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basilknell · 8 months ago

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Vasily's Ethnic Background

Hello! I tend to ramble about history books I read adjacent to Vasily on my private accounts, so I figured I’d accumulate some of the information I read regarding headcanoning Vasily’s ethnic background. This’ll be a big post, so I’ll stash it under a read-more for anyone interested.

This isn’t meant to be taken as a concrete ‘Vasily is canonically ethnically x’ post, and as you’ll read none of the options I cover are necessarily concrete as there’s overlap and conjecture to be found in every choice. Nonetheless, this post's biggest purpose is reference for myself, as I rotate what I headcanon him to be often; I’m hoping some others might take an interest in alternate backgrounds for him from this, as I only ever see him portrayed as ethnically and nationally Russian.

I’d be happy to provide further reading/direction for certain information covered if wanted, and a special thank you to RSTRPV for some of the information I could not find! I will also occasionally update this post over time as I read more documents and come across more evidence/contradictions.

Please be aware that much of this can be a sensitive subject, and I have condensed most of this information to be understandable to the average reader which means nuance is lost. This is especially true in regards to the intersection of ethnicity and nationality of Cossacks when relating to Russian and Ukrainian history. I especially suggest further research beyond my simple blog if you have any interest in headcanoning Vasily as a Cossack because of their history of being imperialistic hands for the Russian Empire, while also being victims of it. I stress it, even. I try my best to tread the history and terms, but a short blog can only touch upon so much. Serhii Plokhy is a great Ukrainian writer who has some of this subject in English to research with.

Russian

To address first and foremost, comes the ethnic background the vast majority of fans (and the other characters in the series) ascribe to Vasily – an ethnic Russian. There’s not much information I need to corroborate regarding why exactly one might find Vasily to be ethnically Russian, and it is the easiest background for him to tread if you wish to play it safe regarding headcanons if you don’t know much about Russian history. He is, after all, assumed Russian by the other characters in the series.

Vasily, given his first name and appearance, has no contradictory elements to him being Russian. His first name, Vasily, is one typically only ethnic Russians use, but we'll discuss this further in a bit. He speaks Russian in the show, though a large portion of non-Russian ethnicities do sometimes speak Russian even during the imperial era. Visually, he has an appearance typical of an ethnic Russian and is found to be in a WWI Russian Imperial Army (RIA) uniform – though I’d like to add there was mandatory conscription for most all males in Russia starting in 1874. This means that a more than just ethnic Russians were conscripted into the army, and some ethnicities, such as Jews, had a higher conscription comparitively rate at times. So, regardless of ethnicity, typically most men who resided within the empire could be conscripted into the army, give or take some exceptions. I'd like to note that one time we see Vasily without his shinel (greatcoat), he’s wearing a non-issued gimnasterka, a military style of shirt based upon Russian kosovorotka. It was rather common for soldiers to replace their issued gimnasterka with their own version, and Vasily seems to have replaced his.

(Pictured Vasily’s gimnasterka.)

Vasily’s birthplace, Yeleninka, was, and still is, in Russia, though there was a number of other non-Russian ethnicities living in the Orenburg district in 1897. He also never bothers to correct other characters that call him Russian either. Though, this could also be in part that he either could no longer speak at all after being shot, he didn’t find worth in arguing about it, he still identified as being Russian as his nationality even if his ethnicity was not Russian.

But, regarding Vasily’s clothing, there are some major inconsistencies beginning with the fact Noda clearly had little idea about the Russian uniform or military organization in 1907.

To begin with: an ethnic Russian being a border guard was unusual. Not impossible, by any means, but not exactly the norm. Border guards at the time were found to be one of two categories: Cossacks (I will be discussing them later) or a specialized military unit called the Special Border Guard Corps (SBGC). While Cossacks were typical to find as border guards, and oftentimes had their own separate units from ordinary military units, you often could find ethnic Russians in the SBGC, though border protection more often than not belonged to Cossacks in the Far East. You might also find the occasional ethnic Russians serving as a Cossack out East, but again, this will be further discussed below as to what that meant.

Neither Cossacks nor the SBGC wore the uniform Vasily and the other members of his unit are found in. In fact, technically the RIA did not either, as the uniforms of Vasily and his comrades are WWI uniform designs, as I mentioned briefly above. It's important to note here, however, Sakhalin was not monitored by the SBGC in 1907 as there was a lack of funds, and as such Cossacks exclusively guarded that border. An argument can be made, however, that normal RIA members also helped in guarding the border since it had not been long since the Russo-Japanese War had ended, and stragglers to protect that specific border with Japan was warranted. I mention the SBGC for those that might wish to find justification for Vasily being in the corps and on the border somehow.

It’s far harder to pinpoint Vasily’s outfit had he been a Cossack, namely because he could have been in several different uniforms depending on which voisko (AKA a Host – think of these as state/territory distinctions between Cossacks residences) he originated from. To be a Cossack on the Sakhalin border, he could have been from a number of different voisko that created the East Siberian District that together covered Sakhalin. Simply though, no Cossack uniform matched the uniform Vasily canonically wears either. Nor does it match the uniforms of the RIA at the time.

So what uniform is Vasily found to be wearing, then? His outfit is a generic foot soldier uniform of low-ranking members of the RIA, lacking any tags to denote which unit Vasily prevails from entirely. However, the bulk of the uniform Vasily is found in was introduced in the year 1907 (in reality, 1909 when the changes finally took place) by order of complete uniform overhaul by Nicholas II, but other elements come from post-1910 reforms seen most typically in use during WWI. Given Vasily being in the Far East, it would be rather unusual for Vasily to wear a newly-issued uniform such as the one he’s found in, and because these uniforms did not actually take effect until 1909. How would a soldier presumably on a remote border have such a newly printed uniform (albeit, anachronistic in some aspects such as his Papakha being from a 1910 reform)?

All of this culminates into a couple of pieces of important information regarding Noda. (1) He was entirely unaware that the regular military did not cover borders, and instead it was the job of Cossacks and the SBGC. (2) He intentionally avoided pertinent information on Vasily’s uniform and gave him a generic one from the very year Russian uniforms were massively changed lasting until the Revolution. In fact, Noda had made edits to Vasily’s uniform between the original release of his appearance, and the volume releases, meaning he wasn’t thorough in depicting the Russian soldiers. (3) To culminate most of this, Noda had simply cobbled together information that created Vasily to be versatile for several different headcanons, not just as an ethnic Russian.

There is a reason why most fans label Vasily as ethnically Russian, aside from general lack of knowledge on the subject, but in that same vein much of the evidence that he is ethnically Russian can be refuted in the same breath. Regardless, it's a headcanon to choose if one wished.

Ukrainian

While Vasily’s silence and the series text tell one story about his background, his name itself tells another. Specifically, his surname! ‘Vasily’ is found typically upon Russians and those who want to Russify themselves while 'Vasyl' is the Ukrainian equivalent, but his surname, Pavlichenko, is distinctly Ukrainian and not Russian. His father’s family, at the very least, had to have been of Ukrainian origin. It would be up to interpretation if his mother was also Ukrainian, but it does not conflict history to state his family could have moved from the regions of Ukraine after the abolishment of serfdom to different areas, or had been forcefully relocated as was common in Imperial Russia. Being leased onto Cossack land to farm in the Orenburg voisko, where Yeleninka was located, was common for laborers and poorer non-Cossack locals. An ethnic Ukrainian being found in Yeleninka is not as outlandish as one might think and is entirely plausible, as a portion of the Orenburg district was, indeed, 2.6% Ukrainian (about 3.4% when not accounting for Turk ethnicities) by language. They were the fourth largest ethnicity in this district behind Russians, Bashkirs, and Tatars. However, the 1897 census only calculated ethnicity by first language, so the true ethnically Ukrainian population would have been higher, as some might not have spoken Ukrainian as a first language due to imperialistic pressures. And, as discussed in the previous section, when assuming how an ethnic Russian was a border guard, the same logic can apply to a Ukrainian simply being in the RIA.

It’s difficult to explain away Vasily’s surname without him being, in part, Ukrainian. But again, part of this information likely comes from Noda’s lack of research into Russian history. Vasily’s last name is taken from a famous sniper, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, just as Vasily’s first name and birthplace are taken from another sniper, Vasily Zaitsev. Despite her last name being Ukrainian, though it was a married name, Lyudmila is often regarded as a ‘Soviet’ sniper and she is indeed Russian. It is due to this, Noda was likely unaware that (1) Her name came from her husband and (2) ‘Pavlichenko’ is actually a Ukrainian surname. Her popularized name is the Ukrainian Pavlichenko, not her maiden Russian name of Belova.

Vasily's first name not being the Ukrainian variation of 'Vasyl' could be explained by that stated mixed heritage. However, it was also not uncommon for Ukrainians in the past to go by a russified name. For example, the famous writer Nikolai Gogol's true name is actually Mykola Hohol – his name is often russified. Vasily could very well have chosen to start going by a Russian first name while in the army, or had it changed for him, as it was not uncommon for well-known Ukrainians to have these double names.

If you’re a stickler to the specifics despite Noda’s intention, Vasily’s Ukrainian surname cannot be argued against as easily as many of the ethnic Russian factors for him. Whether that means you’d find Vasily to be exclusively Ukrainian, or a mix, that is up to one’s own headcanon and interpretation.

Orenburg Cossack

Cossacks are a very long and convoluted subject in Eastern European history, but I will do my best to explain this as clearly as I can without dredging into too much history. First, and most important to remember, is that ‘Cossack’ was not necessarily always a distinct ethnic identity from other ethnicities within the Empire. But it was an ethnic identity to some.

The Cossacks first emerged from various ethnic backgrounds in the area that is now modern day Ukraine. They culminated into existence as different groups fled from varying situations they found themselves in and drew into banditry together. Ukrainians (or Ruthenians, as was the more popular term in the 16th-18th century) and eventually Russians fleeing serfdom, Poles fleeing the hetmans, those of Turk background such as Tatars, etc., all became a hodgepodge group called ‘Cossacks’ in that area of modern-day Ukraine and parts of Southwestern modern-day Russia. Over time, this group obtained special privileges from Imperial Russia, then Muscovy, in return for their extensive military service. Cossacks in said original area began to develop into an ethnic identity separate from Russians, Ukrainians, and Turks. Their own culture was Slavic mixed with Turkish culture – distinctly blended so they did not identify as one or the other. This was not always the case, and often the further back in history you go, the more often you would find Cossacks who identified with an ethnic identity outside of Cossackhood. You might often hear the term 'Ukrainian Cossack' in reference to Zaporozhian Cossacks because of this, as many of these Cossacks would have identified as being kin to Ruthenians (now Ukrainians) rather than having a distinct ethnic Cossack identity. But, later in the empire, certain Cossack groups did distinguish themselves as ethnically different from the Russians, Ukrainians, and other Slavic groups in the area.

However, because of these special privileges given to them by the Russian Empire, a legal definition of a Cossack had to be applied to persons. Due to this, as Cossack voiskos began forming further East into Siberia where the Russian government wanted Cossacks stationed, they would often bestow the title of ‘Cossack’ to people living in certain areas who ethnically had no connection to Cossacks, or even Slavs, whatsoever. This created situations where those who did not want to be involved in the military were now legally obligated to give military service, and it was now possible to find even ethnically Chinese Cossacks in Eastern voiskos. A Cossack had become both an ethnic identity and a legal title to be bestowed, though the vast majority of Cossacks in the west of the empire still remained those of the ethnic background.

To summarize, Cossacks found in Western Imperial Russia sometimes regarded themselves as distinctly different ethnically from other groups (Russians, Ukrainians, Kalmyks), such as with Don, Kuban, and Ural Cossacks. This is often exemplified in Russian Literature (although written by those who are romanticizing the Cossacks) where it is highlighted that Cossacks consider themselves a separate ethnicity from those around them. However in the more Eastern voisko, while it was possible to find Cossacks who believed themselves ethnically Cossack, sometimes being a Cossack was simply a legal title and held no other cultural or ethnic significance. It’s also, I believe, important to note that Cossacks were often the hands of Russian imperialism in both Siberia and the Caucasus. While Cossacks were sometimes victims of the empire, as the military might of that same empire they also contributed greatly to its imperialism. There is a fine line to walk regarding their history, and I highly suggest researching them beyond this blog.

Now, in regards to Vasily, border guards were often Cossacks in Imperial Russia, as it was one of their duties when not in an active military turn. This immediately gives him claim to potentially being a Cossack, as you could choose to headcanon him as a Cossack border guard rather than a simple RIA soldier sent to the border to stop the “Tsar’s Assassin”. But, specifically, Sakhalin was only guarded officially by Cossacks until the succession of the Soviets. Now, as stated above, Vasily was far more likely to consider himself ethnically Cossack (which would explain a Ukrainian last name, but not consider himself Ukrainian due the blended nature of Cossacks) if he was from a voisko further West. But Sakhalin was one of the Eastern-most points in Russia, and lacked a specific voisko to cover it. Instead, a group called the East Siberian District chose to cover Sakhalin, which was a collection of different voisko. If one was to headcanon Vasily as being a Cossack from any of these Eastern voisko, it’d be much easier to state several things at once: (1) Vasily is legally a Cossack and (2) Vasily considers himself to be ethnically Cossack, Ukrainian, Russian, or whatever else one might choose to headcanon him as. The only background you cannot headcanon such things in conjunction are legally Cossack and religiously Jewish for a number of reasons discussed further below. Nonetheless, if an ethnic Jew converted, they could indeed be dubbed a Cossack. Antin Krzyzhanovsky is a historical figure notable for doing this.

But, let us backtrack, as there is further evidence to Cossack Vasily beyond his occupation as a border guard. Yeleninka was located in the Orenburg voisko, and those who resided in Yeleninka were legally considered Cossacks. In fact, regardless of headcanon purposes, when following only factual history and no conjecture, Vasily should have been legally a Cossack if he had been born in Yeleninka itself (if born outside the town or if he moved there young, he could’ve been considered a non-Cossack living in the area. Certain ethnicities like Jews and Kalmyks were exempt from the legal title being applied however). I’ve never found specific statistics regarding Yeleninka’s official ethnic makeup, but as for the Orenburg voisko as a whole: when the Orenburg voisko was created, the government supplanted several ethnic Cossacks in the area, but also legally defined some ethnically Russian (+ Ukrainians), Tatar, Mordvin, and Chuvash persons living in the area into Cossacks as well. I have not seen Ukrainians mentioned in the formation of the Orenburg voisko, but at this time the government often did not see “Little Russians” (Ukrainians) as being separate from “Great Russians” (Russians) beyond linguistics. Thus, one could easily consider Vasily ethnically Cossack, or instead consider him to be one of the other ethnicities previously mentioned while only a Cossack in legal title.

To return back to the discussion about Sakhalin coverage, Yeleninka’s existence in the Orenburg voisko does, in fact, line up with history correctly, though I’m sure Noda was not aware of this. Orenburg was a voisko part of the East Siberian District, and it is entirely plausible Vasily would have been stationed on the border because of that. Though it would have been more likely for a further east voisko to send soldiers to that specific border, but not impossible because Orenburg was part of the East Siberian District.

Ussuri Cossack

Now, the Ussuri Cossack headcanon hinges upon everything I’ve just said above regarding Orenburg Cossacks. Whether or not Vasily is considered ethnically or legally Cossack matters little, only that he is simply titled an ‘Orenburg Cossack’ at the time of his birth, which he otherwise legally should’ve been if he was born in Yeleninka.

As mentioned, the Ussuri voisko was the voisko found furthest East – and because of that, it was the voisko that supplanted the most Cossacks to Sakhalin. However, there is indeed precedent for an Orenburg Cossack becoming an Ussuri Cossack. While it was notoriously difficult for Cossacks (and peasants in general) to transfer between districts in the empire, starting in the 1890s, after a large famine hit the Orenburg voisko the hardest, the government began supporting Orenburg Cossacks in moving to the Ussuri voisko.

So, in essence, Vasily could have been born in Yeleninka, legally considered a Cossack, and then moved to be raised in the Ussuri voisko as an Ussuri Cossack, allowing for a more probable likeness for him to have been stationed at the Sakhalin border. Because of how devastating the famine was to the Orenburg voisko, movement to the Ussuri voisko was a fairly popular choice for some Cossacks. Ussuri Cossacks also had a reputation for being particularly reckless and wild towards the government, often taking bribes and helping smuggle items far more often in comparison to other Cossacks. This might lend to why Vasily so easily deserts the army, though in general it was far more common for soldiers from Siberia to desert in comparison to soldiers from the rest of the empire.

Mordvin (Moksha & Erzya) + Belarusian + Polish

To get out of the way an important piece of information: I am going to use the term ‘Mordvin’ for ease. However, Mordvin is an umbrella term referring to two distinct, but related, ethnic groups known as the Moksha and Erzya. Think of it like the term ‘Slav’ in reference to Poles and Russians.

Aside from Vasily’s place of birth – Yeleninka – and its place in the Oreburg host, there’s not much other specific evidence towards Vasily being Mordvin. There was a decently large population of Mordvins in the Orenburg district, about 2.4% linguistically, the 5th largest language group in the area, and quite a few of them were also legally deemed Cossacks as well. And, while that is the little info I have (mostly because there is very little information involving Mordvins published in English and even Russian), no other information would contradict him being Mordvin either aside from his Ukrainian last name. But, of course, his last name can always be explained as mixed marriage in the past.

Similarly, such same logic applies to Belarusian and Polish headcanons for Vasily. They were 0.14% and 0.11% linguistically spoken as first languages in the Orenburg district as well. There’s not much more to add beyond the extra logical tidbits I’ve discussed that could also apply here. While not historically backed up heavily, it’d have been a fascinating headcanon for Vasily to be ethnically Polish and for him to interact with Asirpa.

Turkish

I’ll quickly preface that Vasily being full-blooded Turkish is highly unlikely. But I wanted to at least mention that it wouldn’t be uncommon for him to be a quarter or half Turkish. The reason why is that during the Russo-Turkish War during the 1860s, Cossacks often brought Turkish brides back to Russia with them after the end of the war. Given that Cossacks already have some mix of Turkic culture, they were partial to bringing these women back with them, though I must stress this was typically not done consensually. Regardless, if one is running with the idea that Vasily is a Cossack, his parents being mixed Turkish or a grandmother of his being fully Turkish is completely plausible.

Jewish

I’m going to attempt this as respectfully as I can, as it would be remiss of me not to entertain the idea of Vasily being Jewish because Jews were a significant population of the Russian Empire. Nonetheless, the facts stack against this headcanon, but I want to lay them out for clarity’s sake as perhaps the info is useful to someone attempting to work with the headcanon. The history of Jews in Russia is quite extensively plotted in academia, and though I’ve read a couple papers and books about it, I could very well be missing important information. Please feel free to correct me.

First and most importantly: Vasily could not have been a Cossack and religiously Jewish. If, perchance, he was only ethnically Jewish but his family kept this information completely hidden or they openly converted to Orthodoxy, then he could’ve been legally defined as a Cossack. But otherwise, Jews were never given the legal title, and even ethnic Jews who had converted to Orthodoxy were heavily discriminated against by other Cossacks. While I’ve never found a specific law mentioned against legally defining Jews as Cossacks, there are social issues to consider. Cossacks, particularly ethnic ones, were notorious in their violence against Jews in the empire and had a long history of using them as scapegoats in political matters. They instigated and typically were the ones who committed pogroms against Jews. If a Jew was to gain the legal title of ‘Cossack’, there would not have been a particularly peaceful outcome to such a situation. Thus, to be religiously Jewish, Vasily must have only been in the RIA which did allow religious Jews.

Next, Vasily’s last name, Pavlichenko, can be explained. While a significant portion of Jews in Russia had Germanic (Yiddish) last names (and ordinarily first names as well), they sometimes had Slavic names. Given that Pavlichenko is Ukrainian as well, it is actually more favorable than him having a Russian last name – Jews in Russia were majority confined to an area called the Pale. The Pale covered what is now modern day Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, and a bit of Latvia. If he was to have a non-Germanic surname, it was more likely to have originated from one of these areas, such as Ukraine, hence him more likely to have a Ukrainian last name than a Russian one.

Unfortunately, discussion of the Pale leads into a major problem concerning Vasily: Jews were restricted to this area. A handful of Jews could be found in major cities of European Russia if they were artisans or merchants, as they were allowed to legally reside in these cities when given permits*. For example, about 4000 Jews resided in Moscow around 1900. However, this only extended to major cities just outside the Pale. Upon my research into the Orenburg district, a 1897 census survey finds a grand total 4 Jews living in the entirety of the Oblast. Though I will say, upon reading other papers, there is mention of a single Jewish Cheder in Orenburg that supported 20 students. This hints that perhaps there were more Jews living in Orenburg than the official census denotes, but not by much. Of course, as stated with the Cossack background, there are ways around this statistic. Vasily could be ethnically Jewish, but his family hid this fact and became baptized in order to live outside the Pale and major cities.

Finally, if Vasily had been Jewish, it would’ve been strange he didn’t bring up this fact to the Japanese cast. During the Russo-Japanese War, Japan was heavily funded by wealthy American Jews who despised Russia for their strict, antisemitic laws and their recent pogroms. Because of this, Japan was especially favorable towards Jews and during the war would often separate Jewish POWs from the other Russian military POWs, giving them better treatment. To this point, Jews often wanted to stay in Japan because of how well they were treated by the Japanese. I’m unsure exactly how long this favorable view lasted, but it is not remiss to believe as close post-war as Golden Kamuy is, this favorable stance would still hold. Instead of viewing Vasily as an annoying “Russian”, he very well could’ve used his Jewish background to cement himself a more favorable disposition from the Japanese cast.

*There were some Jews living outside the Pale, but not significant numbers. The Georgian and Central Asian Jews of Iranian background were allowed to reside outside the Pale in their areas of origin. There were also some Siberian Jewish communities created by Jews who had been exiled into Siberia, but none of these communities were particularly close to Yeleninka.

End Note

I’ll end this on a note that, with all this information laid out, I only wish to encourage people to choose what they personally feel drawn to for Vasily’s background. While some headcanons have more evidence than others, each has their own difficulties with history in ways, as Noda accidentally contradicted much of the information he applied to Vasily. I hope this encourages more people to do research into the history here – which I think is especially needed if you intend to headcanon Vasily as a Cossack, even if you are headcanoning him to be a ethnically non-Cossack, but legally defined under the title. But a mix of ethnic background is entirely possible for Vasily according to just the factual history, so restricting him to one ethnic identity isn’t needed if one does not wish.

Personally, I often write and draw Vasily as being half Ukrainian half Russian, though in my actual preference I find him to be an ethnic Cossack that was raised in the Ussuri voisko. However, I feel when I present him as a Cossack I want nuance following it, so I’ve never bothered to draw or write him as such beyond a couple sketches. I hope this post encourages some of you to look more into the history here!

#golden kamuy #vasily pavlichenko #not art #sorry for the long post ive been waiting to yap about this forever

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hoshinoyozora · 2 years ago

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The Snake Mirror

🖤 Pairing: Yandere! Jamil Viper x Female! Reader

💛 Word Count: 2,8k+

❤ Warnings:

[Edited]

Do not re-upload my writing to another website or use it without my permission. Also, don’t ask for a sequel unless I like the story enough to write one. Please reblog so other people can see my stories!

***

Thinking about turning this into a series, but we shall see if I have anymore ideas. Feel free to share yours, tho!

“If you want a pleasant surprise, try chanting ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall’. Nighttime works better.”

You didn’t know what to expect when the mirror shop owner bent down to whisper something to you. At that time, you merely nodded and tittered as you always did whenever you felt confused with a stranger’s words yet wanting to stay polite. Crowley grinned knowingly and withdrew from your ear. He certainly looked as unique as the things he sold; a half-mask resembling a raven’s beak, a greatcoat over his suit with thick blackbird feathers curl out from its blue-collar while the tips of the coat were cut to resemble two bird wings, a pair of black gloves with golden claw rings on each of his fingers, three mirror-like accessories on his hip with four golden keys dangling from them, and another mirror-like charm on his hat which had three more keys. Through that mask, his eyes glowed golden in the dimly lit shop. Until now, you still weren’t sure if he truly had golden eyes or it was merely trick of the eye.

Regardless, the surprise you encountered was more ‘mixed’ than ‘pleasant’. Within the golden mirror, framed by slithering snakes and a single red gem on the top, was a handsome man with tan skin, sharp charcoal grey eyes, and long braided black hair. He wore a black and purple robe, trimmed with golden key and various designs. He displayed a neutral expression, but if you were to observe further, you might see a slight annoyance in it.

“Good evening, Master. I’m here to carry out your wishes. For now, you only have three wishes left.”

His voice was low, almost like a murmur, yet no less robotic. He kept staring at you as you sputtered and whipped your head around searching for someone to help you despite the emptiness of your room.

“Oh, God. What should I do? He didn’t tell me I’d see a literal guy on my own mirror…!” you mumbled. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to call you. I was just curious and…”

The man merely blinked.

“You can go back, if you want to.”

“Is there nothing you want to wish for right now, Master?” he intoned. “If so, I shall leave until you call me again. Properly.”

You winced at the emphasis and nodded repeatedly, tittering.

“Y-yes, of course. Sorry for… bothering you.”

And he disappeared as quickly as he appeared. You stood before the mirror, staring blankly at the glossy reflection of yourself. The more you watched it, the more it looked like an ordinary mirror. Almost. Certainly, the mirror was worthy of your money in the most unexpected ways, even if you bought it solely to replace your old broken one.

Regardless, the mirror incident was soon forgotten in favor of your ailing grandmother. Although this time, she was hospitalized. The small family restaurant you worked on wasn’t enough to cover the bills, and you pondered long and hard to earn some extra money when you finally acknowledged the mirror again.

Should you do it?

“Mirror, mirror on the wall…”

Magically, the man materialized and greeted you in the same low, robotic voice. You wondered if it was rude of you to use your wishes when you didn’t even know his own name, and asked him to introduce himself.

“Me?” If it wasn’t for his slightly widened eyes, you wouldn’t notice his surprise at all. A question flashed in your mind about whether he was the type to have subtle emotions since birth or if he was taught to never show his discomposure. “I’m Jamil. Jamil Viper.”

“Oh, I see. That’s a nice name.”

An awkward silence ensued, and Jamil schooled his features back.

“Master, is there anything you wish for tonight?”

“Right, I–” you paused at the afterthought. “Is it… possible for you to cure someone’s illness?”

He rose an eyebrow.

“It depends. I can’t heal terminal illnesses, since I can’t intervene with fate too much.”

“Right.” Luckily, your grandmother didn’t have that kind of illness. Although it was still severe, nonetheless. “Can you heal my grandma? She’s being hospitalized right now and I… don’t have much money to pay for the bills.”

“Your wish is my command.”

And the next day, you received a call from the hospital that your grandmother had completely healed. Your mother and sister were understandably shocked, but they chalked it up to miracles and rejoiced over the news. Your grandmother had laughed and moved around smoothly as though she was never ill in the first place.

“Jamil, thank you so much for granting my wish! I’ve never seen my grandma looked so happy and healthy before.”

If you could grab his hands to emphasize your gratitude, you would. But Jamil seemed startled enough by your glistening eyes and wide grin, so you assumed he understood already.

“I-it’s nothing.” he stammered, then cleared his throat. “I was merely doing my duty.”

A look of realization and slight dread replaced your beam.

“… Ah, yes. I forgot to ask you, but is there any consequence for those wishes?”

“Huh, that’s the first.”

You blinked owlishly, wondering what was so amusing from your question.

“Karma works in this kind of situation too, but very few people know about it. Even if they do, they either ignore it or realize it all too late. Nothing is truly free in this world, you know?”

You looked down in understanding, missing the way his eyes glinted meaningfully.

“I understand. That means I have to use my wishes as wisely as I can, right?”

He stared at you for a moment.

“Right.”

***

There was a new restaurant in your neighborhood.

It was more modern, more expensive, and more varied in terms of menu. Slowly, your longtime customers began to trickle out and move to the new restaurant. Competition was nothing unusual, and you were certain you’d meet this kind of thing again had you worked somewhere else. But you wouldn’t deny that it hurt to see your social media feeds were full of photos and praises for the new restaurant. The food you’d painstakingly cooked early in the morning had to be thrown out, only to be made all over again. The lack of tips further dismayed you, and worse of all, you sometimes caught your sister gazing longingly at the new restaurant. You knew that she would’ve moved and worked in there too had she wasn’t so loyal to the family, but you ensured your mother wouldn’t see her yearning and react negatively.

“Jamil, can I ask you for another thing?”

So, here you were, sitting in front of the mirror and talking to a person whose existence nobody would believe. Jamil was sitting down too, but with more composure than your slumped figure had.

“Well, that’s what I’m here for.”

You rested your head on your palms and sighed heavily. While it was nice to have some break during work, you’d take busy days over empty days any time.

“I want my family restaurant to flourish.”

“… Why?”

“Because there’s a new competition and it takes most of our customers.”

“Don’t you want to… eliminate the competition instead?”

You shook your head, “No, I’m not that cruel. I just… I just want our restaurant to be the best in town. If possible.”

“Of course.”

The next day, a surge of new and old customers crowded your restaurant. Chatters and orders muffled the ambient music, and the smell of food and beverages filled the place. It was exhausting, but there was a small smile on your lips during the entire shift. Even your mother seemed relieved, deeming the phenomenon as another miracle.

“Oh, Jamil. Thank you again! My restaurant was filled to the brim today, and we got so much tips too!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. It’d be concerning if it wasn’t.”

He looked away, but it wasn’t out of arrogance so much as embarrassment. Your grin softened to an adoring smile.

“You’re really cute, you know that?”

“W-what?!”

“Are you not used to people thanking you? Or is this the… first time you’re doing this whole wish-granting duty?”

Jamil fell quiet, and you feared you’d offended him somehow.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to–!”

“It’s fine, I get it.” he sighed, closing his eyes as if preparing himself. “And no, this is not my first time. I’ve been doing this longer than you think, and I’ve met lots of people with various personalities. Some only consider me as a tool to make their biggest wishes come true, while some are formal, to say the least.”

“I see.” You couldn’t say that you understood his feelings, but you could sympathize with the ‘tool’ part because some customers also considered you as a servant to their demands. “So, how did you land in that mirror shop?”

“Ah…”

Now he was being hesitant, and you didn’t want to make things anymore awkward between you two, so you told him to ignore it.

***

“For your last wish, I think you should be more selfish, [Name].”

You looked up in surprise. Jamil was polite when it was necessary, but he was generally blunt. Still, this was the most unexpected thing he said thus far.

“W-what are you talking about? My wishes have been ‘selfish’ too, no?”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” he deadpanned. “All this time you’ve been ‘wishing’ for other people’s happiness more than yours. But are you really going to spend all of your chances for them? Don’t you want a little something for yourself too?”

You stopped to ponder on his words. It was, indeed, true how you’d been requesting for blessings to your family. Sure, you felt the impact or benefit, but it wasn’t genuinely your blessing, to begin with. Your grandmother often told you to reward yourself after all the hard work, and although this was more of a ‘shortcut’ than anything else, her words still held some weight.

“Okay.” said you after a moment of contemplation, and, as always, Jamil patiently waited until you dismissed him verbally. “I wish… I wish I could have a boyfriend.”

And yet, despite his encouragement, he took a rather long time to grant your last wish.

“Jamil…?”

“You want a what?”

“I-I want a boyfriend.” You didn’t know why you were stammering now, or why he was looking at you so scandalously, but you did know that the temperature had dropped. Your hair bristled, and you were tempted to shoo him away for the night, but you persisted and asked softly, “Is that so bad?”

He remained quiet and kept watching you, until he finally sucked a breath through his mouth.

“… No, of course not.” he paused, seemingly thinking about something. Then, his face brightened slightly. “If that’s what you wish, I shall make it come true to the best of my ability. Let this be our final meeting too, Master. And… thank you for making my life pleasant, even if it’s fleeting.”

You wilted. You forgot that this would be the last time you met him. Maybe you should procrastinate on the wish for a bit longer, but what if he wanted to see a new person instead? Someone kinder and friendlier than you. Your heart ached at the thought, yet you were comforted by the smile on his face. It was a little larger than usual, perhaps prompted by the gratitude he felt for you.

You smiled back.

“Thank you for being so patient with me and grant my wishes too, Jamil. You never disappointed me, and I hope the next person will be just as pleasant.”

“You’re right. I never disappointed you, did I?” he murmured, although he still maintained eye contact with you. “I hope you won’t be disappointed with this one, too.”

Suddenly, your eyesight began to blur. You blinked repeatedly and put a hand on your head as if trying to anchor yourself to the ground. Yet the ground was what you felt on the back of your head along with a dull pain as you succumbed to the darkness.

And the last thing you saw was a dark hand that reached out from the mirror.

***

The sand surrounded the palace-like building as you leaned against the balcony in an attempt to convince yourself that you weren’t dreaming. There was an invisible barrier that prevented you from leaping from the balustrade, and your mind unhelpfully supplied that it was, in fact, magic. Golden lanterns hung at various spots in the vast ceiling, complemented with golden lamps that illuminated the lounge room. There was a silver tray containing two matching small cups and a pitcher, and colorful rugs spread out over the entire room. In the center of the rugs, the red one, lied a pile of plush pillows that imprinted the shape of your body. It was comfortable, and you’d love to bury yourself in it forever had you didn’t wake up in a strange place. Stars twinkled coyly in the dark blue canvas, mocking your ignorance of the situation.

“Enjoying the view?”

You spun around, noting the obvious change of clothes. He wore a black and red sleeveless jacket, an undershirt, a yellow belt, black parachute pants, and black sneaker-sandals. There were several gold accessories in his body; the most striking one was the shoulder cuff on his right shoulder, shaped like a snake. He seemed more casual now, more relaxed as though he was visiting you during your stargazing. You recoiled despite the considerable distance between you two and almost bumped against the balustrade behind you.

“J-Jamil, what…? Where am I? Why am I here?”

“You said you want a boyfriend, no? Well, here I am. Your boyfriend.”

“You’re joking.”

He frowned.

“I’ve been fulfilling your wishes left and right and listening to your sorrows and happiness. I might as well be your boyfriend.”

“But you’re not! That’s not what I’m asking!”

“No, [Name]. You did ask for a ‘boyfriend’, but you never specified ‘who’ or ‘what’.” he hissed. “Don’t you ever heard of the phrase ‘be careful of what you wish for’? I’m not a mind reader, [Name], and I don’t want to. If you ask me something so vague, then I’ll give you what I think will suit you.”

You gaped, and your throat began to tighten. To yell or to cry? You didn’t know. Everything was too much for you to comprehend at once. It was true that you did share your sorrows and happiness, and you’d mistakenly believed him to be your friend due to his patience and support. But you didn’t expect that he’d harbor any feeling for you beyond gratitude; one that was dark enough to led him to kidnap you.

“Where am I, Jamil?” you whispered once you were fully cognizant of your surroundings for the second time. “Where am I?! Tell me! Am I still in my city?! My neighborhood?!”

Something told you that you were far from home, too far, but you refused to believe it. Even if you were in another country, it was still much better than–

“You’re in my world, of course.”

His home.

“Or the ‘mirror world’, as some of you called it.”

The night wind howled, filling the temporary silence and fragile peace.

“… I want to go home.”

“You can’t. The mirror has broken now.”

“Why? Why is it broken? Crowley said it’s an old but durable mirror. I paid too much money for that.”

“It’s not a matter of how much money you spent to buy it, although I’m grateful for your efforts. But, you see,” Jamil started to advance towards you, and you had no way out than to swallow and bear with the ever-encroaching proximity. He lifted your chin, feeling your jaw tensed. “The mirror always breaks once the owner gains his ‘happily ever after’. If he doesn’t, then Crowley will retrieve the mirror from the patron’s house after they get the justice they deserve and sell it all over again. And, yes, I am the true owner of this mirror. All of you might pay money for that, but you ask things from me and you play with my rules. And once the mirror breaks, it can never be sold again.”

“So, all this time, you’re being passed down in search of a ‘happily ever after’ bullshit?”

Jamil sneered at your insult.

“That’s rich, coming from someone who also seeks for happiness. Don’t pretend to be dumb. All of you are the same. You just so happen to focus more on your family. But in the end, you succumb to your selfish desires too, don’t you?”

“You said I should be more–!”

“Shut up!” He clasped a hand over your mouth and glowered. “That is no way to speak to your boyfriend. I told you, karma works in this kind of situation too. I can repay your kindness to your family by making you healthy and rich forever, but if you treat me badly, then I’ll treat you just as similar. Do you understand, [Name]?”

You merely glared back.

“I said, do you understand?”

Reluctantly, you nodded.

“Good.” Jamil withdrew his hand and allowed you to slump against him. Patting your back, he cooed. “This way, I can continue to help you and vice versa. Because I never forget a favor… or an offense.”

#twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #disney twisted wonderland #yandere twisted wonderland #twst imagines #yandere twst #female reader #yandere jamil x reader #yandere jamil viper #twisted wonderland jamil #yandere jamil #jamil x you #jamil x y/n #jamil x mc #jamil viper #twst jamil

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schweizercomics · 1 year ago

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THE GREATCOATS by Sebastien de Castell

I drew these up as one of the (mostly literary) paper figures I do each month for Patreon.

Despite always being drawn to the trappings of fantasy, there are precious few fantasy books (or movies, etc) that have resonated with me. One very notable exception is the Greatcoats series, four novels that follow a trio of comrades from an effectively-dissolved band of dueling magistrates, who, in their heyday, had been charged with enforcing unpopular verdicts against politically powerful folks who had, until that point, been untouchable by the rule of law.

It’s kind of a thrust-the-Musketeers-into-a-medieval-setting thing, and there are swordfights and sucked-into-political-intrigues-even-though-you’re-ill-suited-towards-them a’plenty, for folks who like that sort of thing, and I very much do.

From the first read (I’ve now read them all thrice, along with a collection of short stories), these have become some of my very favorite books, and I could not recommend them more highly. They can, at times, be a hard read; the world in which the Greatcoats live is an unjust one, and whatever terrible things you can imagine people doing (torture, sexual assault, murder, animal cruelty, etc) can and probably are enacted in it, but what has, to me, set this series apart from some other “grim” fantasies is the balance between the knowledge that the world is an unfair, cruel, and terrible place, with the wholehearted belief that it shouldn’t, and doesn’t have to be. Idealism colors every action of the leads, and there’s something incredibly moving and powerful about characters who persevere against impossible odds towards fairness and justice despite encountering the very worst examples of their absence, never in ignorance or denial but out of pure stubbornness.

De Castell crafts a narrative with masterful control over how it’ll affect the reader; it’s melodrama in the best way, with huge operatic emotional beats. They never feel calculated – they’re all earnest, and they’re all earned. There are sections that make you weep, that make you laugh, and (I suspect this is the rarest, and most difficult to achieve) that make you want to cheer, stomp, salute. Moving speeches, incredible narrative payoffs, characters for whom you desperately root. Plus, of course, the suspense of peril and the best action sequences I’ve ever encountered in prose. De Castell’s first-person narration of fight scenes from the point of view of a strategist follows a pretty wonderful pattern of beginning the fight, edging the audience, and then turning to an aside that informs the context of the fight - a lesson learned long ago, an observation about the human condition, a technique frequently incorporated by duelists, an anecdote – and then return to the fight, the new context both heightening the peril and also providing a means by which the reader can fully appreciate the very clever way that the hero(s) win despite being outmatched. It’s a great internal “meanwhile, back at the ranch” and it gives each action encounter (and they are joyously plentiful) narrative weight.

Again, I can’t recommend the series more highly. It has some truly great characters – the leads, the supporting cast, the villains are wonderful and terrible, and the setting is rich and immersive. De Castell describes it as “swashbuckling fantasy,” and it swashbuckles its heart out.

You can get it in print, or in unabridged audiobook (Audible has it, and probably your library does, too), wonderfully narrated by Joe Jameson.

There are a number of other great characters, too – co-leads in their own right – but to draw them is to provide spoilers, so rather than do a whole cast, as I sometimes do, I’ve stuck to the three that you get from the first page.

Design (for process buffs)

There’s not too much visual description about the characters; Kest is described as of average height and build, with short hair, Brasti has hair long enough to tie back and a beard and is tall… and I think that’s it (at least so far as I’ve noticed, or remember).

There’s a tendency to make archers lean and wiry – it compliments the arrow imagery, and a tight, sinewy form seems a carryover of the bowstring to its user, but I wanted Falcio to be lean and triangular, and stoic Kest to be square, so it got me thinking that Brasti ought to have rounder features to offset and compliment the others. He’s a country boy, too, and where I’m from the troublemakers are often a little meatier, so it felt fitting, though it does suggest that he's physically imposing in a way the stories don’t push. But I kind of like that beefy, country swagger he’s got. He’s carrying two bows, as it’s a plot point that he has bows for different purposes: a fast one, and a powerful one.

The eponymous coats were tricky; they’re practically magic; serving as armor (via little bone plates sewn under the leather) and utility belt, with little pockets for whatever the story may require the characters need. I wanted a way to make them modular, so I figured on making a pretty sturdy chest piece that folds back to allow the coat to be open and unbuttoned, and a rolled epaulet that unrolls and can be used as a gorget to protect the neck during a duel (or from the cold).

I wanted each of the characters to be able to wear the coat differently, to reflect their personalities: Kest, always at the ready and doing things the “right” way, has his greatcoat fully rigged. Byronic Falcio needs to be able to dash about with tragic romanticism, so his coat needs to be a little more open – I probably should’ve had the chestpiece partially unflapped ala the Rocketeer, but I also wanted it to read clearly. And Brasti wears his because he has to, so he has all the trappings tied or buttoned back.

Last Thoughts

For artist and writer pals, I’d highly recommend listening to any of De Castell’s interviews on podcasts or on youtube; he’s generous with his process and has a lot of great thoughts about the act of writing.

#Fantasy Fiction #Swashbuckling #Sebastien de Castell #The Greatcoats #Greatcoats #Greatcoats Series #Fantasy Series #Book review #book recommendations #fanart #fantasy art #character design

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