#dying in the act of protecting him. he falls victim to the cycle of violence after your death. despite your best efforts

[sir-phineas-lost]

Yes, Ezran is a hypocrite

You ever browse through the TDP-tag and come across something that you take issue with, only to find out it is from someone who already blocked you and you think: “Great, this guy is back on his BS”. Well, situations like that are what the screendump is for.

So yeah, this post is going to be about Ezran and his decisions, and how some segments of the fandom defends said decisions.

Yeah, this much is accurate. Ezran does indeed remain consistent in his desire for peace with Xadia, but as we will see his idea of peace and what is required for it remains decidedly biased in Xadia’s favor.

So here we have the first spectacular example of hypocrisy. Acts of violence in self-defense should indeed be considered acceptable, but what this person neglects to bring up here is that this is something the show, and Ezran in particular, has outright condemned in the past.

Remember Pyrrha? That red dragon from season 2? What was she doing in Katollis in the first place? That's right, terrorizing a town and scouting for Xadia. Soren fires a bolt at her, but it misses and until this point, no actual violence has occurred. Then Pyrrha decides that she has all the excuse she needs to not only attack the watchtower but the entire town full of civilians. Claudia uses dark magic to shoot her down and if we go by this person’s logic, this must surely be an acceptable act of self-defense.

The show really doesn't see it that way though. Ezran doesn’t see it that way. At no point while watching this play out does he ever voice any concern for the people who were attacked or any condemnation of Pyrrha’s actions. And when it is over he does not run into town to make sure everyone there is all right, he runs to Pyrrha to make sure she is ok.

I will probably hear someone argue that at that point Pyrrha was the one who was down and needed the most immediate help in order to stop more death on both sides, but that just highlights my point. His desire to stop the violence on “both” sides conveniently only appears when one side needs it the most. It’s like watching a bully beat up a weaker kid for 5 minutes and then when the victim gets 1 good hit in you suddenly decide that it is time to call for a time-out. The show also goes the extra mile to lay all the blame for this horrible war-crime at Soren’s feet because he “made” Pyrrha attack.

The show clearly didn’t think acts of self-defense were all that different from other acts of violence before so why are we supposed to think it is different when Ezran immolates his own people for the sake of saving Xadia?

No, you don’t have to oppose violence in every circumstance to love peace, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a clear pattern in which situations Ezran decides it is finally time to “stand his ground”.

You can indeed make a great point about the need to fight a battle now and show your resolve in order to avoid greater suffering later, but this is once again a philosophy that both the show and this person has decided to twist in Xadia’s favor. See, this very same idea is at the core of Viren’s plan as well. That humanity must fight and take back their rights now in order to not fall back into a status-quo that leaves them suffering and dying in the long-term.

You cannot argue for this position and need to “fight for peace” without also examining the current relationship between the nations and what that “peace” will actually look like.

Yes, Ezran is very noble for accepting this deal for the sake of the soldiers, but it is once again something that only lasts until it affects someone he actually cares about, namely Zym and Rayla. And all that humanizing of the otherwise nameless and faceless soldiers will go straight out the window.

And here is where this person tries to make all of these contradictions into some kind of cohesive arc for Ezran. That his willingness to kill humans is somethng he has learned as part of his “positive” character growth, but it doesn’t work for one very simple reason. It is completely made up of wishful thinking. I see how someone could hear Soren say this and come to the conclusion that they have acted poorly in the past, but Ezran never has that moment of realization. There is never a scene where he admits fault or that he was naive to think he could stop the slaughter by burying his head in the sand. His decision to abdicate is never treated as anything other than a noble sacrifice and it ultimately turns out to save the day as the soldiers he negotiated to be let go come back as reinforcements along with Duren to kill off the soldiers who followed Viren.

More importantly, if the point was actually that Ezran has learned a valuable lesson about maybe having to do a horribly tragic thing now (like fighting a bloody battle) to prevent a larger tragedy later as this person suggests, then the narrative should still treat this choice to slaughter humans as a tragedy, and it just doesn’t. Instead of treating it as a somber affair they treat it as a clear battle of good vs evil and they make sure to literally dehumanize the soldiers as much as possible to make sure that we don’t feel bad for them. All that “empathy” Ezran felt for these same men and women before can conveniently be ignored in this case. They have once again been reduced to faceless puppets on a board.

But that’s just it, he doesn’t break the cycle, he perpetuates it. This is no longer a conflict that only his ancestors have killed in. There are people who would be alive today if not for decisions he made. Aanya killed Kasef, a boy of 19 with an injured dad and (supposedly) a younger sibling left at home. Should they take the murder of their family without complaint? Does anyone think they will not have a genuine grievance with the child queen who took his life? The same queen who swore to King Ahling that she would not send her troops to die in someone else’s war? Sounds to me like Ezran’s way of breaking the cycle is to kill when it is convenient for his friends and then expect the people he hurt to just let it go. No doubt the show will make Ahling out to be the bad guy for not being the bigger man and forcing Ezran to kill him too. It will always be “necessary” to break with pacifism when Ezran needs it to protect his magical friends.

Ezran will fight for his peace alright, but it is an uneven peace if ever there was one. He will not “stand up” to bullies, he will coddle them and shelter them from the consequences of their actions in the name of this “peace”. The next time Rayla says something bigoted about humans he will let it slide, or laugh at how funny it is. When Zubeia decides to get rid of some humans who practice dark magic in the name of “peace” he will certainly not fight for them half as hard as he fought for the dragon who committed a war-crime right in front of him. Not once has Ezran ever confronted the imbalance of power that started this war in the first place and he has given me no reason to think he will do so now that his “peace” is finally within reach. His new status quo will kill just as many humans as the previous one did, but things will be better for Xadia so why should he care?

That’s funny because it also mirrors every pretentious asshat who thinks they are deep because they can quote something in Latin.

Edit: I bolded the text because it was botheing me how it sometimes blended into the text from the other post.

[merrysithmas]

mmmm hard and quick question who tops boris or theo

😂🤣sorry i just need to pick myself up off the floor after thinking about THEO topping anyone of his own free will. the only kind of person i can imagine Theo topping is like... Agent Q from the new Bond movies but even after that they're like, yeahhh maybe this isn't for us. Lmao. Bc Theo doesn't like... want that.

(disclaimer: as a gay, i personally don't really like analyzing this topic in fandom, there is no menu or standard to human behavior and everyone reacts to the world differently and experiences pleasure differently, esp in a queer dynamic, so im like... who cares, dynamics are fluid anyway. but for sake of analyzing text here we go)

Based off the context of their personalities and dynamic, it is obvious Theo is thrown into massive depression and self-loathing when sleeping with women (Carol, Kitsey, Julie). He describes the experiences of sleeping with women as something he is monotonously expected to do, something that makes him uncomfortable and ashamed, or something substandard, and he never colors his descriptions of his affairs with women with passion, relief, or pleasure. He is like an automaton, simply following society's rules of how he "should" act and behave (or what he believes is so), essentially a Live Action Roleplay of misery that he follows with total loathing but adament piousness to stave off the horrors of his PTSD.

Now this is a point because of the way Theo and Boris (1) feel power and (2) experience comfort. Theo feels comfort and safety and power when he is vulnerable. He spends the entire book presenting a tremelous facade of being untouchable, invulnerable, and aloof (sometimes forcibly) when all the while he is dying inside from post-traumatic stress. He is a monumentous wall that could crack if you rested a feather on it. Yet Theo desperately abandons that ruse when he runs and crushes the painting to himself, his only relief, his most vulnerable and relieving moments. Crying, curling his fingers over it, feeling safe and sound alone and soft and aching when no one is looking. His only peace. Well, until Boris. Until Boris came along and held and crushed Theo himself to his own chest (mirroring how Theo crushed the painting) as Theo would wake screaming, choked with sobs, lulled to sleep in Boris' comforting arms. Again, safe, vulnerable, at peace.

So what I am saying is, Theo feels emotional fulfillment and safety and comfort not from the expression of control or power (in fact his agency is very much deleted by those things, as he actively kills his soul little by little with his obsessive unhealthy control and perfectionism of his fake life). Theo is relieved by and emotionally fulfilled by the expression of vulnerability and reception of safety and love. His best self is brought out and his healing starts and he feels like himself - like he is whole, finally.

So while Theo was curled into Boris' arms accepting his vulnerability in front of one other person (apart from his mother aka the painting), Boris at the same time was also experiencing something he seldom received -- a feeling of power and control and guardianship and the actualization of his physical realness, the use of his body to not just be victimized by violence from his father and then depersonalized but the use of it to protect and care for another. A gigantic relief and comfort and avenue of self-realization for him (bookended in adolescence by his gutsy kiss when Theo left -- acts of bold physical interjection giving him a sense of accomplshment and emotional power... ahem: Shh, Potter).

Boris is the exact opposite of Theo, which is another reason why they likely got on so closely and keenly. They are compliments. Whereas Theo feels relief and freedom in vulnerability, Boris feels no safety or comfort in vulnerability. Boris deeply fears vulnerability as evidenced by: his unrelenting horrific physical abuse by his father, his playful childhood violence used to express emotionality, jerking away fearfully when Theo tries to attend to his wound, becoming ghastly terrified when Theo drowns him, his profession as a gang leader who is highly skilled in physical intimidation and defense weaponry (so much so that he saves both of their lives in the shootout and does in fact get the painting back, even if short-lived), his ultimately flippant and nonvocal reaction to being literally shot, his liberal use of a plethora of a drugs, his aesthetic presentation of imposing nicely cut dark clothes meant to exhibit an intimidating figure/presence, his deleterious dynamics with Kotku (physical violence) and Theo (emotionally fearful), his habit of frequent colorful lying, his theft of the painting likely for some insurance of livelihood as a starving child.

Boris does not feel empowered and safe when he is not in control of his physical body -- Boris feels comfort and pleasure when he is in a position of control and power over himself and others. He has adapted his developmental shortcomings to serve his life in what he sees as a positive way and find peace with it. He leads a gang, he is a wealthy man, he can fix Theo's problems, he says honestly he has a good life.

There is also the question of emotional vulnerability -- again, although Theo is hugely closed off and it is pretty much the premise of the book, when he is most happy and most free is when he is emotionally vulnerable. Theo writes that he, of course, loves Boris. He writes he is happy during their idyllic year together and is more emotionally forthcoming about it than anything else in the book. He becomes jealous over Kotku because she "assumes ownership" of Boris - the person he feels emotionally comfortable and safe with. His love for his mother is an enduring buoy in his life, the painting brings him emotional relief, he falls into Hobie's arms as a derelict child, he frets feverishly over Boris' wounded arm. He is most himself in vulnerability after a lifetime of emotional suffocation.

Boris is also highly distressed by emotional vulnerability, but in context of Boris&Theo, it is Boris who is more fearful of emotional vulnerability as children. Theo cries in Boris arms, seeks Boris out, finds emotional solace in Boris. Boris, unaccostumed to this safety flees it and searches out an eventually toxic dynamic between he and Kotku instead. Boris changes as he grows older: feeling guilt over stealing the painting, telling Theo to value his life - he is philosophical by nature. However this emotional cognizance does not translate to his physical life. In fact it is the other way around: Boris uses that physical power and safety he has cultivated to lend him strength and space and psychological protection so that he can be emotionally self-analytical. Theo has become emotionally hardened until reunited with the painting and Boris, having Boris brings back Theo's physical and emotional freedom.

so yeah, TL;DR Boris.

obviously life and relationships are complex and there is variation in any dynamic but it seems that would be their standard, mimicking their first cuddled childhood moments in a more adult manner (shh, potter). it's a reflection of their dynamic. Theo is open to giving himself physically to Boris (in many small ways) and Boris is upheld and strengthened (and made better physically and emotionally) by that trust. He craves it so much he longs for it for ten years. And that support makes Theo better in return. A positive cycle.

i have such a hard time even imagining Theo topping Kistey like, that poor guy. It must have been soooo dead for him. Kitsey on the other hand would've worn a strap on just so they could have even a little fun until their eventual breakup but Theo's third-eye isn't opened far enough.

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Scarecrow- Part 3

Pairing: Eventual Dean x Reader

Word Count: 1,934

Warnings: Typical Supernatural violence, angst, language, minor character death, blood, you know the usual

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Please, if you want to be tagged for this series, let me know and I’ll add you! If you want to be tagged for my other fics, I’ll add you! I want to hear what you guys think about this. If you want something requested, send it in!

Feedback is always appreciated

Tags at the bottom

Part One, Part Two

“Dean, it looks like it too late out. Are you sure they are okay?” You bit your lip as Dean raced into Burkitsville.

“Y/N, would you calm down? We will make it.” Dean said, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

“Dean. This is a Pagan God we are dealing with here. I’ve never messed with one before but I know that we shouldn’t get on it’s bad side.”

“Y/N, no one is dying tonight and I will do this without you too if I have to.” You shut your mouth and just let Dean drive his car and hopefully, the couple weren’t dead when you got there. Dean’s car came to a screech at the entrance of the orchard and it looked even creepier at night.

“Shit, Dean, that's their car.” You saw the abandoned red car and you grabbed your shotgun from the back, handing Dean his. You got out of the car and raced inside the orchard, cocking the gun.

“Go find the couple.” You said to Dean. He was about to argue but you already ran off in search for the scarecrow. You walked and looked around for the creepy thing when you heard a woman scream. You raced to the noise and saw the scarecrow making its way to the couple who were running. You raised the gun and shot the scarecrow in the back. You knew it wouldn’t do any harm but it will slow him down and that is all you needed.

“Get back to your car.” You heard Dean say to the couple. Before the scarecrow could look back at you, you ran behind the trees and stealthily made your way to Dean. You heard shots being fired and growling come from the God.

“Y/N!” You heard Dean yell for you. You were dodging trees, making your way to the entrance.

“Go, Dean! I’m right behind you.” You couldn’t see Dean but you weren’t concerned for the Hunter right now. You knew he could take care of himself. You were focused on you and how you needed to get the hell out of there. You ran out to the clearing and saw the entrance. You saw Dean but gasped when you felt a blade hook onto your jacket and you screamed out.

Dean ran inside the orchard to come to your aid, leaving the couple behind. You saw the Scarecrow ready to devour you but you weren’t ready to die yet. You quickly got out of your jacket, leaving it behind as you ran away from him. You caught up with Dean and he held your hand as the two of you ran to the entrance.

“No, wait, Dean, my mom’s letter was there!” You ran back to get it but Dean held you back.

“No, we can’t go in there. He’ll kill us.” You looked back at the entrance to see him gone. You let a tear fall but you knew it was stupid to go back in there.

“What the hell was that?” The man panted, looking at his girlfriend.

“Don’t ask.” You and Dean aid at the same time. You put your hands on your knees and breathed out deep breaths. You had to get the letter back. You would just have to go in the morning, any time before sundown.

The next day came and you and Dean had an appointment with a professor who knew a lot about Pagan Gods and their history. You were in the car, waiting to go in when you took out your phone. Dean had his eyes closed, just resting them when you dialed the one person you missed.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me.” You said into it.

“Who are you calling?” Dean asked without opening his eyes.

“Y/N, are you okay?”

“Yeah, Sam, I’m fine. Dean’s okay too, if you were wondering.” You said, watching Dean open his eyes and turn towards you. You could see it in his eyes that he wanted to talk to his brother.

“Good, good. What’s up?”

“Well, Dean and I just dealt with a scarecrow. A scarecrow that walked right off its cross. It was really creepy in the daytime so imagine it at night. It kills couples and it has been for a while now. We had to interfere with the couple last night.” You looked at Dean and saw his hand twitch. “Hold on, Sam.” You handed the phone to Dean. “Would you like to talk to your brother?” Instead of answering, Dean took the phone and pressed it to his ear.

“Hey, Sammy,” You smiled at the relief that was etched on his face. You couldn’t hear what Sam said but Dean laughed at whatever was being said. “Yeah, I’m telling you. Burkitsville, Indiana. Fun town.”

“Put him on speakerphone.” You said to Dean. He did as he was told and you listened to Sam.

“It didn’t kill the couple, did it?” Sam asked.

“No. We can’t cope without you, you know.” Dean said. You heard him say we but you knew he meant I.

“So, something must be animating it. A spirit.” Sam said, ignoring his brother’s statement.

“No, it’s more than a spirit. It’s a god. A Pagan god, anyway.” You spoke up.

“What makes you say that?”

“The annual cycle of its killings? And the fact that the victims are always a man and a woman. Like some kind of fertility right and you should see the locals, the way they treated this couple. They were fattening them up like a Christmas turkey.” Dean said.

“The last meal. Given to sacrificial victims.” Sam said quietly. You wondered where he was.

“Yeah, I’m thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some Pagan god.” Dean stated.

“So, a god possesses the scarecrow and the scarecrow takes its sacrifice. Then, for another year, the crops won’t wilt, and disease won’t spread.” Sam put the pieces together.

“We don’t know which God we’re dealing with but that’s okay because we have an appointment with a college professor.” You said to Sam.

“I don’t have my trusty sidekick geek boy to do all the research.” Dean joked.

“You know, if you’re hinting you need my help, just ask.” Sam said. You wished they would just make up.

“I’m not hinting anything. Actually, uh, I want you to know…. I mean, don’t think….” Dean had trouble saying what he was thinking. You knew what it was but you needed him to say it.

“Yeah. I’m sorry, too.” Sam said suddenly.

“Sam, you were right. You gotta do your own thing. You gotta live your own life.” Dean said softly. You watched him and he looked sad but envy a bit.

“Are you serious?”

“You’ve always known what you want and you go after it. You stand up to Dad and you always have. Hell, I wish I… anyway…. I admire that about you. I’m proud of you, Sammy.” You smiled at his confession.

“I don’t even know what to say.” Sam said, surprised.

“Say you’ll take care of yourself.”

“I will.” Sam said.

“Call me when you find Dad.” Dean was about to hang up but you stopped him.

“I miss you a lot, Sammy. I wish you were here with us.” You said.

“Yeah, I miss you guys too but this is something I have to do.”

“Yeah, I understand. Please be safe.” You said sweetly.

“OK. Bye, Dean. Bye, Y/N.” Sam hung up and you took your phone back from Dean.

“Why did you let him go.” You asked.

“Because he deserves it.” He looked at the time and got out of the car, ending the conversation. You opened your phone back out and sent a text to Sam just in case you were in trouble.

Sam, please call us tonight. I have a feeling that something is wrong and if we don’t answer, please come to Indiana and finish this with us. Dean loves you and I know you love him so quit acting like babies and be together again.

You got out of the car and didn’t bother checking if Sam texted back at all. You walked into the university with Dean and walked to the professor’s classroom where he said to meet.

“Professor? My name is Y/N and this is Dean. We called about the Pagan information.” You smiled at him and he got up from his desk to shake your hands.

“It’s not every day I get a research question on Pagan ideology.” He smiled.

“Yeah, well, call it a hobby.” Dean chuckled.

“But you said you were interested in local lore?” You nodded and he continued. “I’m afraid Indiana isn’t really known for its Pagan worship.”

“Well, what if it was imported? You know, like the Pilgrims brought their religion over. Wasn’t a lot of this area settled by immigrants?” You asked.

“Like that town near here, Burkitsville. Where are their ancestors from?” Dean added to your thought.

“Uh, northern Europe, I believe, Scandinavia.” You saw him tense up but didn’t think anything of it.

“What could you tell me about those Pagan gods?” Dean asked. You would be asking the questions but you were too busy focusing on the professor’s reactions to the questions.

“Well, there are hundreds of Norse gods and goddesses.” The professor began to say, trying to steer Dean off the topic.

“I’m actually looking for one. Might live in an orchard.” Dean said.

“I have more information in my office. Please, if you’ll follow me.” The professor got up and led you and Dean out in the hall and down it.

“Dean, he doesn’t seem like he was giving off everything.” You whispered to Dean.

“What do you mean?” Dean whispered back.

“I don’t know. The people in this town give me a weird vibe. Everyone except Emily.” You stopped at an office and walked inside, seeing the professor holding a hand out to you.

“Wait here.” He walked deeper into the office until you could see him anymore.

“Dean, something is happening and I don’t know exactly what. That scares me.” The professor came back with a book and set it down, opening it.

“Woods god, hm? Well, let’s see,” The man said, rifling through the pages. You watched the different pictures of Pagan Gods flitter the pages but stopped the professor when you saw what you needed.

“What, what’s that one?” You asked, looking at the older man.

“Oh, that’s not a woods god, per se.” He said.

“The Vanir were Norse gods of protection and prosperity, keeping the local settlements safe from harm. Some villages built effigies of the Vanir in their fields. Other villages practiced human sacrifice. One male, and one female. Kind of looks like a scarecrow, huh?” Dean said, looking at the picture. You were getting somewhere.

“I suppose.” The professor said, shrugging. You could tell the professor was getting uncomfortable with this kind of questioning.

“This particular Vanir, it’s energy comes from a sacred tree?” You asked, reading the text.

“Well, Pagans believed all sorts of things were infused with magic.” The man shrugged.

“So, what would happen if the sacred tree was torched? You think it’d kill the god?” You saw the man tense and break out in a thin sheet of sweat.

“Son, these are just legends we’re discussing.” The shrugged and wouldn’t look at you in the eyes.

“Oh, of course. Yeah, you’re right. Listen, thank you very much.” You smiled and shook the man’s hand. You looked at Dean and motioned to follow you.

“Glad I could help.” You opened the door but once you did, everything went black.

Part Four

Masterlist // Series Rewrite Masterlist // Buy me a Coffee?

Series Rewrite tags:

@helllonearth @amyisabellal @deanwnchstr @caseykitten6 @roxalya19 @quixoticcat @supernaturalblogging

Forever tags:

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Other tags:

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