#and not just because they're both young chosen ones with a lost childhood and way too much responsebility on their shoulders

[soundcrusher]

Doing the twitter thing that has been circling around, because I needed a "pick me up".

[anakinskywalkerisfave]

Hello! I want to ask you something about Star Wars. What's your opinion on "love isn't attachment" interpretation of the Jedi Code that has been going around?

I think it’s a misrepresentation born out of an effort to make the Jedi Order seem perfect, instead of the noble but flawed institution that we see in both Disney canon and the Star Wars EU. It is a blatant disregard of both the general canonical and legends continuity that the Jedi Order did not allow love. Love is a type of attachment, at least in the Jedi's eyes, otherwise they would not be separating young children from their families.

And no, if the chosen one is doing just fine with his latent force powers, I don't think they're recuiting toddlers because they would otherwise "have no control" and be "a danger to others." Take that crap somewhere else, because I'm not buying it.

If they don’t care about loving people (ie your birth family), then why do we never see Jedi (aside from obvious exceptions like Anakin or Ki-Adi-Mundi) mention their family or keep in any form of touch with them? Why would they accept only very young children? Notably children whose memories of their time with their family would largely or wholly be lost due to childhood amnesia*, and therefore would not remember their attachment to their families and the love of their family. Regardless of whatever media tries to retcon the no love thing as love being acceptable and that attachment was a different thing, the most important canon (the movies) does not support this at all.

(*Childhood amnesia refers to the inability of most adults to recall memories from before the age of 3-4 years. It also refers to the fragmentation of memories from early childhood, especially from the ages of 3-6. This is paraphrased from the Wikipedia article on the subject.)

Also, if love (platonic or romantic) actually is allowed, then why would this official movie poster for Attack of the Clones exist? (Someone on youtube literally tried to argue with me that despite it being an official poster, it “didn’t mean anything." 🤨 By that logic, a movie advertised as R-rated can be assumed to be appropriate for children. Jedi apologists are truly dedicated to spiting their English teachers and anyone who tried to teach them about critical thinking or analysis.)

Bonus Round: Star Wars EU Edition

(read the paragraph on the right, starting at "Love is also a strong passion," and I also suggest reading the character's annotations on the side.)

They literally explain love is forbidden. While they say "those who obsess," in practice, it applies to any love, not just obsessive. (Also, it is a parent's job to prioritize the needs of their child. It's not "obsession" to put the child first, that's what you're supposed to do.) They are literally being told that wanting to contact their birth families is a cause of concern and that any attachment will cause you to "lose sight of your path" and are a cause for expulsion from the Order.

Once again, they are not allowed to connect with their birth families. The HoloNet calls it monstrous because it is. Separating a child from their parents is incredibly damaging, especially in early childhood*, (the age of recruitment into the Jedi Order) which is obvious, but this is the same fandom where I see people try (and fail) to justify child soldiers and using a slave army.

Sources about the detrimental effects of separating children from their parents:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/psychological-damage-inflicted-by-parent-child-separation-is-deep-long-lasting/

https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2018/06/psychological-impact-early-life-stress-parental-separation

This excert is from a section called "Misperceptions of the Jedi" from The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force.

"This charge springs from the pain of emotional attachment. It's also technically false." If I had my child taken from me and had no way to get them back, I don't give a shit if you have legal authority. You are effectively a kidnapper. The child isn't being removed from their parent's care because of abuse or any other legitimate reason. It's because they want to indoctrinate them and it's far easier when they don't remember anything before being taken to the temple. So they don't have a pesky attachment or concern for their mom left in slavery, for example!

Anyway, Luke's Jedi Order from the EU >>>>>> the old Jedi Order

[animentality]

re:Durgetash childhood best friends… i think Durge would become like. a comfort item for gortash? like a child’s favorite stuffed animal or blanket. like, in his mind he had Durge, and everything was great (his childhood), then he lost them and everything went to shit (being sold to the house of hope, then escaping and being a minor crime lord in baldurs gate), then he found them again and everything started becoming good again (becoming the chosen of bane, making the steel watch, the absolute plan). then he loses them AGAIN and things start going to shit again (losing the astral prism, ketheric dying, orin fucking up her part of the plan).

it would be so easy for him to start associating durge with things in his life going right, and he becomes co-dependently attached to them, and probably them to him as well. and then they come back and hes still co-dependent and expecting them to be as well. of COURSE theyll come back to him and everything will fall into place just the way it always does, but they dont even remember him.. :(

ok but I am the world's biggest supporter of childhood friends durgetash, first off because it's plausible, but secondly, it's just got so much potential.

absolutely agree on the idea that they were glued at the hip as young children, and that whenever they were apart, Gortash would feel as if things were going horribly for him, and he'd associate them with his own happiness.

that just makes sense to me.

but then it becomes just.

horrible to consider that the dark urge doesn't feel the same way, because gortash might feel that they're associated with his own happiness.

but what happened when gortash "left" as in, was sold?

they killed their parents. they joined the cult of Bhaal. they abandoned childish things and embraced the darkness dwelling within. they'd forsake friendship and loyalty and love for anyone but bhaal.

he comes home, and he's happy to find them again, but they're cold now. they're not the same happy child he remembered. they're as haggard as he is, and they still have sparks of that innocent childhood friendship they both cherished once...but it's soured because they think he just left them one day, without saying goodbye.

once the true story comes out, they're a bit mollified, but it doesn't change the fact that when he was gone, they were vulnerable.

it happened, regardless of whether he intended for it or not. he left them alone.

and it's been too long for them to return to exactly what they were before.

but luckily, Gortash becomes involved with the cult of bane. and then they can work with him, under the guise of serving both their gods, and he thinks they're destined to rule together.

and maybe they begrudgingly try to believe him.

but then you know.

Orin kills them... while they're working with Gortash.

and whether you believe it was because of their relationship with Gortash or not, it happened while he was supposed to be there to watch their back.

and it's funny because it flips the script.

now Gortash thinks the dark urge just left HIM without a word one day, and that's when his plan unravels.

but like.

Gortash needs the dark urge for his own happiness and for his plan to work.

but the dark urge... they learned to live without him.

they might have associated Gortash leaving with the bad things in their life... but here and now, just before their triumph, when things were going well... it didn't matter whether or not Gortash was there.

they still died.

so I like the idea of Gortash believing the dark urge is his good luck charm, but the dark urge not feeling the same way.

they gave up on him long ago. they can't forgive him for "leaving." they grew, into a twisted, mangled adult while he stayed perpetually young and afraid in the house of hope, an abused child, deep down, no matter what he did.

they became something else, and that's why they were able to move on, to embrace redemption after they lost their memories. they had experience with growing and changing.

but Gortash?

he stayed behind.

and then he was left behind, permanently, when they returned to him a hero and slayer of all things evil.

[scattered-winter]

it's about knowing someone so well that you know you can raise a child with them. it's about suffering so much and losing everything you once loved as a child but building a world where your child would never have that happen to them. it's about spending your life as a tragic story and making a conscious decision to close the book and find peace. and most of all it's about raising your kid with the person you've been through seven different kinds of hell with and knowing that your kid will only know about it from stories, not from experiencing it themselves

the powerful urge to give all my traumatized ocs kids after the war is over both as a sign that they have recovered enough to care for another human being and as a sign that they feel safe enough to raise children in a world they know will be better to the kids than it was to them

[raspberry-gloaming]

This is some ramblings about a sort of oc, for the missing mid 30s district 2 victor for @lorata 's We Must Be Killers universe. It's not all coherent and there's a lot of run on sentences here, but it's all just thoughts currently.

First off, introducing Knox! 2m, victor of the 35th Annual Hunger Games.

Merchant class, not quarry or offering, kinda in the middle just like he's in the middle of the shift from the elite to the modern way the center changed. His childhood was honestly pretty neglectful emotionally by his parents. They already had two other children, one to carry on the business, one to become a peacekeeper. Knox was an accident, an afterthought. They put him in the program to give him something to do, and somewhere to put him and forget about him for a while. Perhaps he'd come out with a good reference. Perhaps he'd become a peacekeeper like his brother. Perhaps he'd die in the arena. It didn't really matter - he was away and easily forgotten about in residential from 13, and they got a tidy stipend.

He was 18 in 35, so was 13 in 30. which means he was one of the new residential kids who were there when it all went down with I think he was called James? But with Joseph and all that. That's fun! (not)

He's like the opposite of Lyme when it comes to kids. The younger the better, he'd be great as a trainer of the 7-9s honestly. Babies, young kids, he loves them, gets on great with them. But the closer they get to residential age... nah.

It's partly due to the 30th and what happened, partly due to how his year group were just a bit wild. They did some shit, saw some shit, took it too far a lot of the time. Wanted to prove themselves and got too cocky when they knew that they wouldn't act like James had. The trainer's would put a stop to stuff, sure, but alot of it was psyching them all up. Getting them stronger, more confident (too confident, even when they were wiped the floor with by the older trainees.) No-one in this year would fail at volunteering and getting far. Both the kids and the trainers, as well as the trainers' treatment and reaction to the kids made sure of it. The arena wiped some of that out of Knox, but it was a recovery process, definitely. He later met up with some of his year mates and they'd had a tough time in detox. It wasn't just the events, of course, but it definitely had an impact, with the actions of the trainees and the trainers, as well as how they acted in the mock arena and who was selected down to the final few at the end.

Knox wasn't the craziest out there by far, in fact he was probably the least out of all of them. He knew how to put it on though, but was wary of his year mates. He got the highest scores in his year, which is why he was chosen, not because of his persona or personality. While they needed someone who was desperate to do the task, they also needed someone noble enough for the five year mark.

He's a bit dramatic honestly, but has definitely calmed down by the time canon rolls around. He's nearly 60 then, afterall. His dramatics have definitely changed over the years. From the petty, huffy, why aren't you __ at me?! phase several graduates go through, to an "oh god I'm an old man." he's thought himself as one of the old squad for a long time. Even when he was in his thirties, and with Adessa who thinks Odin (4 years older than Knox) is a baby, I wonder what she'd think of him lmao. He's quite a hypochondriac, and I'm not sure who the village go to for a doctor when not in the capitol but I'm sure they're busy with him. I feel like he'd go to Emory a lot trying to get her to teach him how to make all her quarry natural remedies and such.

While he doesn't really like teenagers and generally up until they're 21, he's got a soft spot for the volunteers and young victors. He remembers what it fealt like, how much the arena changed and took from you and how hard it was. He mentors a lot of the "lost causes." Like when it's been a massive string of careers in a row, or there's a major rumour that the arena is made for an outlier win, or in the 2nd quarter quell, or two has just got a double victor (43) so they aren't going to have a third straight after.

He also mentors those who think they are a lost cause. When it's been a tough time, and they want to win! and they'll do their duty! but they're starting to give up hope, Knox likes to come in and beat that out of them (litterally, as well as metaphorically). Unfortunately, since he never got a victor, due to choosing those who weren't likely, it hasn't impacted well for his second type, those who don't think they are likely but still have just the same chance as always, if they just get in the right headspace.

He mentored on and off for a long time, I think his last would have been the 63rd. Which is longer than the normal, but he had heart and wanted the best for those he believed had it in them.

Since then he'd settled down into his "old age" even though he's not even 60 and still spars and keeps as active as the other older twos. His talent has something with acting, privately I mean. I think his public might be a bit similar, something that he still enjoys like poetry reading because he can be dramatic with it and hide jibes amongst the metaphors against the Capitolites he's reading it too. The capitol may take his talent in the way they always do, but he can poke fun at them while they do it.

He's got a garden, and he likes walking on the mountain trail. One of the things that he got built as a new victor was actually in the forest behind, a stone, old fancy amphitheatre like the ancient ones. He likes doing soliloquies and monologues and one man shows out there, but if he can drag anyone else out to join in he's as pleased as a punch.

[spacemilkies]

Could you do a Ben Hargreeves request where the reader and Ben dated and were in love before he died and the readers always been there for Klaus so they're like best friends but the reader doesn't know that Ben is with Klaus after he dies since he wants her to be able to move on even though he's always gonna love her but obviously it comes out? Like fluff flashbacks to them being happy and in love. I love your writing btw!

title: the wheels go round and round

pairing: ben hargreeves x reader; platonic!klaus hargreeves x reader

summary: 

the three of you were like a three-wheeled bike

but then you lost a wheel

its a good thing most bicyles can run on two wheels …

right?

a/n: bless the day to umbrella academy. after months of drought, it rained down 5k+ words on my soul

hope you like!

It was more than just an itch.

When describing the sensation of feeling the departed, Klaus had always summarized the connection to an itch.

But it was more than that.

It was a whisper at times and a shout at its worst.

It was both the burn of a cigarette and the sharp punch of frost.

Klaus no longer just enjoyed life because since the day he was born, he’d been destined to share it. Whether it be someone’s brother, mother or aunt.

He couldn’t simply exist without the obligation of presenting himself as a window to those who have departed. They were tethered to him, mere specters unable to indulge in their own whims.

But more often than not, Klaus felt like the collar was around his own neck. The hallucinations tightening around his throat like a noose.

It was suffocating.

Until the few times it wasn’t.

The moments where Ben was on one side,

and you were on the other.

“Please … Klaus. Not tonight.”

Had he had the energy, Klaus would have rejoiced. In the sea of hell, submerged in a pool of souls, hearing his dear brother’s voice was like breaking the surface.

Regrettably, at times he’d been too deep to begin with. The rapid ascend cracking his chest with aches and muddling the shores of his mind.

Or perhaps it was just the cocaine.

‘Twas all a blur at this age.

Except for his brother.

Klaus had been convinced that his brother’s multiple appendages had followed him into the next life, where they finally joined into one.

One string enough to define the parameters of life and death.

One potent enough where Klaus could almost feel the warmth of his finger tips.

No, this was definitely the cocaine speaking.

Shuddering past the residue, eyes fixated forward despite the obvious request for his attention. He learned long ago that it was much easier to escape the allure of desires that were not his own this way.

Of course, the notion worked better with strangers.

“And what exactly did I promise, dear brother?”

He knew.

Ben only sought him out for two things: loneliness and you.

And the two were often more intertwined than independent.

The phantom steps weren’t quite as soundless when the familiar gait in his memory coupled with reality. With his head bowed, Klaus only allowed himself the view of the restless sneakers planted in front of him.

He would account for deniability for just a little longer. Just until the fog lifted.

Yes, there was one plus to his powers.

No matter how much his brother wanted to launch him into kingdom come with the flick of his very murderous friends, there was just no true density to his physical wants.

“Klaus were going to be late. The recital starts in less twenty minutes. “

And in the other side of town, Klaus recalled groggily of the event he wasn’t suppose to remember. Not only would he be pushing the limits of his rather shallow physicality, but he would also suffer to the sharp keys struck in cohesion to whatever dated classical piece chosen for the night.

He could still hear the thundering notes of the last one echoing off the sides of his skull.

The agony of the preservation of music.

“Klaus!”

“Fuck!” Scrambling to his feet, the disheveled man shakily reached for the wall for balance. A few of his trivial belongings clattered to the street below. At least they were disposable now, there was no way he’d be able to make the trip back down again.

Beyond the determination, there was a hint of sympathy in Ben’s gaze. Despite being forever frozen in time by passing, Klaus felt like he was still growing despite the absence of aging. That and Klaus always had a soft spot for his sixth placed sibling.

Well, shit, there went his small window of deniability.

Smoothing his hands down the tattered and grimy black of his clothing, Klaus snuffed audibly as he looked down the alleyway.

“Well let’s get going then.”

____

“Fucking cmon, man.”

Klaus let out a quiet groan of disgruntlement when he peered around the corner once more. Much like like last three times, funding his brother just as ensnared with his significant other.

Despite his warnings, neither of the couple had kept things chaste. He’s managed to get more than an eyeful of Ben’s wandering hands and exposed skin.

Keeping a timer was a futile attempt.

They were too young to die.

Practically skinned alive by their father for sneaking out again.

Getting caught for it again.

All for love.

Teenage reckless love.

Counting upward, skipping a few useless numbers along the way, Klaus finally decided on a limit and turned back to the pair with a stronger resolve.

“As distastefully envious I am of your abrupt jump from bases so quickly, I’m afraid you’ll deny me the opportunity to try the same in the future if we don’t get going,” he emphasized with a pointed look at anything but the two flushed individuals.

Ben let out an equality frustrated huff and you laughed in turn.

And Klaus…,

Poor Klaus was just ready to end it all.

Ben drew you in close once more for a quick snog, one teetering close to another endless makeout fest without his brother’s grunt.

“Alright, alright. I’ll see you tomorrow, after your classes?”

Your face scrunched in thought, before clearing with recollection and you shook your head,” I have practice tomorrow evening.”

Ben’s bottom lip pulled downward at the thought, but you quickly remedied it with a peck on the cheek and a suggestion.

“But maybe, we can meet at night? At the cafe?”

The question was directed more towards the lingering Klaus, who rolled his eyes.

The gesture met by silence.

Seconds ticking into minutes, until he couldn’t take it any longer.

He threw up his arms in exasperation.

“Fine, you little miscreants. I swear if you two drag me through a teenage pregnancy. I will kill you both and drag your souls into my bedroom to view a true the horrors of entangled lovers.”

_

“Ugh, I don’t know.”

Rubbing sleepily under the droop of his eyes, Klaus was willing to bet anything as long as it got him back in bed before noon. If someone told him something like friendship was such a binding contract, he would have gladly done without it.

The remaining option of pure solicitude and his family be damned.

Anything less would have had him in bed still.

“Look, Ben will love anything you get him. He’s easy like that,” he quipped around a yawn.

What he didn’t mention was how frankly any of them would take a grain of salt if it came as a gift on their names-day.

Who knew being born without an identity would come without the rest of the joys in the world. But with everything else denied, what was one more traumatized shard of a misplaced childhood.

When he finally returned to reality, he found you standing just under him, your nose barely bringing the line of his shoulder. You were watching intently, in a way that could only be described as expectation.

Ah, you’d said something else hadn’t you?

God, he was just making this much longer for himself.

What did Ben even like?

Surely under all the endless screaming and turmoil Klaus had been present enough to at least learn something impertinent about his brother.

All of his siblings mumble of wants.

A proper life.

A real family.

Friends.

Bringing together all two of his lingering brain cells, he squared his shoulders with a posture of authority. “A music book.”

To his suggestion, your nose twisted into a look of pure disbelief.

Oh, you unfortunate clueless little doll. If only he had the time to introduce you to the chaotic world his brother had created to express his undying love for you.

“A music book, because he likes to understand you. You and that complicated, beautifully musically-inclined brain that he’s so obsessed with. Poor boy is tone deaf, but if he can keep up with you literately, then he’s a happy monkey.”

His lips pulled at the joke that went over your head with no reminiscence.

All that mattered was that his brother would be happy.

You would be sated.

And he could get his ass back to sleep.

Klaus felt like something worse than a train had plowed into him. Which was ironic, because he couldn’t think of much else that would leave his body wriggling in agony.

Just the effort needed to part his eyelids felt like shouldering the weight of cinderblocks. The trials of it all would have been much more terrifying had it only been the first occurrence.

Fortunately, or supposedly unfortunately given his state of health, this was far from the first time that he’d found himself plastered to his brother’s couch. His impromptu visits were really beginning to affect the integrity of the upholstery, he mused as he picked lethargically at the dried flakes of his own spittle.

Not even on his best day could Klaus recall exactly where they’d drug him from this time. He tended to only bare the scorches of hell not the memories of it.

A low rumble of thunder tickled at his consciousness, and his body managed to comprehend the action to find the available window perched just east of his grungy nest.

To find only instant regret as the bright rays began the thrall if his punishment.

No storm then.

Then what was- oh.

“The parents are arguing,” He sang alone and off tune to the accompaniment of two voices just beyond his reach. Despite its size, their cute little kitchen managed manifest acoustics only found in the hazy mists if his shower.

“He needs to go to rehab, Ben! This is getting ridiculous.”

“Rehab isn’t going to cure the voices. “

Understanding the horrors behind why Klaus was such a dysfunctional mess had done nothing to deter your efforts to provide him with solace.

More often than not he found himself drug to recitals and practice performances where you felt the noise would help to overcome the screams.

It may have been a nicer sentiment should he have control of the playlist if songs. He was more likely to fall asleep and face his maker than find peace.

Indirectly he found himself observing Vanya on more than one occasion, however, a Samaritan token that he hoped he could cash in at some point in the future

“So were suppose to just let him keep doing this to him self. “

Oh bless your soul.

Klaus shoulders rolled in a crooked dance as his hand touched the three places out of order to a religion he had no experience dabbling in.

May the big guy or women upstairs truly gift you for your heart.

“Baby, it’s not that easy…”

Well, gift you more than they had when they wrapped Ben up and presented him to you.

Klaus wondered if you recognized the veteran you were when it came to keeping the real monsters at bay.

“You think when this is all over … think I could marry her?”

The question was asked so causally that Klaus nearly inhaled the paper roll balanced between his lips. Ben, this little rascal, hardly missed a second as he reached over to take a puff for himself.

A slow dazed smile curled at his lips, his mind floating up and away in chase of the cloud.

All the while, Klaus nearly died from an abrupt pneumonectomy.

“Sorry, I’d like to dissect this first. When what’s over? Sorry to break it to you, but those powers aren’t going anywhere.”

That was a long dead dream amongst all the siblings. This was their life and they just had to adapt to make the best of it.

Funny, he couldn’t remember if he’d heard that from mom or dad.

Frankly, their mother was an autonomous robot programmed by their father, so he supposed they were one in the same.

He shudders at the visage.

Ben took another long drag before handing the joint back, letting the smoke settle in him before releasing it out into the world. He was becoming such a professional, Klaus almost wanted to cry.

Rolling his head back, Ben caught his brother’s gaze, the same languid grin still plastered on his lips,” I mean the old man has got to die at some point right? Then we’d be free.”

Except the old geezer just couldn’t seem to find the bucket to kick. Klaus had to wonder if he was even born with one.

Maybe that’s why he took everything from them, because he lost his bucket. Since he had to suffered it was only right that he did.

Scoffing, Klaus fell back into the cushions of the couch. Their father dying would just be one nightmare for another to him. While his other siblings lived their life, he’d be the unlikely bastard still hearing dead old dad.

He waved his brother to continue,” So dad dies. He has no more control. Enter your bride to be. What could go wrong ?”

“They could say no.”

The taste of rejection was familiar and thick, a viscous emotion that was contagious in all the worst ways. It was an airborne virus, a bacterial infection- a stigma embedded into the very walls they grew up in.

They’d spent their whole lives being discarded from the inside. How would they handle the same on the outside?

Well Klaus certainly didn’t think that Ben deserved that.

“You’re an idiot. Of course they would say yes.”

And when that lazy smile brightening with the energy of the sun, Klaus thinks, yeah it’ll be alright.

___

Except it’s not.

It’s the opposite of okay.

___

“Did you know he wanted to marry me?”

Klaus looks up in surprise, though somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he shouldn’t. You were equally as expressive as you were aware. To be honest, you had to be to keep up with them.

Just because they were a danger, didn’t mean they weren’t inherently surrounded by it as well.

As fate brought about.

Ben always made sure to keep you on your toes. Scolding you when your back was turned to the happenings of the world. It was done out of love, to protect you from what you couldn’t see.

Your defense when he wasn’t there.

So of course you’d been primed to pick up on little mannerisms and peculiarities. Lately, when the two of you were alone, wrapped up in your lovers nest, Ben often lost himself to his own thoughts.

But naturally that wasn’t enough to support the little investigation.

No, you needed evidence.

The little box hidden behind the bookshelf was more than enough to close the case.

You still had it.

Unsure of what to do with it now. It didn’t seem like a family heirloom, but what did you know ?

The touch of your own hand stroked fondly over the fingers of your left, a quirk of a sullen smile twitching halfheartedly.

“Yeah, I knew. It was so easy to tell with him.”

Ben’s manifestation came as easy as a whisper yet felt like the heavy side of an iron hammer. He hovered between the two of them, uncertainty rooting his presence just short of reaching you.

His face twisted at the sight of your solemn agony as you picked apart the memories of your life together.

“Every recital I kept wonder if that was going to be the day. “

Klaus could only watch it play out, no plausible intervention available in his capacity to offer comfort. The wound was still so fresh and deep with all of them. The two of you together were just barely managing to keep the gape from tearing wider.

“Then I realized, that wouldn’t be his style. He’d probably try to stick it in a milkshake then freak out when I went for a spoon.”

Ben’s broken laugh cracks his chest, rattling like a case of skeletons. Klaus is glad you can’t hear it, the torment of its sound would only plague his nightmares.

“I would have said yes without a ring.”

When Ben reaches for her, Klaus can’t help but do the same. The urge feels like his own, physically, but when his brother lays his hand atop the pile the warmth doesn’t feel like it’s coming from his own body. At the touch, it sparks an array of emotions he’d only once viewed through a one way mirror.

Now he was the window.

Too bad it was already broken.

“I would have said yes to anything.”

____

“Every time. I know you say you’ll see me again, but damn, you really surprise me, Klaus.”

When Klaus draws you in for a hug, its more than instinctual. Its not an ambient desire.

Its a whim of his own, something that he takes his own personal comfort in.

His.

So maybe he’s a little disgruntled, when a third pair of arms joins the embrace.

And maybe, he’s a little smug when you only respond to his warmth, and his alone.

Call it his own payment.

Grinning, you brush away the damp fringe from your flushed cheek. You always called performing a rush. He thought living with Vanya would help him understand that, but it seemed that music lover’s were truly just one of a kind.

“Tell her how amazing she sounded.”

Ben encroaches on the moment again, and Klaus grits his teeth to bare the grin as he recites the words. Sometimes he wonders if he you can hear his voice as well as he can. The two of you always had such a special connection.

It was a shame that death had to be the one thing that built a wall between you.

With a sigh that could double as exhaustion, you leaned back on your heels. The adrenaline of the recital was finally wearing off. All the long nights and endless dance of fingers across the keys had waned down to this moment, and now it was over.

For now at least.

Give or take a few weeks, just short of a month or two and you would be back at it again.

“So … you look … good?” You winced at the delivery but prided yourself on how it didn’t come out sounding like an interrogation. It was so difficult to properly voice your worries when it came to Klaus.

So much had changed over the years.

You thought you would be able to function without the third wheel.

Most bikes ran on just two after all.

But Klaus seemed to need that third wheel in a capacity that you just couldn’t understand. Frankly, there were a lot of things you didn’t quite comprehend and you had practically dated a superhero.

But with Ben it had been not easy but simpler in all the ways that came natural as being together.

Klaus was the opposite in more ways the one.

Yet so explicitly streamlined down the single reason that he wasn’t alone.

He was never really alone.

No matter how often you tried to fill the space with your presence, some skeleton from the past managed to draw him away.

You think thats the one thing you hated most about the house he grew up in. Despite all those people, it had been voided from so much love that it got to the point that he’d let anything in.

And now he didn’t know how to close the door.

He was getting so weathered just standing at the entrance, taking whatever was thrown at him.

Klaus managed his usual exaggerated grin, and you made no comment of how it drooped a the side. “Oh, but thank you my dear. Truly, here I thought no one would noticed how I walked straight off the runway to make it here on time.”

Laughing came easy, even when it was forced.

“Well, I appreciate it. I really do, Klaus. Everytime.”

Klaus lifts his shoulders and let him fall in his own quirky way,“It’s what he would have wanted.”

“Still wants.” Ben’s words drift like a breeze.

You reach for his hand, meaning every word as they cross your lips,“Yeah, well, he had a great brother.”

There was no denying that your friendship had fractured from being on the receiving end of the blow that was Ben’s death. Things weren’t quite as they were, lacking the instrumental piece that his ghost couldn’t be to bridge your worlds.

But it wasn’t broken.

Ben wouldn’t allow it. He kept Klaus alive, pushing him to remain conscious and aware of the world. Even if his brother’s motivations were selfish demonstrations of his own agendas.

At the end of the day, Klaus retained your friendship.

And in a world of apparitions, it was nice to reach for something and have it met half way.

“Yes, thank you. I’m glad he can hear that and my efforts are for naught.”

Ben flittered between the two of you, instinctively drawn into your orbit. Klaus tried not encroach, but unable to not watch as Ben tried in vain to grasp the wisps of your hair. The intentions phased through you without your notice yet Ben’s look of complacence didn’t falter in the slightest.

It’s what he wanted for you after all.

Your blissful unawareness would be necessary for you to properly prefers in a world without him.

Even when he was still there to watch your steps forward.

“We should treat her to her favorite cafe.”

Ben was back at his side, flickering in and out of space with ease. The question snapped Klaus out of his revere and he found himself answering audibly in reflex,“Oh yes, with my limited funds.”

Your brow furrowed in confusion,

“Sorry?”

Klaus waved you off, not having to explain in detail for once or come up with an exuberant tale to mask his insanity. “Oh, not you.”

Your eyes flashed with recognition. Apart as you were, you weren’t as accustomed to Klaus day to day demons. The man who was once a constant in your life managed to fade to the background without your say so. You knew he was doing it out of his own attempts to shield you. 

With Ben, you were a proper team, one that could at least attempt to maintain the forlorn sibling. But alone, it felt like you were a mere spectator.

“Is it getting worse? I mean its, always worse right?”

“Not… always,” he trailed off.

“Klaus you cant keep drowning them away the way you are. Its not healthy.”

This really wasn’t how he planned for this evening to go. But you were a lecturer at heart and consequently he was your favorite subject. He had resist the urge to make a face when Ben hummed in agreement. “I know that.”

He looked up at the touch of your hand, trying hard not get to far swept into your altruistic stigma. Without Ben around, he’d managed to do a better job of dragging you into his mess rather than allow you to pull him out.

You were just too helpful.

Always loaning money or your couch to rest on.

Just attending your performances hardly felt like a redemption to all your kindness. Ben certainly felt that way. In Klaus defense, he never lead a very virtuous life to begin with. Besides, wasn’t the point of all this for you to live your own life?

Ben had died, leaving you two to reform a friendship in his absence. Sure, it was the squeakiest wheel but it turned.

You had just as strong of a hand in keeping him afloat.

“Then act like you mean it. I know its not fair for me to simplify something so difficult, but you just have to cut them out.”

Klaus wondered if he’d imagined the hitch in your voice or if Ben had noticed it as well. Your gaze had lowered as you delivered into your speech, hiding away the true emotions festering beneath. Klaus didn’t know what he would do if the sniffling began. He was oh so terrible when it came to managing emotions that were not his own.

Who was he kidding, he hardly had a reign on those.

But you continued on. Your stance growing sterner with every word.

“Let the past go.”

“Forget about them.”

“Move on.”

They were the same words regurgitated from Ben’s own request to see that you moved on properly after his death. He hadn’t wanted you to remain stuck on his ghost, remembering what had been and constantly reimagining what could be.

More importantly, he wanted you to let go of him completely, so that you wouldn’t seek him out in Klaus.

Klaus always found it odd how you never showed any addition resistance to Ben’s ‘dying’ request. Not that he expected you to declare vengeance. But you knew, he was a walking window to the world of the dead. Knew that if he tried enough, he could manifest Ben back to you. But you never asked.

You just smiled and nodded.

Ben pretended to be unaffected, tried to convince himself that it was what he wanted. But Klaus knew he was hurting from the lack of contact. Yearning to use the advantage only his brother could provide.

Wanting.

Needing.

It just wasn’t fair.

“Even Ben?”

Ben was in front of him immediately, his face hardened in the event of Klaus breaching their deal. But Klaus was done with the suffering, tired of making everyone around him feel it too.

At one point in their lives, they were all happy.

And it was time to stop acting like Ben’s absence was the end of it all.

“Ben…”

Klaus expected more tears. Something of a sort of production of dramatics that would call attention to your private moment. He certainly had the theatrics in him to do so. But you were just … quiet. As if hearing Ben’s name aloud had stripped the sound from your voice.

Ben looked at him with chagrin, mouth already moving to berate Klaus’ impulsive decision,” Look what you did- all our progress.”

“I didn’t want to! I just-”

“Ben, its fine.”

The silence that followed was deafening. It took them both a moment more to realize which of the pair you’d called out to. And with such confidence. You’d just included yourself in the conversation as if you’d been there from the start.

As if you’d-

“You knew…”

Klaus somehow managed to add more foundation to Ben’s fractured words. The weight of the realization suddenly splintering the mirage you’d all built together to keep the world spinning. You’d all contributed to the great tragedy in which no one was truly happy.

“That you could see him?” Your shrug was lopsided. The weight uneven as you offloaded your own demons. “Klaus, you can see everyone. Of course, I figured you would seek out your own brother.” You said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Like there were idiots for thinking otherwise.

In a way they were.

“But you never-”

” -said anything?” You interrupted with another sluggish shrug,” Ben made it pretty clear that he didn’t want me to know. The least i could do was respect those wishes.”

You’d do anything for Ben.

Even forget.

Or pretend to, at least.

What would you be, if you couldn’t meet his last request.

Frankly, it was all too much for Klaus, his body shaking with misplaced laughter as the situation settled within him. You truly knew them- knew them both better than they knew themselves. They’d presented a game and got played by it.

Ben was fairing slightly better, daring to even smile a little in muted pride. Klaus finds himself thrown back in time, the same feeling of trespassing establishing within him when Ben reaches out with a phantom hand to stroke your cheek.

Swallowing around the barrier, Klaus narrates helpfully,” He’s uh- stroking your cheek. Or trying to at least.”

For some reason you all laugh, your accompanied by bringing your own hand up to touch the side of your face. You’d managed to find the right cheek without either of their guidance. Not that anyone was surprised anymore.

“I’ve missed you.”

Oh how Klaus wished you could hear Ben. Something you could all agree on. But he played his part, being the voice needed to maintain the connection,” “He misses you.”

When you open your eyes, your gaze is more watery than it had been before,” Yeah, I’ve missed you too.” 

Klaus is caught off guard when your hand extends out, fingers flexing. At first he thinks you’d dared to try to reach for Ben, hopeful for a missing touch. But instead he finds your gaze trained on him, your touch as warm as he remembers.

“I knew I could rely on him to keep you alive. “

Ben chuckles fondly,” Damn right.”

You sigh audibly through your nose, giving Klaus one last squeeze before letting go. “Honestly, this is great. I felt so weird trying to pretend like he wasn’t there. Seriously, you two share one brain cell. As long as you’re functioning, it was safe to assume Ben wasn’t far.”

The jib was popular joke of yours when Ben was still alive. The two brothers were a mix of mischief that you rarely managed to keep up with. Together they were a duo, but the three of you were more than a trio.

A unit that sheltered each other from the harshness of reality.

“I’ll take you up on those parfaits now. Maybe a hot chocolate with a shot. I know you’ve got something on you.“

Klaus was going to end up with whiplash by the end of the night with the way this conversation was going. You departed from them with a promise to return as quickly as you could change, leaving the two siblings floundering in place.

“I know I said this before, but your fiancé is strange.”

The way Ben smiles reminds Klaus of the day he decided that he was in love with you.

Ben didn’t even try to correct him.

“Yeah, but we like them that way.”

[tenebraetrash17]

how exactly are ravus and lightning alike? I think they're too different from each other since ravus was evil :/

W e l l, yeet, you have a point, Ravus was kind of “evil” but it was more of a necessary one? He was doing what he could to protect his sister and wanted to make sure she wouldn’t suffer too much.

But ok! Onto the points! I’m going to be looking at this with FACTS AND LOGIC and not a ship standpoint, so I remain a neutral ground!

Ok! 

APPEARANCE.

So first off, we can go into design choices, I’ve made joke posts about this before, but the manner of dress these two have is actually quite similar. 

Lightning’s theme is consistent with mostly white collared tops, other than her “Knight Of Etro Garb” and in her “Savior’s Garb” she adorns a strange armored piece-shield on her left arm, which looks more fancy than practical tbh.

On the flip side we have Ravus, who is only ever seen in one costume, Tenebrae Raiment, which consists of a white collared coat-thing and a gauntlet on his left arm

Interestingly enough! If you happen to put them up side by side

You can kinda see a bit of a theme here, not to mention thigh high boots and apparently battle undies. 

We’ve got the gray-black, the white, and the coloring! Which the purple and red are pretty close on the spectrum too I suppose, or are a bit of complimentary colors?I guess it depends on points of view!

Ok, but slightly similar clothing is not enough to convince anyone, I hope.

So here we go:

STORY.

Revolves around their sister.

M O V I N G O N-

okok just kidding!

But this is honestly the truth of the matter, Luna/Serah is the end goal. Serah/Luna is why they did all this. The reason they sacrificed everything? Why they gave up their childhood? The reason why they were willing to, and in Ravus’ case, give their life away? 

It was all for Serah and Luna.

Stories can often be boiled down to a single point.

Motive.

And the motive behind Ravus and Lightning? Saving their sisters from fate.

Although…in Ravus’ case, he didn’t succeed, but that will be touched upon later.

PERSONALITY/CHARACTER TRAITS (?).

Ok, so, here we go!

Two stone cold soldiers, born and raised lacking in parents, their only weakness is for their sister, yet they slowly learn to trust others.

Well that was oddly simple.

Although I feel as if I should go more in depth because I’m trying to explain…so…

Ravus and Lightning both became emotionless out of necessity, Ravus out of need to let the Empire think his loyalty remained only to them, and Lightning because she felt the need to be more mature. And since they were both young, they decided that was the best way to do it.

They both have, in a sense, a pretty fancy way of speaking, or at least talking too much. Because, alright, let’s admit it, Ravus is a chatter box who rants and Lightning vents a lot because the world is going to shit for both of them and DAMNIT THEY NEED THIS.

Also, a little thing which kind of amuses me!Sister has a fiancé? HATE THEM WITH EVERY FIBER OF YOUR BEING, THEY ARE IDIOTS AND THEY ARE UNDESERVING OF YOUR PRECIOUS LITTLE LIGHT OF YOUR WORLD, HIT THEM, CHOKE THEM, A N Y T H I N G. But, y’know, eventually grow to have a begrudging respect and not hate them nearly as much as you once did. Friendship is wild yo.

The enlisted in the army part isn’t really a “character trait” and Square likes that theme, so you know, perhaps not the strongest thing going for them.

RANDOM/STUFF I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE TO PUT IT.

I had no idea what to call this section.

Ok, so I’ve seen a few people talk about how “Versus XIII″ was supposed to be, in a sense, an anti to 13. While XIII was meant to be about “Change your fate”, Versus XIII and XV are about accepting it.

VERSUS [vur-suh s, -suh z]

Against (used especially to indicate an action brought by one party against another in a court of law, or to denotecompeting teams or players in a sports contest):Smith versus Jones; Army versus Navy.As compared to or as one of two choices; in contrast with:traveling by plane versus traveling by train.Abbreviation : v., vs.

Versus XIII was to contrast XIII, and it carried over in XV as LITERALLY NO ONE decides. “Hey, you know what? I know it says this, but let’s do this instead!” 

Ravus remains as the only person to keep this mentality, his ffbe profile even goes as far as to have him speak about slaying the gods. SLAYING THE G O D S.

He tries multiple times to save his sister, willing to tear apart the prophecy and basically insist that she won’t die. He won’t allow it. He says follow your calling, but in reality he meant for himself overturn it. He raced through Altissia hoping he wouldn’t be too late!

And even in the end, his death is nigh, it’s probably foretold, but he believes he can win. He believes he can see it through to the end. Only he can’t. Because he’s not the protagonist. He can’t defy fate.

An interesting thing to note is that it’s Ravus who screws over the prophecy in the Episode Ignis ending, making it so Noctis doesn’t die. So I guess in a sense, he does overturn fate, although it wasn’t the outcome he wanted because Luna is still dead.

Ok, that was a bunch of rambling about the whole fate thing, but it is interesting since Ravus is the only one who had that mentality in cannon throughout the game. While the same could be said for Ignis, keep in mind that it was only the Alternate ending where he decided he wouldn’t let the gods have their say.

Oh yeah, not to mention that he’s the only one with the “Daemon Transformation” but it looks more like a Cei’th one. Just a little thing I’d throw in because I forgot this was talking about how alike Raves and Light are and not another one of my “last connections to versus” rambles oops.

ANOTHER POINT

Lightning: Serah! Wait, don’t go! Please! Don’t leave me alone!

Ravus: Oh sister, please don’t go! Please don’t leave me….

Like, sure, it’s probably a basic plea, but it’s almost word for word? 

If you want to talk parallels, let’s talk this!

Let’s also get into how Lightning was considered holy as “the Savior” while Ravus comes from the holiest bloodline? Which in fact, purges the darkness from one’s body and soul while Lightning….YEP, saves them souls! Gets them gains! whatamItalkingabouthere?

Ok, back on subject, remember how I said I would address Ravus loosing Luna again?

Well, I actually wonder if Ravus is Lightning but led astray in a sense, it might seem crazy, but his story apparently hasn’t changed since the Versus days from what most sources say. So given that he still has a stronger link with XIII, would it be so crazy to assume that Nomura would want to explore that possibility? Because rumors have it that Ravus was also going to be another ‘chosen one.’

Ravus could very well be considered as Lightning, but he never could achieve victory. Because unlike Lightning, he still lost his sister, the world still fell into ruin, and he still lost his life. And he even went as far as to fall into the chaos scourge.

Yeet, it’s a far stretch, but given the somewhat strange and weirdly specific personalities, I wouldn’t leave anything out.

But one thing to note is that while, despite similarities, they are different characters, so they will not be exactly alike!

I do realize that despite my previous posts, this isn’t an attempt to convince anyone to ship them, just kind of take note of just how many similarities the two have because it kind of is an interesting study! Especially considering the shared universe background they started out with!

This all sounded so much better in my head, it’s like, I had thoughts that were all super factual but I couldn’t write them ????

Oh well. Hope this satisfies you!!

OH YEAH, I ALSO FORGOT THAT THEY BE STORM RELATED!! SHOCKY SHOCKY BANG BANG!

[icharchivist]

Death anon: Thanks! I honestly didn't even cover everything about Kanda (guy even died and I didn't mention it). You bring up good points on the main 4. In a lot of ways you can draw a line between Lenalee+Kanda and Lavi+Allen. The former duo grew up in this environment they're both hardened yet submissive to it. The latter duo are the outsiders who came from another place. Lavi is unusually a outsider even though he's been w/the Order 2 years longer then Allen. But somehow until he met Allen-

2 Lavi managed to stay detached. But it took the death of someone important to him to make a impact and get him to open up to being human. When you think about it these duos end up where they originally were before. Kanda left but came back to the Order. Both he and Lenalee are chained to it and use that shackle for a purpose. Allen left the Order to keep walking and won't ever go back. Lavi was never meant to stay. He has nothing binding him there beyond emotional attachment, same as Allen.-

3 Also like Allen, Lavi has a destiny and ambition bigger then the small minded Order. Both want the truth. Death is the thing that pushes their path forward. Cross's death caused Allen to make a enemy of Apocryphos and flee. Bookman is dying now that that too will most likely push Lavi on the path he's chosen even more. A path away from the Order. Death binds Kanda and Lenalee to the Order because if they leave they'll become fallen ones. There's also the fear to stay involved to save Allen -

4 from dying at the hands of the Order. For Lavi and Allen, it's death of their mentors that pushes them away from the Order and down the path they chose from the start (Allen - basically the DOT. Lavi - Bookman). A path the Order at this point would kill before they accomplished it (ironic).

(following of this conversation)

This is on point!

Oh boy now that you point it out, the fact we both missed bringing up the fact Kanda already died once (and hey that’s a common point he has with Allen, even if somehow both their past lives and their past deaths didn’t work out the same way)

Honestly i think the main four kinda works as pairs for a lot of things (like you can say that the problem with being social is shared between Lavi and Kanda, or the fact Kanda and Allen are driven by their loss before the story ect..) but it often comes back to Kanda/Lenalee and Lavi/Allen to me somehow? Kanda/Lenalee are the duo who’s storyline is really tied to the abuse of the Order since they were young, while Lavi/Allen act more as outsiders to the Order, are in the order willingly, and are the two in full identity crisis. Hell both Lavi and Allen had, to some extend, been locked in their own mind faced with a part of them that tried to overtake them. That’s some sort of uncanny parallelism ahah.

But yeah considering their rapport to death is somthing we can tie back to the holy war specifically the fact Kanda/Lenalee are the two who have been part of the Order since childhood ends up having their view/reaction to death more aligned, and Lavi/Allen being outsiders give them a different reaction to it.

Man a lot of good points in those asks let me sort it out

It’s a very good point though that both Kanda and Lenalee have major risks in leaving the Order considering they were the two who had been taken by force by it. Kanda is at risk of becoming a fallen and we’ve already seen Lenalee’s innocence seriously hurt her/incapacitate her. Meanwhile Lavi seems to risk very few by leaving the innocence behind and despite running away Allen’s innocence wouldn’t let him become a fallen. It’s incredible how their innocences from begining to end acts as chains for the group who hate being part of the war, and as something that doesn’t bind them for the group that chose to be there. 

The ambition outside the Order is kinda interesting because, entierely right for Lavi but for Allen it’s funny how when he came to the Order he didn’t even have an ambition per se. Allen’s goal in life was always to save humanity and Akuma, to keep walking for Mana, and it just happened that the Order was a way for him to do that, but not specifically the only way. Even if now he’s burdened by the whole DOT thing. There is also a very fair point to be said about the fact both their mentors are the ones who led them to the Order while both mentors knew it would be a temporary things - ofc for Bookman, and for Cross knowing Nea will come out sooner or later.Neither Lenalee nor Kanda had this chance and when they get away from the order in some way, something always bring them back. Funnily enough it feels like it’s also their family figures: recently Tiedoll is the one trying to protect Kanda by making him a General, and for Lenalee if she hadn’t begged the innocence perhaps she would have been free from it, who knows??? but she still welcomed the innocence back and chained herself back, and the scene frames specifically that she does it for Komui, and now she remains at the order for Komui. 

And it’s very very very true to mention that it’s the Death of Allen and Lavi’s mentors that ends up bringing them on the path outside the Order. Around Cross’s death was the moment Allen started to be villainized by the Order whhich was just dooming for his departure, and now around Bookman’s death is when Lavi will have to become Bookman. We can even say this started a bit before their death since for Cross it was the moment he told back the truth to Allen about Mana & Nea (incidentally people from Allen’s past life) while Bookman and Lavi lost their place as exorcist the moment they were being interrogated by the Noah (incidentally, about the 14th again, and linking it back to the loss Bookman had in the past before Lavi). Idk how to word it to make it more obvious but i find it extremely signifiant that they actually strayed away from the Order the moment their Mentors ended up forced to acknowledge the past about the 14th, putting both their pupils in dangerous situation in the process. Their death would then be the final stray to have them focus on outside the Order and more specifically, the point where they can both start to look for answers.

Which is something that is sparkling my interest from your ask because i’ve mentioned recently that the way Tiedoll propose a new path to Kanda (back to the path Tiedoll initially set him onto or another one that would be dangerous for him) echo a lot Cross’s appearance in Allen’s mind (with either giving in to Nea ie what Cross initially set for Allen, or another more complicated path). Both Kanda and Allen decided that their path would be one to seek answers, even if for Kanda it means accepting being a General and for Allen it means refusing Nea. 

So to compare it specifically with Lavi is will more than likely be set into finding answers after Bookman’s death due to his duty, it starts to create a patern, except that like you said, Lavi and Allen are tied by death. 

(makes you almost wonder if Lenalee wouldn’t be forced to make a choice with Komui on the same idea as Tiedoll, for t heir sake rather than for duty like it is for Cross/Bookman.)

So there’s still interesting pair constructions around the same theme there where even when they all share it, it plays differently by pairs, it’s extremely fascinating to me.

But you’re eniterely right, the moment you take it on the lense of Death specifically it seems Lavi and Allen’s characters arcs specifically stray away from the Order because of Death, while so far at least by at least coming back to his innocence, Kanda went back to the Order and is threatened by death for staying away from it. Which is interesting since in his case it happened after Alma, so after a “death catalyst” like those which push Lavi and Allen outside the Order: except that now he’s under more threats than ever even if he is currently outside the Order.

idk how to explain it’s just fascinating and i think you’ve nailed it. Gaah it’s so cool.