#boudica would be a good choice too

[darkestprompts]

These DD2 asks are really nice to read! The interactions with the coach and the heroes are pretty interesting, I've never though of that before lol. Do you think that some heroes would be better or more taking initiative in fixing/repairing the Wainwright? We don't have a choice in that in gameplay tho lol

Not a doubt about it! For the dd2 crew, I'd say:

Baldwin, bless his heart, would be all too willing to help, but he has both the eyesight and fine motor skill of a rhino. He'd stand guard, or help someone else fix the wainwright by easily lifting the damn thing.

Audrey is a lot more handy with such things than she'd like you to believe (like I've mentioned once, she excavates and breaks into tombs, that's heavy work), but she'll hang back and act like it's got nothing to do with her unless specifically called to do it.

Boudica and Tardif would rather fend off enemies, but unlike Audrey won't play stupid until someone else does it. Reliable options, otherwise.

Dismas will only protest if he's the one always stuck with the job or if he doesn't trust the others to watch his back. Good option.

Alhazred and Paracelsus are both terrible at it and no one's stupid enough to ask them if they can help it. Alhazred once tried to repair the wainwright with a spell and it was not pretty.

Bonnie is very good at it and is one of the few that would rather work on the wheels than fight.

Sarmenti will joke like it's a terrible idea to get him do it. "Are you sure you want the clown to fix your ride?" "Wait, where does the wheel go again?" It's fine actually.

Barristan will detect who's best at the job at the moment and order them to do it. If he's the best option, he'll step up without complaint (except at the end, when he'll complain about his back). Usually the one to tell Audrey to stop fucking around.

Junia is not the best, nor the worst at it. First she'll politely ask if she should do it, in case someone better wants to take over.

Damian will grumble if there's a fight going on or if he was in the middle of his "prayers" because he could be saving souls instead. Otherwise isn't completely opposed to "humble work", especially if he can point out others aren't willing to do it.

[elstreem]

Compilation of the flower shop AU Bedi drawings I made.

The last one here is actually the first one I made and the rest is just stuff of me building up on his character.

All info I have on him so far below (super long, because I thought about this way too much):

What was left for the last loyal Knight who witnessed the destruction of his kingdom and the deaths of those he held dear?

To console Bedivere, Merlin told him that he foresaw there would be a peaceful time, far off into the future where all those he knew would be reborn, without memories of their past lives but free of their tragic fates. Merlin also offered a choice for Bedivere - to travel to that distant age and meet them all again as he still was, or to live out the rest of his life and find peace there.

Bedivere decided to take Merlin's offer and is sent off to a place called Chaldeas Castle Town. To further help Bedivere adjust, Merlin gave him a pair of glasses that acted as Crystallized Knowledge - giving him basic info on the place and age he was no living in. Merlin also gave him the flower shop, Garden of Avalon, to look after.

...some might say that he was taking free labor out of Bedivere in doing so, since Bedivere does everything for the shop and even adds to it, later on offering services in magic botany and selling pharmaceuticals.

Bedivere slowly adapts to his new life, burying his past as a knight and settling in as an ordinary shop keeper, all the while waiting to see his King, and so, to hope that she was smiling in this life. And...he holds a secret desire in his heart, buried deep, deep down, that he would see his brother Lucan again, and apologize for not being able to save his life at the end of Camlann.

In the meantime, he meets the many people of Chaldeas and slowly but surely opens up to them, and finds new friends in the process.

One of his first friends are Arash and Boudica, who run a joint diner and tavern. Bedivere thinks he's fairly good at keeping his emotions in check and he's right, but Arash's keen eyes and Boudica's instincts are sharper. Boudica is a mom to everyone she meets and sensing that Bedivere was in grief, often comes by to offer a warm meal. Arash makes sure Boudica doesn't overdo her mom act lol, but is also a good friend to Bedivere who often checks on him and coaxes him to get out of the flower shop more.

Astolfo and Sieg, who run the Hipogriff Delivery Service together, come to know Bedivere well too. Astolfo loves dropping by the shop and is often buying up posies himself.

And one fateful meeting is an errand boy for the staff of Chaldeas Magical Academy, a young man by the name of Fujimaru Ritsuka. Since Ritsuka also often stops by Garden of Avalon to pick up all sorts of pharmaceuticals for the Chaldeas staff, he and Bedivere get to know each other well. Whenever Ritsuka has free time, he stops by the flower shop, often bringing Mash with him (a Magic Knight in training which Romani asked Ritsuka to look after).

Bedivere does get to see his old friends throughout his time at Chaldeas: Mordred and Lancelot are Magic Knights in service of Chaldeas, Gawain and Gareth open up their own restaurant, Tristan is a traveling bard, and so on. It's always a bittersweet feeling for him to see them.

He is yet to see Altria and Lucan again, but by the time he does, he's also learned to smile himself.

Now for the fun stuff!

While the Crystallized Knowledge Merlin gave him helps a lot, Bedivere made sure to be diligent and studied up a lot before working at the flower shop, and he remains studying even during his works hours. He's become quite learned at flower arrangements and magic botany after a few years.

Due to the circumstances of his time travel, he is temporarily ageless and remains at the age he was at the end of Camlann. The effect wears off after ten or so years, and then he'll start to age normally again. In the meantime, everyone who gets to know him is surprised to know he's technically in his forties when they meet him.

He did return Excalibur to the lake in this AU, so his prosthetic arm is just that - a metal arm. Merlin tinkered with it so it can store a bit of magic energy, but it does not have any added combat capabilities. Bedivere can move the arm as well as if he had been born with it and can do delicate tasks with it, even handling flowers. He takes it off when sleeping.

With Merlin's help Bedivere was able to store his knight's gear into his pendant and can re-materialize his armor by wearing it. He doesn't really have any reason to do so, and often keeps the pendant on his bedside table. Occasionally, he wears it again and practices swordplay just to keep his skills sharp, but very few people know this.

One time, someone's pet frog got lost in the flower shop and Bedivere took care of it for a few days. After the experience, he was interested in it himself and soon got to take care of some frogs himself. Merlin isn't particularly fond of this, but he is happy to see that Bedivere got a hobby that makes him happy. Ritsuka and Mash adore the frogs too and often come by to see them. Bedivere made sure to put a protective spell around the frogs' enclosures after having Oryou as a customer, though.

As for other animals, Bedivere is actually really good at getting along with bees and butterflies. He's never, ever been stung once and can get the insects to land on his hand when he's near. It amazes Mash every time.

And that's the info pertaining to Bedivere specifically in this AU! I also have profiles for the other characters but really I made this whole thing to revolve around Bedi so he got the most lore lol. I've written a few bits and pieces for it, but this is more of a comfort project for me that I come back to because I like it.

[mako-neexu]

my favorite general headcanon in fgo is guda’s Servants being worried for their Master’s education (assuming that they haven’t finished high school and got transported to Chaldea around the time when normal teens are supposed to go to college) so not only did they throw in the basic curriculum for guda’s age but also added self-defense classes that most of the Servants fought each over on who gets to teach their Master how to fight/defend themselves using their own martial art/techniques. Of course a certain pseudo-servant caster was the one who arranged guda’s schedule so as her farming and singularity/lostbelt journey doesnt go interrupted so that means he gets to teach them a few spells that would help them outside of their mystic code’s abilities

[hasquetzorkukudoneanythingwrong]

Thanks for the memories....

It was another good day in Chaldea's cafeteria. Rex and Quetz were enjoying a delightful meal like always. Until.... something set Quetz's memories off.

Boudica: hello all! How're all of you?!

Quetz: oh Boudica! We're great!

Rex: si! The food's been delicious!

Boudica: well that's great to hear! Well Da Vinci was telling me about this tradition drink that would've been enjoyed by Quetz's people back in the day, and thought you'd enjoy it.

Boudica said this as she set down cups with a white drink inside.

Quetz: oh, what would that be?

Boudica: she said it was called... Pulque?

When Quetz heard this, she froze. It looked like that name... set something off in her.

Quetz: .....

Rex: ....Mi Corazon? Are you ok?

Boudica: Quetzalcoatl? Do you.... not like it?

Quetz: u-uh.... I'm suddenly not feeling hungry....

Rex: m-mi diosa, is everything ok?

Boudica: i-if you want, I can take them back!?

Quetz: n-no.... it's fine, I'm just.... I'd like to just go back to our r-room is all

Rex: w-want me to go with you?

Quetz: .....s-si, gracias mi amor....

Rex: of course, mi corazon. Anything for you....

The two departed, hand in hand. Rex seeming to take the lead, as the goddess seemed down. Meanwhile, Da Vinci walked in next to Boudica.

Da Vinci: what was that about?

Boudica: I'd love to know myself....

In the couples' room, Rex sat Quetzalcoatl down in their bed, as she still seemed down.

Rex: is everything ok, Mi corazon? Do you need anything?

Quetz: I'm ok..... pero.... it's just that that drink.... brings back, not so good memories.....

Rex: really? W-would you mind telling me....?

Quetz: ....I don't know if that's a good idea....

Rex: hey.... Mi Diosa, if you're hurting I want to help you. No matter what, maybe telling me will help you feel better?

Quetz: .....n-no matter what?

Rex: si! No matter what!

Quetz: well.... you remember how I said.... I've never been with anyone before you... right?

Already Rex was worried. Did she lie? Was there someone else? Or is he jumping to conclusions? But he reassured himself that it didn't matter. Even if he wasn't her first, she still loved him. Nothing could take that away.

Rex: s-s-si.....?

Quetz: w-well.... that's still true pero..... there was almost.... someone before you....

Rex: almost?

Quetz: l-let me explain.

Back in the day, there was a goddess known as Mayahuel. She had many children that she had with many other gods, but she seemed to have been specifically infatuated with Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl wasn't interested for various reasons.

Mayahuel: p-please.....! Quetzalcoatl, why will you not reciprocate these feelings?!

Quetz: Mayahuel.... you know I'd rather be someone's one and only.... and I prefer men too.....

Mayahuel: but you're still open to women right?

Quetz: e-even still, I want children.... you can't give me that....

Mayahuel: but I do have children! 400!

Quetz: those wouldn't be my children! I want my own.... I do not want to raise someone else's.....

Mayahuel: pero.... you've been wanting a relationship for so long.... and I've been in love with you for so long! Logically wouldn't that mean we should get together?!

Quetz had thought that she.... kind of had a point. Maybe Quetz's standards have been.... too unrealistic.... and it had been a very long time..... perhaps she should.... consider it.....

Quetz: I-I'll think about it.....

Mayahuel: are you serious?!

Quetz: si.... that's not a "yes" tho, ok?! Understand?!

Mayahuel: o-of course I do!

Despite those words, the other goddess seemed to act as if Quetz had already said yes. The other goddess ran off, in some excitement.

Quetz: ay......

Quetz had decided to see, Xochiquetzal about this. Since, as a goddess of love, she should be able to help.

Xochi: so.... what did you want to see me about, Quetzalcoatl?

Quetz: well.... you remember Mayahuel?

Xochi: si?

Quetz: well.... I've been thinking..... maybe I should.... be with her?

Xochi: ....what do you mean?

Quetz: you know!!! I've.... been wanting a relationship for so long.... and.... she's been in love with me.... for so long. And e-even tho she wouldn't be.... my first choice.... maybe I should..... y'know, consider it.

Xochi: NO!

Quetz: Eh?! What do you mean?!

Xochi: Quetzalcoatl! That goddess CANNOT make you happy!

Quetz: eh?! A-are you sure?!

Xochi: You've already pointed out the various problems with her. First off, you prefer Men, second off, she cannot give you your own children! Only her 400 lil brats she had with others. Third off! You've always wanted to be someone's "one and only" she cannot and will not do that for you. Maybe you'd be her number one, but not her only one!

Quetz: B-but.... maybe I've been unrealistic....

Xochi: it is not unrealistic to want to be happy! You're a goddess of the highest regard, YOU out of all of us deserve to be happy! She won't be able to make you happy. Even if they're not here right now, I am certain you will find the god that WILL be able to do that.

Quetz: a-are you certain?! I will be able to find him....?

Xochi: of course I am sure! You will be able to find someone who will treat you how you want to be treated, you'll be his one and only, and he'll be your's and you'll make BEAUTIFUL children together! I know it!

Quetz: alright.... I'll tell Mayahuel.... that I refuse... to be with her....

Xochi: do you want me to come with you? We do not know how she'll take it....

???: TOO LATE!

The two look over, to see that Mayahuel had been listening the whole time. Now she stood there, with tears down her eyes.

Mayahuel: D-Damn you Xochiquetzal! How dare you say I cannot make her happy!

Xochi: BECAUSE I KNOW YOU! YOU'D NEVER CHANGE, NOT EVEN FOR HER!

Mayahuel: you don't know that!

Quetz: I'm sorry Mayahuel..... but she's right.... I want a loyal husband... with our own children..... y-you... can't be what I want....

Mayahuel: *sniffle* I-I.... I hope you NEVER FIND WHAT YOU WANT! AFTER BREAKING MY HEART LIKE THIS!!!

Quetz: Mayahuel please stop this!

Then Mayahuel ran off, to who knows where.

Quetz: Wait!!!

Xochi: let her go..... she needs time to realize we're right....

Quetz: I understand... but I still feel guilty.....

Meanwhile, Mayahuel was running through the jungle.... still heartbroken....

Mayahuel: Damn That Xochiquetzal! She doesn't know what she's saying! Of course I can make Quetzalcoatl happy! But now, thanks to her I'll never get the chance!

But then..... Mayahuel ran into.... someone else

*bump!*

Mayahuel: oof! Hey! Watch where you're going......

Before her, stood Itzpapalotl, a monstrous goddess. She looked at Mayahuel with eyes burning with rage.

Itzpa: YOU!

Mayahuel: oh no.... not now.....

Itzpa: I've been looking for you...

Mayahuel: s-sister.... I-I am s-sorry for what the ch-children did but.... you don't need to t-take it out on m-me....

Itzpa: TOO LITTLE TOO LATE! "SiStEr"! You're little BRATS have gone too far this time!

Mayahuel: p-please....

Itzpa: and you're going to pay the price....

Mayahuel: n-no.....

Itzpa: IN BLOOD!

AAAAAAHHH!

Back with Quetz and Xochi.

Quetz: did you hear that!?

Xochi: it sounded like Mayahuel!

The two then ran towards the source of the sound. After some time... all they saw was Itzpapalotl, standing over the dismembered body parts of Mayahuel.... littering the jungle floor, blood all over.

Quetz: Itzpa! What did you do!?

Xochi: what is wrong with you!?

Itzpa: it needed to be done.... after what her brats did.....

Xochi: w-where is Coyolxauhqui?! She should've been watching Itzpa!

Quetz: I don't know!

But the damage was done.... Mayahuel was gone.....

Quetz: i-is.... is this my fault....? If... I hadn't denied her.... she wouldn't have....

Xochi: No! Do not blame yourself Quetzalcoatl! It's just.... horrid circumstances..... you're not to blame.....

Quetz: but even so..... I will still do something...... to honor her loss....

Xochi: what would that be?

Quetz stood over the torn flesh of the deceased goddess and all of a sudden a bright light sparkled above the pieces. Then after all that was left was a Maguey plant.

Xochi: what's that?

Quetz: a new plant..... Maguey. And from it.... the people will be able to produce a precious new drink.... we'll call it Pulque....

After that, we return to present day.

Rex: ah.... so that's why that drink brings such.... sad memories....

Quetz: *sigh* si.... even tho I couldn't love her..... I still feel guilty over that....

Rex: it's ok, mi corazon..... don't be sad....

Rex said this as he hugged his beloved.

Quetz: gracias mi amor.... and thank you for listening.... I wasn't sure how'd you handle it.....

Rex: of course I'd listen for you.... like I said ANYTHING Para mi corazon!

Quetz: I'm so happy to have met you.....!

Rex: and I am happy to have met you!

After some time, Quetzalcoatl felt better. And so the two decided to try out some summoning for the day. Just a few rolls.

Rex: think we'll get someone new?

Quetz: maybe....? It's possible....

The summoning chamber starts up, and an Alter Ego symbol is displayed.

Rex: oh!

Quetz: hmmmm!

Then the servant appears.

???: Alter Ego class, I am many deities in one, but as my main personality is Mayah- oh....

Quetz: Que?!

Rex: What?!

Mayahuel?: aye........

A/N: hope you all enjoyed my reinterpretation of an Aztec myth. Along with some.... more RexCoatl lore....

Tags

@writer-and-artist27 @hasbbdoneanythingwrong @haskamadoneanythingwrong @hasereshdoneanythingwrong @hasspartacusdoneanythingwrong @havetheavengersdoneanythingwrong @hasjalterdoneanythingwrong @exmeowstic @grievouslyxorvia @chaldeamage-neo @witch-of-chaldea @renmeo

[rexcoatlarchive]

Four hearts are better then two

Doing another DanAya/RexCoatl fic, kind of a sequel to the last one. This one's a long one.

Rex and Ayako are in the simulator practicing for potential scenarios that could come up on the field.

Ayako: *walking up a hill with Dantes, finds a simulated shadow servant at the top of a tower* there's one of the targets.

Dantes: how do you want to take them out?

Ayako: stealthily sounds like a good idea. Serenity!

*Hassan of the Serenity comes to Ayako's call*

Serenity: yes master?

Ayako: I need you to sneak up on the shadow servant at the top of the tower and take them out.

Serenity: it shall be done *she goes to take out the target*

Dantes: hey, shouldn't you tell master Rex that you found a target?

Ayako: I'm sure it'll be fine, he's probably off finding another target.

*on the other side of the tower Rex is climbing another hill with Quetz*

Rex: oh shit that's one of the targets. Time to take them out

Quetz: how are you going to do that master?

Rex: the not so subtle approach. Heyyo Lalter!

Lalter: *rides in on her horse* yes master?

Rex: think Rhongomyniad can reach that fort over there?

Lalter: but of course

Rex: then let's light em up!

Lalter: *charging up Rhongomyniad*

Quetz: mi amor, shouldn't you be telling master Ayako that you found a target

Rex: I think we'll be fine

Quetz: wait what's that?

*the two end up seeing Serenity sneaking towards the target*

Rex: oh fuck that's Serenity

Lalter: wait what?

*but Lalter already shoots off Rhongomyniad*

Quetz: look out! *pushes Lalter to move the beam*

*on the other side*

Ayako: what the hell was that?!

Dantes: looked like Rhongomyniad!

*the shadow servant sees the blast*

Ayako: oh shit he might see Serenity!

Rex: oh shit he saw the beam, he might catch Serenity!

Serenity: *just manages to catch the shadow and use her np on them before it was too late*

Rex: phew!

Ayako: phew!

Romani: *over the intercoms* ok that's enough, simulation's over

Both masters: what?!

Ayako: but there's still more targets for us to take out!

Rex: let us finish atleast!

Romani: no, it's clear you guys need to work on your communication skills before you can continue.

*the simulation ends and both pairs walk out*

Da Vinci: you guys realize things would've ended badly if your servants hadn't been so quick to act right?

Both masters: ...yeah

Romani: back to your rooms for now, we'll discuss the lack of communication another time.

Both: alright...

*both pairs depart*

Romani: well that could've gone better

Mrs. Archaman: ya think!?

Mash: I still feel that if I was there I could've helped make things go smoother.

Da Vinci: Mash, those two need to be prepared for possible scenarios where you all might be separated.

Romani: and they're not doing a good job of it. They barely know each other but they need to become closer if they want to save the world. Imagine if this happened on the field?!

Mrs. Archaman: I guess this is what happens when the last hope for humanity is a pair of recluse.

Romani: anyone got ideas to get them closer.

Da Vinci: ideally they'd figure out on their own that they need to get closer.

Romani: yeah but they seem the type to still struggle confronting their problems even when aware of them. So we have to intervene.

Mash: I have no ideas

Mrs. Archaman: me neither.

Da Vinci: hmmm... Eureka! I got it!

Romani: what is it?

Da Vinci: it's quite genius really! Something only someone of my superior genius could think of!

Mash: Da Vinci, could you please tell us

*at Ayako's studio*

Ayako: well that was a disaster.

Dantes: took the words out my mouth.

Ayako: wish he told me he was gonna unleash the Lazer spear of death so I can get Serenity to retreat.

Dantes: Ayako, I had told you that you could've told him you found a target. Maybe then he wouldn't had unleashed Rhongomyniad in the first place.

Ayako: ...ok, you may have a point. I guess we're both in the wrong with this one.

*in Rex's room*

Rex: well that sucked.

Quetz: si

Rex: kinda wished she told me that she was sending in the kiss of death so I wouldn't have told Artoria to attack.

Quetz: master...

Rex: ...OK yeah. You told me to tell her and I didn't listen. So we both fucked up.

Quetz: exactly master. Please don't try to avoid taking responsibility for your mistakes.

Rex: sorry...

Da Vinci: *over the intercom* Rex, Ayako please come to the control room and bring your partners aswell.

Rex: well then... that can't be good.

Ayako: this won't end well.

*at the control room*

Romani: so as you two already know you don't have very good communication since you barely know each other.

Mrs. Archaman: and since you both barely leave your rooms that's not likely to change very soon

Da Vinci: so I have devised a genius plan to remedy that. Or atleast set you two on the right path.

Rex: I'm already concerned

Ayako: me too

Da Vinci: oh come now you two will love it.

Rex: I'm calling bs.

Da Vinci: anyways, I want you two to go on a double date with your servants!

Both masters: WHAT!?

Rex: why the hell would we do that?

Ayako: yeah, not happening. Right count?

Dantes: hmmm... actually... that's not a bad idea.

Ayako: what!? You're agreeing to this?

Dantes: oh relax, it won't be that bad. And you two need to be closer

Ayako: but not like that

Rex: nope! I can't be doing something like that! Quetz, please don't agree to this I don't want to do it.

Quetz: come on mi amor! It won't be that bad.

Rex: it might be terrible!

Quetz: but I'll be there

Rex: hmmm...

Mash: senpai calming down so quickly after her saying that is... interesting

Da Vinci: that's enough you two, it's going to happen regardless. But tomorrow, so go back to your rooms... and prepare yourselves I guess.

Both: fine! *leaves*

*at the studio*

Ayako: can't believe you agreed to that count. A double date?! We don't even do normal dates. We just hang out.

Dantes: then it sounds like it could be a nice change of pace.

Ayako: *looking at him, annoyed* really?

Dantes: well it's happening anyway so let's just get it over with.

*in my room*

Rex: *silently sitting in bed*

Quetz: master? I'm sorry for doing that but you two need to know each other better.

Rex: *still silent*

Quetz: try to look at the bright side, we haven't been on a date for a while now. And this one might be more fun then you expected.

Rex: *still silent*

Quetz: ...well I'll just go to my room then master

Rex: no! Please stay. I don't want to talk right now but I want to hold you.

Quetz: of course mi amor.

*we embrace each other and lay in bed*

*the next day*

Da Vinci: *over the comms* alright you four, time for your double date! But first you guys need to be dressed for the occasion

*the studio's door opens and there stand Karna, with some clothes*

Ayako: Karna? Why are you delivering the clothes?

Karna: well miss Da Vinci says we're pretty close so she thought I'd be a good choice.

Ayako: I mean I guess that's true. Thanks for the clothes I guess.

Dantes: *holding up the clothes he was sent* isn't this that one mystic code? Royal brand I think it was called.

Karna: miss Da Vinci said she used that mystic code as a base for the male suits.

Dantes: interesting.

Ayako: *holding up a nice fancy blue dress* this is a bit much

Dantes: I think you'd look great in it.

Ayako: yeah yeah whatever.

*in my room, the door opens and in walks Boudica*

Rex: oh hey there Boudica! So you got clothes for us?

Boudica: yup! Gotta say these are some interesting outfits for you two.

Quetz: *holding up a nice fancy green dress* hmmm, this is really fancy.

Rex: *holding up a nice suit* ain't this a bit much for what's essentially a bonding exercise?

Boudica: well it seems like Da Vinci wanted to go the extra mile. Maybe so you guys aren't too upset about being forced into it.

Rex: still annoyed.

Quetz: I think it'll be fun, we haven't been on such a nice date in so long. And I always liked how you looked in a suit mi amor

Rex: *blushing* ok fine...

*everyone's properly changed*

Ayako: ok so now what?

Karna: miss Da Vinci says to take you two to the cafeteria.

Dantes: the cafeteria? With these nice clothes?

Karna: she says she had it changed to fit the atmosphere.

Ayako: is this why she wanted us to wait a day instead just doing like a simulator picnic or something?

Karna: it would seem to be the case. Shall we be off?

Ayako: alright let's get going.

*on Rex's side*

Rex: so she changed the cafeteria to fit a dating atmosphere? Again, this is just a bonding exercise right? At this point it feels more like she wants to celebrate our anniversaries or something and just used the bonding as an excuse. We don't even share an anniversary.

Quetz: I'm actually pretty excited now.

*the four meet-up right outside of the cafeteria door*

Rex: hey you guys

Ayako: hey there

Rex: well.. you guys look good

Ayako: thanks... so do you two.

Rex: ...thanks

Da Vinci: *over comms* it's time for you to take your seats*

Boudica: good luck you four!

Karna: see you later

*the four enter the cafeteria only to see a much darker lighting with different tables with candles on them*

Rex: ...well then, they weren't kidding

Ayako: yeah... where do we sit?

Da vinci: wherever you want, as long as you four are at the same table.

Rex: how about that booth over there?

Ayako: sure

Dantes: sounds good

Quetz: si!

*they sit at the booth, masters next to servants, facing each other*

*Bedivere comes in a waiter's outfit*

Bedivere: hello you four, I am sir Bedivere. I shall be your waiter for today.

Ayako: every second this date goes on the more extravagant it gets.

Bedivere: yes, that would seem to be the case. And here are your menus *passing out menus*

Rex: overkill *goes through the menu*

Bedivere: I'll be back to take your drink orders

Ayako: cool

Dantes: this is actually pretty fun. We should do this stuff more often

Ayako: now I dunno about that.

Quetz: what do you think master?

Rex: it's nice I guess, but it'd make more sense to me for an actual date for us. Not this forced bonding stuff.

Ayako: I agree

*sitting silence for a while, reading the menus*

*Bedivere returns*

Bedivere: have you all decided on your drinks?

Ayako: I'll just have a water

Dantes: a martini

Rex: mountain dew

Quetz: tequila

Bedivere: of course, I'll be back with the drinks

*more silence*

Rex: so... what you eating?

Ayako: I'm just having some spaghetti.

Dantes: I'm thinking alfredo pasta

Rex: cool, I'm having lasagna

Quetz: and I want this chicken parmesan.

Bedivere: *returns with the drinks* and here are your drinks, and have you all decided what your eating?

Everyone: yes

Bedivere: excellent

*after Bedivere takes the orders, he leaves*

Rex: so... Dantes I noticed you're not wearing your hat. And you even have your hair tied up

Dantes: yes, I thought I'd change it up for the event.

Quetz: that blue ribbon looks familiar

Ayako: it was mine, he took it.

Dantes: just something to remember you by.

Rex: oooh, Quetz we should do something like that.

Quetz: but master you don't wear your hair up, and it's too short in the first place.

Rex: I mean... you could wear one of my hats

Quetz: ooooh, sounds nice.

Ayako: that'd be interesting to see, I never imagined her with a hat.

Rex: yeah... hey uh off topic. You like painting right? Who have you painted?

Ayako: pretty much everyone at chaldea so far... except you two

Rex: oh! Good point

Quetz: I would love to be in one of your paintings miss Ayako.

Rex: yeah... same.

Ayako: well maybe after all this we could all go to my studio and I can paint you two.

Rex: that'd be nice

*not far away but out of the group's site*

Da Vinci: what did I tell you guys?

Romani: yeah yeah, your idea seems to actually be working... somehow

Da Vinci: like I said, I'm a genius.

And that's the story

Based off one of the HCs I made for how Rex and Ayako would interact. I REALLY hope I got Ayako's character right.

@panyum hope it's good

Also tagging @grievouslyxorvia @gxymlky @hasereshdoneanythingwrong

[i-was-bored-so-this-happened]

Rae! having guests is the worst, here's some random questions you can answer to pass the time if you want

- favourite horrible histories quote? Favourite segment (measly middle ages, vile Victorians, etc)? Favourite song?

- Black widow or the scarlet witch?

- If you were a cheese what kind of cheese would you be?

- What's something you're really excited about right now? Share your good news with us, the Tumblr hive mind

- What's your current favourite tv show/ film/ book?

Sending good vibes, random anon with too much time on their hands 💗

Help Me Pass The Time While Family Friends Are Over

Random anon I adore you. I didn’t end up quite as isolated as I thought because they brought their dogs, but now I’m on my own and I am going to spend much time thinking about these questions

Favourite Horrible Histories Quote?

Just one? There’s a couple I quote a lot, like: - “Is this some peasant joke I’m too rich to understand?”  - “That’s how we like to do things in Medieval Scotland!” - “Hot sausage!” - “I hid a lion in there. Hahahahaha, random!” - “HI, I’M A SHOUTY MAN!” - ”Don’t laugh at [thing] Terry, it demeans us both.” - The Stupid Deaths Jingle - Honestly, a lot of Simon’s more memorable lines because I...well, remember them, he delivers them in a way where they stick in my head - Not exactly a quote, but me and my friends like to re-enact the caveman bit where Jim knocks Mat over the head with a club but Mat’s reaction is always so delayed and he looks in the opposite direction from where the hit came

Favourite Segment? Vile Victorians, Measly Middle Ages, etc.

I...may be biased? Cut-throat Celts. It’s always been Cut-throat Celts. William Wallace has always been my favourite song. The Boudica song! The sketch with the old Scottish wedding customs [again, That’s how we like to do things in Medieval Scotland!]! THE WILLIAM WALLACE SONG!!! The PLAGUE SKETCH, I adore the plague sketch, when England was weak with the plague and Scotland tried to invade and brought back the plague! The bit with the Earl Salisbury and that one lady who wouldn’t let him in her castle and threw food at him! Have I mentioned the William Wallace song?

Favourite Song?

I, uh, may have given it away, but it’s the William Wallace song. Closely followed by the Viking [Literally] song. I also like the Blackbeard Pirate song. The Burke & Hare song is lowkey really good too. Honorable mentions do go to the Owain Glyndwr, Spartan School and Pachacuti songs

Black Widow or Scarlet Witch?

A couple years ago I would have said Black Widow, and I do still love her, but I’m kind of more into Scarlet Witch now, to be honest, Wandavision really had me hooked. Mind, we’ll see how long that lasts once I watch the Black Widow movie!!

If you were a cheese, what kind of cheese would you be?

Just regular cheddar, to be honest. Or maybe lactose free cheese, that was always actually quite nice when I was little. Nothing special or with bits in. Hopefully not smelly.

What’s something you’re really excited about right now?

There is a lot of big decisions going on right now, and I’m very excited about all of them. Not going to lie, they make me feel very grown-up and main-character. Unfortunately, all of these choices are having to be made within a few days, which makes them quite stressful and my hands have been shaking nonstop for several days, but it feels grown-up and important and good!

What’s your current favourite TV show/film/book?

I recently watched Sweet Tooth and it was so good! So very heart-wrenching and such an interesting concept to play with! And hitting so close to home, as well! I’m trying to get my mum to watch it. It was based off a comic, wasn’t it? [I did also rewatch Ghosts while I made paperchains for my mam's birthday] Some people are going to get mad about this because it’s a bloody minefield, but I’ve been getting into Harry Potter again. It’s that relaxing feeling of childhood, you know? The familiarity of it and the connection between it and happy times. That and my own interpretations of the story and characters and others’ interpretations. To be very, very clear, this is not me saying I support her beliefs, it’s just me saying that it was such an integral part of my childhood with such strong connections to happiness and time spent with family that I’m going back to it for comfort And I read Jurassic Park! I’d only recently found out the movie was based off a book, and when I found a copy of it in my school library I immediately checked it out! I loved it, though I must say I really disliked Lex’s character in it...I’ll be watching the movie again soon, I promised to make a Rae Watches post about it

Anon, I love you, thank you so much for taking the time to ask me these lovely questions and help me pass the time!! I hope you are doing well and are having a good day and offer you a hug. What do you think about my answers? Do you have any exciting news? What cheese would you be?

[pathogenic]

Chapter 7: The Siren

Prologue

Chapter 1: The Necromancer

Chapter 2: The Prophet

Chapter 3: The Hag

Chapter 4: The Brigand Vvulf

Chapter 5: The Brigand’s Cannon

Chapter 6: The Drowned Crew

Chapter 7: The Siren

Chapter 8: The Swine God

Chapter 9: The Formless Flesh

Chapter 10: The Ancestor

Epilogue

Warning for violent character death

That day started with an unfortunate report. While there were certainly fewer people being lost to the Coves, the number didn’t stop completely. Unfortunately, some people were still being reported missing, having last been seen around the entrance to the Coves. I was certain that Alhazred had lifted the curse in the area, so what could possibly be the source of our troubles now?

I sent him back along with some others to try to do a clean sweep of the place and see if any ghosts still haunt the place, but their reports came back saying that there was nothing of note in the area, and yet there continued to be reports of missing people. It simply wasn’t making any sense at this point.

Since we were making no progress and I could not let this problem continue, I decided to take a bold risk. Once night fell, I approached the ports and started to talk a walk. For a little while I forgot why I was there and enjoyed the sounds of the sea. Eventually a new sound drifted from the Cove and I found myself growing curious. I made my way towards the entrance and strained my ears to catch what the sound was.

It was singing – the most beautiful singing I had heard in my life. The voice singing it felt soothing and I could feel my stress and my troubles melting away. I felt that I had to listen to more. I feared that if I stopped listening that everything would fall apart in my life, so I walked forward into the entrance of the Cove and started to venture further in. I laid my hand on the wall to help guide me as it was difficult to see in the dark.

As I dragged my hand along, I must have grazed it over a sharp rock as there was a sudden sharp pain and suddenly I realized what I was doing and how incredibly foolish it was of me. At that point I turned back and quickly left to exit the Cove. While I was no expert in the occult, I knew that whatever was singing in the Cove was what was pulling people in. What was happening to them, I still did not know.

I returned to the Hamlet proper and had my hand treated, then I informed my heroes as to what I had discovered. Naturally, I was lectured on how foolish of an idea it was by the bulk of them, but at least we finally had a lead we could chase. We then formed our plan for the following night.

Due to the nature of this creature, we decided those of the strongest will should be the ones to venture back into the Cove to deal with her. We didn’t want anyone to fall victim to the song and end up hurt and this was the best way we could mitigate the effects. Ultimately, we decided that it would be Boudica, Damian, Paracelsus, and Reynauld that would travel with me. Feeling confident in our plan, we spent the next day preparing ourselves for whatever we might find in the Cove.

As night fell, we started to walk along the entrance of the Cove, waiting to hear the song again. As the sun vanished, the voice started to echo from within. Knowing I had fallen prey before, Damian kept a hand on my shoulder, however, it ended being unnecessary. Boudica had broke into a sprint upon hearing the song and we had to go after her. We thought she was simply thrilled to be fighting again, but as we started to get closer and the singing grew louder, she tossed her glaive to the floor to run faster. She was out of sight within moments.

We entered a chamber where there was a rock jutting out of some low water. By the time we had arrived, Boudica was hanging onto the rock, gazing lovingly upon the woman perched on top of it. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes upon. Her long, blond hair framed her face, and oh what a lovely face it was. I found myself captivated and tried to move forward to get a better look at the beauty, but there was a sharp tug at my arm.

I turned back to snap, asking why they’d deny me the chance to speak with such a beautiful woman. Damian’s face scrunched up as he asked me what I was talking about. At once, the lovely woman spoke. She asked me why I came. I told her I heard her song and I had to see her. She frowned and I felt as if I had done something truly despicable. I tried to apologize, asking what I did wrong. She asked if I was related to my ancestor, and naturally I said yes.

At this point she sat up on her rock to get a better look at me. She then glanced back at the group. She said she would leave the Hamlet and she would stop taking people if they gave her me. I thought it was a fair bargain, after all, I wanted to spend more time with her, but my group immediately refused. I tried to ask them why they’d refuse such a sweet offer, but the Siren gave a sigh. She reached to her side and picked up a shell. She said she tried to be reasonable before she blew into the shell, causing a horn like sound to echo.

At the sound of the horn, Boudica immediately stood and turned to the group. Without warning, she attempted to lash out at Reynauld, who kept her at a distance, trying not to hurt her. I regret to say that I turned to Damian to do much of the same.

She snarled and eventually she managed to slip by him. She picked up a rock from the ground and swung at him, aiming for his helmet. The Crusader backed away and attempted to disarm Boudica but found it difficult with the fury she attacked him with. He had no choice but to use his sword to try and stop her attacks, but he kept the attacks light, trying his best not to hurt her too severely. As for Damian and I, he didn’t struggle much to keep me a distance away from him. My hand attempted to grab his arm that was covered in those spines. They pierced my hand and was too focused on the pain to do be charmed anymore.

Realizing that I was no longer charmed, Damian turned his attention back to Boudica. Reynauld was still keeping her back, but Paracelsus tried to come to his aid. Realizing there was an easier target, Boudica turned to attack Paracelsus. The good doctor could not withstand the attack and it started to look grim before finally Reynauld did what he had to and ran his sword through Boudica before she could harm Paracelsus any further.

As Boudica’s body fell, all eyes were on Reynauld, who quickly tried to justify his actions. His justifications were cut short as the Siren’s song started once again. I glanced over and realized that what I thought was a beautiful woman was actually a horrible bloated half-fish, half-woman who had a curious light in front of her face. What was once hair hung over her deformed fish-like face in matted strings. I felt bile rise in my throat, but the sound of metal clashing demanded my attention instead. Reynauld had turned onto Damian, much like Boudica and I did.

At this point Paracelsus and I had realized that we needed to stop the Siren from singing again. The good doctor lobbed a glass bottle she had attached to her side. It broke on the rock and a plume of sickly green gas enveloped the Siren. She gave an awful screech as she reeled back.

The rest of us wasted no time to rush her as we dodged the Crusader’s wild swings. We could not risk her singing again and turning us against each other. Should she have gotten both Reynauld and Damian, I fear Paracelsus and I would not have survived. Thankfully, her bloated form gave way to blades easily and with a few well-placed strikes, the Siren perished.

Reynauld sat down as the Siren fell, the spell on him breaking with her death. He took off his helmet and glanced at Boudica, saying he had killed her. Damian said yes, and that he was fortunate that Paracelsus thought fast or else he would have likely died, too. Reynauld shook his head and said it would have been unfortunate. He could have easily killed the rest of us while under that Siren’s spell. He then pushed himself up and said that we should leave the body to him, it was his doing, so now it was his responsibility to see that the body was properly taken care of. I figured this was his way of dealing with his own guilt, so I granted him this. He seemed genuinely grateful.

We returned home with the morning sun. The following days I saw no further reports of missing people. It seemed the Cove was finally rid of the evil that lurked within it. We saw over the funerals of those we lost and started to focus our attention towards sweeping the land once again, trying to see what was left that was plaguing the Hamlet.

For once, we didn’t have to wait long. The night after we laid our friends to rest, I woke up with a key and an undone lock in my hands. The doors in my basement were opening before me and that smell of rot hit me. I had found the source of the corruption that plagued my Hamlet.

[fuwafuwamedb]

Sorry if this is a bit out of comfort zone in terms of character choice, but can I have #50 with Emiya and Meltryllis (Preferably Emiya confronting Meltryllis about the crush she had on him in CCC and her confessing.) If you're not up to the task for this, that's totally cool.

I am more than happy to try for you, my shady friend. You’ll have to forgive me because I have like next to no experience writing Meltryllis and she’s a villain in one of my stories so that really doesn’t help much at all. 

Let’s give this a shot though! I hope you like it.

~u~ 

Emiya sighed, pulling off the apron he had put on for preparing the morning meal. The servants were all fed, the master roaming around to his old master, Hakuno, and talking about the upcoming training. He could see Nero and Gilgamesh Archer getting into an argument, no doubt over something rather obtuse.

“We’re missing one,” Boudica pointed out.

“Hmm?”

He looked over at the woman, frowning at the statement. There was everyone in the room right now. Hell, the laughter in the room from Ozymandias, Gilgamesh Caster, and Edmond was enough to make his head pound. A handful of the other servants were doing their usual trade of headache medicine over the sound.

Sigurd and Brynhild were stealing away to their corner.

A few of the knights were having an arm wrestling match.

Merlin was trying to hunt down Fou, being closely followed by Mash and one of the Hassans.

The other Hassans were all chattering away quietly in their corner, being loomed over by Jack, who was preparing to no doubt attack them. Again.

BB and the alters were complaining to one another, sans Cu alter, who had taken an interest in talking to Ereshkigal.

A strange combination, seeing the cute blonde shyly talking back to the berserker.

Wait.

“Meltryllis isn’t here.”

Boudica nodded.

It would seem he was going to have this confrontation after all. Emiya pat the red headed woman and headed out of the kitchens, through the hallways.

Knowing the BB clones, they would be spending time in the Moon Cell designed area of Chaldea.

Sure enough, opening the door to their region of the building, he could see Meltryllis in her white outfit, idly playing with one of BB’s wands.

“You are missing the morning meal,” he told her, closing the door quietly behind himself.

“Archer?”

“Are you thinking about the Moon Cell again?”

It was something that had plagued the others, according to his former master. Hakuno had spoken at length about it with him a few times, when she had managed to escape her other former servants. Her recent connection with the golden archer of arrogance was preventing much of their conversations, but with three of them in Chaldea, he could not blame her for giving everyone the relief from the bastard that she provided.

“I was.” She sighed, setting the wand down. “It is unsuitable for us to have to live in this manner. We had everything that we could have wanted on the Moon Cell. Everything was either ours or within our grasp.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Hmm?”

He shook his head, a small chuckle escaping him. “If you do not wish to discuss what you informed me on the Moon Cell, then I will not discuss it. You need to eat though. Finish your inner monologue and come along.”

“My inner monologue. I do not have an inner monologue!”

“Your moping then. Whatever you’d like to call it. End it.” He motioned towards the door.

“I am not moping.”

“Is that why you avoid me and spend most of your time glued to your clones and hiding?”

She stared at him, blankly.

Perhaps she did not remember then.

He shook his head, moving to leave. “Do not eat if you wish then. I will not waste my time waiting for you. The morning meal ends in an hour.” And then Boudica and Beni were handling lunch. He would most likely go to spend some time in the training grounds or practicing his talents with some of the other servants.

“Archer… Archer, wait…”

He could hear her heels click as she sprinted to his side. She slipped around the doorway as he opened it, turning, but avoiding his gaze.

“I do not avoid people.”

“You hide then.”

“I was not hiding.”

Alright, Tohsaka, he thought to himself, shaking his head.

“You were almost mine on the Moon Cell,” she informed him.

“Hakuno and I had a handle on things. You were no closer there than you were to having your own space here,” he informed her, continuing towards the dining hall.

The woman’s heels clicked along the tiles as she followed him, shaking her head. “You are a strange creature, Archer. You bring up things that are no longer of importance.”

“And you mope.”

“I do not know how to mope.”

“You mourn then.”

“I do not know how to mourn.”

He glanced over at her, watching her fiddle with her sleeves. “Then why is it that you are unable to look at me.”

“Ah,” her eyes met his, widening a little before she averted her gaze. “…You never told me anything in the Moon Cell and you do nothing but cook and speak with the female masters in this place.”

“Are you informing me that you are jealous?”

An impressive amount of emotion, coming from the woman.

Meltryllis pursed her lips. “I do not like confessing to you.”

“Are you confessing? This sounds more like complaining.”

“I would not complain!”

Archer stopped, looking over at her as she paused alongside him.

It was his fate then, to always end up around women that had no more sense when it came to their own interests and understanding of how to express those feelings. Tohsaka, Ishtar, Ereshkigal- Even Hakuno had been unable to express herself, instead drifting from his side after a time as she ended up finding her own feelings turning towards the idiot archer of Uruk.

Meltryllis was just as senseless.

He leaned forward, pressing his lips lightly to her forehead.

“You can begin by saying, ‘I like you, Archer’ if you would like to confess,” he informed her.

Her face turned a light pink, mouth hanging open a moment before she nodded. “I like you, Archer.”

He felt his own face burn a little, a cough escaping him as he had to avert his gaze. That had been… unexpected. Normally, the other would turn away or become too embarrassed to speak. Instead she’d-

“I like you, Archer,” she said again, her voice firmer than before. “I like this saying very much. You should eat the morning meal with me, since you have not eaten. It is not good to miss meals. Someone will have to come collect you if you don’t come eat.”

She stole his hand with one of her sleeve-covered ones and pulled him towards the dining hall.

“I like you.” She said again.

God, why had he spoken? He couldn’t even find words to respond to that with.

[lastsonlost]

When developer DICE revealed thatBattlefield V would feature playable female soldiers, depicting them as fighting on the front lines of World War 2, there was a swift and predictable backlash. Taking issue on the grounds of historical accuracy, there was a particular group of players who vehemently argued that women almost never served in regular combat on the Western Front.

Less predictable was the fact that Creative Assembly would make a point of changingTotal War: Rome 2, now several years into its life, to feature female generals. Again, a games studio found itself criticized by players who argued that women leading armies in the classical world isn’t historically accurate. What distinguishes these controversies in a landscape that too often features routine harassment of women working in games and complaints about feminist perspectives making their way into more and more corners of gaming is that, in both these cases, the complaints had a grain of truth to them. Both DICE and Creative Assembly were choosing depictions of history that were debatably ahistorical. In each case where we find appeals to "historical accuracy," however, we also encounter the flaws with historical accuracy as a concept. It's a term that supposes the existence of an objectively knowable past, a view which hurts more than it helps when it comes to understanding history.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance was staked much of its identity and setting on this idea of there being something concrete and quantifiable about the distant past. But in reality this was less proof of the game's commitment to historical accuracy than a refusal to question its own biases when it came to the ethnic and sociological history of Europe. In every case, we find an appeal to history as an objective source of truth and judgement about the past. This is naive. The fact is that history—how we view it, the stories we tell about it, the things depicted as normal as opposed to aberrations—is highly political.

The practice of history involves drawing from a pool of documentary sources to form arguments about the past. They’re always based on factual evidence, but these arguments are necessarily subjective. In other words, they’re profoundly colored by our politics. We’re all biased in some way, shape, or form. This explains why people often come to completely different conclusions after examining the same sources of evidence.

And that's where we tend to find backlashes. Consider Company of Heroes 2, which sparked an historical accuracy controversy when it came out in 2013. It wasn't a battle fought by transparently reactionary antifeminists, but was instead about some very real divergences in opinion about how historical evidence and statements should be interpreted.

Complete a few campaign missions inCompany of Heroes 2 and you’ll notice that soldiers are often shot by their own officers when told to retreat. Based on Joseph Stalin’s Order 227—the infamous "not one step back" directive that attempted to stiffen the resistance of a Red Army that was thrown back on its heels by the German invasion—this mechanic is definitely grounded in factual evidence.

The feature still presents a fairly problematic perspective on the past, though. Since retreating soldiers in the game are shot by communist commissars, the argument in Company of Heroes 2seems to be that Order 227 was the product of a political regime which failed to motivate its people. The systematic implementation of this mechanic also implies that Order 227 was routinely carried out. In this the game is echoing (sometimes explicitly) the most famous and dubious scenes in Enemy at the Gates, which depicts "blocking detachments" of Soviet machine gunners who massacre retreating soldiers There’s reason to believe that none of these assertions is entirely accurate. Stalin for example couched Order 227 in the language of patriotism as opposed to oppression; the passage about shooting soldiers for cowardice is one of a series of possible measures that the order allows for, along with more pedestrian measures like cashiering underperforming officers. Reports from the battlefield also indicate that retreating soldiers were rarely shot on the frontlines.

The developer behind Company of Heroes 2, Relic, was immediately criticized for this feature. Pointing to such debatable assertions, a particular group of players called on the company to change the campaign. Relic responded by claiming to have done its due diligence in terms of research. In other words, the developer believed that its game was historically accurate, and had its own evidence to back up its assertions. Who was right?

Though they drew different conclusions from the same sources, the fact is that both sides made valid arguments. The involved parties definitely saw things from opposing political perspectives, though, and wanted to emphasize different aspects of the story of Soviet resistance to German invasion. While some people saw it as evidence for an oppressive and inhumane regime, others took Order 227 as an appeal to patriotism in a time of desperate need, and argued that it was a disservice to the memory of the Red Army to depict its soldiers as being motivated largely by the constant fear of execution. Both views have evidence for them, and each view tends to diminish the valid points raised by the other. Your own interpretation may depend more on whether you're more interested in emphasizing the legacy of Stalinism or the combat performance of the Red Army.

What we choose to emphasize and what we tend to erase was at the heart of theTotal War: Rome 2 controversy. Creative Assembly decided to feature female generals in Total War: Rome 2 nearly five years after the game was released. Play with the latest patch, in other words, and you’ll soon see women leading an army. The change was purely cosmetic (and was itself a knock-on effect from how Creative Assembly revamped how family political dynasties worked).

Were there actually women in command? There are some cases: We know for example that Hatshepsut led an army in Egypt. Boudica did in Britain, too. While these were both powerful women, they were still members of what were probably patriarchal societies. But as an archaeologist with a background in Classics and Egyptology, I have to admit that female generals in the ancient world were probably few and far between. Convincing evidence to the contrary simply can’t be found. Women sometimes wound up on the battlefield, but they seem to have rarely taken up arms under normal circumstances.

The decision to feature female generals inTotal War: Rome 2 came under fire almost immediately. Players were soon calling attention to this nearly complete lack of evidence. Some of them wanted women removed. Responding to the mounting controversy, Creative Assembly stated that it saw the feature as being historicallyauthentic in a game that's never been exactly historically accurate. Since powerful women like Hatshepsut and Boudica prove that men weren’t always in command, there’s definitely an argument to be made that more female generals may have existed than we actually know about. Perhaps their deeds were simply never documented.

There isn’t actually much that we can say for sure about the past. History is mostly a matter of interpretation of available evidence (which itself is constantly evolving as new sources come to light). Some are better supported than others based on the available evidence, but interpretations of this variety are necessarily subjective. History is in, other words, political. It is under constant reconsideration as we attempt to correct blind spots and recover evidence or make hypotheses about what our sources don't tell us, or about what their own biases or blind spots may have been.

Does this mean that we can’t say anything about history? The fact is that we can only grasp at what actually happened by examining a variety of biased opinions and incomplete evidence about the past. This means that it can even be a good thing when games create a bit of historical controversy. Players just need to be open to seeing the past from a new perspective

There are also points where a more accurate depiction of a single aspect of history ends up fueling a legacy of erasure and indifference. If the choice is between a game in which women do not exist because historically they were largely excluded from playing an active role in a setting, and a game which embraces anachronism in order to include them, which is more important? Which depiction gets history "right"? It's also revealing that battles about "historical accuracy" so often about race and gender, and never about things like armies of Ptolemaic Egypt looking more like they belong in Age of Mythology than Total War, or the fact that Battlefield V shows V-1 rockets being used as tactical support weapons in 1940? What's being protected here is not the actual reality of the past (few players complain when ancient combat is made so fantastical it looks more like Lord of the Rings or The 300) but a popular historical memory that has consistently valorized Great Men and Martial Glory and ignored just about everything and everyone else.

The fact is that arguments about the past are often arguments about the present. Becoming a battleground for normative assertions about contemporary society, history stops being about what actually happened. We sometimes use and abuse it for our own purposes. In the case of Total War: Rome 2, the issue at stake was actually gender equality, and the way a popular game about the past has tended to depict the role of women (or not depict it). The same could be said for the controversy about Battlefield V.

Developers aren’t directly accountable to players for their political perspectives. They’re actually free to frame history however they like. Game makers have been doing this for as long as there have been games.

With its detailed depictions of the past,Assassin’s Creed is bound to come up in almost any discussion about historical accuracy in games. The developer behind the franchise, Ubisoft, creates incredibly realistic environments. Walk around Athens in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and you’ll soon see what I mean. The characters aren’t quite as convincing, though. Kassandra for example seems to reflect remarkably contemporary cultural values. Women may have been relatively empowered in Sparta, but there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that they were almost completely disenfranchised in every other part of ancient Greece. Could we call Kassandra historically accurate? This kind of question really misses the point.

Kassandra is a reflection of what Ubisoft wants the world to be—not the way it was.

[raspberryjones]

Legacies 1: RBG & #GrowingUpOrlov

Hours before news of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s passing had come in, #GrowingUpOrlov was in her room playing and listening to her favorite podcast at the moment. Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls is made up of 20-minute biographies of “extraordinary women who inspire us.” It’s based on a series of books which presaged the podcast, and which #GrowingUpOrlov’s also been reading, so occasionally at dinnertime, Mrs. Jones and I are on the receiving end of a lecture about heroic figures like Olympic gold-medal winner Wilma Rudolph, or Boudica, the Roman-era Celtic Queen. Hearing this little person we’ve nurtured from a pea, recite a story she’s just learned, one that’s important to her and informed by her maturing worldview, is truly one of the few unreserved pleasures in my life right now. By sheer coincidence, the episode that she was listening to on Friday afternoon was about an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, a figurine of whom stands atop her bookshelf. I went in to check on her around 3p. “Dad, do you know that Ruth Bader Ginsberg is Jewish and from Brooklyn?” she asked. When at the end of dinner I glanced at my phone and, heartbroken, shared the news that was lighting up my feed, #GrowingUpOrlov burst into uncontrollable tears, and ran back into her room.      

I can’t say if it’s a good thing that a nine year-old crying at the death of a highly politicized public figure — or attending enough street demonstrations to correctly finish the chant “No Justice, No Peace...” — should become normal. That “become” of course indicates ours as a position of social and emotional privilege. For many, this kind of care and engagement is a “continued” normal, one often coupled with just-as-normal persecution, either direct, violent and crisp, or constitutional, like a slow gas-leak that pollutes the air and becomes a permanent part of the atmosphere. I’m an immigrant, a political refugee with clear, first-hand memories of living in a literal (not existential) fear. #GrowingUpOrlov’s upbringing has been far more manicured, which makes her sympathies and reactions developed choices. Yes, her civic sensitivity was born in the Fall of 2016. Before she would learn about the White House’s current occupant, she heard that a woman had never been president and felt that it was only fair (probably the most indispensable word in her civic vocabulary) that we get one then. When this did not occur of course, there was an advancing recognition: of an increased agitation at surrounding social circumstances, of heated conversations, and of changes in relationships (including the discarding of family members - for which I take full responsibility). There was also disbelief at what new presidential leadership looked and sounded like. Her questions and opinions followed somewhat naturally, and a kind of feminist perspective took root. 

“Each generation must discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it, in relative opacity,” wrote Frantz Fanon in 1961, and in many ways, those words remain correct. For members of #GrowingUpOrlov’s generation though, the discovery appears to have arrived early, an outline of its mission — the social justice, environmental crisis and economic inequality concerns anyway — clearly sketeched, and the line of demarcation between those on their side and those in opposition increasingly apparent. Excuses of accidental ignorance have been revealed as blind entitlement, and the desire to prolong the innocence of childhood that helicopter parents from MAGA country to liberal ivory towers preach, exposed as systemic complicity. Watching a nine year-old at once engage such ideas, and struggle to comprehend the world she was born into, has been sobering. One can listen to parents of young daughters who’ve come of age during the last four years proclaim the future is female and has many capable hands to guide it (a notion I generally subscribe to), yet still regard it an indictment of myself and my generation. Explicable though they may be, the burning piles of our alibis and blind-spots are global toxins, unrecyclable and unimportant, not unlike many of the products we’ve spent our own lives creating, hoarding and marketing to one another.   

Maybe this premature mission creep is a blessing for #GrowingUpOrlov and her friends. After Friday’s tears dried up a little, with Mrs. Jones and I trying to keep our collective freak-out at bay, we decided that the best way to honor RBG’s memory that night was to sit down and watch Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s 2018 documentary on her life for the first time. One thing that stood out in the film is that Ruth too had an early understanding she was being called into action with a long-game ahead of her — her mother prepared her for it, and America’s patriarchy essentially rubbed her face in it. That recognition seems to be a shared characteristic of numerous actual 20th century American heroes, be it Ginsberg or John Lewis or the Rev. Joseph Lowery. Each acknowledged life’s inequities at a young age, and not only fostered the desire for change but was instilled with a belief that change was possible, and then spent their youth formulating the strategies to make it happen. 

The other thing I found funny/sad while watching RBG, is the names we give to all these role models: rebels, dissenters, makers of “good trouble.” The contrary aspects of their legacies is why we celebrate them and praise the battles they fought agains the society they were born into. What that says about the world we keep populating and the things we teach our children about the nature of humanity speaks volumes. 

[picascribit]

The next thing I’m working on is a rewrite of a fic I originally write 10 years ago, called The Education of Madeleine Yaxley. It’s a story I know can be much better than it is, and there are some more themes I want to explore with it. The characters are mainly OCs, but the Lestranges will feature prominently. I don’t expect it to be a runaway hit, but I’m looking forward to writing it all the same. Once I get going on it, I’ll take down the old version and replace it with the new.

I wrote an opener for it a while back that I am still pretty happy with. Call it a teaser. If you like what you see here, go subscribe to the old version, and you’ll get updates on the new one.

Madeleine Yaxley was reading. She was not generally much of a reader, but this book was different. Three more like it were stacked on her nightstand, jewel-bright covers glowing in the afternoon sunlight.

"Just try them," her cousin Ravenna had urged, pushing them into her hands. "They're brilliant."

They were. Maddy had already devoured two of them in a matter of days, and was deeply engrossed in a third.

"No!" cried Estelle, colour flushing her delicate cheeks. She pointed her wand at Maximo with a trembling hand. "I will never marry you! You murdered my father!"

Maximo tore his gaze away from her heaving bosom to fix on her crystalline eyes, bright with fury. Merlin, but she was attractive when she was angry!

"I did not kill your father," he said, voice deep and rough. "He was already dead when I arrived. I would have saved him if I could. All I can do now is protect his only daughter. You must wed me, and the marriage must be consummated by midnight tomorrow, or I will have no choice but to hand you over to your father's enemies."

Estelle eyed the tall, broad-shouldered wizard contemptuously. It did not matter how handsome and well-built he was, or that his eyes were the colour of the sea before a storm. She could never wed such a rogue, or yield her maidenhead to him, not even to break her family's curse....

Maddy sighed with rapture and rolled onto her back, squirming into a more comfortable position on the worn velvet coverlet, already anticipating what would happen next. Estelle might resist for another fifty pages or so, but ultimately, she would succumb to Maximo's charms, and realise that they were meant for one another. And then they would go to bed together. That was the sort of story Freya Lovelace wrote, and the sort of story that kept Maddy turning pages.

At fifteen years of age, Maddy identified passionately with the virginal young heroines of Lovelace's novels. Like them, she saw herself as strong-willed, but ultimately good and deserving. Perhaps if she were as beautiful as they, she, too, might one day be swept off her feet by a tall, handsome rogue with a troubled past, finally tamed by the love of a good woman.

A light knock sounded on Maddy's bedroom door, and her mother entered. Maddy sat up, closing The Maiden's Curse on her finger to hold her place.

"I hardly knew you were home, you've been so quiet." Cartimandua Venuti Yaxley smiled, sitting down on the bed beside her daughter. She picked up one of the colourful novels from the nightstand, and examined it, brow creasing. "Where did you get these?"

"I borrowed them from Ravenna," said Maddy eagerly. "They're so good and --"

Her mother pursed her lips. "These kinds of books aren't appropriate for well-bred young witches."

"But Ravenna reads them," Maddy objected. "And Auntie Boudica too. I think they're hers."

"Ravenna is older than you, Maddy," said Cartimandua gently, "and my sister's family takes a different view of such things than we do in this house, as you well know."

Maddy pouted, hugging the book she held to her chest. "They're just stories, Mum. And they're good. I like them."

Her mother set the book back down on the nightstand with a sigh.

"I know you do, Sweetheart. We all like things that aren't good for us sometimes. When you're older, you can decide for yourself whether or not you want to read these kinds of books. But for now, I would prefer that you don't. You're still very young, with a lot to learn about life. These books will fill your head with ideas and expectations that will only cause confusion and unhappiness, because the real world isn't like that."

"I know it's not real," sulked Maddy, though she did not truly believe it.

People fell in love and lived happily ever after all the time. Perhaps not her mother, but that did not mean it was all just wishful thinking.

"It's natural for a girl of your age to be curious about sex," her mother continued kindly. "But it's not healthy to dwell on those thoughts and feelings. Thinking too much about it can lead to temptation. Someday, you'll have a husband who will teach you everything you need to know." Cartimandua smiled and winked at her daughter. "Until then, be patient, Sweetheart."

Maddy blushed. She already knew all about sex. When she was small, she had thought babies were made by magic, until she realised that Muggles had them, too. Her mother had gently explained the truth: how a man put his "wand" into a woman's sacred place, to make a baby together. That it was part of a woman's duty to her husband. How good pure-blood girls like her must keep themselves pure before marriage, if they wanted to win the love and respect of a good pure-blood man.

"I'm going to put these away," said Cartimandua, gathering up the books. "We'll return them to Ravenna next time we see her."

"Yes, Mum." Maddy swallowed her disappointment.

She knew that Estelle and Maximo were destined to fall in love and live happily ever after, but she still wanted to read about how it happened. Maddy wondered how scandalised her mother would be if she knew that the dark secret of Maximo's past was that his grandmother had been Muggleborn. Fictional characters going to bed together was one thing; pure-blood girls going to bed with half-blood men was something else entirely.

[emilysidhe]

What we really need is an adaptation of the original 1740 The Beauty and the Beast

So were you aware that the The Beauty and the Beast story we all know is a heavily abridged and rewritten version of a much longer novella by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve?  And that a lot of the plot holes existing in the current versions exist because the 1756 rewrite cut out the second half of the novella, which consisted entirely of the elaborate backstory that explains all the weird shit that happened before?  And that the elaborate backstory is presented in a way that’s kind of boring because the novel had only just been invented in 1740 and no one knew how they worked yet, but contains a bazillion awesome ideas that beg for a modern retelling?  And that you are probably not aware that the modern world needs this story like air but the modern world absolutely needs this story like air?  Allow me to explain:

The totally awesome elaborate backstory that explains Beauty and the Beast

Once upon a time there was a king, a queen, and their only son

But while the prince was still in his infancy, in a neat reversal of how these fairy tales usually go, the king tragically died, leaving his wife to act as Regent until their son reaches maturity

Unfortunately, the rulers of all the lands surrounding them go, “Hmm, the kingdom is ruled by a woman now, it must be weak, time for an invasion!”

And the Queen goes, “Well, if I let some general fight all these battles for me, he’ll totally amass enough fame and power to make a bid for the throne; if I want to protect my son’s crown, I have no choice but to take up arms and lead the troops myself!”

(Btw, I want to stress that this woman is not Eowyn or Boudica and nothing in the way her story is presented suggests that she had any interest martial exploits before or in any way came to enjoy them during these battles.  This is a perfectly ordinary court lady who would much rather be embroidering altar covers for the royal chapel and playing with her child until necessity made her go, “Oh no, this sucks, I guess I have to become a Warrior Queen now” and she just happened to kick ass at it anyway.)

And the Queen totally kicked ass, but the whole “twice as good for half the credit” thing meant that no matter how many battles she won, potential enemies refused to take her and her army seriously until she had defeated them so no sooner would she fend off one invasion than another one would pop up on a different border.

So she spent the majority of her young son’s life away from the castle leading armies, but it was OK because she left him in the care of her two best friends, who just happen to be fairies!  This was an awesome idea because a) fairies have magic, and therefore are like the best people to protect the prince from any threats and b) fairies consider themselves to be so above humanity that the lowest fairy outranks the highest mortal, so they’d have no interest in taking a human throne.  Good thing they were both good fairies instead of one good and one evil one!

(Spoiler:  they were not both good fairies.)

So the two fairies basically take turns raising the prince until he’s old enough to rule.  And on the eve of his twenty-first birthday, the evil older one comes into the prince’s bedroom.

“So listen, kid.  You’re about to become king, your mother’s on her way home from the war to see you crowned, and I have a third piece of good news for you!  You see, I’ve actually been spending so much time here lately because Fairyland’s become a bit too hot to hold me for reasons totally not related to me being secretly evil.  And if I have to hang in the human world, I might as well reside in the upper echelons of it, so even though as a powerful fairy I completely eclipse your puny human status in a staggeringly unimaginable way, since you’re about to be king and since my premonition that I should stick this whole guardianship thing out because you would be hot one day has totally proved accurate (go me), I will graciously lower myself to allowing you to marry me.  Please feel free to grovel at my feet in gratitude.  (Btw, we can totally start the wedding night now, we’ll tell your mother about it when she arrives tomorrow.)”

Now the prince, being a day shy of 21, doesn’t care about the fairy’s rank so much as the fact that, even though fairies go thousands of years without aging, this particular one has been around for so many millennia that she actually looks like an old woman, and not like Helen Mirren old, but, like, ugly old crone old.

But between his mom’s letters and visits and the influence of the good fairy, he has managed to be raised right, so instead of saying this aloud he goes,

“But ... you raised me?   Like ... almost from a baby?  You’re like ... my aunt?”

And just like an anonymous dude on an online dating site, the rejection drives her NUTS.  She starts flipping tables and screaming about how dare he insult her and finally she transforms him into a hideous beast and puts these stipulations on the curse:

It can only be broken if a beautiful maiden comes to him, of her own free will, fully believing that he is going to eat her (because monster), and then later agrees to marry him, out of duty, again of her own free will and not because he threatened her or bribed her or told her anything about his real identity or what’s actually going on.  Oh, and if he uses his charm and courtly manners to woo her and win her over it doesn’t count either, bye!

So then the good fairy shows up the next morning for the coronation, she finds the grounds empty, the court and servants fled, and a hideous monster roaming the halls wailing, “Why did this happen to MEEEEE?” and she’s like, “What the fuck did I miss?”

But once she’s caught up, the good fairy is like, “OK, chill, I got this.”

And the Beast is all, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU GOT THIS THIS CURSE IS UNBREAKABLE!”

“No, it’s cool, I have a plan.  So first, I’m gonna conjure you some invisible spirits of the air to replace your human servants, because, as a prince, you can’t live without the service due to your station, right?”

And the Beast is all, “Yes, this is the 1700s so having servants is even more vital to my identity than a human body, that is absolutely the top priority I’m glad we’re on the same page here.  Also, good thing you’re not turning my human servants into moving furniture, cause that would be weird.”  *looks pointedly at 1756 version*

“Cool.  So now that we’ve solved the most pressing emergency of you potentially having to feed and dress yourself, the long-term plan:  The reason I haven’t been around so much is that I’ve been popping off to look in on this other child of a friend of mine, a half-fairy changeling girl being raised by human merchants, and she’s not only gorgeous, but very dutiful and good and I think she’s just the person to break this spell.  Plus if the plan works and she ends up married to you, the king, I will have fulfilled my promise to her mother that I would take care of her.  Two birds, one stone.”

“And she’s, like, my age?”

“Yes.”

“Cool, cool, liking the plan.  But how do we get her to come here believing that I’m going to eat her?”

“Well, her foster-dad lost all his money a few years back, but he just found out that one of his ‘lost’ ships came in after all and he was about to leave to check it out when I left them.  He asked all his girls what they wanted him to bring back for them, and Beauty only asked for a rose.  So, I’ll use my magic to make sure he can’t find a rose in the city, and get him lost around here on his way back.  You put him up for the night and make sure he leaves past the rose garden - he’ll obviously pick one, then you can freak out and call him a thief and say you’re going to eat him but will let him go say good-bye to his daughters first.  When she hears the story, Beauty will definitely come in his place because she’s the one who asked for the rose.  But when she gets here, you will instead become such an incredibly good host that she’ll eventually feel obligated to marry you via the rules of hospitality.  Oh!  And I’ll enchant some of the rooms with, like, self-playing instruments and mirrors that let her watch the opera and stuff so she’ll totally love it here.”

“This sounds great!  Thank you, good fairy, I’d never be able to do this alone.”

“Right. The only thing you have to remember is:  Don’t Be Charming.  No flowery compliments, no witty banter, nothing.”

“But I’m a prince!  All I do is charm!”*

“Hold it in.”

And that’s all the backstory, but before we go I just want to mention that the Warrior Queen Mother shows up while all of this is being explained to Beauty and she’s all, “Thank you so much for saving my son, but he can’t marry you, your dad’s a merchant.”  And the prince is like, “No, I’m marrying her.”  And the fairy’s like, “She’s half-fairy.”

Then it’s all, “No seriously, you can’t marry a peasant.”  And “No seriously, my twenty-first birthday passed at like the start of the curse, I’m technically the king now, and you can’t actually stop me.”  “Fairies outrank everybody.”

And they’re at a stalemate until the Fairy gives an exasperated sigh and is like, “I stand by my assertion that fairies outrank everybody to the point where in marrying a half-fairy your son would be marrying up, but would it help if Beauty’s biological dad was a lowly human king?  Cause he was.” “Yes, that ... fixes everything.”  “Great.  Well, I’m gonna head on back to Fairyland and work on getting that evil fairy arrested and becoming powerful enough to turn into a snake**, so, uh, I’m not coming to the wedding but don’t think I won’t curse you if you don’t invite me anyway, bye!”  grumbling:  “stupid humans”

Fin

*this is presented as a legitimate plot-point, that charming the pants off Beauty when they meet for dinner is something the prince actively has to resist to the point where he’s eventually afraid to say anything to her other than, “Will you marry me today?” lest something clever or flattering slip out.

**There was a lot of internal politics and machinations of the various fairies that the humans were basically pawns in that I cut out, especially from Beauty’s backstory, and a surprising amount of that revolved around who had and had not become powerful enough to turn into a snake.  Lifegoals, apparently

[hogwartswelcomesyou]

The Mods Discuss: Severus Snape

Tory: Okay, so first off, I would start with this contention – Snape is a prick, but he’s done some noble things. And more importantly, those traits do not have to be mutually exclusive. 

Star: To me, you can like a character, and still loathe them as a person. Snape in the real world would make me really angry, and he is completely evil, but as a character, he is incredibly well written, super complex and very flawed, but also has a lot of strengths. He’s done some very awful things, but he has also done some good. To me though, the bad outweighs the good.

Tory: Me personally, I wouldn’t say he’s evil – just completely and totally selfish. He has a very narrow and shallow world-view, and that means that he has an underdeveloped sense of empathy for others. I’ve known people like that, and they can definitely be frustrating. I guess it comes down to the question: is a good action done for a bad reason still good?

Star: bullying loads of students and exposing Lupin as a lycanthrope isn’t evil to you? Lupin was never able to find a job after that, and his assigning the paper on werewolves meant Lupin had to read essays from his students describing how to kill him, and he was likely overrun with panic of a student working it out. He also told Voldemort he didn’t care about Harry or James, so long as Lily lived, which is giving Voldy PERMISSION to kill a toddler, who has done nothing to him. As awful as it is, I can kind of understand his willingness to give up James, seeing James was awful to him at least the one time, but LETTING SOMEONE MURDER A BABY? And to answer you Tory, I don’t think so. If there is 0 other option and you absolutely must do something bad to achieve a good end, it’s not as bad, but if you do it out of laziness or inability to think ahead, then no.

Tory: Well, admittedly, the only one who actually finished the werewolf essay was Hermione, but that’s beside the point. I guess for me I personally have difficulty labeling someone as “evil” unless they are beyond redemption or any shred of goodness. Voldemort is evil. Bellatrix is evil. Umbridge is evil. Snape is a piss-poor excuse of a human being, capable of great cruelty and spite, but he also had the ability to love and was capable of great courage and selflessness. I guess for me I just see “evil” as an all-black term, with no potential for moral grayness – and Snape I do see as a gray character. 

Star: okay, so he’s not quite on the level of Umbridge or Voldy, but I still think he’s a gutless person. The fact that Neville is more scared of Snape than Bellatrix (the woman who tortured his parents into insanity!!), says a lot to me. And when it comes to Snape and Lily, i think for him it was more obsession and idolization of a person, I really don’t think it was love. And even if only ONE student completed the essay, he still had to read his best student who could have worked it out and turned him in, explaining how best to kill him, which would scare me silly. 

Tori: I’m also not comfortable labeling someone as evil, but for different reasons. ‘Evil’ is a subjective term that people can manipulate to fit their desires. In everyone’s eyes, the other person is evil. I do understand that there are characters, such as Voldemort, who are written to be the embodiment of evil. However, there were also circumstances that were beyond his control in the first place. (Ex: he had no capability to love.) To me, Snape is not an evil character. He certainly is not good, as we see him time and time again be emotionally abusive to students. I also agree with Star, I don’t think he actually loved Lily, but rather was infatuated with her. Love is an active choice, and Snape actively turned his back on Lily, the people she cared for, and the things that mattered to her. It was only until he realized that his choices were going to lead to her death that he felt remorse. Snape is not a good guy; he’s a jerk with some childish grudges that he needs to learn to let go. He’s also not completely bad either; he’s able to see the error of his ways. I think we as a fandom should stop trying to paint him as absolutely heroic or demonic, and just let him be the multi-faceted complex character that he was. He was man who made very bad decisions, and attempted to atone for them. 

Jinxy: I agree with Tori and Tory. I think that Snape definitely is a morally gray character who truly isn’t evil, but isn’t really good either. He does some awful things, he does some not-so-awful things. He recognizes that he did some bad things, but he was also the person who decided to make those decisions in the first place. He was very cruel to Harry for most of the series, and he’s driven heavily by his feud with James and feelings(?) for Lily. He does some seriously not okay stuff, but we do slowly see him try to correct his wrongdoings. I don’t like Snape as a person, he truly is cruel and mean, no matter what he does to try and fix it. But, as a character, he is one of the most intriguing, complex, characters that I have seen, which is something that I think that the fandom needs to recognize more. Someone can be a terrible person, and still be an interesting, complex character!

MoMo: Snape will always drive me insane. I was never a huge fan of him. He was rude and let his emotions control him and that’s not something I can find myself admiring. However, I’ve seen many arguments supporting his actions due to his past, and not just based upon his desire for Lily; he was abused, and everyone copes with abuse differently. On top of that, he’s sometimes interpreted as a creep, because of how he felt for Lily, but is it really so unreasonable? When she said she didn’t have romantic feelings for him and asked for him to back off, that’s exactly what he did. All he wanted was a friend, and that’s exactly what he never got. I’d be bitter too.

Boudica: Snape…..I definitely have no love for the man. While I support the efforts that where made for the Order where great. Overwhelming it’s a hard no. Everyone who’s ever been abused has a choice to make. How will I move on from my own trauma? Will I break the cycle or continue it? At nearly every point where he could have he didn’t. Color me not impressed.

Tori: I think we’ve come to an agreement that Snape definitely isn’t a good guy. I suppose it boils down to your interpretation of evil. 

Tory: I think that’s fair. To change gears slightly, I actually find the debate about whether or not Snape loved Lily quite compelling. I personally am in the middle – he definitely did not always put Lily’s feelings first, but he did still put a lot on the line solely out of devotion to her and her cause. Coming from someone who has people in my family who love me despite also consistently being self-centered and completely ignorant about my wishes, I could believe that someone can love another person while also not fully understanding everything love entails. And I could also believe that one’s definition of love can change. As an example, Darth Vader tries at first to coax Luke to the Dark Side so they can “rule the galaxy together as father and son” – I would argue in Vader’s self-focused, Dark-Side-corrupted head, he is showing love for his son, because he wants them on the same side, rather than as enemies. Later, however, he learns the true meaning of love when he sacrifices himself to save Luke. Even my own father has tried to pressure me into certain career paths out of misguided love. So I do feel like love can be expressed badly or not always fully understood.

Squish: Hm…Honestly I think everyone has these stages when it comes to Harry Potter (about Snape). The first stage would be hating him because you’ve only read some of the books and you may think he’s evil. The second, would be thinking he’s the hero of the whole thing, which may be true in some way (barely but okay). Finally, realizing that even though he did some good towards the end, he was a total creep who never got over his childhood crush. He even went so far to abuse her son because he reminded Snape of the man she truly loved. I’m sorry if I’m being harsh, but I really don’t like Snape as a character. It’s been brought to my attention of what it might’ve been like if Harry was a female, maybe looking more like Lily. I’m not saying that he would’ve gone as far as what you may be thinking now, but like… imagine. Me personally, think Snape is very messed up as a whole. He even only really helped when he was dying, by the way.

Tori: I think you can definitely care about someone without loving them. Love is not a feeling, it’s a choice, and I think one thing JK Rowling definitely did was challenge the notion of love, and make us analyze whether or not the relationships in Harry Potter were OK. Yes, I think Snape cared about Lily, but he didn’t love her because he never respected her. Respect is the key of any relationship. If you don’t have it, it’s not healthy. 

Jinxy: Maybe it wasn’t love but more of a lust? Desire? Obsession? Long after she dies, he still brings her up. He never really moves on from her, and I think that that’s really unhealthy, both for him and his mental health and for their relationship. I’ll wrap this up by pointing towards that one famous quote: “If you love something, let it go […]” Snape really doesn't do that, does he?

What are your thoughts on Snape? Tell us below! And feel free to let us know if there are other things in the HP universe that you would like to see us discuss! 

[mgnemesi]

"conquering soldier with a conscience Jay + spoil of war Timmy" I've been looking through your PitVerse and this is so great to me!! Could you expand on this one a bit more?

Hiiii!Late answer, but I had to regroup my ideas on this, because I’d totally forgotten the epoc.So, originally, I was of two mind in whether to place the story during the Sack of Rome (1527); or one of the sieges lead by Barbarossa during the Franco-Ottoman alliance (1540s) - quiet possibly the siege of Reggio Calabria, at that.  Then I thought something waaaaaaaaaay older would work better; namely, the Roman’s conquest of Britain in—uh, 60-70 AD? I think? With Jay as a Roman and Tim as Celt. Which then lead me to wanting Jay to be a Viking and Tim a guy born in Russia or Constantinople in the early 1000-1100 centuries?, I even went briefly with Spanish Jay and Inca Tim during the Spanish conquest, but UGH. SO MANY CHOICES.ANYWAY.I think we can imagine this being either the British/Roman or Viking scenario. More under the cut

Jason is a soldier. His army is conquering, laying siege, destroying, pillaging… there’s lots of violence around Jay, and he’s just. so. tired. He’s in a hopeless headspace. He feels angry, but his bursts of anger are quick to come and quick to go, plunging him back into despair soon after. He’s like a berserker during battles, fighting tooth and nail to protect himself and others around him, but he doesn’t enjoy the acts of violence themselves, the feeling of the blood, the sense of gutting unease he feels watching the life drain from a person’s eyes.He channels his loneliness and desperation with his sword, and has a name to himself as a incredible warrior, but he’s just a furious and quick to violence when he sees someone being mistreated. And he sees a lot of those people.His army - his guys - his troops - not his friends, ‘cause he doesn’t have any of those left, all lost in this senseless war … they are the ones in the wrong. They are cruel and ruthless, and while he always intervenes when other soldiers take things too far, one man on his own is not enough to stop an army, and ultimately, he doesn’t consider himself a good guy. Basically, he thinks that, in order to be a “good guy” he ought to die to protect the innocents, but he doesn’t WANT to die. PLUS, he thinks dying would also be the wrong choice, in the sense that, if he’s dead, he wouldn’t even be able to save the few he manages to save on the way… but he HATES himself for this logic. His mind quickly goes back to point one - “If I were a good person, I’d be willing to lay down my life, I’d be DEAD already” - and the vicious circle starts again, and again, and again.The one day, as the Roman army marches through - and basically reduces to ashes - a village, he sees some soldiers taunting and molesting a guy not much younger than Jay himself. I think Tim might be either a Celtic druid, who’s mouthing off to the soldiers while protecting their sacred groove/an artefact; or he’s one of the men Boudica led into revolt (same thing if we go with Spanish conqueror or Viking warrior Jay… Tim’d be the minute-looking, fierce-eyed, smart-mouthed guy protecting something small but devastatingly important to his people)EITHER WAY.Tim’s mouthing off.To the soldiers.Several of them.He’s fighting like a wild cat, fighting tooth and nail in the literal sense of the word, and Jason is taken aback so utterly, he’s actually snapped out of the rage-induced haze seeing this kind of scenes causes him, and he’s lucid and totally in control when he steps between the soldiers and Tim, and growls silent threats until, somehow, he acquires Tim as his slave/spoil of war).Tim is forced to go with Jason as his army keeps marching on. Sleeping next to him (manhandled and cuddled like a giant teddy bear, but much safer than he’d be sleeping out of Jason’s reach).In the following weeks, Tim becomes attached to Jason, and Jason to him. Tim can actually snap Jason out of his rages with just a whispered word or a caress. Once, Tim gets the chance to hide a knife on his person as they settle to sleep. During the night, Tim rolls over, drapes himself over Jason, then slowly raises himself on his knees, the knife held high over his head… and pauses. Unable to kill this infuriating man who is his captor, but also his only companion, who’s so good, while he should be all bad, who’s so tortured and desperate and beautiful.At this point, Jason reveals he was awake all along and whispers to Tim to go on and do it, to kill him and run. He all but BEGS, murmuring in a distant voice about the monster he is, how he’s not enough, never enough, but Tim just… flings the knife away and lays back against Jason’s chest and furiously whispers at him to keep living, if he feels so sorry, keep living as his punishment, and to let Tim watch that suffering as a sort of payment - of revenge - for all that he’s been forced to endure.It’s a string of lies, and both know it, because at this point they’re foolishly in love with each other, too deep to let go, but it’s a nice wall to hide behind. Tim’s not renouncing his revenge, but exacting it. And Jason’s not using the easy way out of his predicament.They run away soon after, and fight back against the Roman/Spanish/vikings. They help reconstructing villages and save the helpless and… undoubtedly die young, and not even side-by-side, but they get a few months/years of happiness together and in love.

[annamcnuff]

Cycling Route 50: America’s Lonliest Road

“Is sandy brown is your favourite colour? Do you dream of life in 40 degree heat? Do you too wish your face could be battered by wind AND sun? Route 50 vacations offers all of this, and more.” But let’s not start there. Let us start back in civilisation, back in the biggest little city in the world - Reno.

RENO

We glided gracefully into Reno via the summit of Mount Rose, watching the city emerge from a slightly Martian looking, but strangely beautiful landscape. Reno has a reputation as a ‘little Vegas’ - I hate to dash hopes of a 'Hangover Part 4’ story, but this wasn’t the Reno I saw. Much to my disappointment, Whoopie Goldberg, a la Sister Act, was not running around downtown (I can only assume she’s now back in the witness protection programme), nor did I feel that all the place had on offer were casinos - although it is the only city centre I’ve visited which is deathly quiet at 9am. No, for me Reno was all about the people. And I left in no doubt that there’s more treasure in the hearts of its residents, than in those slot machines (Awwww - it’s true).

A FEW DAYS 'REST’

Through a connection with Natures Bakery I was introduced to the lovely rabble at Reno Cycling Club. It was a jam packed 2 days from there on in. I got treated to a massage at the local spa (check me out), visited a middle school to talk to the kids and join them for their morning 'Billinghurst News Network’ broadcast (pretty sure I had more fun than the did), and even managed to get my mug onto the Channel 8 News. Very surreal, and an event that confirmed I sound just as much like a pikey on TV as I do in real life. I also got to hang out with local team member and host Grant, who told me how he’d switched to cycling after detaching both biceps through climbing : “It’s never good when your bicep rolls up into your armpit” he said. Blurgh. Followed by: “You should try climbing you know, Anna”. Um. No thanks, I like my guns just how and where they they are.

But believe it or not the best part was in the leaving…

INTO THE DESERT, ON MY TOD

On departure day, with Lydia having deserted me to return to behaving like a sensible human being in the UK, I was amazed to find a little Reno Cycling Club peloton gathered at Hub Coffee Roasters at 6am. As we wound our way toward the city limits the peloton gradually thinned, until last man standing and team director, JP, announced he would ride with me all the way to my stop that night. Result! The sigh of relief from my mum across the pond was audible.

It was a momumental day, and one that included singing (only me singing), lessons in American-English elocution (it’s pronounced Nev-ah-da, not Nev-arrr-dah) and a bike swap as JP rode Boudica the beast up a 10% hill. By the time we rolled into the campground at Fallon there were 115 miles total and 3,200ft of climbing on the clock - my longest day so far, but it had been a breeze (ish).

THE NEV-AH-DA DESERT

Basin. Fault. Range. This is what you’ll get the whole way across Nevada. When the Sierra Nevada mountains muscled their way upwards thousands of years ago, the poor state had nowhere left to go. So it got squished, conseteena stylie into a series of peaks and troughs. And that’s exactly what you’ll encounter as you traverse on Route 50 across it. Up. Down. Along. Up. Down. Along. And repeat.

The manner in which I approached the week spent on 'America’s lonliest road’ was almost as rhythmical as it’s topography. Each morning I’d get up at 4.30am and hit the road within the hour in a bid to beat the heat. I’d reach the top of the first pass just as the sun peaked over the hill, proceed to swear loudly, then drop my jaw as the dawn lit up a huge basin below - just enough so I could see some 20 or 30 miles across it to the next range. I tried a thousand times to take a great photo. To capture the ghostly outlines of mountains, upon mountains in the distance, but my shots never did it justice. You really have to see it with your own eyes. Until then, take my word that it’s a spectacular and a rather humbling sight to be greeted with each day.

To my surprise, each basin was different from the last, and I’ve learnt that the desert can be a varied place. Sand turned to scrub, to Grey rock, to Red rock, to forest, and finally to golden open plains that delivered me to Utah. The geek within (yes there is one in there) loved learning that The Great Basin is North America’s only 'cold desert’. That is, the majority of its annual precipitation falls as snow. Of course it still gets ridiculously hot, it just gets mighty cold too. A sort of BOGOF on extreme weather.

SO IS THE DESERT A SCARY PLACE?

Not really. Nothing happens. Like, literally, nothing. Only if you let your imagination run wild are you in danger of some minor pant-poopage. Axe murderers and drug lords need water too you know - they’ve no business in the desert. Mother Nature does hang out here however. And she’ll eat you alive if you don’t respect her and the boundaries she sets in the vast expanse of nothingness. In hindsight, this Girl Guide was probably a little over prepped for old Mother N. I carried enough food and water for 2 days - just in case things went tits up. 10 litres of extra aqua on the bike made it heavy going, but as a rookie adventurer, it was the sensible thing to do.

THE PONY EXPRESS

The what? Precisely. Allow me to shed light on the coolest bit of Route 50 history. Back in 1860, it would take weeks, even a month to get a message from the West to East in the US. A few military types had a bold brain wave - hire young, wirey, preferably orphaned chaps to ride like the wind across most of it in just 10 days. Sort of like an upscaled version of the 4 x 100m - with letters instead of batons and the men on horses instead of drugs (yikes, I just said that. And of course I’m joking). Alas, the Pony Express was no money spinner. After 18 months of running at a loss, and 4 days before the first West - East telegram, it shut down.

Throughout Route 50 you’ll see remnants of the original Pony Express trail, historic sites that convinced me it really is a road which should be travelled alone. I’m biased of course, but it’s just so unique. Travelling along it with a group of mates, you wouldn’t grasp… well, the lonliness of it. Riding my very own steely pink horse, meandering from small town to even smaller, I felt a strange kinship with the Pony Express riders of yesteryear. Unless my folks have a few big secrets to share - I’m not male, an orphan or 120 lbs, and I wasn’t chased by Native American Indians (that I noticed), but I did get a sense of just how vast the country is, and how bad-ass you’d have to be to do it on a horse, through all seasons, time and time again.

ONWARDS INTO UTAH

So did I get sick of Route 50? Sort of, It was time for it to end. It’s not an easy road by any stretch. The heat, strong winds and thunder storms made for tough cycling. The climbs are steady, but long and frequent enough to suck the life out of your legs, and a week alone with minimal civilisation will just about suffice for now. Above all, it was the lack of choice which got to me - where to stop, what to eat, where to sleep - it was all so dictated by the few and far between towns and services (gosh, quite the little princess, aren’t I?). It sucks the life out of adventuring just a little and I’ll be glad of more choice on the road ahead.

I’m now headed into Zion National Park, to meet my ridiculously supportive folks who are flying over to join in the fun/calm their nerves. We’re exploring Southern Utah for a few days, and I’m going to collect me some fresh kit for the next stint - into Arizona, New Mexico and up the Rockies. Yeeee haaaaaw!

This weeks pictures are a lot of wide open spaces and empty roads (go figure) - and they’re up to date on Flickr here.