#so if anyone in the Emperor's Coven asks- I'm holding it for a friend

[maskednerd]

[hxney-lemcn]

A super angsty one shot of hunter and reader where reader is climbing the ranks in the emperors covenant progressively, threatening to take hunters spot?

Hunter and reader could start off as friends, but reader becomes more and more distant because of climbing the ranks, almost cruel. The ending could be similar to the lyrics of "You're Nothing without me": "I'm everything you always wanted to be. Let's deal with the issue you wish you were me. Without me you're nothing" (coming from the reader towards hunter)

Overall very angsty if possible, thank you for reading and considering!

Summery: Reader manages to befriend the Golden Guard. But their demeanor changes as they let their greed become the best of them and become power hungry.

tw: reader kills a beast (not graphic), reader becomes manipulative, L coven

wc: 2.3k

Master List

After joining the Emperor's coven, I thought I’d be put on grand missions. Or even some patrols that lead to a chase. Something exciting! That’s how they portrayed their own coven after all. But no. I got stuck with guard duty. And even worse than that, night guard duty. Now I know, someone has to do it, but how was I supposed to rise through the ranks if I have no way to show my worth? 

I slouched, everything felt sore. I have been standing outside the library for hours now, I lost count. The sound of the buzzing lights made me feel like I was going crazy. The white and gold of my surroundings blended together as I tried to keep my eyes open. I just had to wait for the next guard to take over, and I’ll be free. I tried to think about various things, but the main one was focused on how I could raise my rank up. Or even just get a mission instead of guard duty. 

The sound of the library doors opening startled me, and I fixed my posture, keeping my head straight. My heart raced, I didn’t know anyone was in there. I was even more shocked when I saw it was the Golden Guard. 

“G-good evening sir,” I stuttered out, the haze of my brain leaving. He halted, and his mask slowly turned towards me. I felt sweat stick to my scout mask as I pondered if I did something wrong. Was I not supposed to greet him? It was the polite thing to do, right? It took all my willpower not to fidget under his gaze. 

“Good evening…scout,” He nodded, finally walking away. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. The irritating white noise was back as his footsteps faded. I just met the Golden Guard, I couldn’t help but think. He seemed really awkward. It honestly grounded me. Made him seem a little more human, than just an idolized person. 

This continued. Every so often I’d catch him outside the library, we’d greet each other and that was it. It didn’t seem like much, but to me it meant a lot. Dare I say, I felt somewhat connected to him now. It was nice. But that could also be my lonely self gripping onto any contact with people I get. All forms of communication were taken from me after I passed the trials, which led me to only really talking to my old mentor. But they weren’t the best conversationalist. I mean, neither is the Golden Guard, our talks mainly were just ‘good evening’, and that was it. But it was nice. 

“Good evening sir,” I greeted as he made his way out of the library once more. He still was tense whenever I greeted him, but he always greeted me back. But today he stumbled slightly and a few scrolls fell off the stack he held. My eyes widened and I crouched down to pick up two scrolls that rolled near me. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, sir.”

“I…it’s fine,” He mumbled. I noticed his struggle with the stack of books he held and I felt a question bubble on the tip of my tongue, but I wasn’t sure if I could even ask it. 

“Um,” I muttered out, hoping this won’t get me fired. “Do you need help sir?”

His mask stared at me and once again I wondered if I overstepped my bounds. I hope it didn’t seem like it came off like I didn’t think he could handle it. It just was obvious it was a struggle for him to hold all of that and I wanted to help. 

“Follow me scout,” He said, and I scrambled to follow after him. I was surprised that he actually agreed. Of course he didn’t outright say he needed help, but I knew that was something hard to admit in the coven. It was a sign of weakness and something that can be used against you. I made that mistake with my mentor before and that’s when I learned that in the coven, you have to be ruthless. 

That’s when our small relationship grew. And when I started getting patrols instead of guard duty. I didn’t think much of it, just that it meant I was moving forward. Well until my mentor complained that they didn’t get patrol duty for an entire year. That fact was weird, but I didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. It only got better when I was finally tasked on my first mission. And even better? The Golden Guard was in charge, which meant I could prove my strength. 

It was…not as great as I thought. But better than the night shifts I had. The treak was tiring on its own. I guess they didn’t think we needed a ship, but I would disagree. I huffed, but it only made it hotter under my mask. Sweat dripped down my forehead and I wish I could wipe it away. They need to make a uniform that can deal with hot weather. But I suppose that would show too much individuality. 

Yes, I wish they’d allow people to feel unique. It gets hard to tell others apart when you’re all wearing the same thing, that covers anything that could tell others apart.

“Not exactly what you thought it would be, huh runt?” My old mentor asked. I frowned at the nickname.

“Beats standing around for hours,” I replied, not wanting to show any weakness. In fact, my feet felt like they were going to fall off. We finally stopped and we stood in formation, waiting for the debrief. It was hard to see, as a tall scout stood in front of me. I tried to focus on the Golden Guards words, but I could hear murmurs surrounding me. 

Scouts didn’t respect the Golden Guard. That was something that I realized early on. I think it had something to do with his age. My mentor complained that they were in the coven longer and that it felt demeaning to be given commands by a ‘stupid kid’. He wasn’t stupid. I knew that. I also know that he wasn’t just a kid. Of course, he obviously was, but he was put in a situation that forced him to mature quickly. He was a coven leader for a reason.

That mission turned out to be a success, and not to brag or anything. But I think I managed to make myself stand out. And I say this because I was sent on more missions after that. Most of them with the Golden Guard as well. I was surprised that it only took a few months before I was promoted to a captain. I felt so proud of myself. I mean who wouldn’t? I managed to get to a higher rank faster than anyone. 

This caused me to focus harder on my work. On being better. I trained, I went on missions, I led patrols. But I noticed something. Scouts were weary of me. I didn’t participate in their banter where they would talk badly about the Golden Guard. I showed clear respect towards him and that made others uneasy. And that worried me. I was the odd one out. It also made me realize that playing friends in the Emperor’s coven was something that can’t happen. It’s a sign of weakness. So I decided to squash that.

I didn’t talk to the Golden Guard anymore. I was focused on not being backstabbed while also trying to thrive. And an opportunity seemed to fall perfectly into my hands. The Golden Guard was on a lockdown of sorts, and I caught him sneaking back in. A plan was already forming in my head as he stared at me with wide eyes. This was the first time I saw his face and it made me hesitate.

The coven had taught me not to treat others like people, but as pieces in the game to get up in the ranks. So actually seeing someone's face was like a reality check. He looked tired, scared, and on the verge of a mental breakdown. But I cleared those thoughts. This was like a gift given from the Titan. I could use this against him. Something I never would have done in the start of my career.

“Scout!” He exclaimed, looking nervous but somewhat hopeful. 

“You aren’t supposed to be out of the castle,” I replied monotonously. That hope that was in the back of his eyes left as soon as I said that. But I steeled myself. This will help me. I can get an even higher title possibly if I bring this up to Emperor Belos. 

“This is not to be spoken to another soul,” He replied with a glare. “That’s an order.”

“I’m sure this knowledge would be in the Emperor’s best interest,” I stated, standing tall. 

“P-please!” He pleaded, and I stared at him cooly, though he couldn’t see that. “I…what do you want? Money?”

“A promotion,” I said without hesitation.

“Th…there isn’t a position higher than captain,” He said with a frown. I frowned as well.

“I’m sure if I spoke of this to Belos, he’d find one,” I said, turning on my heel.

“Wait!” He shouted, grabbing my arm and stopping me. “I…you will be promoted. But I’ll have to speak to Emperor Belos first.”

“I’ll look forward to it, Golden Guard,” I replied coldly, walking away. 

Belos gave me a mission to prove myself. It was hard. It was to slay a Dormathogian. A ravid beast that threatens the people of Latissa. It…was hard. The beast was giant, and was fast. It had sharp, poisonous teeth and it blended in with its environment. It was the hardest challenge I’ve dealt with. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this mission was a death sentence. 

I was on edge as I heard it snarl. I looked to my left and there it was, its eyes held a soft glow. I waited for it to make a move. Suddenly it went to pounce and I dodged, sending fire which burnt it slightly. It’s giant paw swiped at me and I barely dodged. I hissed as it managed to scratch my shoulder. I was just grateful it didn’t bite me. I summoned vines around it, but it easily cut through them. So that was out of the question. It charged at me again, I summoned a spike of ice and it stopped the beast as it penetrated its paw. It howled out in pain, poisonous saliva dripping. 

I quickly continued my attack, wanting to get this over with as quickly as I could. I formed a spear with ice and tried to kill it, but it bit at me. I managed to kill it, but in return I was poisoned. A stalemate. I took one of its teeth, the item I was told to bring back to prove the kill. I tried to heal myself as I made my way back to Latissa as fast as I could. I focused on keeping the poison from spreading until I was able to get an antidote. 

I was lucky that night. I survived. And I proved my worth. Belos was pleased. He made me a second in command to the Golden Guard. But since I had the respect of the scouts, they followed my orders instead of the Golden Guards. It was a power trip for me. I single handedly made my way up, bringing myself to this place of power. There was only one spot left that I was eyeing up. I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied until I took the Golden Guards place. I knew that would be hard, but he also seemed to deem me as a threat.

I made sure I was efficient with my missions. I would always bring Belos more than he asked for, and I seemed to have been winning his favor. It made me feel unbeatable, like everyone was less than me, because they were. 

I stared at the Golden Guard from the sidelines. He noticed my presence and I left the hallway into the empty room. It seems that he took the bait as he followed me in. I waited for him to speak first. I knew I wouldn’t be able to take him down in strength, I’d give him the benefit of the doubt that we’re about the same in that department. So I’ll do what would no doubt work. That is, tear him down mentally where he becomes his own downfall.

 “You need to realize your place, general,” He stated, a glare clear on his face. “You can’t tell my scouts the opposite of what I ask.”

I stared at him, a hint of smugness in my demeanor, “Do I? Or are you jealous they respect me more than they’ll ever respect you?”

His glare harshened, “I will not tolerate this. You are a member of the Emperor’s coven and you must show respect to your superiors.” 

“Let’s face it love,” I said in a condescending tone. “I’m everything you always wanted to be. How about we face the issue that you wish you were me. Because after all, it won’t be much longer until our positions are switched.”

His face turned red in anger, his stare cold. But I noticed the swirls of insecurity that littered his body language. I stood up straighter, glad my plan seemed to be on the right track.

“I should really get back to work now,” I said with a fake smile. “I wouldn’t want to explain to Belos why our mission took so long because of a petty fight.”

In some sense, I was right. As the Golden Guard became a runaway, I was appointed to take over his position until he was found. My goal became a reality.

[aro-is-gay-af]

Slavic Names in Twilight | Meta

This post is going to be long, so if you don’t have time, I advise you to come back here later (or not come back at all, up to you).

Honestly, I have no words for Smeyer anymore. I, probably like most of us, read the books while being an adolescent. When I was 12 I didn’t see a lot of things that happened to be in the books and were:  a) misogynistic  b) sexist c) abusive d) racist and that the story itself was bound to Mormons (sick!). 

If you want to read about it a little bit more I strongly recommend this post by @stregoni-benefici​ and @carlislesscarf​ 

This post isn’t going to be about how Smeyer treated The Quileute Tribe, indigenous people, people of color or women. This post is going to be about how lazy Smeyer exactly was while creating this story and how her prejudices influenced and created false image of yet another culture. 

Why am I making such a fuss because of this? A few days ago I was reading something about Garrett on Twilight Wiki page. By sheer luck, I clicked on Kate’s character and, what I saw there, outraged me to the point where I needed a little while to calm myself. 

I was 12 when I first read the books. I never bought official twilight guide, I only used Twilight Wiki to keep myself up to date. I clicked on Kate’s character and saw that she hails from Slovakia. Forgive my utter confusion, when I remembered other sisters’ names. Tanya and Irina. Also, Kate was created by Sasha, who also created Vasilli (an immortal child), which is why she was executed in the first place. 

While the story is charming, WHY THE FUCK DO THEY HAVE SUCH NAMES?! 

To understand my rage, I need to elucidate the matter a little bit for all of you. This will be the historical part. 

According to Twilight Wiki, Sasha was changed before 1000 AD. Then, she created Tanya, and not very long after, Kate and Irina. And now. What were the historical odds while it happened? 

Before 1000 AD, Slovakia wasn’t Slovakia but Great Moravia. Great Moravia lasted about a century - the time span here is approximately circa 820 AD to 906 AD. When Great Moravia no longer existed, territory was taken by Hungarians (Magyar tribes also referred to as Hungarian clans) and the development of future Kingdom of Hungary began. Then, around 1000-1001, King Stephan was crowned as the first King of Hungary. Some elements from the former Great Moravia were acquired by The Kingdom of Hungary. 

King Stephen managed to establish eight counties within his kingdom. Around 1015 some territories of today-Slovakia were acquired by Boleslav I of Poland (later king of Poland), however, King Stephen managed to recapture the territories in 1018. Wikipedia isn’t consistent here - while on History of Slovakia we have these information, the History of Poland during the Piast dynasty says: 

From 1003 to 1004, Bolesław intervened militarily in Czech dynastic conflicts. After his forces were removed from Bohemia in 1018, Bolesław retained Moravia. 

and:

[translation here is mine as the site is in Polish] Between 1003 and 1025/1031 the lands of today's Slovakia were part of the Kingdom of Poland after being conquered by Bolesław Chrobry. The Polish-Hungarian Chronicle described that "The Polish borders stretched as far as the banks of the Danube, to the town of Ostříhomia, then to the town of Eger, and further to the river called Ciepla [Topl'a] as far as the town of Salis, and there the borders between Hungarians, Ruthenians and Poles ended". 

Than, probably around 1031 AD the territories were acquired back. King Stephen died and his kingdom fell into internal conflicts. Soon, in 1042 AD emperor Henry III mingled to acquire some lands for himself (he was the Holy Roman Emperor). Anyway, then came 1048 AD and that’s what happened: 

In 1048, King Andrew I of Hungary conceded one-third of his kingdom (Tercia pars regni) in appanage to his brother, Duke Béla. [...] During the following 60 years, the Tercia pars regni were governed separately by members of the Árpád dynasty. [...] The dukes accepted the kings' supremacy, but some of them (Béla, Géza and Álmos) rebelled against the king in order to acquire the crown and allied themselves with the rulers of the neighbouring countries (e.g., the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia).

The history of the Tercia pars regni ended in 1107, when King Coloman of Hungary occupied its territories taking advantage of the pilgrimage of Duke Álmos (his brother) to the Holy Land. Although, Duke Álmos, when returned to the kingdom, tried to reoccupy his former duchy with the military assistance of Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, but he failed and was obliged to accept the status quo. 

Source for the two quotes above. 

You may ask, why on Earth did I just present to you part of history of Slovakia, Poland and Hungary. Because I want you to understand how completely ridiculous and simultaneously offending are the names of characters that Smeyer gave within this coven.

History shows us that, even though, these times weren’t exactly peaceful, there wasn’t an ongoing war. We have Hungarian tribes and the part, when some territories were acquired by a Polish king. What I mean by that, is that probably names around 1000 AD varied as to where your family lived, what was your social status, and probably were influenced by newly adopted Christianity. It is more likely that people on this lands were named with names of Hungarian origin than Russian. And I still think the majority of names were of Slavic origin, only with some local variations going on. 

Now, a little bit of common knowledge. People who descend from Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary are best buddies for life, even if they never saw each other. We have mutual respect for these countries and for ourselves, as our history brought us together multiple times (bad times and good ones). Russia IS NOT a part of this “mutual respect pact”. Mostly due to events that happened during both World Wars (i.e. Katyń Massacre), as well as other ones (Partitions of Poland, Eastern Bloc - communism). 

Most of the names used by Smeyer are of Russian (or Greek, or Hebrew) origin. Not Slavic origin. And while Russia is also the part of Slavic languages, there’s a significant distinction between West Slavic Languages (Slovakian, Czech, Polish language), East Slavic Languages (Belarusian, Russian, Ukainian) and South Slavic Languages (i.e. Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian). 

It makes difference to the point that if I go to Slovakia or Czech Republic I'm able to communicate with people in my native language (Polish) while they can answer me in their native language. Not everything is going to be the same but you're able to maintain a conversation mostly about every topic that you'd like to discuss. It isn't impossible to do so with Russian or Ukrainian but it's much harder and there are more differences, and sometimes you aren’t able to communicate this way. The same goes with i.e. Croatian or Bulgarian.

Don’t get me wrong, dear friends from Russia (if anyone from Russia will ever read this). I’m pissed off because even though Smeyer created not one, but four characters with SLOVAKIAN origin, she didn't use at least one name which fully originated in that territories (and probably was used) around 1000 AD. She went for Russian names because, sure, let's do that, there's no big difference anyway and it’s easier. To add to that, Smeyer used Russian names which are widely used NOWADAYS, not ones which were probably popular (or just used) thousand years ago. 

Now, quick briefing on very popular names from that time (c. 1000 AD) in Slovakia and Czech Republic. 

Here’s the full article on Slavic names.  

While some of these names are used today, some of them aren’t at all or are used in a different, more evolved form. 

Now, to the names of our characters. The most explainable and justified name here is Kate’s name. In Twilight Wiki we can find that her actual name was Katrina and that her preferable name now is Kate. Let’s see the origins of the name Kate. 

Full article here. 

While we can read that variations of that name in Czech are: “ Katka, Kateřina, Kačka, Káťa, Kačenka, Káča, Kačí, Kačena” and in Slovakian “Katka, Katarína” still the origins aren’t Slavic. 

Next, Irina. 

As Wikipedia says:

Irina is a feminine given name of Ancient Greek origin, commonly borne by followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is derived from Eirene (Ancient Greek: Εἰρήνη), an ancient Greek goddess, personification of peace.

Diminutive forms in Slavic languages include Ira, Irinka, Irinushka, Irisha, Irka, Irochka, Irinochka.

Here, we also don’t have Slavic origin. While it’s better than with Kate’s name because origins here seem to hugely blend, the proper origin of Irina’s name is Ancient Greek. I will never believe that a peasant girl from around 1000 AD was named Irina.

Here’s the full article. 

Next, Vasilli. 

Wikipedia doesn’t say much, except it’s a RUSSIAN NAME with Greek origin.

Full article here. 

Now, finally, we’ve two names left. First, Sasha. 

Finally, first one, which has Slavic origin. And while this name has many variations in many languages, I don’t believe that anyone in Slovakia prior to 1000 AD would name their child Sasha. This name gained popularity in 1970s, and I believe that it would be used rather as diminutive of a name in 1000 AD than a name itself. 

Full article here. 

Last, but not least, Tanya. 

Here, also, it isn’t a full name. Full name is Tatiana, and Tanya, especially in Slavic it is used as a nickname implying intimacy with the person OR used for baby talk. 

Full article here. 

What’s my point here? Even though two of these five names are partially Slavic in origin, they sound like Russian names. Not Eastern Slavic in one fucking bit. Sure, Smeyer could do a simplification and say that, yeah, girls acquired other names as centuries passed. Agreed, even strongly. 

BUT

Smeyer never said anything like this. Also, I’m under the impression that this names were meant to sound Russian. And, people, don’t get me wrong, I really hold nothing against Russians, but because of doing such thing Smeyer has perpetuated certain patterns and beliefs that have become firmly established in US culture and West culture in general by now. 

No wonder why some people never distinguish between Russia, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic or Ukraine, or other countries from Easter Bloc. How can they, where in majority of mass media they’re taught that IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME THING. Why should they bother? 

I have many friends among Slovakian people. Slovakia is like a second home to me. I also have a few friends from Czech Republic. And before, I’ve never been bothered by this name thing because I was a child. Today I couldn’t be silent about it. 

It’s sad that another culture and fantastic history was just blended in with Russia because why not. I don’t understand why in Western movies or books all people from former Eastern Bloc need to be Russian. 

I am Polish and to me it’s just extremely sad. We (and I think I can count in here Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, but also Croatia or Serbia) have fantastic culture and very long, eventful history. People from these countries are welcoming and share great hospitality. 

I don’t know why Smeyer did something like this, but I suppose it’s just a thing she does to everyone. Rip away their culture and pretend she didn’t do it. 

I am grateful that this fandom is a lot wiser than the creator of the books. This is what I said in the beginning of this post. Smeyer could’ve gone to library and read a little about the history and the names. I mean, If she didn’t found it on the Internet, because it was 2006, I believe, so she could research it. If there was nothing on the Internet, I’m sure a library would do. 

She did a poor research or didn’t do it at all. And that’s what happened. Was it worth it? I don’t think so. 

***

Everyone, please, comment, but be kind to each other (and to me xd). I wrote what I felt. As I’ve told you already, I’m Polish and I really felt that I should write this meta/disclaimer from a point of view of a person who lives in Slavic-origined country and has many Slavic-origined friends.

I still feel triggered because of this. Reblog this so others could see and say what they think.