day, none of them act like there is even a choice. They presume their destiny has been solidified.

Looking at Gabriel’s insistence that “Wars are not meant to be avoided, they're meant to be won” demonstrates, at least on some level, he firmly believes that angels are predestined to fight, to win, and to crush demons under his shoes. There is no question in his mind then, no wayward thought asking “should we do this” or “is this right”, he simply is following “orders”. There is the implicit belief then, that “to war or not to war” is not “find the solution with the least harm” but rather a really toxic “win or die” mentality. Any dissent, in this framework, must be squashed.

Any dissent...like Aziraphale.

In the GIF above, when Aziraphale asserts that the angels have a choice, “there doesn’t have to be a war.” Look at the condescending posture and the fake smile. His response “Of course there does, otherwise, how would we win it?” speaks volumes to how he sees the situation. There is no choice for him, not necessarily because he doesn’t see there’s no choice, but because the alternative would be losing, and Angels don’t lose.

There’s a real danger for Aziraphale at this moment, although he has been conditioned not to see it. If he is honest to Gabriel, the way Crowley needs him to be as a partner, for posing the question, for insisting that there is a third option. This moment of honesty after several bald-faced lies makes Aziraphale very vulnerable to retaliation. Retaliation, mind you, that we DO see him endure (a la Sandalphon).

THE DEMON IS IN THE DETAILS

Similarly, the demons show that they believe this is their chance to overcome Heaven. That there is no choice on whether or not they will fight, because the choice has been made for them. They must fight. The only question is if they will win. Like the Angels there is no question if they can fight or not, they simply must, and everyone is vying for a role in the destruction.

Interestingly though, while Ligur and Hastur condescend “what is the world coming to if Demons started trusted Demons”, we also see an honesty streak.

Hastur, in particular, is oddly a beacon of honesty, but particularly gullible. Yeah, he’s malicious (we see him burn down the church, threaten Crowley, and kill another demon) but we don’t really see him lie... do we see him lie? Sure he’s wrong a lot, but he’s not good at lying like Crowley is, nor prone to it like Aziraphale is.

For example, we see him openly and honestly communicate with Ligur while they’re sulking, waiting for Crowley to show up. Sure, he’s wrong about what “Caio” means, but is it a lie? It seems more like his arrogance of Italian, transliterating it to an English word than an actual lie.

The closest lie I can think about is when he’s disguised himself to capture Crowley. He doesn’t even lie when he’s reading out Crowley’s crimes to the audience.

Instead, we actually see that he’s actually surprised by Crowley’s lies. As much as he claims not to trust other Demons, when he’s actively pursuing Crowley and Ligur is killed, for a split second, Hastur looks like he believes Crowley’s lie that “the Dark Council” is testing him.

This seems to put extra emphasis on Crowley’s ability to lie but not be unnecessarily cruel (whereas Hastur is cruel but doesn’t lie). Or that choosing to lie to Hell, for the sake of Aziraphale and himself, is paramount.

Crowley, in contrast to Aziraphale, realizes this “must and at no point tries to be honest with Hell. He’s smooth, he’s suave (at least he tries to be) he tries to get out of it, flatly stating that his own role in it (delivering the anti-christ) is not his scene. Then, he tries to stop the end of the world, he convinces Aziraphale it’s needed, gives him the pretext to make that third option a reality, and actively refuses the dichotomy of their bosses.

It’s not until Aziraphale is fully out of the picture (read: presumed dead) that Crowley gives up, that he succumbs to the idea that it really is hopeless. Which, I will come back to.

HUMANITY’S VIRTUE

Meanwhile, humans don’t take well to black/white dichotomies. They neither are heaven incarnate nor hell incarnate. They simply are human. And that means they have choices.

This manifests a few different ways in the series, but first, let’s look specifically at the dynamic between our “predestined” Anathema and our “what the actual fuck is happening right now” Newt.

Anathema (in the series) is pretty much trained in the ways of reading and interpreting Agnes Nutter’s prophecies. She has trained every moment since she was a child in the ways of occult studies and believes to a fault that she has no choice. The clearest example is how she doesn’t (really) choose to sleep with Newt because she liked him, or knew him, or seemed to care at all about his feeling on the matter, but because it was foretold. There is no real sense of choice.

Now, it seemed to have worked out, with them happily ending, but it’s “happiness” balances upon the fact that with Newt’s support, Anathema CHOOSES to reject the predestined nature of being a descendant. While I’m sure Aziraphale weeps over the loss of more accurate prophesies from Agnes Nutter, her decision to burn the second book is crucial not only to her sense of self but to the core message of what it means to be human. To have choices.

Then, there’s Adam, the adversary... >incredibly long title/name<. His friend’s support allows him to make the choices he wants to make, and be proactive with his powers. Aziraphale says it best when he says he feared Adam would be Hell incarnate but hoped he would be Heaven incarnate, but he’s neither, and that’s a GOOD thing.

“An Ineffable Game of Own Creation”

But why go through all of this in an Honesty series?

Consider, for a moment, this phrase “God does not play games with the Universe”. It’s a phrase that nicely bookends the series, appearing prominently in the first few minutes of episode one, and again after Adam and his friends have bested War, Famine, Pollution, and Death. But, what does its appearance mean, if anything?

Choice.

This (book/tv) series is really predicated upon choice. And, consequently the presumed lack thereof our characters have. Again and again, we are shown that the Angels, the demons, Anathema, and even God herself, repeat the idea that “God is not guessing” or “we make no real choices”.

But Adam, Crowley, and Aziraphale reject this notion and actively create an alternative.

Adam rejects his destiny, he rejects his demonic father and chooses to leave the garden (versus the original Adam and Even who were shunned, cast out, and really isn’t that a traumatizing experience in itself?) because he chooses to be human.

But Adam is Human (at least now) how is this relevant to the ineffable duo? Two unquestionably supernatural entities?

Well, Crowley is as far as I can tell upon my 6,000th review of the series, has the series’ best ability to lie, even though few of his demon counterparts do. We’ll chalk it up to his imagination, but with this great power to deceive, he actively chooses to trust Aziraphale, to be honest, even if he’s hurt in the process.

Aziraphale meanwhile is a shit liar, especially compared to Crowley’s and the other Angel’s abilities. But he is a defensive one. He needs to protect himself, then Crowley, then humanity, but he can’t do that until he chooses to occupy the liminal space between Heaven and Hell.

But they can’t do this alone.

This “third” option that they’re carving out for themselves requires them to be blunt and honest and defensively protective of each other. This is why, when Crowley is in the bar, convinced Aziraphale is dead, he breaks down. Without Aziraphale, this third option is unobtainable because there is no one else who could share the space with him. There would be, nobody to love, as it were.

This is also why (I think) the lies from Metatron breaks Aziraphale. If it’s clear, even for an instant, that no one on his “side” is willing to consider an alternative option, an option that would spare demons, then he wants no part of that option. He flatly refuses to fight in a war that would mean the destruction of Crowley and tells the quartermaster as much in his epic swan dive out of Heaven.

This new space is distinctly not human in the literal sense (neither of them is human), but it’s also not heavenly or hellish. It’s a space for them to leave the garden, to continue to be who they are, fight for what they love and feel safe knowing they are a team (romantic or otherwise).

A third space is really what Crowley and Aziraphale have been working for since day one because no other force will consider that maybe, just maybe, there are alternatives to the good/bad, angel/demon, live/death dichotomies Heaven and Hell create for themselves. It is the place that Aziraphale will lie to protect, and Crowley will honestly confront if it means they are finally going the same speed, together.

TLDR: The way that honesty and lies work in this series allows for Crowley and Aziraphale to “break free” as it were and create a space for themselves to exist.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk

#good omens #Ineffable Husbands #good omens meta #Aziraphale #crowley #anthony janthony crowley #gomens #gomens meta #in this essay I will #thanks for coming to my tedtalk #good omens honesty #good omens lies #meta #please give me feedback #i take constructive criticism #someone give them a hug

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ramblingkat · 4 years ago

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Give a take on Yoruichi and Urahara meeting for the first time?

This was an idea that hit suddenly. I like playing with the timing of things.

So, you’re the one who killed my agents,” came a voice from behind Kisuke.

It hadn’t startled him. When he suppressed his own power as much as he did, it was easier to feel those that stood out. And it wasn’t like she was trying to hide herself. So he was aware that the other was there.

He turned, stretching his senses.

She was young. Probably around his age, maybe a little older, and Kisuke blinked slowly at her. He didn’t say anything, just tilted his head a bit. Was reassured by the blade up one sleeve, and the fact she didn’t seem to be making aggressive moves.

The other smiled bright, her teeth bright against her skin. “Let me guess, one of them spotted you around after they finished the job and they tried to clean up?”

Kisuke just blinked at her, still quiet. She wasn't wrong. He had been in the middle of looting a bit from the local wanna be lord’s kitchen when he had seen two figures in black slip in. Curiosity was a sin of his, and he had followed. When they had killed both guards and lordling, he had been pleased he had. It would be much easier to steal what he wanted now, as everyone would be doing a bit of looting. Outside those fighting for the position itself.

He had gone to slip back to the kitchens and loot more when one of the assassins had spotted him. What followed was a game of tag that was lethal. One that, obviously, Kisuke had won.

But that was almost a week ago. Why now?

Smiling, eyes almost glittering as she looked at him, the woman continued. “I did some poking around. Figured it was you fast enough.” Gold eyes fixed on him. “You have a bit of reputation for being both vicious and clever. More than one local gang lord wants you to be their pet assassin.”

She looked him over. “But you could be something more.”

Pale brows arched, but the blond still said nothing. That got him a snort.

“Come with me, and I’ll bring you into my family,” she offered openly. Kisuke looked her over once more.

She was sleek, the sort that only comes from eating regularly since birth. There was a depth to her power that spoke of breeding for generations to get it. Young, but well trained. In charge of assassins that had all the trademarks of Omnitsukido.

“You are a noble,” he said finally. Had been researching the Seireitei. If he planned on slipping in and passing himself as a regular citizen there, he had to know the things that everyone knew.

With her coloring and the association with assassins, he had a fair idea of who she was. “Shihoin Yoruichi.”

She hid it well, but he could see he startled her. Then she grinned again, interest sparking bright in her eyes. “I am,” she said. “So?”

He shrugged. “I get that offer a lot. Sometimes with violence. There seems little difference between what you offer and the locals.” A faint smile. “I do not plan on being someone’s pet murderer.”

Yoruichi met his eyes. She studied him as much as he was studying her. “They just want you to kill, don’t they?”

A shrug. “I can do that well enough as is.” Kisuke had a reputation as one who would not hesitate to draw blood. In districts like this, such a thing was respected, even from someone as young and small as Kisuke was. The fact he did not hesitate to put a blade into a person’s throat was why he was of interest with some people.

There was another moment of quiet, and then Yoruichi smiled.

“What if I offer to teach you more than just to kill.” She waved at him. “You already know that. And I can tell you can manipulate reiatsu.” Gold eyes were bright with delight. “You are obviously very clever. What if I help you learn how to use that in ways that aren’t just killing people.”

“But I’ll still have to kill,” he said. “Your family controls the Omnitsukido. As I said, I already know how to kill. I would like to learn….” He stopped.

“What?” Such open curiosity. Kisuke burned with jealousy that she could express it so clearly. “What would you like to learn?”

She was going to laugh. But, for once, Kisuke wanted to say. Had spent so much of his time hiding, anymore.

“I want to learn how people...don’t kill.”

It sounded annoyingly stupid when said out loud, but that was what he wanted. Kisuke had learned through observation, and he realized that people usually didn’t kill their problems. He wanted to understand how they could avoid doing that. It was such a simple solution, but it upset people.

She stared at him, and Kisuke looked back, refusing to be ashamed. Just because she obviously already knew how to do things didn’t mean he should be ashamed he still had to. Most people seemed to figure it out really young, and it did annoy him. It was taking him so long to figure out how it was done.

“You...want to learn...morals?” she said slowly, obviously trying to get a feel for what it was Kisuke was saying.

“Is that what keeps people from killing?” he asked, perking up a bit. If he had a name for it, that might make things easier. Yoruichi studied him a moment longer, and then nodded. “Yes. Generally. It’s got a lot to do with how you are raised by other people. You learn morals from people around you.”

That explained why he was having such an issue. Most people he was around regularly were recruiters from the gang lords. Which also had his issue of killing their problems.

“Well, that I can help with,” Yoruichi said cheerfully. “You come with me, and I help teach you morals.”

That was something new, and he was sure there was a catch.

But he desperately wanted to learn this, and….

Kisuke was lonely. He hungered for more than food. He wanted to have what he saw from other people. Companionship.

“You’ll help teach me?”

Something in his tone must have given her some hint, because she smiled at him again, it looked softer than earlier.

“Yeah, I’ll help teach you. So will my friend Tessai. He’s really good at teaching things.”

She offered her hand. “Come join my family. Besides, a girl can always use interesting friends.” A grin. “I’m Shihoin Yoruichi.”

After a moment of hesitation, he took the hand and let her tug him along. “I’m Kisuke.”

Everything changed at that moment.

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ultrakatua · 5 years ago

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"in part 1, the one he hates the most is ironically Byleth" Yo, I'd love to hear your explanation and analysis on this tidbit if you have the spare time. Your takes on Claude are really fascinating to read!

Oh boy, there’s a lot to unpack. I actually have a lot to say about the evolution of the relationship between Claude and Byleth in part 1 because it was my favorite aspect of the game. So I’ll indulge.

Please keep in mind I played the route like three months ago now, and I went through the first 30 hours in like two days. While I was fairly attentive, there’s probably stuff I forgot (especially regarding the timeline). Also reminder I haven’t touched the Black Eagles yet. Of course all of this is just my opinion, etc. etc.

Heavy spoilerz of course.

So, ok… I think it’s something you can miss, because based on appearances alone Claude is the most friendly from the get go and on a surface level, he is always like that. I think the game is fairly clever in that regards, cause it is easy to just get carried by his seemingly cheerful demeanour and forget how sketchy he can act at times. You are warned from the very beginning Claude is fake af, though, and in the prologue, he straight-up says he will bullshit his way into earning Byleth’s trust, and that’s literally what he does during the first few chapters. Then he turns pretty hostile later on.

I think it’s worth mentioning here that Dimitri absolutely doesn’t trust Byleth either in the first months of the game. However the main difference between them is that Dimitri is much, much quicker to change his mind. Dimitri was afraid of Byleth because of their apparent lack of humanity, a trait he hates since he’s himself very empathetic to a fault. So when Byleth starts showing emotions, all his doubts dissipates at once.

However for Claude, it’s a bit different. I’d say he was wary about Byleth for the same reasons as Dimitri, but there’s also more to it. Claude is against the Church (as an entity), so Byleth’s connection with Rhea is another thing that bothers him, and I think way more than their “weirdness”. So unlike Dimitri who gradually trusts Byleth more and more, Claude goes through that arc where he starts let’s say at maybe 50% trust level, and then as Byleth’s connection with the Church becomes more and more apparent with the Goddess stuff, he actually trusts them less. This obviously occurs when Byleth gets the Sword of the Creator. From this moment on, Claude is very passive-aggressive in a way he only really shows with enemies. iirc there’s a dialog where he implies he wanted to go after the relics in the first place, and Byleth kind of screwed over this plan. Not just because they have the sword and not him, but because Byleth is potentially an ally of the Church, which would mean they could be his direct enemy.

It’s true for all lords that their fate lies on having Byleth with them or not, but Claude is very aware about it, and even more than the player is at this point in the game, because Byleth is more than an emotional support for him: his all plan relies on them for various reasons, and the moment Byleth can be an enemy, he is screwed. Lorenz and Hilda can be obstacles for him but 1) they are easy to read and therefore to manipulate 2) all in all they don’t hold that much power by themselves 3) Claude can act without them. None of these points are true when it comes to Byleth. I think Byleth’s importance to Claude is often very overlooked because he doesn’t have it “that bad” without them. Sure, Claude doesn’t need Byleth from an emotional POV to the same degree the other lords do (though I’d argue he’d never win that Nemesis fight without growing up as an individual thanks to Byleth). But when it comes to raw power, of the three, Claude is actually the one who needs them the most. Claude has very little support even in his own country. Of the 4 other great Houses of the Alliance NONE are clearly siding with him (Gloucester and Ordelia are pro Empire, Goneril is against Almyra and Edmund is an opportunist who’s most likely after his position). Claude is powerless without Byleth, without the Sword, and without what they both stand for.

So between the moment Byleth gets the Sword and I’d say the Goddess Tower event (and later Jeralt’s death), Claude is at peak pettiness, because Byleth can potentially screw him over badly. He gets some very shady lines in those chapters. I think the one that stuck with me the most is when he says something like “I bet you would give me the sword if I asked you. You are so selfless, that’s what I like about you”. He also shows jealousy, expressing how unfair it is that Byleth has a cool relic and all, and he doesn’t etc. I think there’s potentially resentment as well to some degree: Byleth gets everything he was never given the chance to get. They get the relic of his dreams. They have people trusting them unconditionally. Claude never was the cool kid, and he always had to fight for literally everything in his life.

I think Claude initially wanted to steal the sword and some dialogs hint towards this, however as he learnt more about the relics, he understood it would be useless into his hands since he doesn’t have the right Crest to use it properly. So having Byleth on his side becomes a necessity at this point, and instead of antagonizing them, he tries to win them over (again) because he literally has no other choice. You have this scene where Claude openly questions Byleth about their faith (to make sure they aren’t with the Church/won’t turn on him) and then you unlock the B+ support, which is basically all about that as well. I think they both occur around the fusion with Sothis (the B+ support unlocks for sure right after Jeralt dies), and overall Claude seems to slowly change his mind after the Remire village incident (I think?). By the Goddess Tower event, he at least trusts Byleth enough to consider them a potential ally and test the waters. Iirc it’s the first time he mentions being an ambitious person. And obviously it goes both ways. I know the choices have no consequence, but I can clearly remember two additional moments (and maybe there’s more) where you have the option to show your support to Claude: in the library, where you can straight-up say that you trust him, and when you can let him take Jeralt’s diary.

Now, I think it’s actually fairly hard to pinpoint the exact moment when Claude starts to like Byleth, and not just as a tool, because even until the end of the game, heck, even in the goddamn S support, everything Claude does has some sort of ulterior motive, especially in part 2 (ever think about how the first thing he does after reuniting with Byleth is making sure they still are at their peak, ie, are they strong enough to help him?). This doesn’t mean he lies about his feelings of course, but it’s something to keep in mind. imo, both are related. I don’t think Claude would trust someone he doesn’t like, at least not to the extent he trusts Byleth, and the other way around. And I think for as scummy as it looks, the Jeralt diary scene is also a way for Claude to show he trusts Byleth and to check if that trust is reciprocated, simply because he’s completely upfront about the fact he would have stolen the diary anyway. He’s showing his cards, basically.

Anyway, that’s pretty much my take. I know my reading of Claude is fairly harsh on him, I’ve read people saying that this line about Byleth’s selflessness sounded like a compliment to them, for example. I’m sure you could read him as a massive asshole if you wanted to lol imo he has a bit of both in him, and that’s what makes him interesting. But that’s basically how I felt playing the game. I was actually completely led on by him when I played the first chapters, so when he started acting so strange about the Sword and so passive-aggressive in a way that seemed so much unlike him, it made me realize that in retrospect, he really wasn’t genuine at all. And it became clearer when he actually showed sincerity is the later supports and story events.

tl;dr: it takes him a very long time to trust Byleth because they could potentially represent a very big threat to him (indirectly or not) + they have protagonist power and it probably grinds his gears to some degree. Lorenz and Hilda say some racist shit, but they don’t threaten him directly the same way, and they obviously don’t have the really neat glowing Sword he’s been dreaming of

#ask me #fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fe16 #fe3h #claude von riegan #3h meta #claude meta

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gffa · 6 years ago

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Master and Apprentice | by Claudia Gray I said to myself, okay, don’t go on about this anymore, move on to something else for awhile! But, at the same time, I still don’t feel like I’ve full articulated what I wanted to say, how I wanted to present everything, so it still itched at me. (Also, I really like talking about what I like talking about, as do most nerds! XD) So, I have the audiobook on in the background, I’m enjoying Jonathan Davis’ reading, his Qui-Gon voice with the Space Irish accent is a delight, and I’m just casually enjoying hearing the story over again and I come to the above. There’s also an interesting bit not long before it, The original scheme must’ve been to report the two Jedi “missing under unknown circumstances,” in order to cover up their assassination. But not even the Hutts were brazen enough to openly kill Jedi Knights. We’ll come back to that. Now, I’ve done a fair amount of talking about this book, for establishing meta:

The Jedi’s role in the galaxy and why they can’t just ignore context.

Qui-Gon’s statements and why they’re so hypocritical in this book.

Qui-Gon’s actions are part of a bigger pattern of behavior.

And there are some interesting Dooku parallels and connections.

The Jedi are fucked no matter what they do.

Further meta that also establishes what I’m talking about here:

Padme trying to make effective change in the Republic while it’s her full time job to be a politician is incredibly difficult in Queen’s Shadow.

The Republic is a place just waiting for people to abuse their power and many just cannot understand intrinsically motivated people, from Mace Windu: Jedi of the Republic.

The Galaxy Far, Far Away, really doesn’t get what the Force is, why people would be devoted to it, and really kind of fears it.

The state of the Jedi’s position in the GFFA is hella complicated.

Force-sensitive children are in danger in the galaxy just for existing. Jedi stuff attracts pirates just for being Jedi.

Trying to serve the greater good doesn’t always make you popular.

Playing vs Not Playing The Game isn’t so simple.

Not mine, but a fan-fucking-tastic breakdown of the Jedi’s role in the galaxy that lays it out so well.

Dooku: Jedi Lost contains a scene where the Jedi are trying to get the Senate to do more and it goes exactly as well as you think it will. He directly says that they don’t have enough Jedi to police the Outer Rim!

This is in addition to how we see the Jedi try to resist things Palpatine and the Senate want, but get slammed back down for it, in the comics like Obi-Wan & Anakin and in The Clone Wars itself.

That’s a lot of reading, I know. But this is a book where multiple storylines are winding together, that not much exists without context, and I’m linking the above because it’s all part of the background for why this specific moment is sort of the epitome of what I’ve been yelling about, in addition to that the GFFA is a complicated place. Why the above quotes? Basically, I’ve been yelling a lot about how these three books--Queen’s Shadow, Master and Apprentice, and Dooku: Jedi Lost--may, on the surface, seem to be showing how the Jedi failed or lost their way or whatever, but in actuality when you read them all together and consider the consequences of what some characters are calling for, it paints a rather startlingly detailed picture of how there was no real way out of this and stepping too far to the right or the left would have left people utterly fucked. Add in other elements from the comics and you realize why the Jedi were in an incredibly precarious position just by the mere existence of their abilities, even beyond what others were. And that, ultimately, trying to burn down the current system was not the answer and Qui-Gon himself knows it. He doesn’t leave the Jedi--despite that he could take his own advice, could just run straight at the Czerka Corporation on Pijal, he could run straight at Watto on Tatooine, but doesn’t. Because the numbers aren’t on his side and it would ultimately, in the grand scheme, fail. In this book alone, he saves the day through the might of the Republic, that being part of it and working within the system is what allows for a lasting happy-ish ending for the people there. Let’s say the Jedi did what Qui-Gon wanted, that they just went in lightsabers blazing. What happens then? (And I want to pause and say, consider it in this vein: Imagine the US Army just unilaterally deciding, without oversight of the people they’re under the jurisdiction of, just completely on their own, to invade another country to go do whatever they wanted there. They can’t negotiate with them, because it’s not backed up by legal authority. They have to go in with physical might. Imagine the US Army just deciding, on their own, to go invade North Korea because they decided they didn’t like something that was happening there. Even if we agree that the thing that justifies the invasion absolutely bad, the thought of going in without checks and balances is fucking terrifying.) - Queen’s Shadow shows us that the Senate would blacklist anyone who went around them, would make anything they tried to do ten times as hard. - Queen’s Shadow and Age of Republic - Qui-Gon Jinn both show us that the Senate and the galaxy at large doesn’t trust anyone who does things with genuine intrinsic motivation. - This is double for those with a connection to the Force that the rest of the galaxy doesn’t understand why they’re not misusing that ability for personal gain. I mean, Revenge of the Sith also shows us that the galaxy was very willing to stand by while the Jedi’s Temple burned and their children were murdered. What would happen is that the Jedi, who are under the jurisdiction of the Senate because that’s the only way they’ll actually have the authority to do anything, because no way is anyone trusting them not to abuse their powers if they don’t have oversight, would at best be kicked out from their granted authority to go around helping people, and at worst the rest of the galaxy would band together to hunt down the Level 100 Psychic Space Wizards They Don’t Understand And Instead Fear Them and murder them/lock them away for “safety”. But, hey, maybe they could run and hide, take their children with them (because they couldn’t keep their Temple or stay on Coruscant) and hide from literally the entire galaxy that would either turn their backs on them or outright hunt them for sport or auction them off to experiment on or torture, but, as Qui-Gon notes, the Hutts don’t openly come after Jedi Knights. You take away the weight behind the Jedi? Where they’re 10,000 in a galaxy of quadrillions? Where there is one Jedi for every seven to twenty billion people? It’s suddenly going to be open season on Jedi and they can’t take on an entire galaxy. And the salt in the wound is that it wouldn’t even do any good, because, as Qui-Gon notes, it would just be replaced with a new set of crime lords in a few months. And then the Jedi wouldn’t even be there to help anyone else at all ever. The only way to effect any real change is to do so with a system of government in place to support it so that, even when you’re not actively right there, those who would oppress and hurt others know that they couldn’t get away with it. The Jedi do not have the numbers to police the entire galaxy themselves. Any change they make has to be Republic-approved or it’s just going to be undone within months (or less). They’d love to go in with lightsabers blazing, but it wouldn’t change a single thing, they’d be fucked, and Qui-Gon himself knows it, that’s why he stays and tries to work within the system. Even if it’s an uphill battle to try to work within the system (and we see that the Jedi do try to talk to the Senate, talk to Palpatine, etc.) that’s the only way forward, because burning down the system wouldn’t work (at this point, it’s still better than every other feasible alternative) and going around it would fuck them all over, very much including the people they’re trying to help.

#qui gon jinn #jedi #jedi order #novels #meta

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