#facade¡sven

[rosejigglypuff76]

Made a matching Henry Stickmin Collection Meme, featuring Sven Svensson ⏳

Who's here to send a positive message to all of you, as we all venture towards a happy future! 🎀

[jazzstarrlight]

Request bg @amberstickmin

T3¡Sven and Facade¡Sven-Marvin to the rescue

I really like Marvin's outfit. So want the jacket and boots. Lol.

Tell me what you think!

[fandomnerd9602]

Being Hers

Elsa x Knight!Reader headcanons

You were a knight, trained from a young age to protect the crown.

Around her age, Elsa found herself drawn to you even through the fear of her powers. She was in love with you from a young age and yet the fear of her powers kept her away from you.

She found herself sneaking out of the self imposed exile of her room just to sneak to the training grounds to see you as you trained with the other guards.

For most of your life growing up in the castle, you felt someone’s gentle eyes on you. You’d see a streak of platinum blonde hair peering around a corner. Anna would often giggle, she knew exactly who it was.

Anna would try anything she could to get Elsa to talk with you. She even slide a ‘do you like Y/N’ note under Elsa’s door once.

When the time came for Elsa to take the crown, you were named Elsa’s bodyguard. Despite having seen her a couple times, the sight of her beauty took your breath away.

What you didn’t notice was that her breath had hitched at the sight of you in your armor.

‘Your majesty’ you bowed to her.

‘my knight’ she bowed back.

And then came the frozen lake incident. Anna ordered you to look after the people of Arendale along with Hans. You saw through his facade.

It was you that defended Elsa against Hans when Anna made her sacrifice and subsequently saved both herself and Elsa.

Elsa’s heart was finally open and yet she was still a little shy around you. Even in the comfort of her study while you stood at the ready, she could only steal little glances at you.

‘I’m at your side always, my queen’ you tell her.

‘please’ she gently asks you, ‘when it’s just us, call me Elsa’

‘of course…Elsa’ the sound of her name on your lips made her shutter a little.

It was the combined efforts of Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven that finally got Elsa to admit her feelings for you.

Elsa professed her love for you while you and her were in her study.

‘Y/N’ she found her throat dry, ‘I-I can’t have you as my bodyguard anymore.’

‘I’m sorry, my queen?’

‘I-I wish for you to be mine.’ Elsa stutters, ‘I love you. I know it goes against every oath and every vow you’ve taken but-’

You close the gap and kiss her gently. Despite the supposed chill of her powers, you found her touch, her lips, to be extremely warm. Her arms wrap around your neck as yours wrap around her waist.

Elsa giggles in delight, ‘I’ll take that as a yes?’

‘I love you Elsa’ you whisper against her lips, ‘I don’t care what oath or what vow, you’re worth breaking them’

‘Maybe we can make some of our own vows some day’

The idea sounded fantastic.

[eretzyisrael]

By Prof. Gerald M. Steinberg

Throughout the 17 years since the Hamas takeover, numerous reports have been published and videos posted detailing the growth of the terrorist capabilities inside Gaza. The frequent clashes with the IDF exposed additional information on the terror network and command centers located under and inside civilian locations, such as hospitals, mosques, schools and residential buildings. In the course of the operation that began following the October 7 attack, the IDF and journalists have added to this information, posting numerous pictures and videos showing the links between the aid operations and Hamas installations.

UNRWA is the largest aid framework operating in Gaza. It employs 30,000 staffers, mainly Palestinians, as well as about 200 international staff members, many based in Gaza or periodic visitors. It strains credulity to claim that the heads of the organization were unaware of the Hamas activities under and in the immediate proximity of their facilities and residences. In fact, evidence indicates that UNRWA international officials maintained a code of silence and cooperation with Hamas and associated terror groups, including promoting their propaganda and incitement and training of children for terror. Many UNRWA teachers have participated in antisemitic social media platforms, as documented repeatedly by UN Watch and other watchdogs. (On UNRWA corruption, see “UN Aid Chief Quits Amid Probe Into Palestinian Refugee Program.”) In May 2021, following the 11-day conflict, the top UNRWA international staffer in Gaza was forced to resign after acknowledging that the IDF counterterror strikes had been “precise” and “sophisticated.” The logical assumption, to be examined in this documentation process and evaluation, is that other UNRWA officials would have had similar information.

In addition to UNRWA, at least 12 other UN agencies are active in Gaza, including UN-OCHA (the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization. A preliminary review of the history indicates that the officials and employees of these organizations also followed a policy of silence, and in some cases, directly cooperated with Hamas.

Similarly, UNICEF maintained direct and open cooperation with terror-linked NGOs, such as Defense for Children in Palestine (DCIP). UNICEF also provided medical services during the Hamas-organized violent confrontations along the border with Israel under the facade of the “Great March of Return” (2018-2019), which served as rehearsals for the October 7 massacre. In addition, UNICEF’s disregard for Israeli children targeted in missile attacks from Gaza, including those who were murdered, is another important part of the record.

The same questions and issues apply to documenting the terror-enabling activities of diplomats and officials from government aid organizations. The EU is the largest single financial supporter and aid donor to the Palestinians, and therefore likely to have been a major source of materials diverted to terror. In this context, it should be noted that the European Union’s Head of Delegation (ambassador) to the West Bank and Gaza, Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff (2019-2023), met with officials of NGOs linked to terror organizations (see below), and in February 2022, participated in an EU-funded workshop “focused on the strategies and mechanisms needed to combat counter-terrorism policies, regulations, and policies (sic).” In July 2023, von Burgsdorff smuggled a paraglider into Gaza and demonstrated its use, declaring, “Once you have a free Palestine, a free Gaza, you can do exactly the same thing.” Three months later, the Hamas attack involved terrorists using paragliders.

The third category concerns leaders and employees of NGOs that operated in Gaza. NGO Monitor has compiled a list, based on UN financial information, of 70 NGOs that were active in recent years, and the total is likely to be higher. The largest, as measured by budgets and extent of involvement, include the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), CARE International, Catholic Relief Services, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), and Islamic Relief. Many major donor countries, including the US, maintain a list of “trusted partners” whose activities and personnel are exempt from detailed oversight and review.

[winterpantsu]

Would lamb ever have an egg with rat or lama wife?

Similarly would either wife have an egg together? [Like they did in the livestream lol]

What's juulda and alanar (sorry for the misspelling) opinion on shittens?

Will Sven ever move on from simping and find a new pasture in life?

Lamb would if they could, but they can’t, much to Juulda’s dismay, The Lamb cannot have kits with their wives because the lamb isn’t a mortal, but Juulda and Alnaar are, so even with necklaces that give eternal life, theyre not compatible. In fact the only reason why Lamb and Narinder were able to conceive is because they did not kill him when they usurped him, so he still has a little bit of godhood left in him that keeps him an immortal. (Something about blood and ichor not being able to mix, This is at least the case in my AU)

As for Juulda and Alnaar having a child together? They could, since they’re compatible, it’d take a lot of time, for them to decide on it, but down the road they’d do it.

Alnaar didn’t mind the shittens, she’s got a natural maternal instinct in her so she was quick to swoop in to help take care of the kits when Lamb or Narinder grew exhausted. Juulda was…. a lot less accepting, she wasn’t outright mean too them but she wasn’t exactly welcoming and nurturing to them either. It took her almost a year before she woke up and questioned why she was internally beefing with literal infants, just because she didn’t like their dad doesn’t mean that she shouldn’t act like another mother to the kids. So eventually she did warm up to them.

Sven does eventually stop simping. It took a lot of deep reflection but years down the line they realize that while they were in love with the Lamb, that they weren’t in love with them for the right reasons. They were in love with the idea of them, infatuated by the facade they put on, for the mask they wore. Sven was in love with the idealistic image of their leader, not them for who they are.

[kingkenzieofmold]

Hey sweet friend! Do you think it's alright if you draw Facade!Sven Svensson from my THSC Facade AU? ⏳

Also you do very amazing when it comes to drawing and story writing! 🎀

Thank you! I hope you enjoy!<3

[dark-twist-fairytales]

I'm sorry that I've been talking about oc's.

It will continue to happen. Particularly, dynamics and how Kee and Ezhno view other people and each other.

Those people including: Reginald, Right Hand Man, Sven, Accordion, and Violin (the last two belonging to @bluetorchsky )

It's under a cut because I don't know how long it'll get, but knowing me? Lengthy.

.. 2 hours later, it is lengthy

Reginald : Ezhno

It's something between a leader/follower and a father/son dynamic. While, yes, Reginald will treat Ezhno like a teen learning to be an adult, most of the time, it's like they're old friends. Reginald knows Ezhno's been through a lot without Ezhno saying anything.

Reginald : Keegan

Almost a pure leader/follower relationship. Since Keegan doesn't speak much, or been around Reginald long, it's a basic of commands and following.

Right Hand Man : Ezhno

They're an odd mix of 'gossip girls without the gossip'. If you leave them in a room with each other, they'll sit there and talk about work-related things and bounce ideas off of each other. They click together, but in this odd 'work environment' way.

Right Hand Man : Keegan

These two will chat and chat and chat. Well, more Right and less Keegan, but if you ever walk in on them, they'll act like mentor and mentee. It's a facade they put on, to still spend time together, but not seem like they're spending time. They click, but in a different way than Right and Ezhno.

Sven : Ezhno

When did cupid strike an arrow? Sven is the longest crush Ezhno has had, which scares him a lot. Now, Sven's chatty nature and ability to include Ezhno on things makes it easy for them to work out quiet easily, but the restricted schedule of Sven and Ezhno keeping himself busy, their time spent together is short and few.

Sven : Keegan

Only having met once, with Sven and Keegan they don't work out. Even if it seems like they do, the quiet and taller nature of Keegan intimidates Sven more than Accordion. This is also due to Sven knowing Accordion longer than Keegan, he's able to relax a bit around him. But around Keegan? Barely a single word uttered? Yeah, you won't see them around each other unless absolutely necessary.

Accordion : Ezhno

Did it take a little bit of time for them to get comfortable around each other? Yeah, it did. With Ezhno's initial fear of meeting Accordion, it took a bit to actually talk and strike up a conversation. But now? It's an older brother-little brother dynamic. It's one of the more rare times that Ezhno will actually sit down to chat or relax.

Accordion : Keegan

One of Keegan's first phrases was spoken around Accordion! While it took a while for Keegan to meet them, being in his own world and not particularly caring about certain things, he heard Ezhno being talked about (in a negative way), and remarked really quickly on it. They're dynamic together is quiet, and sometimes confusing, but just imagine gaurd dogs: quiet and alert on duty, but reserved and playful in private.

Violin : Ezhno

While these two don't talk much, Ezhno finds comfort in Violin. But, there is a little downfall to Ezhno hanging around Violin. It isn't known around, but Violin reminds Ezhno a lot of his father: Caring, kind, and a gentle giant. Ezhno doesn't voice on it, but he does find a lot of comfort and panic in Violin due to this. There are certain days he won't go around Violin due to being close to a panic attack, but there are other days where he wants to be around no one but Violin. It's an odd dynamic, but Ezhno confides a lot of trust in Violin.

Violin : Keegan

Similar to Accordion, they're dynamic isn't fully know, or it's just a confusing one in general. Is it common for Keegan to follow Violin? Yeah, sometimes. Keegan does like listening to Violin's voice, and even hums along if the other is singing/humming, but past that, there isn't much of a conversation between them. It's more of just an at-peace sort of deal around the two of them. It's hard to feel sad when they're paired together.

Ezhno : Keegan

They are slowly becoming closer, being able to pick up on each other's common body language, Ezhno speaks for Keegan and responds to certain sounds and expressions. Needless to say, Kee is the right roommate for Ezhno, no matter how much he wants to butt against being alone was fine for him.

[zmasters]

My Warhammer 40K OCs

Marianne Hellebor, Pilot of the Knight Abominant, Blazing Scourge

Appearance: A heavily scarred pale woman.

Backstory: The middle child of House Hellebor, Marianne was never destined to be a leader, and she was content with that. She was a skilled hunter, and enjoyed the thrill of battle, but hated politics. Before the fall of her House, Mari regularly joked about becoming a freeblade to escape political life. Well, her joke came true, in a roundabout sort of way. Her mutant sister was discovered by the Inquisition, her brother was killed by the team sent to purge the family, and her home was destroyed. Rage filled Mari’s heart, and a Khornate daemon offered her a chance at revenge. But Marianne Hellebor wasn’t an honorable warrior, despite what she claims. The Blazing Scourge offers her newly formed electroscourge to whoever is killing the warriors of the Imperium. The warband known as the Sons of Malice especially speaks to her, much to her patron daemon’s distaste.

Personality: Battle hungry and enjoys the kill. Mari tries to pretend to be an honorable knight, but her bloodlust breaks through the thin facade. During these breaks, Mari enters a fugue state, only waking up when her prey has been slain and mysteriously missing chunks of flesh.

Loyalties: Sons of Malice

Vera Hellebor, Pilot of the Knight Desecrator, Unrepentant Misery

Appearance: A female beastman, with turquoise scales, horns, and tail.

Backstory: The youngest heir of Hellebor, Vera’s mutations were evidence enough to the Inquisition that the House fell to Chaos. In desperation, her older brother and previous pilot of Unrepentant Misery (then known as Unrepentant Bravery) made a deal with an agent of the Alpha Legion. The Warpsmith Narvik would take Vera and Misery to safety, and Sven would help create sleeper cells for the Legion.

Personality: A shy mutant, Vera is friendly and reserved for a chaos mutant. However, her beastial nature and constant chidding from the spirits in Misery’s Throne Mechanicum causes her to become aggressive and abrasive during battle. Vera sees Warpsmith Narvik as a father figure, and serves as his serf and apprentice. As well, she is a psyker, with a particular interest in necromancy.

Loyalties: Lord Narvik, Unrepentant Misery, Chaos Undivided.

Lord Narvik, Alpha Legion Warpsmith and Vera’s adopted father

Appearance: A tall, olive skin space marine, decorated in cybernetics and metal tendrils.

Backstory: A former warpsmith of an Alpha Legion warband that has fallen to ruin, he and his few surviving brothers wandered the galaxy as spies and saboteurs for hire. At the moment, Narvik and his men work under the banner of the Rust Devils, a Thousand Sons warband.

Personality: Being an Alpha Legion warpsmith, Narvik prefers to work behind the scenes. He assists the Rust Devils in forging daemon engines, with his pride and joy, other than Vera, being a forgefiend holding an exalted plaguebearer.

Loyalties: Alpha Legion, Vera, Chaos Undivided.

CYLA:

Appearance: An artificial intelligence operating multiple War Dogs class knights.

Backstory: A rogue AI seemingly destroyed prior to the Man of Iron rebellion, it was later discovered that a shard of CYLA was at some point being installed into Unrepentant Misery. After being reawoken, they were given three war dogs to use as bodies, two karnivores and a brigand.

Personality: Being an early rogue AI, CYLA is uniquely human for an artificial being. They prefer to be referred to with female pronouns, and claim to have been in a romantic relationship. Having been inside of Unrepentant Misery for most of its history, CYLA has become protective of both the Machine Spirit and the spirits of past pilots.

Loyalties: Unrepentant Misery.

[gloriouswhispers]

OLAF RANSTRÖM

Age & Birthday: 61 years old, October 16th

Gender/Pronouns: Cis Male he/him

Species: Witch

Birthplace: New York City, New York

Job / Tie to industry: CEO of Zenith Entertainment

Positive Personality Traits: Confident, Logical, Organized, Driven

Negative Personality Traits: Intense, Meticulous, Removed, Cunning

BIO.

Olaf was born and raised in New York City, inheriting the powerful legacy of the Ranström name within the entertainment industry through their family company, Zenith Entertainment. From a young age, Olaf knew his future was intrinsically tied to the company, and his career path was set. Upholding his family's legacy and success became second nature to him, and he seamlessly transitioned into a career as a manager for some of the most prominent names in Hollywood and the entertainment world.

Despite the outward success and wealth typical of any Ranström witch, Olaf's early life was far from idyllic. He grew up with his brother, Sven, and sister, Elisa, under the shadow of their father, Gustav, who struggled with alcoholism and was often violent when drunk. Their mother, Anna, became disinterested and detached, especially after suffering from her husband's abusive behavior. Eventually, she moved back to her home country of Sweden, leaving Olaf and his siblings under their father's primary care.

Sibling rivalry was a constant in Olaf's life, particularly regarding career ambitions. When the time came for their father to retire, Olaf ensured his takeover of Zenith Entertainment was indisputable, muscling out Sven and Elisa from the company to secure his power and ownership. This power struggle left lasting strains in their relationships. Although Sven and Elisa still attend important family functions, genuine interactions among the siblings are rare.

Olaf met Agneta when they were both in their early twenties when she was an aspiring actress. Their fast paced relationship quickly led to marriage and the birth of their three children. Nina, Felix, and Jakob. The Ranström household has always lacked affection and warmth, with Olaf often placating Agneta's aloof and sometimes hysterical tendencies. He played his part in their children’s difficult upbringing, applying pressure for them to succeed while avoiding emotional intimacy, preferring discussions about business, finance, and success.

In the entertainment industry, Olaf is undeniably influential. Despite his calculated and cold demeanor, he can be charming when necessary. He believes the world is a stage and everyone an actor to some capacity, maintaining a facade even if it's widely known how intense a Ranström can be, no matter how pleasant the conversation may seem.

[miuarchiv]

p1: An illustration from Dr. Francis Lang's memoir, Mémoires d'un médecin de campagne 1940-1990, 1991. No caption was given. We deemed the location as Piazza del Duomo, see p2-3, the details of columns, streetlamp, and the "Motta" pattern on curtains. The Motta Milano 1928 Bar is still in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II now.

P4: The position of the visual horizon (marked as dark-red dotted line) was determined by extending horizontal parallel lines on the streetlamp base and the facade of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. If the camera's lens were held at eye level, then the photographer's height was about 165cm (since WS's height was 175cm according to his SS documents). However, the possibility of Chest-Level Shot cannot be excluded. We can only assume it was a trip to Milan during his treatment in Pallanza.

WS's story occupied one chapter in Dr. Lang's memoir. Lang was contacted by Roger Masson in May 1951, through a mutual friend in Swiss Police, Georges Ducry, to give treatment to WS. He generously covered WS's 20000 francs expenses until he left for Pallanza and received 30000 francs from Coco Chanel. His attitude towards WS was totally positive. Truly believing in the friendship shared by WS, Masson, and himself, He described WS in such a way:

"Walter Schellenberg was a handsome, friendly, intelligent man, a musician and a lawyer by training."

"Every second or third evening, when I had time, even at late hours, I would go and talk to my patient. He had fought in the Balkans, and he told me what he had experienced in Romania, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. I thought very highly of him. We were about the same age, we got along very well. Schellenberg was a devout Catholic, he took communion every day."

In conclusion, he asserted that "Even today, I affirm that I acted in good faith and that I believed in Walter Schellenberg's sincerity (cf. Document annex 2). I do not regret anything."

As Doerries already pointed out, there are some conflicts between Lang's personal discourse and that of other people, Klaus Harrprecht for example. His book had covered most aspects of this chapter about WS. A few details he trimmed off are as follows:

• A Swiss passport office staff named Marcus Waeber made a fake Swiss passport for WS under the name "Louis Kowalki" - a character from detective novels he wrote.

• Masson's confidant Sven Hinnen accompanied WS to Pallanza through the custom of Brigue on Easter day in 1952. This "very cheeky guy" stole a stamp from the customs officer's bag on the luggage rack and stamped WS's fake passport.

• The priest from Rome who administrated WS's last sacraments, Franz Emmeneger, purchased a tombstone for him in the Turin cemetery as well. (Another account about the one who paid for WS's funeral.)

• In the early 1960s, Lang categorically rejected the demand for files in his possession from the Swiss Police and Masson's successor Dupasquier. He only agreed to hand over these dossiers consisting of letters from various personalities and WS's microfilms to Masson. At that time he occasionally wrote to Irene. Although Irene asked him to keep in touch, he "had no more time and was no longer interested".

Lang passed away in 1992. His son Thierry Lang, a jazz pianist, remembered him as "fully devoted to his patients, worked 14 hours a day". Sylvia Lang, born in Buenos Aires in 1924, has turned 97 this year. She can speak 7 languages, the fact that she talked to WS in English while Francis Lang talked to him in German was a bit confusing.

Although Francis Lang was confident of his memory, there are some factual inaccuracies in this chapter, such as "In 1929, the young Walter began studying medicine in Bonn"(this may be the result of WS's own simplification, just as his own memoir), "(In Nuremberg)He was sentenced to 4 years in prison", "unlike other Nazi leaders, Schellenberg left his family in dire straits in Nuremberg, where his wife lived in a miserable two-room apartment with her 5 children" (indeed, it was possible that the Schellenbergs adopted the 5th child). After all, this memoir was written almost 40 years after their encounter. Thierry Lang also mentioned a fire at their home in 1962, which might cause damage to some documents that could have served as references for Francis Lang's writing.

Annex 2（FR&DE）:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/101AU3GjeKb9vaF9RsiqQAdAIkIuX7__R/view?usp=sharing

Thierry Lang talks about his family:

https://www.generations-plus.ch/?q=magazine/actualit%C3%A9s/personnalit%C3%A9s/thierry-lang-un-talent-qui-ne-vient-pas-de-nulle-part

French text translated to English by deepl.

The perspective analysis was done on another scan of this page without distortion but with lower quality.

[mybg3notebook]

I LOVE reading those, so just right from the beginning, I wanted to say that I'd love to see you keep up the good work, but with that being said, I just wanted to add my two cents if that would be okay!

Overall, my thoughts on those analysis, is that they're really on point huge majority of the time. But they misunderstand the most basic part of his character. He is not psychopathic. He has emotions, feelings, but just as you said, is also a victim turned abuser, that is in constant survival mode, and is actively trying to insure his survival by means of manipulation.

The scar reading scene is the biggest example of them being, to some degree, fundamentally wrong. He is vulnerable in that scene, showing trauma and genuine shame. Even though he is doing is very consistently, he's not manipulating Tav in that instance. It's one of those rare raw moments where he drops the facade.

He was a bad, corrupt man as a mortal, but that doesn't exclude him from also showing the subtilty of simply being quote "human"

Underneath that mask, he's scared, and traumatized. And those factors manifest as him entering the cycle of abuse and that 24/7 survival ensuring strategy.

Hello!

Thank you very much. It's very nice to read someone disagreeing in a mature way, since I've been receiving several hate messages from Astarion fanatics (because there is no other way to call them, defending a fictional char as if it were a holy symbol when in the end it's all about EA and the interpretation done by a nobody). I'm glad you enjoyed these notes and I thank you for your insight. However, I'm afraid that I’ll stick with my interpretation because, so far, I don't see strong enough proof to see him in another way yet.

If you check the list of approvals and disapprovals of Astarion, he has a very psychopathic behaviour in my opinion. Psychopathy is characterised by lack of empathy and remorse, and disinhibited, egotistical traits. Reading the list of meta-knowledge I've compiled, it seems fair for me to use that adjective to describe him.

The whole interpretation of his character would be very different for me if he truly would have been a victim before turning into a vampire. But he was a victimiser before, and ended up as a vampire because of his own greed and abuse (again, all EA). In a way, Cazador “brought” justice to Baldur's Gate (a wicked justice, that is). This is why I insist that I see the story of an abuser who found a bigger abuser, not the story of a victim turning into a victimiser. He started as victimiser, and as a spawn, he became victim of Cazador, aspiring to retake his position of victimiser.

I agree with you. I never denied his “humanity” as vulnerability. I emphasised many times that, like any victimiser, he suffers his own pain. Being evil doesn't make him immune to it. But it's always about him and himself. We all agree that since he is free for the first time in 200 years it's reasonable that he is more than eager to just think only about himself. So, once more, all these characteristics we agree revolt about himself and his pain, which is what psychopath cares about. I just add the context of his mortal past, which was of an abuser as well.

For some reason if you describe Astarion with what we see in the game, some people think you are judging him, and there is this need to justify all his list of evil approvals and disapprovals because he became a victim of Cazador after failing in outsmarting him in his corruption. But the raw description of his persona is that: a psychopath, who approves most assaults, and assassinations without being provoked, he approves all sorts of cruelty, animal cruelty, slavery, torture, humiliations. He even comments/approves Arabella death's and Mayrina's tragedy as “funny” shows. We don't see remorse when he accidentally kills Tav, supposedly the unique ally he has so far. He was sure that he had gotten ridden of Tav—his secret was safe—, so he is surprised when he sees them alive, and then he dismisses Tav's anger, adding that they should thank him even, because he is not a true vampire. The datamining scenes only show he suffers his own curse, and aspires for more power to be free first, and to bend the will of others, later. I only see a reiterative psychopath behaviour mirroring Cazador. I know that if Tav doesn't fail those checks during the bite scene, Astarion says that he won't forget the gift (a gift Tav doesn’t know because only via datamining we know that scene was not about thirst). I point this out just to show how, in the only reasonable situation in which we could have seen remorse, we see none.

The scar scene, in my opinion, is about vulnerability as you say, true. And shame, shame for having been too careless in outsmarting Cazador and ended up as his spawn after accepting his bite. We see this is an issue since he is pretty sensitive when Tav suggests to outsmart Raphael. He feels that mistake deep in his bones.

I see you understand the scar scene differently, and it's totally valid. My main goal in doing this blog was to keep my own interpretation in one single place, to easily share with friends, and to keep it as an archive for when the game is fully released so I can see how wrong I was or how much the characters changed. And also, as a side-consequence, to share it with the fandom if they want to read these long posts since an Astan friend encouraged me to do it. Evidently, this was a terrible mistake according to a certain group of his fans.

Again, I never denied that he is not traumatised, nor scared (therefore his paranoid attitude with Cazador), but he comes from an evil past, passes through vampirism (which increases even more his evil traits) and spent 200 years under a sadist master. Then you see all of his approvals and disapprovals, all the confrontations you can have with him with a good-aligned Tav, and the bear-drunk scene (which implies that any attempt to keep a facade is lowered because he is drunk on blood), I can't see, so far in EA, any hint that can tell me he wants to be something different of what he is in terms of evilness (also, why would he be? Bg1 and Bg2 have many wonderful Evil chars that never changed their alignment in the 2 games, not everything is about redemption, which is exactly my point in the post of Power). He only wants to kill Cazador, hinting that he may be the next most powerful vampire afterwards (with the help of the tadpole). We all see how much he enjoys the tadpole powers to bend the will of others. But he doesn’t care in the slightest to inflict upon others that mind control that tortured him for more than 200 years. The lack of empathy in him is obvious to me: he doesn’t even hesitate to inflict on others what tortured him for centuries. All these details bring me to interpret all what I wrote. And again, I’m describing him, this is not to judge evil chars. I like evil chars too, my point is I work with what I see.

It's also true that all the info we have is in EA, but like I said before, my interpretation is neither “sacred word” nor “unable to change''. So far, I see all that list of content in EA, the datamining information, and the Dev's notes (which were really key for me to see many details I was not seeing) and I conclude what I did in those analyses. The devs notes made me realise that more than one situation was manipulative when I was understanding it in a more honest way. For this reason dev's notes were removed from the game. Sven said that the core concept in the relationships with the companions was going to be trust. Evidently Dev's notes were ruining that process. So, sadly, no more narrative peeks in the code.

So, I agree to disagree. I never had the slightest pretension of being... I don't know, “the truth” of anything. If some people think so is because they love to misinterpret what's plainly written. Or my English is truly that bad.

With all this said, once more I thank you for being the first mature message in a while, and I thank you for your opinion. I also would take advantage of this message to say that I will refrain myself from doing Astarion-related content anymore. I'm very tired of these attitudes in fandom. I don't want any more headaches. From now on, I will focus on the rest of the companions instead.

Thank you again.

[rosejigglypuff76]

Happy 20th Birthday to me, RoseJigglypuff76 🎀

Here's Rose Mary the Jigglypuff (my Pokemon OC/Sona) with a couple of her pals in Chibi Form 🎁

Characters Showcased: 🎂 *Rose Mary the Jigglypuff (Pokemon OC/Sona) 🎀 *Herb Cookie (Cookie Run Franchise) 🪴 *Sven Svensson (Henry Stickmin Collection) ⏳ *Saki Yumeno (THSC OC) 🌹 *Mochi Bunny Cookie (Cookie Run OC) 🐰

[jazzstarrlight]

Request by @rosejigglypuff76

T3Nsion & the Facade¡

The Gov't got what they wanted. Top secret info retrieved, a few minor topcaps arrested, and -the cherry on top- Henry rescued an innocent captive. But this liberated captive knew a lot more than anyone could imagine.

He was from another universe, sporting the same name and DNA as the enemy Sven Svensson. As he mentioned earlier with Henry, he prefers it if he's addressed as Link to stand out from the scary T3!Sven, he was imprisoned by.

Henry pulled him into a private area before the pointy-eared oddity, Link, was taken in for questioning. "Alright, Link. You told me about alternate universes. That's OK. But to these guys, they're just gonna think you're crazy. So we need to get your story straight."

"You mean lie to the Government?! Oh no no no no no. I don't think I can-"

The ex-con covered Link's mouth and spoke above a whisper, "shh. It'll be easy. Let's say... your name is Link and you're Sven's long-lost twin. These guys don't have access to overseas medical files! You've been searching for Sven but when you found out what he does you tried to get him to stop, but he locked you up instead. Yeah? Play on the good twin/evil twin stereotype. K?"

Henry removed his hand and link nodded. "So I'm the good twin?"

"Yes, exactly. And not a word about wibbly wobbly spacey Casey stuff."

"Ok." Link accepted the story. "What about your abilities?"

"Same as the last statement. Only Charles and Ellie know and I don't intend to let anyone else know about alternate timelines, dimensions, or anything else along the lines of that stuff." Stickmin leaned back on an old oak, crossing his arms. "It is forbidden knowledge mere mortals shouldn't possess."

Link thought about it and sighed, "Yeah. You got a point there. OK. I won't say a word."

They exchanged a nod and head over to questioning.

Interrogations went smoothly other than a few timid moments from Link. But they bought the twin story and didn't press further.

As dinner time rolled around, Henry noticed the blonde was still shaken by questioning (and being around Charles makes it worse for some reason,) and took him to his and Charlie's favorite spot in the area.

A sturdy cliff coated in vegetation, out looking a solitary beach and ocean. To Henry, it's somber because this is the exact spot Charlie's grave would have been if he died.

"I come here a lot to slow down and think. It looks a lot different at sunset. You're welcome here anytime." Henry offered.

"Thanks, Harriot. This kind of helps a bit." Link takes in the scenery and Stickmin tosses him a prepackaged sandwich.

"There are many places like this in the world. Places where anyone can go and immediately feel at peace, no matter what. Take 'em in when you can and don't rush the moment when you do." Henry preached. "And don't forget to take the feeling with you if you ever feel overwhelmed or afraid."

Link chuckled. "I'll try."

Several seconds of silence pass as Henry's curiosity gets the better of him.

"So..." he clears his throat. "What's it like in your world?"

"Oh. You don't want to know." Link tenses up a bit.

"That bad, hu? I won't press you if you don't want to talk about it. Just curious is all." The white-haired man lies down on the grass and the blonde sits beside him.

"Let's just say... rolls are a bit... reversed. For the worse." Link says.

"Hmm. Alright. As I said, don't worry about telling me. Oh, hey! That cloud looks like a plane!" Henry points up to the sky and causes Link to laugh from the child-like exclamation.

They watch the clouds as Henry's team joins them and they stay like that till the sky turns dark indigo with the sun's absence.

End...

Enjoy!

[elsanna-shenanigans]

June Contest Submission #19: Nube Negra

Words: ca. 3,700 Setting: post-F2 Lemon: no CW: self-harm, angst

“It looks ready to storm outside.”

“Huh, you think?”

“Yeah, look.”

“Mmm. Does that mean you’ll stay longer?”

“Stay longer?”

“Yes, stay longer.”

It was always frustratingly fleeting, the times that Elsa would come to the castle. She would come for just a single night, maybe once a week if that, and often would not even stay until morning. The rain had provided the perfect excuse, it would have been simple for her to stay. Elsa wanted to stay, right?

Anna slumped in her throne, one hand tightly gripping the arm. The other raked its way up her face and through her hair, smoothing it for the hundredth time. Why? What had she done to deserve this ire? It had all been going so well before, so what changed?

She needed to reflect on what happened last night. How could it have gone so wrong? It was just a simple request. Now Elsa was upset, and she had to piece together why. But maybe she should have expected that from her, because her efforts always made Elsa upset, didn’t they. No, that was cruel.

‘Think, Anna!’

There was only a limited amount of time before court began, so she would have to do this quickly. Now then, where did this all begin?

__________________

The day was beautiful, and the heat gentle. The humidity did its best to smother everyone, but the heat was far too tame to cause breathy discomfort. Gale had brought a message confirming the allotted time, and Anna had the time set aside by her advisors. Running a country took a lot of effort, but she could always make room for Elsa.

Anna had noticed the grey clouds gathering in the distance and hoped to the gods above that Elsa would make it before they realized their threat. It probably didn’t matter, since it wasn’t like she felt the cold or that type of discomfort. They would have fun, indoors or out. That’s what mattered. If she was lucky, it was possible that they would be able to cuddle up again while the rain pattered down.

It was strange though, Elsa’s letter. Something about the word choice felt stilted, or maybe reluctant was the better word. There seemed to be many a reference to being very busy and still hoping to make it, despite all the issues. Was she trying to say that she wasn’t coming at all? If so, why not state it outright? But that was something they could bring up later, since Elsa didn’t have to come if she really didn’t want to. Anna wasn’t that clingy.

__________________

‘The letter.’

Oh man, she should have read that more carefully and taken it to heart. Stupid, stupid, stupid, how could she have been so blind? Elsa hadn’t wanted to spend time with her and tried to let her down easily. And who could blame her? Anna could be clingy and overbearing on the best of days. Was that an attempt to spare her the upset?

Elsa had always been the reclusive type, even before the accident. Heck, even afterwards it was difficult to spend time with her. Anna had tried to respect those boundaries, but even she knew she had broken them occasionally. That was wrong, wasn’t it. Terribly, utterly wrong. Boundaries were there for a reason.

Her head ached and a sick feeling rose in her chest, along with a lump and a pit in her stomach. God, god, oh god she was horrible. Her nails dug into her forehead and raked her scalp hard as tears threatened to well. No! The person in the wrong should not be upset for their misconduct, it was their own misbehavior.

It was for the best that Elsa spent her time away from someone so awful, who treated her in such a sick way. Making her so deeply uncomfortable and yet still drew her in like a tired moth. And yet, and yet loving Kristoff, good Kristoff…

He gave it all up, hadn’t he? But he was the son of love experts, he would know, they would know. He had offered to help them hide, had known since long before. And yet he stood with them. Why? Why would he give hope to someone like her?

__________________

They had spoken in private before. Matters of the heart, discussions of romance. It was a topic of common interest between them, and Anna was a quick learner. Kristoff was as enthusiastic as she, but over time something in their dynamic changed. Maybe it was the spark in his eye, or maybe it was her dulled excitement. Whatever it was, something was off.

It all came to a head when he stopped her in the hall one day, and they retreated to a private study where they would not be disturbed. Kristoff himself looked impassive, though she could tell his composure was just a bit off.

Kristoff breathed in, and spoke:

“Anna, I know.”

A spark of confusion and worry leapt into her chest as she responded.

“Know what?” Her voice was pitched up, almost breathless.

“Look, I know how you feel about Elsa.”

“Y-you what? I- You do?! I- I mean I don’t feel anything about her, except well sisterly love but you know that’s normal! Right? Right.”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Kristoff gave a wan chuckle, “I’m not mad.” Anna blinked. “You’re not?”

“Anna, I was raised by love experts. Trust me when I say I know what I’m talking about. And you sister? You’re in love.”

“But… but I’m not. Well, I am but it’s with you.”

Kristoff shook his head and smiled.

“You really are oblivious huh.”

“I am not!”

“Okay, let me put it this way. What would you do for her?”

“Anything! You know that!”

“Would you die for her?”

“You know I would and did with that whole frozen heart thing! I’d be dead if it weren’t true love!’

“Feistypants, that’s not how people usually act. And the true love? It doesn’t apply to everyone.” “That was sisterly love and you know it.”

“Anna,” he said, “listen to me. I know what I’m talking about. It’s okay to admit it.”

She looked at him, mouth quivering, then said, “But what about you?”

“What about me?” “Wouldn’t that hurt you?”

Kristoff shook his head. “I’ve gotten over it, really. I just want you to be happy, okay? That’s what would make me happy.”

Anna shook her head and hugged him. “God, Kristoff, I don’t think I could repay you.”

“How ‘bout a sack of the best carrots you can find for Sven?”

“Kristoff!”

“Okay, okay, geeze.” He raised his hands in mock defeat. “But really, I’m here for you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

__________________

She knew well that probably hurt him a lot, especially when he proposed to keep their facade going. After all, it was improper for a young man like him to spend time with the princess unless they were to marry or something similar. But it was even more improper for a Queen to love her sister. Certainly, there was precedent but not between sisters.

And yet for a time, all was good. They spent time together, they snuggled and kissed in private. It was easy. They were in love, and that came with some arguments, but nothing was wrong. But then the apathy began to settle in, and Elsa began to almost resent being there.

The change was so subtle, maybe she had no chance at noticing. But maybe there was just that base incompatibility of certain parts of them that they had ignored in their honeymoon phase. At what point had she become upset at the lack of contact between them despite the plethora of time they had? When did Elsa become tired of her presence, annoyed to have company?

She should have capitalized her time when they both lived together. She should have done something, anything other than what they had done. She should have reached out first and communicated. That’s what she had always been told, that communication was key to a relationship. And she failed, hadn’t she? She failed, and she was seeing the consequences of that.

Should have, could have, would have. It was useless now, because the present moment became the past and she did not. In the moment, it did hurt when they weren’t together or if she felt that Elsa would leave her again. And she did, didn’t she? But maybe that was inevitable. Maybe that was healthiest for them both if she was too overbearing and hurt by their childhood to heal while Elsa was still there. Worst of all was the fact that she might have to be okay with that and heal from her own mistakes.

Anna’s hands shook as she tried to steel her nerves and not curl up, crying. She wanted nothing more than to scream and cry and beg in upset. Instead, she raked her nails over her scalp again, relishing in the little grounding the pain provided. This was far too much for one little girl like her to handle.

‘No!’ she screamed mentally. She was a queen, an adult woman, and it was time for her to act like one. This entire mess was her fault, and she had to take responsibility. She could not- would not collapse emotionally in front of her people. Even when her sister had seemingly died, she took the next right step. Even in her deep uncertainty, she willed herself composure until it was over.

There was no use in pitying herself or behaving like she wasn’t the one who instigated this. What she had to do was do better in the future. And thus, she had to relive what went wrong so that she might now do right. It was only what Elsa deserved. And maybe Elsa didn’t deserve to have someone like her, but she would do her best to be the best partner she could be.

And yet, she still couldn’t help but be upset at the rejection.

__________________

She waited in the entrance hall, as was customary. There was nothing quite like watching the grand double doors open to let in Elsa’s figure. The juxtaposition between the massive oak doors and the tiny silhouette of her sister was mesmerizing. It always called to mind a painting where the splash of color drew the eye and allowed the art to unfold from there.

And then they didn’t. She waited, and waited, but there was no Elsa. The grey clouds had coalesced by now and had begun darkening. What caused her to be so late? There had to be a reason for it. Maybe she had gotten caught in some early downpour in the forest?

There had to be a reason. Elsa was not the type to be tardy, so it had to be something else. Still, it irked her some. Couldn’t she have sent a forward letter with Gale informing her that she might be late? Or maybe she was too busy to do that. Maybe she was in danger and it was awful to suspect her.

Anna read and reread the letter, hoping to glean some new meaning out of it. Unfortunately, the letter stayed inert and did not succumb to her wishes. All she could tell was that Elsa was supposed to come at the correct time but was busy. Busy with what? It never clarified, and it was probably rude to ask. Still, it couldn’t hurt to emphasize the importance, right?

But then Elsa became later and later and Anna continued her vigil in the entrance hall. It was foolish really, she ought to be working on things now so that they might have more time later to make up for the time lost. But she still desperately wanted to be there when Elsa arrived so she waited.

Finally, the time came. Anna was twisting her hands and watching the door with aching eyes, hardly daring to blink. 

‘There. Movement. Please, let it be her.’

And it was. Elsa’s face seemed almost haggard in the firelight, though her expression was neutral. She was perfectly dry, and seemed to be alright. That piqued Anna’s curiosity more, but she shoved it down. Anna then smiled and crinkled her eyes, caught between conflicting emotions and genuine gladness. Only the gladness was allowed to shine through.

“Hey you, you’re finally here.”

“Hey, I’m here.”

Such a simple statement. And yet it sucked the wind out of Anna.  The lack of enthusiasm hurt, but she was determined to spend this time well. They greeted each other with a simple peck on the lips.

__________________

What a fool she had been to not say anything then. Should she have called her sister out to prevent what was to happen next? No, that probably would have escalated the conflict sooner than it had. The conflict was inevitable by then. Maybe if they… no. No ‘maybe’s or ‘what if’s. She had to figure out what to do next.

The letter was her hint. Elsa did not want to stay for long, likely because she tired easily of human contact. That had been established. But why did she say nothing in that case? Why did she always shield herself behind excuses of being busy and implications but never statements of how she felt? That wasn’t fair. She’d done her best to interpret them.

No, that wasn’t fair at all. Heat rose unbidden to Anna’s face and her teeth bared themselves in fury as her brow furrowed deeply. How dare she, how dare she! This was not Anna in its entirety! She made mistakes, yes, but so had Elsa! At least she was willing to think back and change her poor behavior!

She wanted to scream again, to shout, to beat her fists against something in fury. Stomping, pacing, clenching her hands until they hurt. It almost felt cathartic to imagine it, but she maintained composure. An adult did not throw fearsome tantrums.

But now her upset morphed into rage and the thoughts spilled into her mind. It wasn’t right that she always blamed herself. It wasn’t right that Elsa never communicated and always locked herself away. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right, and she ought to be allowed negative emotion, oughtn’t she?

‘You know that’s unhealthy. But it’s fair, it had to be fair.’

But it wasn’t, she had the right to be angry, right? Elsa may have thought she was doing the best she could, but she hadn’t. Couldn’t she see how much that hurt the people around her? How much it hurt her? She reached out again and again to her sister, trying to help, trying to care, and how many times had it been rejected?

Who else then, could she have blamed? Certainly not her parents. They weren’t the ones who were seemingly mysteriously shunned. They weren’t the ones who were faced with the prospect of being trapped in a gilded cage after being given a taste of freedom.

Spreading blame was wrong, she knew this. It was worthless in such a hapless event like their childhood. But she couldn’t help but have her heart rate rise at the mere thought of Elsa’s actions recently. She ought to know better! 

It simply wasn’t fair. It was not fair. She did her best. Elsa withdrew. She tried to find out what was wrong. Elsa withdrew. Was there nothing she could do that didn’t involve driving her away? And in that instant, less than a fraction of a fraction of a second, she hated Elsa for everything that happened.

The moment ended and she was struck with a bitter sting of remorse that left her insides twisted and hollow. Hatred wouldn’t fix their relationship. Anger wouldn’t either. Neither would self-pity nor self-hatred. The only thing that could fix this was reflection and work. So reflect she would.

__________________

Everything had been going so well. Despite her initial misgivings, Elsa seemed to mellow out and allow herself to be swept up in the games. Anna forgot her concerns and they played, all of them, as a group. When was the last time they had been able to do this? Spend time all together, embrace, and lose herself in Elsa’s arms? When did it become so that their relationship oft lacked such basic touch?

What had gone so wrong?

It mattered not. She enjoyed every stroke from Elsa, every cuddle. She stroked Elsa’s jaw, Elsa played her fingers on the nape of Anna’s neck. The sensation was electrical. They continued such touches throughout the lovely evening and until it was time for Elsa to go.

 Already, Anna ached for the phantom comforts from Elsa, but she walked her to the main hall. There, they spotted black clouds lying in ambush above, and waiting for them to leave. 

They spoke the fateful words, Elsa being the one to ring the fatal doom-toll.

“It looks ready to storm outside.”

“Huh, you think?”

“Yeah, look.”

“Mmm. Does that mean you’ll stay longer?”

“Stay longer?”

“Yes, stay longer.”

__________________

Anna couldn’t help but wince at those words. They circled themselves, round and round in her head. Rumination they called it, but she knew that they would not leave her until her dying day. Powerful was the pain of hypotheticals.

She should have known something was wrong when Elsa became increasingly less receptive to contact. Maybe she should have known something was worse when she openly snuggled. But that didn’t make sense. Elsa had never been reluctant to express love, even if it was difficult at times.

Contact, she suspected, may have been linked with the frequency of seeing her. Elsa’s visits stopped up as if they had become increasingly difficult. It wasn’t like being around her was the issue, even though it clearly was. It seemed that Elsa was reluctant to come, but glad to stay for a time. 

‘But not for longer,’ her brain reminded her.

No, not for longer. That much was clear now. It was upsetting, but she also understood that it must have been one of Elsa’s boundaries that she had broken. Of course it was. She should have known from before. It almost felt like a minefield, blinded as she was from communication. 

She breathed out as she understood. They needed to talk. What mattered is that they talked.

__________________

When Elsa said no, Anna couldn’t help but ask and wheedle for her to stay. Both out of a desire to see her for longer and because it concerned her to see Elsa in what was likely to be a massive storm. It wasn’t like the forest had a roof, and Ahtohallan caused her more worry than not.

Elsa grew increasingly frustrated to the point where they broke into a shouting match. Anna didn’t know whose voice raised first, or why they began shouting anymore. She had run the memory so ragged and remembered it so much that it was hardly more than a blur.

Still, she could remember the intense emotional pain that came with it, raw and jagged. The upset was so severe that she felt sick mid-argument, wishing for anything else, anyone else to be there. The build-up had boiled over and all came crashing down.

At the same time, the clouds decided to drop their heavy yokes and loose the rains upon them. The crash of thunder and flashes of lightning punctuated their furor. They threw insults and upset word, uncaring of the consequences. In that moment, the only objective was to hurt as much as possible.

Nobody intervened, as they let the fight play out. In the end, Elsa stormed out into the heavy rains as Anna called her name with increasing hysteria. She crumpled to the ground in defeat as her senses and rationality returned to her.

__________________

It hurt to remember, she didn’t want to. Anna longed to take the memory and shove it away so that she might be spared the pain and embarrassment of her own childish actions. But that too would be childish, so she instead reflected on it.

Her behavior was wrong. She behaved poorly and broke boundaries in the relationship. Realistically, Elsa should have left her for such things and didn’t. That much was true. Anna had to learn from her mistakes and remake herself into a better person. Someone who could love Elsa without hurting her.

But Elsa wasn’t an angel either. She had failed to communicate. Her silence was inasmuch a sin of inaction as Anna’s was of action. She could not know she had done wrong until she was told by Elsa. Dropping only hints and then blowing up at a person when they misinterpreted them was also wrong.

Anna sighed. She may have been able to recognize that it was not solely her, but she had no control over Elsa either. What she did have control over was herself, and she intended to do the next right thing. What more could she do?

Love took work, and True Love doubly so. She had made a mistake, but she would not cower from her burden. No, she would not do that, not to Elsa. She would fix this, somehow. She would find a way to communicate with her, to reach the same level, and intended to work with her to improve what they somehow broke.

Anna’s heart clenched as she realized that it all balanced on one thing. That Elsa would be willing to extend her hand and meet her halfway. She would do all she could, but there was a very strong possibility that it wouldn’t happen.

It would hurt terribly. She knew that they could have ruined everything forever, and she would have to live with that. Could she live with that? Yes, she had to. For her people, and most of all for herself. Even the largest jagged wounds could heal. But she hoped against hope that Elsa felt the same way.

It seemed an uncertain given with their true love. Of course they would heal, that is why their love was true. But the damage they had unwittingly done due to their inherent differences was large. Could they? It had to be.

But she didn’t have time to think about it any longer. It was time for court to be held, and she would address her problems later. Now the time came for Queen Anna to rule wisely and compassionately. That was a queen’s duty to her people.

As the doors opened to the first petitioner, Anna saw their silhouette.

“…You?”

[96thdayofrage]

In the first five minutes of Raoul Peck’s docuseries, Exterminate All the Brutes, a subtitle appears on screen. “The Disturbing Confidence of Ignorance: 1836 Seminoles and Maroons.” A determined Seminole female chief (Casia Ankarsparre) appears on screen. Unblinking, she says, “This is the day we fight.” The next scene is a meeting between the chief and a male Maroon leader. In this scene we see a true story that the majority white gatekeepers who control Hollywood rarely include in their whitewashed stories about the history of what we now call “America” — Black and Brown living in integrated community, sharing resources, and resisting white supremacy. As they sit in a circle under a modest covering, the Maroon leader humbly offers to run in order to protect the community. The chief replies, “We’re family now. You stay.”  The Maroon leader emphasizes that he doesn’t want to bring harm, to which the chief knowingly says, “They bring harm to our nation, not you.” The white man wants their land by any means necessary. They decide to fight together to protect one another and their land.

Exterminate All the Brutes is a documentary series that jumps time, brilliantly ripping off the facade of “the American Dream,” allowing the audience to face the reality that America was born as a colonial power and to this day operates as one. Peck wrote and narrates the docuseries, so he literally tells the thinly hidden truths of how America came to be. Exterminate All the Brutes holds no punches, defining white supremacy as a poisonous superiority complex that kills nations in order to thrive.

Peck is one of the most renowned storytellers of our time. After completing I Am Not Your Negro, he says that he felt called to make Exterminate All the Brutes, which deconstructs the origins of white supremacy. Now is the right time for this momentous series. Normally, the documentary filmmaker is “outside” of the film. Peck skillfully inserts himself into the story using home movie footage of his Haitian American immigrant family, grounding viewers in relatable reality as he guides us through over 400 years of imperialism and the impact of white dominance and fascism. We need that in order to bear witness to hard truths. Peck is familiar with dealing with dictators. His middle-class family was exiled during the reign of Haitian president/dictator Francois Duvalier and ended up living in Brooklyn when he was a child in the 1960s. Peck narrates, “We traveled a lot because of another dictator, but it doesn’t feel like an exile. I am with family. I am an immigrant from a ‘sh*thole country,’ like he said.”

ALSO READ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,’ Season 1 Episode 3: “Power Broker” — RECAP

Three books are the foundation of this docuseries. Exterminate All the Brutes, by Sven Lindqvist, exposes the cruel impact of European imperialism on the African continent. An Indigenous People’s History of the United States, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, details the Native American genocide. Silencing the Past, by Michel-Rolph Trouillot, is about how Haiti’s independence in 1804 changed the trajectory of the Western world. Peck unites this circle of intellectual healers to create the extraordinary HBO docuseries and credits these authors, who are also his dear friends, as co-creators of the film.  

History is remembered by the victors. American history has been reinforced by Hollywood. The Civil War ended in 1865. Moving pictures were invented in 1893, and in 1915, The Birth of a Nation (a white supremacist propoganda film) was the first blockbuster film made in Hollywood. We have generations of Americans who believe in the big lie of Western expansion by Westerns that center one white man killing everyone with a gun.

Peck uses his superpowers as a filmmaker to tell the truths of history from the perspective of the colonized. The docuseries not only uses historical footage and newsreels but also Peck has created full narrative short stories within the documentary to add nuance, humanizing the history.  

The white male lead of Exterminate All the Brutes is Josh Hartnett. The character Hartnett plays has no name, but I recognized him immediately. Josh Hartnett is deftly playing white superiority, a character every Black person in America has to endure a daily basis. I have to say, experiencing the way Peck wrote that character and how Hartnett deftly embodies that toxic energy was more frightening than any race-based horror film or series I’ve seen this year. Witnessing the impact of that white man dominating through time was a frightening truth we rarely see told openly. I’m just grateful that I’ve lived long enough to be able to see the truth of this country on screen.  

The parts of the documentary that hit me hardest used animation to powerfully reflect the North Atlantic Slave Trade and the Trail of Tears. I will hold those images in my heart forever. Stories give us the opportunity to empathize. We can look past the superficial differences and see we are one people. White supremacy thrives on simplicity. Exterminate All the Brutes is a rich documentary that uses wise storytelling to clearly share the complexity of the system grounded in white dominance that we are all living under.

The documentary is broken up into four episodes, which are really short films.

Part 1: The Disturbing Confidence of Ignorance

Part 2: Who the F*** Is Columbus

Part 3: Killing at a Distance, or How I Thoroughly Enjoyed the Outing

Part 4: The Bright Colors of Fascism

When deciding to make this film, Peck was encouraged by his friend Sven Lindqvist, who said to him, “You already know enough. It’s not knowledge we lack. What is missing is the courage to understand what we know and to draw conclusions.” As I’ve been watching the Derek Chauvin trial for the murder of George Floyd, Exterminate All the Brutes was a form of catharsis for me. After viewing the entire series, I feel charged up and inspired to continue to do the daily work of dismantling white dominance as our ancestors need us all to do.

Don’t miss Exterminate All The Brutes, written, directed, produced, and narrated by Raoul Peck, now streaming on HBO/Max.    

Episodes: https://www.hbo.com/exterminate-all-the-brutes/episodes

Additional films, books and resources:

https://www.hbo.com/exterminate-all-the-brutes/raoul-peck-essential-reading-films

[callousdegenerate]

I love the controversial opinions, but I feel bad for asking and outing their secrets! Lol. Can you tell us something kind of nice we wouldn't usually expect from the doctors? Even Lilah can't be all bad!

Some of these are pretty obvious, but some might not be. I guess a few qualify as random facts but here u go

Yosuke: Yosuke is capable of showing care for others despite the way we've seen him act. While his tendency to take care of Ten is often with selfish motivation, he still does have some tender spots.

Mom: Mom is incredibly giving and willing to guide others underneath her crazy and insecure layers

Jude: Jude is a bit of a traditional romantic and would know how to show someone a good time if he cared to

Sven: Sven doesn't like showing kindness to people usually, but he might toss random gifts at people he doesn't hate as a nice-ish gesture

Gale: Gale is not much of a dog or cat person, preferring other kinds of pets. They don't have time to maintain and take care of one, unfortunately.

Micah: Micah is capable of being gentle with a person if need be, but he prefers his usual facade. In the outside world, he's able to drop his usual spiel and act normally around others

Nathaniel: Aside from acting, Nathaniel wasn't half bad at track and field, though he hardly cared for the competitive nature of sports and opted not to do anything with it.

Jonathan: Jonathan likes watching soap operas.

Milos: While Milos has taken care of his body before, he does occasionally get winded easily

Lilah: Lilah hates kids, but she'll begrudgingly play nice around them because they're too stupid to know better.

Monica: While Monica was usually more of an upbeat party girl, she probably once had friends outside of her usual clique, perhaps a few who were alternative. Since she mingled with so many kinds of people, she's more lenient about different social expressions even if she doesn't fully understand them

Lucius: Despite having come from some money, Lucius once had a more "socially acceptable" sense of morals and had a fascination with law enforcement (especially likely because of what happened to his father)

TO: TO was briefly enrolled in a military school once, and has an intense dislike/distrust of militia as a result. Moreover, because he knows it's easy to sway people with money, he has little faith in the justice system