#armatization—corrin

[galeforged]

"Forwin?" And then, after a beat, "Forwin!"

She couldn't believe it. After turning her back on Nohr, she never thought she would see Forwin again. Why would she? He was a simple bard. But there he was anyway, here to join the effort to save the world.

Without thinking, she rushed over to him and pulled him in for the tightest hug she could muster in her battle-worn state. "I can't believe it. I-" She laughed in disbelief. "I'm so happy to see you."

(bc we talked about Forwin needing a hug c: )

When word reached his ears of chaos in Cyrkensia, the court musician could not have flown from Castle Krakenburg any faster. It was a show of determination and resolve bordering on unbecoming of the often timid and soft-spoken bard, very unlike his usual self in the eyes of the royal family that took him in for their entertainment. However, these were very unusual times.

Corrin left. Relieved as he was to hear of her survival—and that of the retainers accompanying her—after the stomach-churning stunt Hans pulled by the Bottomless Canyon, there remained no small amount of anxiety for her wellbeing after she turned traitor to Nohr. It turned out that her siblings here weren’t even her real siblings, then she had returned to her birth family in Hoshido, only to leave them behind as well when she was forced to choose between the two?

And now the other princesses had vanished as well, along with their vassals. Little by little did he find little reason to stay within Windmire. Granted, the thought of leaving Leo pained him, as well as most of the other retainers who served their charges, yet... Forwin could not lie to himself, in that he felt actual relief in finally getting away from Garon and his cronies, by way of a stolen horse. No word of forewarning to His Highness, no farewell to His Royal Majesty or his advisors always flanking his sides, having left with naught but his trusty lute, Violin Bow and quiver, vulneraries, and some gold.

And in following the army led by Prince Xander himself from a distance, the turncoat songster would reach the city of artistry and water at nightfall, only to find ruin, corpses, and foundations in flames. Ever since arriving in this realm a couple of years back, Forwin found himself smitten with Nestra’s capital of song and dance over the course of several excursions with Nohr’s royal family... and a part of him came to fawn over the idea of living there per his own terms, at least someday.

Now it was gone. Typical, wasn’t it? Any attachment made to something good found itself forcefully ripped from his grasp before long. It happened with his mother. It then happened with Garreg Mach and his entire life back in Fódlan. It happened again with Corrin. Now, here it happened once more with Cyrkensia. “Determined” and “resolved” might not fit the often timid and soft-spoken bard, at least not in the eyes of those who know him in Nohr.

These feelings, however, now fuelled by no small amounts of frustration and bitterness, were not unfamiliar to him. Cries from frightened survivors and clashing weapons between armies filled his ears, and with that, it took little time for Forwin to fall back into someone he used to be. Though this land may not be Fódlan, putting down villains and saving innocents were part and parcel of the Academy’s curriculum. This would be just another class mission.

Thus did the musician throw himself into the fray. It took little time for not Hoshidans laying waste to the city as he had heard, but almost invisible soldiers, to turn their attention to him. It was almost unbelievable to witness, but the Adrestian had already experienced unbelievable things! He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted, let alone overwhelmed, by something new!

Soon did the dust settle following a number of confrontations with these translucent tyrants. The lutist, at this point, took a moment to catch his breath and apply healing ointment onto some sustained cuts beneath a bloodied sleeve. The stinging from the wound on his nicked arm earned a hiss from between grit teeth, leaving him to wish for some painless treatment from an accomplished healer instead...

...yet a different wish found itself realized with only his name, shouted from afar and coming in fast. His head perked up immediately from the call, heart ajolt with surprise!

“Lady Corrin...?!”

Indeed, solace and joy both overcame him at the sight of Her Highness rushing over to meet him. Forwin knew she lived, sure, but to see with his own eyes the princess hale and hearty after all she endured...! If he still held regrets in leaving Castle Krakenburg, just the sight of her wholly convinced him that he made the right choice. That by itself would have been plenty in bringing comfort to his weary soul!

Then came the unexpected, in the form of Corrin throwing her arms around his being and pulling him in close in her embrace. Forwin froze, eyes wide in alarm and his own arms spread out, while his mind worked to process what was happening.

It was a hug. That much, he understood. He just wasn’t sure in how he should react to it, at first.

But then Corrin adjusted herself, almost melting against him. He could feel her chest shake against his from her laughter, a welcome sound for him to forget the chaos surrounding them to. The soft timbre of her voice as she spoke sounded more comforting than ever, with her being this close, closer than he could ever recall her being. She felt warm, and he could feel that same warmth spreading to him in turn the longer the hug was sustained.

Corrin was here. She was taken away, yes, but she came back to him.

Not another word needed to be shared for Forwin to realize how desperately he needed this for so long, but did not know just how much he needed it until he finally received it. When was the last time he experienced this incomparable bliss, this sense of peace and assurance to one’s spirit that could only come from being held in another’s arms? Part of him did not want to go purposefully seeking the answer, if only because it would add to this years-long unspoken grief he carried, but that did not stop his eyes from growing hot.

Finally, Forwin returned Corrin’s hug with one of his own, taking the opportunity so that he may hide his wobbly smile, blink away oncoming tears... and melt against her in kind.

“Your Highness... I’m so glad y-you’re all right...!”

[galeforged]

armatization​:

It had been a thousand years.

Not that Corrin could recall those thousand years. Distantly, she could remember the scorching heat of the Solm desert for the past millennium. She felt guilty that she rarely thought of home during that slumber, but she rarely thought of anything during that time.

Now she was awake, really awake, and the pain hit her.

She missed home. She missed her siblings, and her retainers. More importantly, she missed her family, the one she had made for herself. She missed her sweet baby Kana, and her darling Isolde. She missed her husband, Forwin, too.

He hadn’t long left for a distant land called Fódlan. Honestly, the idea of another world seemed silly at first, but look at her now. This wasn’t Nohr or Hoshido or even Valla. Her fellow Emblems didn’t come from here, either.

While in the Somniel, she could roam as she pleased. Usually she stayed with whoever summoned her last, but sometimes it was nice to stretch her legs. It reminded her of the Astral Plane, in a way, though there were no Veins for her to manipulate.

She heard there were new Emblems found, in bracelets rather than rings. The names of these Emblems seemed familiar. She swore she had heard them before, but where? Well, it didn’t matter; any new friend was a friend indeed.

As she explored, she heard music, and her heart panged. Gods, she longed for those days where she could sing along to music. In the years that passed, could she remember the lyrics if Forwin played her favourites? She followed the sound, humming to herself, before trying out the words like dusting off an old shelf. She knew this song still. That was from home. Now, unless someone could read her mind-

She rushed over, and there he was, as ghostly as her. Her jaw fell open. It couldn’t be. He had gone, yes, but to become an Emblem? She couldn’t speak. She didn’t know how to react at all. She didn’t think she would ever see him again, not after becoming an Emblem. It couldn’t be - could it?

“Forwin?” she called from a few feet away. “Is that really you?”

How quickly he stilled his hand when came that voice, his last note suspended until strings ceased to resonate per his pause. Bittersweet relief threaten to flood from his heart and up to his throat when he heard that voice call his name, held back by disbelief before the prospect of something too good to be true. Tears raced to burn through his eyes as he immediately recognised such a sweet sound, one he had denied himself for so long out of homesickness. Was it really him, she wondered? He would have posed the same, were their positions reversed.

Once his lute finally fell silent beneath the winds atop of Elyos, Forwin found he needed a greater amount of courage to turn around and face her. Such a deceptively simple act had never felt this daunting before. At last, the lutist relented to his want over his fear, demanding of himself to know whether he lost sense or was not actually hearing things just now.

The Emblem of Bards couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp as their eyes met, with his heart threatening to burst at the mere sight of her. Even speaking her name left him breathless.

“C… Corrin-?”

Were it not for his being whisked away into that bracelet a thousand years past, it would have been only two years since he left Valla and saw through his goals. Already, it took longer than he would have liked, but if nothing else, he had only just begun making plans to return home. He never would have anticipated for home to find him, though. Those pointed ears, her silver hair, her gentle face, even the way she stood, it was all unmistakably her... Saints, did she look as beautiful as the time he last saw her. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, certainly, but how could it possibly be measured now with the breadth of entire worlds he walked in-between?

His faithful lute fell limp by his side, saved from hitting the ground only by its strap. His hands reached up to remove his feathered hat, revealing his ever-present mess of hay-blond hair while ensuring no amount of brim would obstruct his vision. His expression hid no secret in the fact he was on the verge of tears before his wife, the woman who meant so much to him, for even today, under his glove, he kept his ring on his finger, as she did hers. He never stopped thinking about her, about returning to her side. The circumstances never mattered: they were both here, together again. That’s all that counts.

“CORRIN!”

Thanks to his ghostly form, he flew those few feet separating them within an instant, and to his relief, he found he could still touch her—hold her tight, actually, with his arms slung around her—as a fellow Emblem. Forwin could not interact with much of the world in his current state, so had Corrin been included among those elements... well, that would have simply been too cruel and too much for him to take on top of everything else.

“You’re here! Goddess above, y-you’re actually HERE-!” he wept with shoulders shuddering between barely concealed sobs, in spite of the widest smile he had ever put on his face from behind her shoulder. “I-I missed you so much...!”

[chorusmusarum]

Reverse Uno time 👀 how much did Camilla and Xander try to hide of the concubine wars from their siblings? Or would they have perhaps warned them in order to learn how to defend themselves?

Leo was there from the start; there was nothing to be hidden.

Elise knows nothing. She was too young to truly remember the in-fighting, and with the tender age at which she lost her mother, there was nobody to turn her against her surviving siblings. Knowing nothing of the bloodshed, Elise could grow up happy and without a worry in the world... A new light for Nohr. Why would anyone ruin that by speaking of those lost to the grave?

Corrin is a similar case, albeit they were in Nohr during the worst of it, just... Absent. Locked away in the Northern Fortress, the only way news of what was taking place in Krakenburg could reach them is if a visitor (or Gunter) informed them, and what was the point? Sure, a concubine may see them as a threat, but they had Gunter to keep them safe and besides, what good was a motherless, "sick" child to the king? There were much higher priority targets to remove from the line of succession. That, and hardly any knew if this child even existed. To most, Corrin was little more than a rumour.

However, having been introduced to them as the crown prince, Xander had acted as their elder brother from the very start. At times, he vaguely mentioned the existence of more siblings, but dodged specifics. Who knew if they'd be alive by his next visit?

Once things calmed down (for lack of a better phrase), the rest of their siblings began their visits, and they became one big happy family... Depending on the route. Regardless, Corrin received a similar treatment to Elise and in Camilla's case, she practically latched onto the idea of a sibling who was ignorant to their bloody past, and never close enough to someone who could poison them against her.

[soulcluster-moved]

@armatization / corrin "Is this… strange?" Corrin asked. "It feels strange for me. All I've ever had is my father. I never thought about having a mother." She shifted uncomfortably. "But it must be strange for you, too, seeing me again." She was rambling. She knew that. But how did one act with a mother, exactly?

Mikoto shook her head gently and replied, "It's not strange at all for me. I've been reunited with my daughter, that's all I could ever ask for. However, I know this must be strange for you."

She wanted to give Corrin all the space she needed, but the motherly side of her wished to scoop her daughter into her arms and never let go. But this wasn't the young girl she'd known so long ago. This was a woman before her, who had experienced a much different life and different family dynamic. While Corrin had spent her early years here in Hoshido, cradled in Mikoto's arms, such a memory did not exist her mind. That tore at Mikoto's heart more than she could describe, but there was nothing she could do about that. They could only move forward.

"Ah, if you like, I have a portrait of the two of us when you were younger. Would you like to see it? I don't suspect it will trigger any memories but, perhaps it will help in some way."

[of-invisible-ties]

@armatization​ said: Corrin vc: I don't know why you wouldn't be a hero! Clearly you're such a good guy 😊

Angry and disapproving Gunter noises.

[nobilismare]

@armatization​ ; ask answered

[ 𝐆𝐀𝐙𝐄 ] ― sender and receiver lock eyes across the room - Leo and Hinoka!

Hinoka dabbed the sweat off of her forehead with a towel, moving down to her neck as she entered one of the tents at camp. She planned to take a break by herself there but her eyes soon met that of the Nohrian prince, freezing in her spot momentarily. 

It was still awkward to work with him, having hated Nohrians most of her life and they didn’t start off on the right foot. Obviously, the two of them were very different from one another and she wasn’t sure if they could ever see eye to eye. If anything, she’d be fine not talking to him at all but they were in this war together and... she didn’t want to upset Corrin.

“Prince Leo, I didn’t expect to see you here. Everyone is out training.“ 

[typhchosen]

@armatization​ asked //   “ why do you walk around as if you’re somehow less valuable than the rest of the world? ” ;; Corrin @ Kaze

misc prompts for your feels // accepting

That was a dangerous question, one that froze Kaze in his place, voice caught in his throat while eyes widened, stunned by the forthrightness of it all. Did he truly walk around that way? He supposed his loyalty to serve from the shadows could be seen as thus, but what truly stunned him was the fact he’d been so obvious. Those were thoughts he kept to himself. Or so he thought. 

        “Milady, I’m.. not so sure that’s an appropriate question for me to answer. And it’s rather personal.” He tried to derail it with propriety. It wasn’t his place to unload on the one he swore fealty to, was it? But then again, Corrin was adamant they be more than that. She wanted to get to know, be his friend. 

She’d made that quite clear in all her attempts to spend time with him after all. He’d be a fool to not recognize it for what it was.

          “I am sorry, but... in comparison to others, I have to accept my place in that world. And that leaves me expendable. That’s the truth. Many are more worthy than myself and deserve their place to shine. That’s not mine.”

Could it be? He didn’t wish to upset Corrin, but lying wasn’t easy.

Saizo cared and wouldn’t find him expendable, but even then, Saizo understood the place they both shared in terms of serving others. Shadows was their home, more than any other. That’s how it was supposed to be. 

            “Forgive me. I said too much.”

[levysoft]

Dune, l’universo futuro immaginato da Frank Herbert, è divenuto una delle rappresentazioni più simboliche della space opera letteraria, contribuendo a dare corpo ad aspetti fondanti dell’immaginario collettivo. Gran parte della fantascienza moderna, specialmente cinematografica, ha un debito nei confronti di Dune, soprattutto in relazione alla fallita trasposizione cinematografica dia Alejandro Jodorowsky, ma all’interno di questa ambientazione si rileva, almeno all’interno del corpus letterario principale, una particolarità che sembra contrastare con il concetto di fantascienza: l’assenza di macchine pensanti. Nel dare vita al suo universo futuro, infatti, Herbert aveva scelto di non rendere l’elemento tecnologico come fondamentale, e per eliminare questo aspetto aveva introdotto un remoto evento del passato della galassia: il  Jihad Butleriano.

Parlando di Dune, come sempre, è necessario fare una distinzione tra il ciclo iniziale dei sei libri, scritti da Frank Herbert, e la successiva espansione di questo universo portata avanti dal figlio Brian Herbert con Kevin J. Anderson. Nella sua descrizione della società futura di Dune, Herbert padre non si premurò di dare una particolare definizione al passato dell’impero in cui si muovevano i suoi personaggi, una concezione che lo portò quindi a introdurre l’elemento della Jihad Butleriana come motivazione di una condizione socio-tecnologica, l’assenza di macchine pensanti e la presenza dei Mentat, senza contestualizzare storicamente questo evento nella lore della sua saga.

Il Jihad Butleriano in Dune

A ben vedere, per Frank Herbert il Jihad Butleriano era essenzialmente un monito, con cui il romanziere americano voleva trasmettere un senso di allarme sulla crescente dipendenza delle menti dalla crescente tecnologia, vedendo nella pigrizia derivante dal servilismo delle macchine e nell’abbandono di esercizi mentali i presupposti per una caduta della società umana. Una visione che sembra rifarsi al romanzo Erewhon di Samuel Butler, da cui probabilmente il nome di questa rivolta umana contro le macchine, pubblicato nel 1872, in cui si immaginava che l’umanità avesse deciso di distruggere le macchine, all’epoca della stesura del romanzo anche rudimentali meccanismi, per timore che evolvendosi potessero superare l’intelletto umano, una concezione che sembra risentire della filosofia luddista, ancora presente nella società vittoriana dell’epoca.

Un accenno a quello che sarebbe divenuto poi il conflitto tra uomo e macchina di Dune compare, con l’evolversi della trama della saga, nei libri successivi a Dune. Il ruolo delle macchine pensanti, infatti, viene rivisto in un’ottica secondo la quale la loro presenza avrebbe leso l’evoluzione umana, ma erano comunque necessarie, motivo che portò alla creazione di sostituti (come Mentat, Bene Gesserit e Navigatori), che potessero svolgere i ruoli solitamente demandanti nella narrativa fantascientifica alle macchine. Una concezione intrigante, che tende però a innescare una nuova problematica: la disumanizzazione dei sostituti delle macchine pensanti.

Ne L’Imperatore-Dio di Dune, Leto II, mentre avvia l’umanità sul suo Sentiero Dorato, ricorda il Jihad Butleriano come l’istante in cui l’umanità aveva preso coscienza di come fosse divenuta controllata e guidata dalle macchine. Momento in cui viene creata la Bibbia Cattolica Orangista, in cui sono contenuti precetti morali che riportano a una condizione tecnologica retrograda ma focalizzata sulla valorizzazione umana, che diventa uno dei tratti essenziali della dialettica di Herbert. A ben vedere, quindi, nell’esalogia originale di Dune, il ruolo della Jihad Butleriana era di espediente narrativo che serviva a motivare un assetto tecnologico scarno e lontano dall’immaginario fantascientifico classico, dove erano totalmente assenti le macchine pensanti. Il Jihad Butleriano, infatti, non esclude ogni forma di macchina, ma solo quelle che, in virtù di una anche basilare forma di intelligenza artificiale, possano essere autonome e sviluppare un’auto-coscienza. Per rimanere in ambito sci-fi, sarebbero banditi tutti i robot di Asimov ma non le gigantesche astronavi che invece Herbert affida alla guida dei Piloti della Gilda.

Una distinzione importante, che ribadisce il senso del Jihad Butleriano all’interno della dinamica delle diverse forze sociali presenti in Dune. Questo breve accenno alla Jihad Butleriana fu tale che non venne nemmeno sviluppato all’interno della trasposizione di Dune del 1984 di David Lynch, che non si addentra nello spiegare questo dettaglio della saga. Una sua rapida, quanto blanda spiegazione viene introdotta nella versione estesa di Dune, firmata come Alan Smithee da Lynch, in cui è presente un prologo in cui viene presentata questa guerra, ribattezzata la Grande Rivolta, ambientata circa 4050 anni prima degli eventi di Dune.

Per avere un racconto preciso del Jihad Butleriano e della sua influenza sulla società galattica si dovette aspettare decenni, quando Herbert figlio diede vita a Legends of Dune, una serie di archi narrativi che vanno a definire il passato dell’universo di Dune.

Il Jihad Butleriano in Legends of Dune

Partendo da materiale non sviluppato dal padre, Brian Herbert ha dato risalto ai trascorsi dell’universo di Dune, scegliendo proprio il Jihad Butleriano come punto di partenza dell’universo di Dune. Con un approccio differente da quello paterno, più filosofico, Herbert e Anderson hanno improntato il loro lavoro su un piano più dinamico, considerato utile per andare a creare le basi cronologiche dell’universo di Dune.

L’umanità si trova ad affrontare una spietata battaglia contro i Pianeti Sincronizzati, mondi popolati da macchine pensanti guidati da Omnius. Questa intelligenza artificiale è stata creata dai Cymeks, umani che hanno rinunciato alla caducità del proprio corpo fisico per racchiudere i propri cervelli in corpi robotici indistruttibili, con lo scopo di raggiungere un’immortalità tramite cui governare la galassia. Dopo aver creato Omnius, come strumento per avere un controllo dei pianeti conquistati, i Cymek ne sono divenuti schiavi, che con il nome di Titani esercitano il ruolo di generali delle armate di Omnius.

Nel contrastare le armate robotiche, l’umanità è guidata da alcune casate, una sorta di nobiltà pre-imperiale al vertice della Lega dei Nobili. Al vertice di questa organizzazione umana ci sono due casate, Harkonnen e Butler, che cercando di spronare l’umanità a non subire passivamente gli attacchi ma a reagire. Xavier Harkonnen, uno di comandanti militari, guida le armate umane per proteggere il futuro dell’amata Serena Butler, che cerca di sensibilizzare l’opinione pubblica sul piano politico. Durante un attacco, Serena, incinta del figlio di Xavier, viene catturata da uno dei Titani, che la consegna come cavia al robot Erasmus, che cerca di comprendere il comportamento umano. Durante la prigionia, Serena conosce il figlio biologico del comandante dei Titani, Vorian Atreides, che da convinto sostenitore della società delle macchine cambia visione quando assiste alla crudeltà di Erasmus, che non esita a uccidere il figlio di Serena davanti agli occhi della donna, un evento che diventa la scintilla del Jihad Butleriano.

Fuggiti dalla Terra, capitale dei Mondi Sincronizzati, Vorian e Serena si fanno voce della necessità di attaccare le macchine. Per decenni questa guerra continua, e Vorian, dotato di una longevità superiore grazie alla tecnologica dei Titani, continua a lottare al fianco degli Harkonnen, prendendo sotto la sua protezione il giovane Abulurd. Durante lo scontro finale con Omnius e i Titani sul pianeta Corrin, però, Abulurd decide di usare armi atomiche sulla Terra, nonostante la presenza di milioni di schiavi umani, che muoiono sotto il bombardamento. Azione scriteriata, che spinge Vorian a dissociarsi dal suo operato, che viene pesantemente condannato dalla Lega dei Nobili, portando alla caduta in disgrazia della casata Harkonnen. Questo è il momento in cui ha inizio la faida tra le due casate, vista anche in Dune.

La sconfitta dei Mondi Sincronizzati porta alla creazione di un nuovo ordine sociale. La crescente lotta a ogni forma di macchina pensante conduce alla distruzione di computer troppo evoluti, mentre la Battaglia di Corrin consegna alla famiglia Butler un ruolo di preminenza nella Lega dei Nobili, che viene rinominata Landsraad, e riformata su un modello imperiale, dove regnala famiglia Butler, in virtù del suo ruolo nella guerra, che sceglie un nuovo nome per la propria casata: Corrino, in onore della battaglia finale contro le macchine.

L’impatto del Jihad Butleriano sul mondo di Dune

Durante il Jihad Butleriano, sul pianeta Rossak una setta femminile di donne dotate di particolari poteri mentali, utilizza dei computer nascosti nelle profondità delle foreste del pianeta per perseguire un piano eugenetico volto alla creazione di una razza di telepati. Con il bando delle macchine pensati, questi computer diventano un pericolo per quelle che sono state ribattezzate le Streghe di Rossak, che iniziano quindi a seguire un rigido programma di eugenetica, aiutandosi con i loro poteri mentali, sempre più evoluti dall’utilizzo delle sostanze estratte dalle piante velenose di Rossak. Le Streghe di Rossak diventano il primo gruppo di Bene Gesserit.

Durante la guerra con le macchine, il magnate Aurelius Venport scopre sul remoto pianeta di Arrakis una sostanza che sembra avere incredibili proprietà. Ribattezzata spezia melange, questa droga diviene sempre più richiesta e per continuare a soddisfare la richiesta, la società di trasporto di Venport, grazie alla genialità dell’inventore Tio Holzman e della sua assistente Norma Cenva, si avvale di motori che possono piegare lo spazio. Impossibilitati a utilizzare computer per calcolare le complesse rotte spaziali, Aurelius e Norma scoprono che l’utilizzo del melange espande le capacità dei propri piloti, che assumendo la droga ottengono poteri di traslocazione, anche se i loro corpi subiscono orrende mutazioni. Da questa scoperta nasce la Gilda dei Navigatori.

Con il bando delle macchine pensanti, si rende necessario trovare un sostituto organico alle loro funzioni. Su un remoto pianeta, esiste una scuola in cui le menti di giovani allievi sono formate per essere rese dei computer viventi, chiamati Mentat. A dirigere l’istituto è Gilbertus Albans, un ex-schiavo delle macchine che è stato per anni soggetto di esperimenti del robot Erasmus, che ha salvato durante la distruzione del suo centro di ricerche. E’ proprio Erasmus, ora ridotto al suo solo cervello elettronico e conservato nei meandri della scuola, a fornire a Gilbertus le indicazioni su come addestrare menti umane a divenire dei computer viventi.

Il Jihad Butleriano ha portato alla scomparsa delle macchine pensanti, ma non della tecnologia in quanto tale. L’universo creatosi dopo la guerra contro i Mondi Sincronizzati non ha privato l’umanità di astronavi o semplici macchinari, che specialmente nei secoli seguenti alla fine della Jihad Butleriana hanno lentamente cominciato a riprendere un percorso evolutivo, sempre in considerazioni dei limiti imposti. Su IX, ad esempio, sono state sviluppati macchinari non intelligenti che aiutano la vita e lo sviluppo della società imperiale, come raccontato nei prequel House Atreides, House Arkonnen e House Corrino., mentre su Tleilax, il Bene Tleilax è detentore di incredibili scienze mediche e tecnologie biologiche, compresa una particolare forma di clonazione.

Un termine scomodo

Quando nel 1956 Frank Herbert scrisse Dune, il mondo islamico era percepito in modo differente rispetto alla visione attuale, macchiata da eventi tragici e da un contrasto ideologico che ne ha reso complesso l’utilizzo anche in trasposizioni come il Dune di Villeneuve. All’interno dell’esalogia di Herbert, il termine Jihad veniva interpretato nel suo significato più puro, ossia uno sforzo incredibile, oltre i limiti dell’individuo. La scelta di usare un termine islamico, relegando crociata a sinonimo usato in rare occasioni, era frutto della visione di Herbert dell’umanità futura e del suo rapporto con l’elemento religioso, unito al fatto che, nel creare i Fremen, aveva già introdotto termini mutuati da radici islamiche, come Muad’Dib o Shai-Hulud. Scopo di questa scelta era il voler trasmettere un senso di familiarità a quelle che erano viste, dai lettori dell’epoca, come le popolazioni del deserto per eccellenza, in modo da definire al meglio la figura dei Fremen, come svelò in un’intervista nel 1976:

“Se si vuole dare al lettore un sensazione credibile che non si trovi qui e ora, ma che qualcosa del presente sia stato portato lontano nel tempo e nello spazio, quale modo migliore del dare a questa realtà la lingua di un posto preciso…questo strumento orale, ha la sua forza inerziale, aiuta a formare la mente mentre la stessa mente lo usa”

Soprattutto, Herbert non voleva creare un futuro che vedesse la cristianità come unica religione sopravvissuta, ma che fosse rispettoso delle diverse fedi. Nelle sue ricerche per dare vita a Dune, Herbert aveva svolto studi sulle religioni caratterizzate da aspetti messianici, e aveva identificato nell’Islam una leva narrativa interessante, senza affidarsi a una visione monolitica, ma sondandone pregi e difetti. Per Dune, questa fede era importante per quello che lui definiva il ‘concetto di controllo assoluto’, un complesso, per Herbert, che conduceva alla definizione di una mentalità che era fertile per l’apparizione di figure messianiche, mostrandone anche i pericoli insiti nel ruolo. Come accade in Dune, prima con Paul e infine con Leto II, o con la Jihad Butleriana in Legends of Dune, quando Manford Torondo, leader di quella che diviene una setta alla fine delle ostilità con le macchine pensanti, trascende i dettami che hanno guidato Serena Butler, trasformandola in una martire e dando vita a un culto della persona che esula aspetti religiosi, diventando una manifestazione di potere temporale.

[severuna]

Even if she had words, they would've immediately died on her tongue the moment she tried to speak them. Not to mention, words weren't exactly her strong point—she potentially could make everything worse, and when someone so important to her liege was the victim in the scenario, Selena did not want to take that risk. Then again, she also personally cared about him, as much as she tried to tell herself she didn't.

Her body tensed awkwardly as the younger boy reached to hug her back, his arms trembling and weakly clinging to the folds of her mercenary uniform. Selena wasn't used to touch like this, not even from those close to her. Certainly, she had gotten plenty of doting embraces from Lady Camilla, but this embrace felt much more exposing, vulnerable even. Maybe it was because they were both finally letting their grief show. Maybe it was because they were showing weaknesses they'd never reveal normally.

Even still, the red-haired girl solidified her hold on Prince Leo, her grip tightening a smidge just to help him hold himself together a little better. She paid no mind to the tears soaking her shoulder, and she didn't bother to verbally acknowledge the sobs that left his lips. The one thing she knew she'd hate if she was in his position was for those tears to be acknowledged in words.

Her gaze slowly fell to catch a glimpse of the blond-haired prince hesitantly clinging to her. His words rung in her ears, and she struggled to find the words to reply to them. Who was he blaming? Corrin? Lord Xander? Regardless of who, to Leo, they were both precious siblings—surely he felt immensely betrayed no matter which of them it was.

All she could really come up with was to try to comfort him. She moved one of her hands to rest atop his head, pausing for a moment before maybe making the biggest mistake she'd ever make in this moment. Not letting herself dwell on it, Selena gently rubbed her gloved hand against his head, fingers subtly threading through his hair and softly pressing against his scalp as if to soothe him the best she could.

Hopefully, this would ease the ache a little bit (and maybe she could forget the way her own heart felt like it was suffocating in her chest).

He expected to be punched, or that maybe she'd yell at him. It wasn't that Selena was volatile necessarily, no, but grief was complicated and it was difficult to talk about that hurt. At best, she might have stormed out. She didn't. In fact, he was surprised she was still there at all. He wanted to be alone. He didn't want to be alone. What did he want from her?

Before he could think about his own questions, he felt something tighten around him. At first he thought his own lungs had given up on him in his grief, but no. They were arms, awkward yet warm. He didn't understand what was happening for a moment, until it finally sunk in.

Her hug wasn't like Camilla's. It didn't feel suffocating. It wasn't the hug of someone clinging to something like it too would leave her. It didn't feel like he should be carrying Selena's burdens with his own. His heart seized in his chest. He didn't know he needed to be held like this until he was.

A part of his pride battled against his grief. He couldn't let himself go: he was still fighting to get himself together again. He realised then that there was no point - Selena already knew. She had already seen him at his lowest. Don't you dare... hide your pain. He made it obvious, he supposed, that he was trying so hard to hold back.

But who for? They were both torn by despair. They both knew what they were feeling. It felt no better to hold back.

He didn't notice he was trembling, not until he reached up. One shaking hand sat on her back, his other arm slinked around her torso. It felt weird to reciprocate a hug, but weirder still to not. He was used to standing there limply as his sisters held onto him. Sisters. Not only Camilla.

Fresh tears choked him. He didn't want to cry any more. He didn't know he had anything left in him. But with his face pressed to her shoulder, finally he let himself go. His sobs were heavy, though thankfully muffled against her shoulder. He couldn't even feel embarrassed anymore, not when his heart felt scooped out and left on the floor to rot. He wanted them back, even if he could never forgive Xander. He wanted them back. He wanted his little sister to knock insistently on the door, not taking no for an answer.

"He killed her," he gasped out between sobs. "It's his fault." Yet it didn't stop him from missing both of his siblings, the longing burning like acid through him.

[soulcluster-moved]

just plotted out an amazing fe fates verse with @armatization where gerome/geralt is garon's retainer and sees corrin having as much potential to be as big a threat as grima (and lbr it's half ptsd influencing his thoughts against her) and I'm living for it

[galeforged]

starter for @armatization || Corrin!

There was a fifth.

Only now, a couple of months into his new role, did Forwin finally hear about her, at the same time as he was called to join the other four on a trip to a fortress up in northern Nohr. His mind? Aswirl with all sorts of inquiries. His lips? Sealed firm, not knowing where to even BEGIN in asking.

Who is Princess Corrin? Why was she isolated and not living in Castle Krakenburg, with the rest of her family? How come King Garon did not mention her before?

Most important of all, what is she like?

Every question pondered by the court musician begat yet more questions. Yes, he wished to ask these of the attending princes and princesses, or even the garrison escorting them all to where this mysterious royal was being kept. However, he thought better to wonder in silence than to risk stepping out of line before royalty, as they journeyed long and far under black and thunderous skies, past dried and fissured prairies, and through deep and dark woodlands.

Forwin ultimately relented, knowing his restless thoughts would find answers before long, though he ensured he remained attentive to his surroundings. After all, this was his first proper journey out into the wider kingdom, and no small amount of wonderment and curiosity shone from his eyes at seeing it all for himself. He did not seem to mind the long walk either, ever patient and seemingly used to long journeys on foot already.

Finally, their journey seemed to have come to its awaited end as they emerged from a valley, thus snapping the bard’s attention to castle walls of great height coming into view, as well as the groans and grinds of a drawbridge being lowered. When he craned his head back as if to peek above the imposing barrier, he could see some of the larger structures that made up the rest of the fortress. He did not have the privilege to stare for long though, with a brisk wind all but blowing through his being, bringing Forwin to withdraw more of himself into the wool of his traveling cloak.

All the while, his lute remained safely stored in a case hanging from his side, protecting it from the elements. Good thing too, since it and his voice were the reasons he was brought along for this journey at all.

“Is… this the place?” Whether answered by any of their Royal Highnesses in earshot, or the soldiery around him, was of little import compared to whoever was waiting ahead.

[galeforged]

Also Forwin - smash or pass Corrin 👁️_👁️

via Send me “Smash or Pass” + a name and my muse will answer with 100% honesty. (open!)

“SHH-! Not so loud-!!!” Teeth grit and a hiss escaped from the startled songster over just how barefaced that question came across. They do realize just who they were asking about, right? Princess Corrin, their leader and commander? Corrin with eight siblings between two nations, any one of whom possibly being within earshot?!

One cannot just casually ask such a thing out in the open, let alone receive an answer that could land the recipient of said question in a whole world of trouble. Still, Forwin knew he would not be left alone unless he gave them his answer, and any attempt to lie would be seen through from the get-go.

Relenting with a sigh, he made a point to wander around the room. No holes to peek through from the ceiling, some knocks against the walls and floor proved that the party should be fine if he remained quiet enough, and with a quick peek outside of the door or window, none seemed to be around.

Fine then.

“...she’s... really cute, you know?” A fond smile grew on his face as he thought things over. “Red eyes that look to the world around her with wonder, in spite of its cruelties often aimed directly at her. Silver hair so long that it easily gets messy, to the point you’d just want to run your hands through them to correct it, only to end up wanting to scratch her head until she’s content. A heart always bursting at the seams with kindness, and often too trusting for its own good.”

Suppose it should be safe enough for him to answer now, no?

“I would smash her, surely... but not without ensuring her trust in me would not be wasted first. I wouldn’t want to simply leave it at that. Not with her. Besides, I... don’t think I would be able to settle for just one night of passion.”

Forwin is well aware that leading a life by her side was easier to hope for than see through. After all, his real name held no value here, so he did not even have a noble standing to fall back on and better his chances for her hand. Plus, given everything that had happened to her, there would be no shortage of scrutiny from her family in looking to welcome him as an in-law.

But in spite of everything?

“I want to pursue her beyond that, if I’m granted that chance to make her happy through the rest of her days.”

[galeforged]

@armatization via send me ‘ 🐻 ‘ for a great, big, BEAR HUG from my muse to yours:

🐻 - but what about Forwin and Corrin tho-

It was all Forwin could think to do in that moment, once the pair was left alone at camp.

There would be no wondrous song to distract, no fanciful tale to be spun, and no great mirth to be shared. No amount of these could wash away the dreadful burden sitting on Corrin’s mind now. After all, to have someone else die in your name, to take a fatal blow otherwise meant for yourself, was an impossible thing to ever let oneself live down, no matter how much inner strength you put on display for others.

Scarlet should have still been standing here with the rest of them. Instead, just when every ally they could find had united under Corrin’s banner, the Chevois warrior’s untimely demise was seen to by someone acting in the stead of their real enemy, a great evil at last named. Anankos.

With no other means through which he could lighten her spirits, the court musician felt there was only one recourse left to him – not as princess and servant, but from one friend to another who needed it.

Wordlessly did he take Corrin into his embrace for as warm and wide a hug he could manage, his own eyes already hot and daring to well up in earnest over feelings of loss and empathy. One arm met her hip from around the small of her back, while the other’s hand pressed into snow white hair on the back of her head, so that her face lay hidden against his shoulder.

At least like this, with no one else watching, she would not have to hold back her own tears.

[galeforged]

armatization​:

Corrin nodded. She felt heard, at least, even if Forwin didn’t understand fully. No one really did. Everyone had some kind of bias in this, mostly either anti-Hoshido-pro-Nohr, or pro-Nohr-anti-Hoshido. Forwin should be the former, but he wasn’t. He seemed to be pro-Corrin-anti-war, which was the only team Corrin wanted to be on, personally. She knew there was a reason she liked spending time with him, and he reminded her why every time.

“I did air it all out, but it doesn’t feel any less daunting. A big mountain is still a big mountain, even if you walk it with friends, isn’t it?” The war and her family - she couldn’t decide which was a bigger mountain. Or, perhaps which was the peak, and which was the base? No, no. Okay, the mountain metaphor wasn’t working. Or maybe it was Corrin’s head that wasn’t working.

Did she feel better after talking? She didn’t know, really. Forwin talked about the noise of her head clearing, but she wasn’t sure that did help. At the end of the day, her brothers still wanted to kill each other. That invisible army was still there. And Garon, dear Gods, that was a whole can of worms.

“All I did was say the words out loud,” she said. “It’s not like any of it is a secret that’s waiting to get off my chest.” Corrin didn’t know if she had any secrets, beyond the one she was sworn to keep under penalty of her own death. “Maybe I’ll feel better once you’re all with me, and once you all understand.” She was asking them all for a literal leap of faith, and she knew that. If they had any love for her or Azura, they would follow.

“I’m banking on them trusting me, but I don’t know if that’s enough. What if they don’t trust me enough to trust each other?” She didn’t want to keep getting in the middle of Raijinto and Siegfied forever, to say little of her other siblings. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m still complaining.” He asked how she felt, and she still didn’t answer.

“I don’t feel better, but I don’t feel worse. Does that count?” She would be fine once they were all with her, she told herself.

“It’s nothing to apologize for. You had the floor, remember?” came his soft-spoken reminder, along with a sympathetic simper towards her ladyship. “A-and yes, that absolutely counts. After all, I didn’t ask expecting you to feel better – at least not yet.”

Yes, Forwin waited patiently since she made mention of a particular form for all the noise, as hearing that keyword gave him something of an idea. He bid his time as Corrin continued to go back and forth between wrestling with her thoughts, and just plain venting to get matters off of her chest. To her, all she may have done was repeat what she often repeated to herself already, but in this moment, she was not alone in trying to make sense of it all.

“So, let’s take this mountain of yours then,” he started, working the metaphor she readily dismissed, and made a point to look above her as if gazing towards some tall, lofty peak. “You have your end goals at the summit: unite your families, end the war, defeat the real enemy. It’s daunting, but not insurmountable. You’re already making headway, right? Lady Sakura, Lord Takumi, Lady Camilla? They’re here for you. And it’s not only them you convinced so far!”

The Fire and Wind Tribes readily sided with her in Rinkah and Hayato, and the late Archduke Izana died smiling just to show a path. Leo returned from Izumo with her notion of a master manipulator in mind, paired with his own complex feelings over his father. Kagero and Saizo openly defied Lord Ryoma, and now that Chevois woman Scarlet aimed to convince him in joining the fight on the way back to Hoshido. Who knows how farther still that ripple effect will travel, which began with the fateful decision Corrin made between two armies, once they make for Port Dia?

“You and Lady Azura already set so many impossible things in motion. I-I know, it’s frustrating that your siblings are not all here yet and getting along when you need them most. But the strides you’ve made until now... they’re still nothing short of incredible.” Earnest blues finally returned from looking up to the impossible mountaintop, waiting to be conquered, so they may further reassure disheartened reds. The words she spoke of a glass half-empty, he hoped, would then find themselves turned to become the glass half-full.

“You are incredible. I know you’ll make it happen, because... so far, you’ve refused to settle for anything less, and I doubt you’ll ever yield. Just know that I’m—we’re all here to help see your deepest wishes realized.” That included Azura, Jakob, Gunter, himself, and all who have come along for the ride so far. With comfort, finality, and a hint of fondness to his voice, the bard at last affirmed: “Say the word, Corrin, and your will be done.”

[typhchosen]

"You must be a campfire." Corrin can't stop the big smile on her face. "Because you're super hot and I want s'more." She hides the laugh behind the back of my hand. "How was that? I heard that the other day." (yes she's trying to fluster Kaze lmao)

Fluster My Muses // accepting

 He wasn’t ready for it. Nor prepared. A ninja should always be prepared, so why wasn’t he prepared for this of all things? The blank stare he sported hid a plethora of racing thoughts, all screaming over the other as he tried to piece together exactly what was going on. Was Corrin... hitting on him? Must be some joke he wasn’t aware of. A prank even?

Was this allowed?

            “Um... It was-”

             “I need to go.”

No, he certainly was not running away. This was merely a tactical retreat until further notice.

[galeforged]

armatization​:

Sakura poked at her food. She didn’t think much about how Corrin felt about all of this, to her great shame. She knew that it mustn’t have been easy, but she never thought about the depths of her hurt. If Sakura was in her position? She didn’t know. She wouldn’t be as strong as Corrin was.

Sakura didn’t miss the way Forwin talked about her, like they were old friends. True, Sakura and Hana broke the rules between retainer and liege, but that was different. Forwin was a court musician, wasn’t he? Maybe things were simply different in Nohr. Yes, that must be it. She would have loved to know more, but the topic of Nohr wasn’t a welcome one in camp.

“Do you think she can convince them?” Sakura dared to ask. The Nohrians seemed so unyielding, but who didn’t in a war? There was no use appearing weak, though Sakura knew she looked weak no matter the circumstances. “I don’t know if I could talk my family into surrendering if- if we were wrong.”

Then again, she was the youngest. Who listened to the wisdom of the baby?

She snapped her head back up. “My heart?” He’d spent so long talking about Corrin that she didn’t expect him to compliment Sakura. “Well, um, I mean-” Her face was as red as the cherry blossoms above them. “I just wish everyone was kinder to each other. I think, maybe we both got that from Mother?” It was such a shame Corrin never got to spend very long with Mikoto. “Maybe that’s why we’re alike, because we share a mother.”

She didn’t have much in common with Takumi though, so her theory was kind of useless.

“I’ll never understand why we have to fight. Why did Nohr start this war?” Sakura frowned. “But- but you’re not King Garon. It’s not fair to ask you.”

Forwin hummed over the question as he took to eating from his plate again, slice of peach salmon finally reducing in numbers. Good thing too, since he would hate for his food to grow stale with his negligence. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on his part, but he liked to believe that Corrin could convince them to stand down. So he mulled over potentiality as his gaze almost turned skyward, though he fixated on nothing in particular.

Princess Elise... Handily. She made no secret of her dislike for bloodshed, not too different from the princess next to him now. Much like Corrin, she wished everyone would stop fighting this war and come together in the middle somehow. Prince Leo... This one stung, almost two years in nurturing something of a friendship gone to waste now that Forwin himself defected. Still, he did not seem any more pleased over these circumstances than Elise. Garon, if he recalled... was a touchy subject.

Princess Camilla... The eldest princess was fiercely protective of a dwindling family ever since her youth. He can’t imagine she will be too happy to see Hoshido at Corrin’s back once that time comes. Convincing her won’t be easy from that intensity alone. And speaking of intense, “...being next in line for the throne and all, Prince Xander might be the most difficult to get to come around.” He did not want to risk saying ‘impossible’, as if it would lessen Corrin’s odds in accomplishing exactly that.

“It’s a good wish to hold on to, milady!” An earnest, albeit rueful smile grew at the mention of the late Queen of Hoshido herself, as Forwin sat sympathizing with a similar feeling of loss. Yes, robbing not only the country of its monarch, but a family of their loving mother, made for yet another reason why Garon needed to go. “I’m... certain that unrelenting kindness in your heart will only continue to honour your mother. Both yours, and your sister’s.”

With that aside, Forwin could only sigh when the conversation turned to why King Garon would pursue this war so relentlessly. Emperor Edelgard against the Church of Seiros? He could sympathize with either side for each of their own reasons, easily. Garon and Hoshido, on the other hand? Maybe at one point, this war was about resources, but now it seemed like he would not rest until the Dawn Dragon’s kingdom was razed to the ground. “It’s alright, Your Highness. I only wish I had an answer that would satisfy.”