#father duke * / in character

[winterinhimring]

The real tragedy of Dune (which the movies did an excellent job of portraying) is that almost none of the characters we see have any real choice in what they do. The only choices they have are in how they do them.

Duke Leto must take House Atreides to Arrakis, or be declared a traitor to the Imperium and hunted down. He knows it's a trap and that the Emperor is, in the very best case scenario, setting him and his family up for a serious reversal of their fortunes (far more likely, he's outright scheming to get them killed). But he doesn't have a choice. He must go to Arrakis. He does go to Arrakis. He dies.

Paul and Jessica must flee into the desert or the Harkonnen soldiers will kill them both brutally. They must go to the Fremen for refuge or the desert will kill them. They go. They find that the Fremen have already begun to mythologise Paul. He's the Mahdi, the Lisan al-Gaib. There is no option for Paul to be a normal person here. He is either the messiah or he is a false prophet, and false prophets in a nation of true believers don't live for long.

So Paul fits himself into the mold of the myth. He becomes Muad'dib and leads the Fremen in war because they believe too much in him to let him be anything less. Is it manipulation? Yes. But because the Bene Gesserit have been manipulating the Fremen for centuries, Paul has no choice but to continue it if he wants to live.

He sees the holy war at the end of every timeline by glimpses and he fights to avoid it. To avoid it, he becomes the Kwizatz Haderach and gains the ability to fully see timelines, and thereby he makes himself that much more of the Fremen messiah and brings himself one step closer to the holy war. Every choice he makes is a choice for survival and an attempt to avoid that war, the war he cannot escape because every step he makes along the path to survival is one more step towards the war. He has no more choice in what he becomes than his father had in whether or not he went to Arrakis.

The only people who ever had a choice were the Emperor and Gaius Helen Mohiam. They made their choice, to exterminate House Atreides, and thereby they took everyone's choices away, including their own. Once they sent House Atreides to Arrakis, the entire plot was inevitable.

[science-lings]

regardless of the answer, every single one of them get a moment where they realize that 'oh shit, I sound like my dad'

[mattiebluebird]

Case fic AU of Duke's training year centered around his identity as Signal (big hero, works for/with Batman, above everyone else) vs. Lark (friendly neighborhood hero, fights for the little guy, does things his own way) told as he & the WAR crew investigate a strange new drug that gives people meta abilities, with several B-plots of the other Robins becoming heroes in their own right. Is that anything.

[eve-to-adam]

Cecily Neville and her father, Ralph.

That's it. That's all the description I can do before I pass out.

[jeding-png]

What about...

Mr Verdandi and Duke Eckhart, when they were young 🔮⚜️

The original art belongs to SUEUN (@A_Sueune on Twitter). What Marquis Verdandi looks like is just my guess!

Winter's father is mentioned only once, in chapter 68 of the novel (or chapter 63 of the manhwa).

All that is said is that Winter was still very young (I think around 18-22 years old) when he lost his father. Also, the good relationship between Winter and Duke Eckhart was explained by the fact that the duke was friends with the former Marquis Verdandi. But what was the cause of the elder Verdandi's death?

However... what if Winter's father died fighting the Laila clan? Could he also have been a sorcerer? Was he as ideological and charitable as his son?

Most people know what a powerful wizard Winter really is. But he couldn't have learnt everything on his own, could he? Someone had to guide him and teach him how to control magic. Could it have been his father or his wizard friends? According to Verdandi himself, people who have a lot of mana cannot be called wizards if they do not know how to control it.

Okay, I think Winter has taken a lot from his father, but I'm interested to hear your opinion on this and the interaction between the Duke and the past Marquis...

By the way, is Winter's mother dead too?

In this world, it's not enough that fathers don't have their own names, but all the mothers of the main characters are killed here???

P.S. (with spoilers) I just realised that the Duke had seen his wife, daughter, and best friend die, and then he had seen his son almost killed. That the duke himself was almost eaten by a monster, and that he also survived the war... and then realised how he had ruined the lives of his children...

Listen, we need a separate post about Duke Eckhart. He's also an interesting character, but he doesn't have his own name.

Imagine, there are actually many details in the VADD universe that have not yet been fully revealed. Many characters were not revealed, even though they would have little impact on the plot.

[cluescorner]

Randomized Robins AU - Ages + Worst Trait Exercise:

Steph (25):

Says her worst trait is her murderous rages (she is exaggerating for dramatic/comedic effect, she’s killed 3 people tops and for very good reason)

Thinks her worst trait is her spitefulness (one of the few traits she definitely got from her father + one that prevents her from fixing her relationships and living her best possible life. She’ll refuse to interact with someone she dearly loves after an argument (happens significantly less after Tim’s death) or will say things she knows are hurtful just for the sake of having the last word. This trait will worsen in some ways as the list of people who have wronged her and those she loves grows, but will also ease up as she matures and realizes the harm it’s doing to her relationships with those she loves most.)

Her worst trait really is her spitefulness

Cass (26)

Says her worst trait is her self-righteousness (she believes that her goals are righteous and, as a result, she is righteous. Cass becomes very defensive whenever someone questions the mission and often does not second-guess herself. This is a trait she only develops later in life as she grows closer to Bruce/learns to understand herself more/starts to love herself more. But she knows she isn’t perfect and when somebody she trusts criticizes something she is doing she is willing to listen. She just usually isn’t the one to START the introspection.) 

Thinks her worst trait is her self-righteousness. 

Her worst trait actually is her obsessiveness (she gets it from Bruce and, while not as bad as him, she will easily become preoccupied with her night-life and the mission if someone isn’t there to pull her back. She will do this to the point of self-destruction and it hurts her relationships with the people she loves, especially Steph.)

Tim (24)

Says his worst trait is his spitefulness (he actively rejects the idea of mending his relationships with the older members of the family and this causes him to also lack good relationships with the younger ones)

Thinks his worst trait is his obsessiveness (similar to Cass, if he gets fixated on a task or idea he will neglect everything else in his life in order to dedicate more time to it. Unlike Cass, he will almost never be dragged away from it unless Pierrot snatches control of the body and forces them to take care of themself.)

His worst trait actually is how manipulative he is (the KING of guilt-tripping and using people’s emotions against them. He’ll do whatever he needs to do to get what he wants, he’s not above crocodile tears. And he will do it to whoever he needs (or wants) to with little care for how his actions impact others.)

Pierrot (Insists: “Age doesn’t apply to me! And even if it did, I'd probably be the oldest. Or the youngest! I’d never be a middle child, though.” Mental assessments by the Bats have put him around 21, with a margin of error of 3 years. Pierrot has called this “blatant character assassination by my eternal rival!”)

Says his worst trait is that he is an irredeemable psychopath without any regard for the wellbeing of others (this is a lie and everyone who's important to him understands this). 

Thinks his worst trait is his parasitic nature (he literally would not exist had Tim not suffered the way he did. Plus he is a living reminder of one of the worst things that happened to many of his loved ones. He is a parasite injected into a functional person's body and contributes to his continued suffering. This is also a largely incorrect judgement of himself, caused by his actual worst trait.)

His worst trait actually is his limited sense of self (he doesn’t really know who he is outside of ‘inheritor to the legacy of the Joker (a man he despises yet also views as a father)’ and ‘chip in Tim’s brain that became sentient’. He slowly develops an identity over the course of his life and relationships with other people, but he lacks the foundations of identity that most people have. Pierrot will often almost become a caricature of himself and what others perceive him to be because it's the only person he knows how to be. This causes wild swings in how he behaves and relates to others, sometimes to the detriment of himself and others.)

Dick (17) 

Says his worst trait is his clinginess (he is a very extraverted person who likes to be around others, which mixed with his fear of abandonment after his parents died means that if he goes a few days without seeing/talking to a friend he will get very anxious.)

Thinks his worst trait is his anger issues (he gets ticked off very easily and will explode on people. He’s kind at his core and is usually very nice, but he has a temper that can escalate significantly. Spoiler (and later Twist) help him channel this anger into something positive.)

His worst trait actually is his anger issues.

Barbara (18)

Says her worst trait is her disability (internalized ableism, she thinks of herself as less valuable than the other Bats because she cannot be out there in the capes like they can. She will grow out of this as she matures and as she learns how invaluable her support for the team is.)  

Thinks her worst trait is her disability 

Her worst trait actually is her overly-independent nature (In an attempt to overcompensate for everything she can no longer do, she has resolved to do literally everything that she possibly can without any help from others. This results in many instances where she either takes on too much and winds up not being able to fully realize any of her tasks or where she makes her life and the lives of others significantly harder by refusing help when offered/not asking for it when she needs it.)

Damian (16)

Says his worst trait is his perfectionism (he is overly critical of both himself and others, taking any flaw or problem and amplifying it to an absurd degree. This is due in part to his life with the LoA (where even a brief misstep could lead to death), in part to how others treated him initially as Spoiler (any flaw was fixated on and used as a reason to either mistrust him or portray him as unworthy of the mantle), and in part due to the fact that he is Bruce’s son (the only person with worse perfectionism problems than Damian). Gradually, Damian has improved in this regard but it’s still a massive barrier to both his own happiness and his relationships with others.)

Thinks his worst trait is his perfectionism 

His worst trait actually is his perfectionism

Duke (16)

Says his worst trait is his definitely-real secret evil side (says this as a ‘my dad is a villain so who knows??’ joke)

Thinks his worst trait is his impulsivity in his words (Sometimes he will crack a joke or say a remark without thinking it through, leading to a LOT of hurt feelings and drama. He’ll say something without thinking it through and wind up seeming insensitive. This isn’t done because of malice, rather because Duke is someone who’s quick to act and speak. But while the mantle of Insight and his awakening powers have helped him with his actions, they do not always help with his loose tongue. As such, Duke gains an unfair reputation in the media as an instigator and will accidentally cause family drama through what he says.)

His worst trait actually is his impulsivity in his words

Jason (14)

Says his worst trait is his bad manners (he grew up on the streets and has no idea how rich-people society works, which he’s pretty insecure about considering he’s now the youngest kid of Bruce freaking Wayne). 

Thinks his worst trait is his reactiveness (Jason never got the privilege of planning ahead for various events in his life, so he instead needed to rely on being swift and harsh in how he could react to situations. It’s saved his life on multiple occasions and helps significantly in his role as Spoiler, but it can also lead to extreme overreactions (accidentally causing kidnapping scare after Jason ran away following a fight with Dick) and a struggle to plan things out ahead of time. As he grows more secure in his place in the family and in life, this trait will lessen but never fully dissipate.)

His worst trait actually is his reactiveness

[soulreader05]

Nope. I ain’t stopping. Anyways here’s a kid oc for Leto.

Her name is Tokala⚔️

A Fremen girl on a hunt for royal blood. A lethal threat to the Geide Prime.

Her story with Leto Atreides is…chaotic to say the least, that involves slapping, and stabbing. That’s all I say because I’m terrible at explaining things.

Tokala just wants to finish her revenge journey instead she has to help this annoying gullible old man get to his family…no she doesn’t care if he dies again, that’s on him.

(She will not hesitate to kill anybody who tries to touch him, that’s her dad now, you can’t have him.)

She’s determined, fierce, and sarcastic, has a bit of soft spot for the small and vulnerable, innocent however that won’t deter her from her road of revenge…unless you’re Leto Atreides, of course.

[starlooove]

“There is no fanfic on Stephs treatment I have checked” that’s like the whole point.

[elminsterbignaturals]

i gotta be honest: i think people are meaner to mystra, duke ravengard, and mizora than they deserve. and we all know why

[jankillbride]

There is something to be said about the fact that half the time, marginalized characters end up being the "normal" ones in fanon when that is so clearly not the case.

[bidokja]

the Story in duke pendragon is genuinely good, with a really solid trio of main characters and enough emotional investment and intrigue to keep me reading for sure. plus the art style for the manhwa is really interesting to see out of a redice team given how most of their other stuff looks the same and rather generic (which isn't BAD per-se it's understandable from a Studio with teams made to make quickly serialized manhwa. it's just. uninteresting).

...now, if only they wrote women seriously. sighs. like. they each have their own distinct personalities and mannerisms so there's that at least (oh how low the bar hath fallen) but the creator largely fails to develop them as individuals with their own goals. aside from sol (who i suspect is written as "hm, not bad" as she is because she's written as a dragon first and woman second) they all get completely sidelined when it comes to plot for the entire first season of the manhwa, and 90% of any girl's or woman's screentime is spent thinking about, fawning over, or swooning due to our main guy eren as a tool to...boost his perceived impact and importance to the reader i guess. and stroke the ego of men or something. idk. i think i'm low-balling 90% actually. even girls that are supposedly near the center of major plot points (like ingrid, for example) are never shown...actually getting involved with said major plot point.

this only really starts changing to a small degree in season 2, and while they do at least manage to make it feel like natural character development for like, luna, her motivation still ultimately revolves around eren. i realize that to some extent Everything revolves around the main character and the decisions he makes, but there are more subtle--and, crucially, less misogynistic--ways to do this when writing.

it's genuinely such a shame because--well firstly because misogyny just sucks ass like come on now. but also because the surface level personalities we get from the girls and women in the series are a solid and varied base! they're just not really doing anything else with them!! there could be a lot more going on here very naturally but it's just not being done. sighs.

[limelocked]

Things I’m currently working on against my better judgement

- dcxdp fanfic where I don’t know any of the components only the crossover fandom

- isekai erased now in round 5 of revisions to the structure/planning that’s gotten to the point that I’ve forsaken the spreadsheet I’ve been working in and am writing in a zine-like booklet instead

- volleyvolleyball, don’t worry about it

- straight up legitimately new norse myths

Backburner;

- like 4 different gay isekai stories in the same universe (solen and his duke, accidentally married the archduke and duchess, I was reincarnated into another world as the northern duke in an adoption story, and a 4th one that’s just kinda brewing)

[dyingroses]

I have a thing for sad sexy vampires I guess, sorry not sorry

[britneyshakespeare]

i like how bernard hill and brian protheroe are the same age and yet when bernard hill plays the father of brian protheroe. mm idk i just believe it

[killjoy-prince]

Duke Wyll and Blade of Frontiers Wyll endings I got

[fortes-fortuna-iogurtum]

...why is the one episode when they're in the most Real Direct Actual conflict the one where they're actually the kindest and most gentle with each other. why can't they be like this when William isn't courting someone else???