#not to mention the vehement disagreements about casting

[the-elusive-soleil]

A thought: the real, true obstacle to a filmed adaptation of the Silmarillion isn't the rights or lack thereof, or even the multiple versions of First Age events to choose from. It's that the fans have such a massive multiplicity of opinions on various characters that no adaptation is possibly going to be able to satisfy everybody.

Most/all LOTR book fans agree that Faramir was done dirty in the movies. There would be open warfare over whether Feanor (or Thingol, or whoever) was done dirty, portrayed too sympathetically, or done just right.

[blog-brett-matthew-west-gazette]

Done Deal

(Over the years, I have created some popular characters in my stories. One of them is Detective John Dutton. I have written several tales featuring him. This is one in that series. I wrote this piece on April 26, 2020 in response to a prose challenge.)

A curtain of thick tension descended over the packed courtroom. Defense Attorney Marshall Hatterfield sauntered to the witness stand. He smiled like a feral dog in the heat of manipulation and asked, "Detective Dutton, isn't it true you are well known throughout the hierarchy of the Marion County Police Department to be a, how shall I put this? A lone wolf."

An uneasy stir arose among the spectators. Many shifted in their seats. Hushed murmurs were heard as the confrontation brewed.

Hatterfiel wrung his hands together and continued, "Isn't it also true you like to bend the rules as the situation fits your needs?" Like a vulture circled overhead, with discredit an allegation away, he tightened the screws, "Most importantly, would you not agree minus your shoddy investigative tactics, this insane charge of capitol murder against my esteemed client would it have been launched?"

Detective John Dutton calmly responded, "As you know, Mr. Hatterfield, from our previous encounters, I am not a Johnny One-Time, nor is this my first rodeo." What Dutton ached to do was knock some manners into the barrister. Instead, he maintained his compunction, rose tall in the saddle, and said, "All the evidence the Marion County Police Department collected was gathered in the utmost legal way possible."

"Or so you claim, Detective. Care to enlighten us about what so-called evidence you have to offer this court?" Hatterfield pondered. He walked to his table and picked up a manila folder.

State Attorney Debra Anderson bolted to her feet and complained, "Your Honor, Mr. Hatterfield is deliberately badgering our witness."

Judge Albert Stancil glared down from the bench. He twirled the tips of his handlebar moustache and admonished the Defense Attorney, "Mr. Hatterfield, cease and desist. This court will not tolerate any such theatrics."

"Yes, Your Honor," Hatterfield replied. He raised his eyes, looked at Dutton, and rephrased the tone of his inquiry, "Detective, can you inform the court what evidence you collected during your investigation?"

Dutton spoke into the microphone, "A puddle of bleach, approximately two feet in diameter, stained the garage floor. And, a variety of aerosols and cleaning agents were boxed together on the Formica-topped island in the kitchen of the Deals' house."

"Did you locate anything else, Detective? Perhaps something of value," Hatterfield questioned.

"Yes we did," Dutton responded, "we found six towels in the washing machine with a reddish substance on them. Forensics determined this was blood that matched the deceased."

"Deceased, Detective? Really?" Hatterfield scoffed. "That is quite an interesting perspective considering there is no body. My question would be how can there possibly be a deceased without one? In addition, a blood match would hardly prove my client murdered Vanessa Deal or anyone else, for that matter."

"No it would not," Dutton agreed, "but,when Gretchen, our cadaver dog, discovered a positive indication on the driveway underneath the carport an arrest warrant was secured. That led us to bring Virgil Deal in for questioning."

"I see," Hatterfield started. He flipped open the cover of his manila folder and ran his forefinger halfway down the top paper contained inside. He approached Dutton, showed him the document, and asked, "Detective, were you not quoted as saying "We still don't have the skank's missing body, but we've got Virgil Deal by the cajones. Now's the time to ratchet up the squeeze real tight and see if we can crack a coconut?" Those comments sound like you were hell-bent to nail the innocent philanthropist Virgil Deal to the wall regardless. Detective, I strongly remind you that you are under oath."

Taking ownership, Dutton admitted, "Yes I said those words and I stand by them. You see, Mr. Hatterfield, aggression is easily aroused in lovebirds, and the Deals were in the middle of toxic divorce proceedings. But, the odd text messages Vanessa Deal's friends received were what I wanted to know about. The beginning always sounded like a stimulating environment for me."

"Clueless!" Hatterfield muttered under his breath. He asked Dutton, "Does testifying in a death penalty trial sound like a stimulating environment to you, Detective?"

"Your Honor!" Debra Anderson vehemently protested.

"I retract my question," Hatterfield smiled at the attentive jury.

Dutton explained, "Following the date Vanessa Deal was reported missing, signals from her cell phone bounced off the tower in Laramie, two-hundred-and-twenty-six miles north of Marion County." Then, he asked his own question, "Riddle me this, Mr. Hatterfield, how can a missing person text her dear, sweet, mama and tell her she is on a ventilator?"

"I'm not the one providing testimony, Detective," Hatterfield responded.

Dutton continued, "Once Maryanne Dungston received this text, we scoured all the local hospitals. Vanessa Deal did not surface. That gave us probable cause. Who else would retain access to Vanessa Deal's cell phone to send that text to her mother after she was reported missing except Virgil Deal?"

"As I recollect, the last time Vanessa Deal was seen alive was on February 14, 2019," Hatterfield began.

"Sweethearts Day," Dutton cut in. He elaborated, "Larry Courtney, her supervisor at Thurston Interiors, reported his favorite office clerk was in very good health at that time."

In an attempt to cast suspicion off his client, Hatterfield paced in front of the witness stand and stated, "It is my understanding that Larry Courtney and Vanessa Deal were having an affair."

"I will remind the court Larry Courtney has been cleared of any possible involvement in Vanessa Deal's death," Debra Anderson quickly responded.

Hatterfield stared at the news hounds clustered together in the far corner of the courtroom and warned, "Detective Dutton, while this text message you mentioned may have aroused your curiosity, it certainly did not establish a murder was committed. Unless you can produce any real substantiating evidence implicating my client in a crime, I am going to petition the court to drop all charges against Virgil Deal."

Poised, Dutton presented, "On February 21, 2019, Vanessa Deal's silver Hyundai Tucson was discovered in the North Annex of the Marion County Parking Garage. Security video showed Virgil Deal drove the vehicle into Parking Slip 618 and edited out the driver's door. Why, Mr. Hatterfield, would your client be inclined to do such a thing?" Dutton paused, look accussingly at Deal, and stated,"Unless it was a desperate act intended to cover something up."

He focused his attention on Hatterfield and continued, "Three days prior to Vanessa Deal's car being found, her next door neighbor, Marjorie Stoneman, provided a deposition stating she heard the victim plead, "No! No! No! You're hurting me! Why would Vanessa Deal make that comment if she wasn't under duress?"

Silence filled the courtroom.

"And, Mr Hatterfield, why would Vanessa Deal's neighbor from across the street, Riley Johannson, provide a sword statement in which he recalled seeing a black F150 pickup truck at her residence with a license plate that matched the one owned by Virgil Deal on the day she was reported missing?" Dutton wanted to know.

The mousey Maurice Witherspoon slipped into the courtroom seemingly unnoticed. He slid into an empty chair next to Debra Anderson and spoke softly in her ear.

"If I may approach the bench, Your Honor. My associate has informed me workers just excavated Vanessa Deal's half-naked remains from a ravine in Rock Smasher Canyon," Debra Anderson enlightened Judge Stancil.

Anguished, Virgil Dea,l a bookworm with wire-rimmed spectacles, cried out, "Stop it! I didn't mean to kill Vanessa. That was the last thing I wanted to do. I went to her house to discuss the settlement of our finances. At first, she was warm. You know, the way we used to be before all our disagreements started.

The notion brought a fond remembrance to Deal's face. He returned back to the gravity of the situation at hand and said, "Then, Vanessa told me she wanted eighty percent of all my assets. Eighty percent! I'm no fool. I couldn't do that. I tried to convince her she would ruin me and everything I've spent my life building. She didn't care."

A collective gasped emitted from the gallery as the brash Hatterfield grumbled to his client, "Shut up, Virgil! You've already confessed too much you pathetic weakling! I could have gotten you off."

Deal fiddled with the top button of his blazer and finished his confession "Do you know what she did? Do you? She laughed in my face. I lost control and slapped the taste out of her mouth. All of a sudden Vanessa wasn't so demanding. Then, I-I picked up a knife from off the tool counter and I," as if the memory was too strong to overcome, Deal hesitated, "I stabbed her again! And again! And again!" Each time the word became more venomous. Deal concluded, "There was blood all over the floor of the garage. I tried to clean it up." Collapsing into his chair, Deal moaned, "I couldn't allow Vanessa to destroy me. Don't you see? I couldn't."

Judge Stencil instructed, "Bailiff, remand the defendant. This court stands adjourned until one o'clock."

Steel bracelets flashed, then clicked.

Outside the courthouse, Dutton told his young partner, "I may not be as good as I once was, but make no mistakes about this simple fact, Mark, I'm still as good once as I ever was." He paused, collected his thoughts and stated, "I see the electric chair in Virgil Deal's future. His sand castle in the sky is gonna crash down on top of his head, and I have no sympathy for him. The greedy bastard Oh well, duty calls."

"Your timing is impeccable," Mark Ballister complimented Dutton They bounded down the courthouse stairs. Ballister stopped and asked, "But, how did you know where to send Witherspoon in search of Vanessa Deal's corpse in Rock Smasher Canyon?"

Dutton flashed a toothy grin and replied, "All in a day's labor, kiddo. Witherspoon turned that dagger just right to force Deal's confession. Helps to have snitches in low places. Let's roll."

[crimsongrimoire]

honestly same in the way of....... nobody here knows how to read or disagree on things without going for the throat. even among klk fans like vehemently "no switch" people just straight up block each other over disagreements on who tops. it's so asinine.

and SAME. like hidden strife had so much important info both about them and about the larger situation at hand that a lot of people just steamrolled over the actual subtext (...and text text) with some crazy ass off base assumptions which like... fine? but also don't repeatedly assert it as if it's canon and anyone who disagrees is wrong

there is such a clear distinction that while they were close, they didn't quite see each other completely and solely as family, which is kinda a great disservice to their whole situation and history tbh.

which I will again reiterate that like...... idk. people looooove childhood friends to lovers. if one of them were a girl they would be eating this shit up. just saying. this would be much less of a discourse topic if literally nothing changed except it would be het instead. with or without all the cultural connotations they willfully ignore

and yeeeep. the hidden strife mental gymnastics are so wild to me. i won't speak at length abt them here cause this is long as hell already but it's like...... so evident there is terseness and neither of them are coping well or know how to handle things. not to mention we've known like basically the whole time they don't actually hate each other. that much has been evident in every interaction they've had or so much as mentioned the other in. it's such a weird take. they might potentially think that of the other, that they're disliked and unwanted company, bur from the outside it's pretty clear that's not the case. diluc would ban kaeya from the tavern. or kaeya would stop going. there are other ones. they simply wouldn't speak outside of professional matters if it were necessary.

it's for sure an extremely good point for content cause there are so many variables to be explored that it seems infinite. not to mention, they aren't even like... the protags, anyway, meaning we may never get a conclusion, or maybe not one that's satisfactory in the way of how much it leaves up to interpretation, given mhy's track record. time will tell. personally, canonicity of this kinda stuff doesn't always matter a lot to me like.. sure it's nice to have it set in stone or actually see change but. fan content will be there and tends to be more fun and exploratory than canon would be, especially since they're just two of the cast of like 40 whatever ancillary-ish characters

@crimsongrimoire here: #okay honestly the last name part bugs me too#doesnt it STILL say on the wiki that a former alias was their last name#like what is your proof! cite your fucking sources!#literally somehow one of the worst wikis ive been interested in#so many sources of made up ass info are just like trust me bro#and the gross oversimplification of their dynakic#*dynamic jesus.#like idk you can prefer them platonically idgaf. just dont make shit up wholesale to sell a narrative that doesnt exist.#(…not to say klk enjoyers dont as well But. brother insisters are so much worse about it)#(so few genshin fans have reading comprehension at all fr)#its just such a mess. you can just Say you dont see them romantically. you wont die. i promise#no need to have 10 banners and 20 tags with posturing about how you want klk shippers to choke and die#when theres like Literally nothing Inherently Wrong with it#though people who say shit like ‘yeah well it WOULD be hot if they WERE brothers so!’#you are not helping the cause#the 'making people mad on purpose for fun to make them look dumb’ works so rarely and almost never over fandom nonsense#either way big agree op#fave#funnily this is the same kinda people who are all like AWWWW HIDDEN STRIFE WAS SWEET IT WASNT SAD AT ALL#and like completely misreading the tone of like All the letters esp those between kaeya and diluc#which is funny cause like Every post ive seen on the subject has been about Them and That part and how AWWW THEY KEPT I CONTACT?!?!#when…. the letters on both sides carry very palpable senses of tension from the wording and esp the brevity of dilucs#some very minor but painful details#and just in general all the letters in question like.. while it was nice diluc was getting support#it was in the WORST circumstance. its incredibly melancholy and bittersweet. like yes its nice to know everyone cares.#but also it was so avoidable. but also at the same time nobodys fault. even though both of them kick themselves for it#remembered my other point DILUC ONLY REPLIED TWICE. TO KAEYAS 9 LETTERS. THAT IS NOT KEEPING CONTACT!#there is no reason kaeya wouldnt have put any other letters from him with the others tbh unless theyre recent in which case#kinda irrelevant. thats not 'keeping contact’ theyre in the same place now like Often.#ngl we have no indication if kaeya got those letters to him somehow or just left them for his return.

Literally like!! Genshin fandom has actually been one of the worse fandom experiences for me, and I think we can blame a lot of it on the game and its translation, but also it’s just so goddamn frustrating at times. That klc post was written before hidden strife but if anything the event further confirmed that their dynamic wasn’t ‘adopted siblings’ (despite eng translation as usual messing up everything including Kaeya’s opinion of their fight) and that Kaeya doesn’t view himself as a Ragnvindr. 

An AU where Kaeya would have been fully adopted could be potentially interesting, actually! Ragbros AU if you will. But for some reason people never really go for all the implications of that - how strongly it would influence Kaeya’s internal conflict and his abandonment issues, how Diluc would change his treatment of Kaeya, how differently another Ragnvindr progeny would be viewed in Mondstadt, would he succeed the Dawn Winery’s business, so many possibilities… But no, they simply take canon klc dynamic and twist it, ignoring all the discrepancies which point to a non-familial relationship. That tag is just one more annoying attempt at censure within fandom spaces, familiar to anyone who ever interpreted fictional relationships as homoerotic before (how dare you tarnish this beautiful brotherly or sisterly bond by your sinful delusions etc etc yawn). And big agree about Hidden Strife letters, they still represent the usual dynamic as is the norm for all those temporary events. But fandom sadly tends to go for extreme interpretations, either the characters totally hate each other or they are secretly totally fine and getting along splendidly… I guess maybe people are getting tired of this kind of one-sided relationship, so they want some kind of resolution one way or another, but I kind of like the place Kaeya and Diluc are in right now. It would be nice to get some more Diluc POV just to confirm whether he cares in a detached way or in a barely suppressed passionate & deep way, and/or if perhaps he does carry some hateful feelings towards Kaeya, but otherwise it’s just a really good starting off point for creating fan content.  Speaking only for myself, but it’s all the more bittersweet that there is a possibility that they won’t reconcile after all, that their paths might diverge, that their ideologies might already be irreconcilable without us knowing, that Diluc maybe doesn’t really care that much after all. With this in mind, positive outcomes such as reconciliation, a romantic relationship or a rekindling of friendship, are so much more impactful.