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hephaestuscrew · 1 year ago

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“This has both our names on it”: Viewing Fleet and Clara’s relationship in Victoriocity through a queerplatonic lens

TL;DR: By Season 3 of Victoriocity, Fleet and Clara have developed a committed emotional partnership that certainly moves beyond the purely professional. Whilst very much operating as a duo, they can be interpreted as often rejecting or subverting romance-coded elements in their relationship, instead embracing a unique dynamic that can be read as resonating with the concept of a queerplatonic relationship (QPR).

Buckle up because this is over 2,500 words long! If you'd rather read it as a document, you can access it here: Fleet & Clara QPR Google Doc

Disclaimer: I'm not making any claims about creator intent, nor about how anyone else ought to interpret Fleet and Clara's dynamic. It's also worth acknowledging that queerplatonic relationships are inherently defined by the people in them and any attempt to apply such terminology to a story set in 1887 is obviously anachronistic (although whether that should matter when said story also contains a cyborg Queen Victoria is up for debate).

With that said, if we define a QPR as a committed personal partnership which is not entirely captured by the typical expectations of either friendship or romance but may contain some elements typically associated with either (other definitions of QPRs are available), I enjoy viewing Fleet and Clara's relationship through a QPR lens, and I want to talk about some of the reasons why I think this reading works.

***Spoilers for all three seasons of Victoriocity and the novel High Vaultage***

Detective duos

Even before we actually get into Fleet and Clara's particular bond, detective / crime-solving duos as a general concept have QPR energy to me (which probably predisposed me to this interpretation). It's the Holmes-and-Watson legacy. It's the use of the word 'partner' in a non-romantic context (‘associate’ or ‘companion’ can also serve a similar purpose). It's the intense trust and reliance on each other. It's the sense of being a recognisable pair, always appearing together, known as a duo, with skills and attributes that complement each other.

Romantic assumptions

Moving on to Fleet and Clara specifically, one aspect of their relationship that can be read through a QPR lens is how they are often in situations where other people believe or imply that there is a romantic relationship between them. Sometimes this is a deliberate strategy of theirs, and sometimes it’s imposed upon them by others. But I’d argue that there’s never a point where they both simultaneously seem entirely comfortable with that romantic narrative for their relationship. Usually one of them will actively deny the assumption or react negatively to the implication:

When Mrs Hampshire interprets Clara and Fleet as a couple experiencing “young love”, Clara might be happy to adopt this as an effective cover story, but Fleet seems unsettled and keen for them not to be perceived this way: “No. No. You’ve misunderstood, we are not, that is to say I am…” (S1E2)

When Warden Hughes assumes Fleet is the new Warden and Clara is the new Warden’s wife, Clara says “I am certainly not”, with emphasis on the ‘certainly’. (S2E2)

Fleet definitely doesn’t sound enthused when he realises Clara has gone for a married couple as their cover story at the Grand Salcombe: “I am sure I’ll regret asking, but by any chance am I [Mr. Theasby?]” (S2E2)

When Titus Byrne tells the pair “I take it you're happy sharing [a room]”, Clara responds with a horrified “What?” (S3E4) (Obviously sleeping in the same room isn’t inherently romantic, but it is often perceived that way.)

Of course, fake dating and external assumptions of romance are very common tropes in romantic will-they-won't-they dynamics, and these moments could definitely be interpreted that way for Fleet and Clara. But I prefer to read these instances as reflecting a different kind of closeness between these two characters. They have a sense of emotional partnership that allows a marriage cover story to seem plausible to others and that other people sometimes automatically assume to be romantic (obviously with some period-typical heteronormativity at play). But to me, it doesn't seem like either of them are fully comfortable with their relationship being perceived in a directly romantic way. Perhaps they are a couple in a different sense…

Proposal via door plate

The way that Fleet asks Clara to be his business partner has always seemed to me like a platonic version of when people find personal ways to surprise their romantic partner with a proposal:

CLARA: You bought me a door plate for your office? [...] This has both our names on it. FLEET: What do you think? CLARA: I like it. (S2E7)

Fleet could have just asked Clara outright, without going to the trouble of buying a sign that would have been useless if she’d said no. If it was purely a professional business proposition with no emotional meaning behind it, I think he would have just asked verbally. But instead, he gifts her a sign with their two names paired together: Fleet-Entwhistle Investigations. There's something so intimate about that to me: about Fleet asking Clara whether she would like to be a duo with him in a more formally-defined but still non-romantic way; about him choosing to present this offer in the form of a gift; about the way he presents her with their two names joined together etched into metal and asks what she thinks; about the significance that this gesture attaches to their partnership; about him having enough trust that she'll say yes that the effort and vulnerability of presenting her with that sign seem worth it for him. And the gesture means an awful lot to Clara:

She thought about the door plaque he’d had engraved with both their names on it as his way of inviting her to be his business partner – typical Fleet, refusing to tell her so much as his favourite breakfast food and then to go and do something like that. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. (High Vaultage, p187).

Anniversaries

In the special episode ‘Murder in the Pharaoh's Tomb', Clara says “And you know what else is a big occasion Fleet? It's our one-month anniversary.” She wants to celebrate the anniversary of Fleet-Entwhistle Investigations. Their partnership holds a significance for her that means key dates associated with it are worth remembering and remarking upon.

When Clara first mentions their anniversary, Fleet nearly chokes on his drink, which seems like an instinctive reaction to the usually romantic connotations of an anniversary (see my point above about Fleet not being comfortable with their dynamic being perceived as romantic). But when Clara clarifies what she means, Fleet seems much more cheerful about the notion of their anniversary: “Ah, so it has.”

“Miss Clara Entwhistle, my partner”

I get extremely strong QPR vibes from this moment, when Fleet introduces Clara to the sailors at Grave End:

FLEET: This is Miss Clara Entwhistle, my partner - in business, my business partner. CLARA: I'm also his friend, but he doesn't like to say it. (S3 E3)

Fleet and Clara are partners, but not in the way the average person might assume from that word, which Fleet realises mid-sentence here. This is another instance of Fleet reacting negatively to the idea that their relationship might be interpreted romantically (see above). And yet, 'partner' (rather than, say, ‘colleague’) is the word that comes naturally to him in this moment to describe who Clara is to him. He then frantically emphasises the professional element of their relationship so as to avoid the romantic implication, but Clara is keen to proudly assert that there is a personal, emotional aspect to their dynamic too. They are first-and-foremost partners, and they are friends, and they do not want to be seen in a romantic light - this post basically writes itself...

“Her ridiculous detective.”

When Clara fears for her life at the display of the Lanterns, the narration tells us:

“she thought of her brother, her sister, her parents... Her ridiculous detective.” (High Vaultage, p172)

The fact that Clara thinks of Fleet in this moment of fear clearly indicates his importance to her, but I think the phrasing of this quote is particularly interesting. The narration lists Clara's immediate family: two of whom are dead (her sister and father), one of whom is publically mourning Clara's life choices (her mother), and only one of whom we have any real evidence of her having a positive relationship with (her brother). And then, separated from these complicated familial relationships by an ellipsis, the narration tells Clara also thinks of Fleet, “her ridiculous detective”.

Parents and siblings are familial relationships that tend to come with established expectations, in which the use of a possessive pronoun (i.e. her brother) to indicate the relationship is a norm. ‘Detective’ does not fall into this category; unlike ‘brother’, ‘sister’, ‘parent’, ‘friend’, ‘partner’ etc., ‘detective’ is not a word that inherently implies a relationship or that we'd usually expect to see preceded by a possessive pronoun. The idea of ‘her detective’ therefore stands out, giving the sense that there is a unique relationship being indicated here. The way in which Fleet is ‘hers’ is something that Clara has chosen for herself, something that they have shaped together. Who they are to each other can't necessarily be fully expressed using standard phrases that traditionally describe relationships between people. But Fleet is Clara's detective, of which she only has one, and who she'll think of in the midst of “the screaming of the heavens at the end of the world”.

Fleet is also the only one in this list of Clara's loved ones who gets an adjective - her love for him has detail. And while “ridiculous” might often be perceived as negative (it's certainly not a classic romantic endearment), it seems to me like there's such fondness in it in this context: the recognition of and affection for eccentricities, the idea that his importance to her is not (purely) based on his professional strengths but on Fleet as a whole - perhaps at times ridiculous - person.

“Settled”

When Clara and Fleet talk about Clara's mother’s expectations for her, they have this exchange:

"She's still living in hope that one day I'll settle down." "You're not settled?" asked Fleet. "I am." (High Vaultage, p259)

By ‘settle down’, Clara's mother of course means ‘marry’, ideally into “at least a minor baronetcy”. But Clara already considers herself "settled", just not in a way her mother would understand or appreciate. She's not looking to "settle down" into a lifestyle other than her current one. She is settled in a situation where Fleet is certainly her closest personal connection in London (and perhaps anywhere), and where the two of them work closely together, operate as a duo, and then go back to their separate homes. And this partnership with Fleet is a comfortable set-up that feels right for Clara exactly as it is, rather than being a precursor to, or a distraction from, the marriage ambitions that her mother wants for her.

I think this exchange also contains an implicit sense of the commitment between the two of them. Fleet wants to check that Clara is ‘settled’ in her current situation, of which working closely - and platonically - with Fleet is obviously a major element; Clara confirms she is. There's a subtle indication of their shared intention to be in this for the long haul.

As a sidenote, Fleet and Clara’s implicit assumption that their partnership is a long-term one can manifest itself in joking contexts as well as serious ones. Look at this exchange from S3E5:

FLEET: We're not bandits, we're just going to flag it down. CLARA: We'd be terrific bandits! FLEET: Let's just see how our current line of work goes.

I think it’s notable that, in this joking speculation, both Fleet and Clara use ‘we’ and ‘our’. The joke could have been phrased just as effectively if they were imagining only Clara becoming a bandit. But the suggestion is that, if either of them was a bandit, they’d be bandits together. Even if they changed their lives entirely, they'd still approach life together.

Inseparable

Fleet and Clara have become a nearly inseparable duo in a way which is noticed by others. For example, after Clara and Fleet fall out in High Vaultage, Fleet meets with Keller, who says:

"You're here with me instead of barrelling across town with her, so I'm just assuming there is some thickheaded puffinry for which you need to apologise to Miss Entwhistle" (p335)

Keller, hardly the most emotionally perceptive man in Even Greater London, automatically infers from the fact that Fleet is on his own that he has had a falling out with Clara, rather than that they just happen to be in different places. When all is well, Keller expects to see the two of them together, whether or not they are in a position to be actively working a case.

Going back earlier in their partnership, Keller makes a similar assumption about Fleet and Clara being inseparable in S2E6. When Clara shouts her name amidst Keller's anti-Vidoc booby traps, Keller asks "Entwhistle? Which means… Fleet?" Again, there's this idea that if one of them is there, the other is likely to be there too - they come as a pair. (It's worth noting that this scene takes place less than two weeks after they first met.)

“Like a friend might?”

At the end of S3E7, Fleet suggests that he and Clara go to the theatre together. It would have been easy for this invitation to have been explicitly framed as a romantic proposition, or even for the nature of the offer to have been left more ambiguous. But Clara says "Archibald Fleet, are you inviting me to a social activity? Like a friend might?" The use of the word 'friend' directly labels this as a platonic interaction. And it's with that platonic lens on it that Clara is extremely excited to spend non-work-related social time with Fleet.

“Maybe it'll just be my good luck charm.”

CLARA: My grandmother's ring, I don't suppose you managed to hold on to it? [...] FLEET: Oh, it's been crushed.. I'm sorry Clara [...] CLARA: No, you keep it. FLEET: What? No... CLARA: Keep it. Maybe it'll remind you not to run towards trains. FLEET: Maybe. Maybe it'll just be my good luck charm.

In S3E7, Clara gives Fleet a ring, which - as a gift from one person to another - is traditionally a symbol of a particular, legally recognised, kind of personal commitment. But when Clara tells Fleet to keep the damaged ring, down in the Underground tunnels after the destruction of the beast and Fleet's latest brush with death, it is quite a different situation to a wedding or a proposal. A married man would traditionally wear his wedding ring on his finger for all to see, but Fleet won't ever wear this ring like that. The ring itself has been bent into a different shape between the wheels of their misadventures, subverting the usual associations of a ring given from one person to another. (In a heteronormative world, those associations are particularly strong when the two people in question are a woman and a man.)

That ring is not an engagement ring, but it is Clara’s grandmother's ring, an inheritance from the blood family she never really felt she belonged in, now given to the man who might be a very different kind of family for her in London. That ring - with which Clara saved Fleet's life - is a symbol of their bond. And it therefore serves as a reminder for Fleet “not to run towards trains" and as a “good luck charm”. I like to think he'll carry that ring with him, perhaps in his jacket pocket - a little piece of his partner, kept close to his ticking heart…

Thank you for reading all of this!

If you’ve read all of this, I'm assuming you also enjoy the concept of Fleet and Clara as a QPR (unless you're really a glutton for punishment) and that makes me very happy! This was long because there's so much to say about them… And I wrote all of the above without even getting into: the potential to headcanon Fleet and/or Clara as aspec (which I don't think is necessary for QPR headcanons, but which is also fun); Clara's baggage around and discomfort with marriage in general; the speed with which Fleet and Clara become a ride-or-die duo; and the many other demonstrations of care, understanding, trust, respect, and affection between them that didn't feel as directly QPR-coded to me but are nonetheless wonderful. Please do feel free to share your own thoughts!

#victoriocity #clara entwhistle #inspector fleet #archibald fleet #high vaultage #I'm not really trying to persuade anyone who doesn't already vibe with Fleet & Clara QPR as a concept #I just enjoy digging into that interpretation #I don't have any lived experience of QPRs myself #I'm just an aro who occasionally yearns #which tbf is probably the demographic most likely to obsessively interpret fictional duos as QPRs #I tried to avoid straying into anything like ‘they are too important to each other to be *just* friends’#when writing this #because I deeply dislike that outlook #That's not what I'm getting at here #Friends can be that important to each other without being in a QPR #I just think Fleet and Clara are important to each other in a particular way that can easily be read as a QPR or QPR-adjacent #Ngl for me personally I was very happy that there was no explicitly romantic Fleet and Clara moments #in S3 or High Vaultage #I’m sure I would still love their dynamic if they did explicitly take it down that route #I’m sure it would be done well #But the fact that Fleet and Clara are platonic (or at least ambiguous) means a lot to me personally #A related thought to that bit on romantic assumptions is that under amatonormativity #even the denial of romance/attraction is so often treated as evidence for it #which can mean that there's no way to escape that implication #so that's another reason why I enjoy taking characters at their word #when they express discomfort over a dynamic being interpreted as romantic #I finished writing this on Wednesday and I've been so impatient about waiting until S3 is fully out to post it lol

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twstthing · 10 months ago

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[A quick change of clothes(kin).]

Minecraft Single Player! Yuu AU

Summary: Yuu(rmom) has a really weird concept of clothing, Deuce and Professor Crewel figure that out the hard way and witness transmutation.

In NRC, every student gets uniforms. It’s only natural that they get enough from their ever so kind headmage.

Crowley, the said headmage, gets Crewel to tailor a uniform for Yuu as a thank you for doing unintended and unpaid repairs for the Ramshackle dorm. The event was bound to come up, having enrolled them as a half-student alongside Grim.

Making a uniform for a student isn’t as intensive as creating fashion pieces, however both are pieces of art that require the utmost focus and precision. What kind of professor, let alone MAN, would Divus Crewel be if he let himself slack on providing basic needs for a pup? At the very minimum, he swears upon himself to never stoop down to a level of air-headedness that his boss, unfortunately, has.

To be honest, Crewel has been itching to get Prefect Yuu a new set of clothing for a while now. Ever since that pup landed in NRC, they have been nothing but trouble with an outfit that gives him one of the strongest eye sores he’s ever felt. A plain, loose cyan blue t-shirt with an equally saturated pair of indigo trousers that have no pockets. Not only is it poorly colored, it lacks function.

Perhaps the lack of function could be explained away with how the pup has their own magic storage, pulling stacks of items in and out of thin air with no strain. But those colors? Crewel is a cunning, logical man, but not everything can be reasoned with nor justified.

Additionally, Yuu(rmom) is due for a good shaving and trim. He’s not sure how the teenaged pup has a fully grown (and very well-styled) goatee, but perhaps it’s just genetics.

Naturally, there are procedural steps to making a set of clothing for someone, and the first and foremost is to gather measurements. It is one of the faster paced processes, but key to executing all other parts.

Crewel really should have expected that anything dealing with the new prefect would never go normally.

“Yuu, you need that uniform! I promise it doesn’t hurt at all, it’s actually kind of fun!”

Deuce is on his tiptoes in the Alchemy Laboratory, shouting like he is cooing a cat to come down the tree it ran up. In a sense, he is doing exactly that but the cat is actually a person with extra-stiff limbs and reality-altering powers beyond magic.

Said person looks down from their oak wood block tower, doing several impossibly fast 120 degree hip bends while swinging their arm. Deuce knows this version of gestures, recalling Riddle’s presentation on Yuu’s mannerisms with the assistance of Rook and Iida. If Yuu individually does several hip bends first and arm swings second, it indicates “I am here.” and something along the lines of a declaration depending on the context.

In this context, Yuu is currently on-guard and firmly standing their ground which means Yuu does not want to do measurements.

Inwardly, Deuce gives himself a pat on the back for remembering all of that and reaching a conclusion. But there’s a slightly more pressing matter at hand that he does not have a method or conclusion to, and that is how to convince Yuu to get down from their tower and get their measurements done.

He’s done everything he could, really!

Deuce truly thought that his cauldron summoning spell would work in knocking Yuu down to ground level, but the moment the cauldron made contact with Yuu you wanna know what happened? The cauldron DID hit Yuu, eliciting a very manly, “OOF!” from them as their body flashed red, but it didn’t even knock them down. After making contact with Yuu, it shrank into one of the pixelated slabs that Yuu creates and fell to the ground with a light clack.

Magic coercion didn’t work, and his words don’t seem to reach the Prefect’s head either.. Sure;

Turning to Professor Crewel, Deuce bows a into a straight 90 degree angle and shouts, “Professor! I apologize in advance for the.. Un- Uh, seemingly display I am about to do!”

Casting aside his blazer and rolling up his dress shirt sleeves, Deuce takes a deep breath. The oak block tower was 5 blocks high, which means it wasn’t unreasonably tall. A lot of things can be overcome so long as you just try to do it, that’s how Deuce learned he was particularly skilled at hurdling during club practice. Just like how he warmed up at practice, Deuce gives two experimental hops, remembering the feeling of how to make himself spring up.

Professor Crewel is no stranger to the reckless activity of teenage boys having been one himself, so his eyes widen as he realizes what Deuce is about to do.

Three steps backwards and an inhale is all he needs to sprint straight to the oak block tower, and when the moment is just right—not too close, but not too far from the wall—he leaps once. Deuce reaches to just about 3/5ths of the tower, but he closes the gap between him and the top as his left foot pushes off of the tower and launches himself higher.

Being face-to-face with Yuu wasn’t necessary so long as he could just get them down, so in the moment that Deuce reached his highest point his arms would shoot out to grab onto Yuu’s legs. Deuce can only smirk in triumph as he shouts, “Gotcha!”

From that point on, gravity could do the rest of the work as it pulled him and Yuu downwards. Deuce is completely ready for the fall, but Yuu seems even more flustered than him as their arms flail around and make the fall much more uncertain.

Though, it was only in that moment that Deuce realized he couldn’t make a stable landing when there is another body of weight that he’s holding onto. He can already feel a sore backache or a rolled ankle coming into play as he falls, but the expected pain does not come even after he squeezes his eyes shut.

Instead, he feels a gentle gust of wind below him, lowering him and Yuu close enough to the ground before completely dissipating and letting him land on his butt. The relief of having no injuries sustained is completely overwritten when he feels the piercing gaze of a very furious Professor Crewel towering about him.

“Yuurmom and Deuce Spade.” Crewel practically seethes out, “Both of you pups. Reckless, unruly behavior that would have gotten you both a nice trip to the nurse’s office. Not only will this be reported to your Housewarden, but I also expect a two-pager reflecting on your actions. Deuce Spade, you will write about the dangers of acting before thinking. Yuu, you will be writing about why listening to authority and following instruction is necessary.”

With a heavy sigh, Professor Crewel settles himself down before declaring, “Now bark if you understand my instructions!”

Deuce spends no time in shouting back, “Yes Professor!”, but Yuu remains silent much to his panic. Yuu’s face is just about as neutral as ever, though the slight crease in their eyebrows is indicative of their immense dissatisfaction with the situation. While Deuce really does want to consider his friend’s feelings here, he would really rather not face any more paperwork and reprimanding from Housewarden Riddle, so he jabs Yuu(rmom) with his elbow.

Two beats of silence afterwards, Yuu utters out, “Yes.” much to Deuce’s relief.

Professor Crewel lightly massages the crease between his eyebrows, muttering something along the lines of “stressful pups”. Not too shortly, he turns to Yuu and gestures to them, “Now let’s get your measurements done. I don’t know why you have such an aversion to removing your current clothing, but rest assured that the process will not take long and you can put them back on right afterwards.”

To that, Yuu(rmom) launches out of their seated position to stand and rapidly shakes their head, body following behind their head movements.

Deuce inwardly sighs, ‘Now we’re back at square one.’

“Pup, is there some kind of connection you have with your clothes? Start speaking, because I am not a mind reader.”

Yuu takes a moment, eyes scanning Deuce and the professor. It’s a bit jarring to Deuce to see Yuu express this much discomfort at anything. Asides from their overall lack of expression, they typically march to their own beat regardless of the situation. If Yuu(rmom) was 100% human like he and Ace were, perhaps they would be breaking out into a sweat.

“.. I can’t remove my skin.”

“I don’t think clothes are skin, Yuu.” Deuce states without missing a beat.

Shaking their head, Yuu replies, “Everyone wears skins.” They wave an arm at Deuce, gesturing to his current outfit, “That’s your skin.” then look down and wave an arm, referring to themselves, “This is my skin.”

Professor Crewel is looking up at the ceiling, hoping to find an answer to why he must explain what clothing is. Pushing past the frustration, he thinks to himself.

Every day, Yuu shows up with the same set of eye-straining blue clothes. Despite how much farming and tussling they do, their clothes do not appear tattered or even remotely affected by the things its been put through. Even when doused in water, Yuu appeared as dry as sand.

It doesn’t seem like they have a whole closet of the same clothing either, because Ramshackle’s plumbing bill falls much further below average. While it would be possible that the Prefect could just do their laundry by hand or with one of their otherworldly gadgets, Crewel highly doubts that their arms have the.. articulation, to properly wash clothes by hand.

If he’s on the right track, Yuu’s current clothing might actually be attached to them.

Looking back down, Professor Crewel gazes at Yuu, “Pup, if I give you a uniform—no, a skin—will you be able to put it on?”

Yuu stares back at him, many figurative cogs turning and churning in contrast to their ultra-still body. They slowly turn their head down and up, which seems to be the closest they can get to doing a hesitant nod, letting Deuce and Professor Crewel sigh in relief.

Deuce leans into Yuu’s space and nudges them, “See? It wasn’t THAT bad.”

From his own spatial storage, Crewel spins out the reference uniform he would have used after acquiring Yuu’s measurements. It is a men’s size large uniform, based on the speculated height of Yuu(rmom) who appears to be around the same height as the especially loud aide of Draconia. The blazer, vest, tie, dress shirt, and pants are folded into a crisp, square-like shape much to the pleasure of Yuu who draws closer to the stack of clothing.

Crewel hands the clothes to Yuu, who manages to hold it upright without using their fingers at all. He remains straight-faced for professionalism, but Crewel wonders to himself when his brain will stop trying to make sense of the illogic that is Yuu(rmom).

And for a moment, Yuu simply stares at the uniform. The next, Yuu’s silhouette dissolves into pure static along with the jarring din of buzzing noise emitting from them. Deuce lets out a shout of shock that is ultimately drowned out by the noise of static, and both he and Deuce plug their ears to block out the cacophony.

Professor Crewel still subconsciously tries to make some sense of what he’s seeing, and he sees the shifting silhouette of Prefect Yuu. It goes from the average four-limbed human that he’s familiar with, then phasing into a two-dimensional figuration of various rectangular shapes, and then a three-dimensional cubic rendition of the human body.

As suddenly as it began, the static ends, and Yuu has returned to a human figure. The uniform is perfectly fitted on them and worn correctly, however something more significant changed with the Prefect.

Deuce exclaims it first, “Yuu! Your hair! YOU SHRANK??!! What the heck just happened??”

While Deuce furiously pats Yuu down for changes while asking a barrage of questions, Professor Crewel notes the most obvious changes to Yuu’s appearance.

The awful clothes are gone in place of the NRC uniform, Yuu’s goatee is completely gone, and their short-cut brown hair has been replaced with longer, green shaggy strands. Not only that, they gained a pair of eyebrows and had their rectangular eye sockets replaced with ones that aligned more closely with a normal eyeball. Though, it appears that the square-ness didn’t completely disappear with their pupils still square-shaped.

What concerned Professor Crewel the most was the change in build and physical age. Yuu(rmom) was taller than the average student, but now they’ve been reduced to a height similar to Ruggie Bucchi. Their previous muscle mass has also been reduced to that of the average teenager's, and their face has regained the kind of residual baby fat that students would have.

It was already known that Yuu(rmom) was not human based on their behavior and supernatural abilities, but they have literally shape-shifted into a first year NRC student which brings into question just exactly how old they are. Were they actually a 16-17 year old masquerading as a more mature person or are they a mature person who can change their appearance at will?

Though, it seems like malicious intentions don’t seem to be on Yuu’s mind considering their previous behavior on demanding farmland and an extreme desire to build cubic buildings. Additionally, behind their unwavering behavior lies a familiar sense of immaturity that blends right into the NRC population.

It might not be a worry for now, but Crewel decides to store this information for the upcoming staff meeting in two days.

Crewel lets out a loud “Ahem!”, drawing the immediate attention of Deuce and the now more human-looking Prefect Yuu.

“Continue your celebrations after you two finish writing your reflections. I expect them to be done by tomorrow afternoon and on my desk before I begin teaching the third year pups.”

The reminder visibly knocks into Deuce as he drops his head down in mild shame, and displeasure is now visible on Yuu’s face as their new eyebrows slightly furrow.

#twst au #twst #twisted wonderland #twst yuu #mcsingleplayer yuu au #behold the twinkification of mcsp yuu #disney twst #disney twisted wonderland

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vulpessvetlana · 8 days ago

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SOME MARAUDERS HEADCANONS ARE NOT HEALTHY, INTERESTING OR EVEN MAKE SENSE.

🔮I do not possess any particular favorite character in the Harry Potter books except for Neville Longbottom. But I need to speak candidly about something that often gets overlooked such as the matter of concepts, sides and opinions in this fandom. I will only analyse in here one of the many issues within the Marauders fandom. Such as: overly immersive behavior and complex of good and bad (it is not truthfully typed correctly, but I suppose I may do a part 2)🔮

🔮This post presents just one interpretation of situations from the books — it’s speculation, not canon or even the truth. And personally I do not hate J. K. Rowling writing style, may have flaws ? Yes, but she is not writing a whole model of society with descriptions of bakers, actresses or baillarinas, some people may be seem quite petty, quite awful, quite stupidly loyal but those are some of, not the entire population set in stone.🔮

There’s a certain tendency within the Marauders fan community that I find baffling. Many fans idolize Sirius and James as if they were flawless heroes, imagining them romantically involved with practically anyone, even creating ships that lack any grounding in the original texts. But let’s be honest: if they couldn’t even treat Snape — another person — with a modicum of respect, how do people think they would treat others well? The details in the books speak volumes, if you actually read and highlight them.

James Potter, for instance, once told Lily he would hex her. — a moment seen in Snape’s Worst Memory (Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 28). That’s not a declaration (nor an act) of long yearning love; it’s immature and aggressive behavior. Yet fans often brush this aside, romanticizing his relationship with Lily as though he changed just because seemingly she chose hi. James did not respected her opposition and wish in this only and specific memory, he cannot use another person (Severus) as a instrument to reach ends convenient for him. Often, people do not change, they suppress their old habits and behaviors but it is not annulled in their being, it may require a lot of want and persistence, which for his age at the time he died, I do not think he could have shown or even had any truthfully inclinations to change, rethink and respect people.

Sirius Black isn’t exempt from criticism either. He never truly matured beyond his teenage mindset. Even as an adult, he continues to refer to Snape with the same juvenile insult, “Snivellus.” He may have fought for the "right side", but that doesn’t mean he was without fault. Excusing his behavior by claiming “everyone has light and darkness” becomes hollow if there's no true accountability. Growth means change — not surpassing what you did slightly. The way Sirius treats people he dislikes proves his behavior have not changed, being in Azkaban means isolation, no social status or party engagements or playing cards, he has been locked up, he has been excluded from society at a young age, his release or age did not truthfully absorbed him from his true old self. He surely reflected but did not changed.

The constant fan pairings like James x Regulus x Lily is quite... wild. There is no textual evidence for such relationships. Regulus is a character we know very little about, and romanticizing or sexualizing him through fan-created lore borders on disrespect for the actual narrative. There’s a fine line between creativity and distorting an author’s intent.

Not everything in the Harry Potter universe is about relationships being set in this manner. Sometimes, it feels like parts of the fandom are projecting fantasies onto characters. Such misplacements are really distasteful projections. Having fun and expressing yourself is important but immersing wrong degrading and overall, "horny" expectations into such characters is bad, it is okay to not like them, but disrespect others or even the characters is a really not a good behavior.

Peter Pettigrew, he is often ironically portrayed as some “ misunderstood bad boy” but in reality, he’s a very null person, Peter betrayed people who trusted him for a distorted sense of "self-preservation". There's nothing “cool” or "trendy" about that.I'm sure those involved in this fandom wouldn't like to really deal with him. ( sympathy is a different and acceptable thing but placing characters in such lying patamars is wild) Peter betrayed James and Lilian and still people make stories where he is such a "handsome bad boy" or just being "clumsy and passive" or a interesting person to deal with and , specifically, they think he, in his real nature and mindset would have any dose of vehemently good affection for them or a sexual or romantic relationship, it is... a big tasteless fantasy.

Remus Lupin seems the one who had time to see the world as a free man, have experiences even if some may have been bad, but his case is a more complicated one. I understand his need for self-preservation, and I sympathize with his struggles with the fate others opposed upon him. But I question how Gryffindor he truly was, not with his peers but as a brave person in his adolescence. In his youth, he often avoided confrontation and his passivity enabled cruelty and while he's not evil, calling him wholly righteous ignores the moral gray areas of his character.

Then there’s Lily Evans, often heralded as a near- righteous figure. Was she intelligent? Could have been, yes. But she seemed quite... incredibly naive. Especially when it came to the people around her. Some may even paint her as a “gold digger” for ending up with James, but I’d say she just gave in — perhaps out of exhaustion rather than romance. The truth is, we know very little about her beyond superficial traits. Her moral compass, resilience, and depth remain largely speculative and we should not keep misunderstanding her as a central figure of real companionship or even a romantic character.

🔮This post is clearly stated for their teenage era and I keep thinking that Severus shouldn't be overall judged to the core and reduced to a eternal title of bad, creep or even obsessed person. (IT WAS NOT EVER STATED IN THE BOOKS HE DID IT)

🔮We do not have any confirmed information stating that Severus Snape joined the Death Eaters after his friendship with Lily ended. Remember: right after the Sorting Ceremony, when he was placed into Slytherin, the first person to "welcome" him was, in fact, Lucius Malfoy. It’s reasonable to infer that Lucius, likely influenced by his family’s pure-blood ideology — which was common among many Slytherin families — began shaping Severus’s early affiliations.

🔵Severus is portraited in the books to be a highly intelligent and persistent student. Most likely, once he was sorted into Slytherin, his peers saw potential in him and offered him a place in their inner circle — much like how James Potter included Peter Pettigrew in his group, even though Peter didn’t contribute much beyond blind loyalty and following James around like a puppy.🔵

🔵So why did Snape align with that crowd? May have been because that’s what often happens in real life. How many of you haven’t, at some point, gone along with a group — not out of full agreement, but out of proximity, survival, or a need to belong?🔵

🔮We need to stop creating degrading headcanons, shipping characters in questionable ways, or stating personal opinions as if they were absolute truths. There is no single “correct” interpretation in fiction — especially not in a story as nuanced as this one. Instead of choosing sides blindly, try to look between the lines, consider the context, and recognize what is actually stated in the books versus what is speculation.🔮

🔮Do not hate others for having different views, don’t judge, and don’t stomp your feet in frustration over disagreements. Respect the difference between fact and fandom and respect the characters that are presented in the book, whether you agree with them or not, my whole point is that: Most characters in this book are really difficult to read deep inside. The superficial collective outside notion of their personalities and traits as individual human beings is quite blurred.🔮

#harry potter #severus snape #lily evans #book severus snape #marauders #james potter #peter pettigrew #remus lupin #sirius black #marauders fans #harry potter universe

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padfootagain · 2 years ago

Text

The Last Ones on Earth (I)

Chapter 1: A Mission

Hi everyone! It’s me! Mrs. No-self-control! Here I come with a new series! The concept is simple: what if the Darkling was a little less alone…

I hope you like it! Let me know what you think!

****

Pairing: The Darkling x reader

Warnings for the series: mentions and depictions of violence and warfare, mentions of trauma

Warnings for the chapter: None

Summary: You and the Darkling are a team, even if no one knows it. Beyond being a team, you are the only one he trusts, and he's the only one you care about, and you're each other's true love. But if you've kept your secrets hidden for a long time, now that the Sun Summoner is fighting against you, it's time to reveal who you are, and what you are capable of...

Word Count: 5214

Masterlist for the series - The Darkling's Masterlist - Main Masterlist

It’s very dark outside, but that’s okay. You like it this way. After so many years spent by Aleksander’s side, you’re used to the shadows. You find comfort in them now.

You remember when you were a child - such a long, long time ago – you used to be afraid of the dark. You longed for daylight, moonlight, anything to pierce the black veil covering your world. You couldn’t see anything around you, the unknown was a scary place. You didn’t realize by then that the shadows were a hiding place. If you couldn’t see a thing, no one could see you either.

Besides, the dark was a place filled with stories of monsters and spells and evil creatures lurking in its midst. It was evil, against the goodness of light.

What a fool you were by then…

You’ve never gotten used to the sight of the Fold. You should have, it’s been here for such a long time now. Still, you struggle with the view of it as you stare at the darkness by the window: the sharp edges of its unpalpable wall, the shouts that struggle to get out of it, to escape.

It’s a prison, in a way. You want to make it a key towards freedom…

“Are you certain that this is a good idea?”

Aleksander’s voice is deeper than usual; low and cold but you know him enough to identify the worry that’s there too. He sounds almost afraid. You know he’s terrified, actually.

It’s a rare emotion to hear in his voice, and you turn to look at him at the sound. He’s standing in the middle of the room, gaze lost on a map splayed on the table at the centre. You know he doesn’t see any of the lines, any of the names or letters traced in black ink. The light is too low, only a torch and the fireplace, painting strange shapes in red and gold over the furniture, the walls, his tall frame…

You walk across the room, steps slow and measured, trying to be quiet, as if not to scare him away. As if he could ever walk away from you…

You don’t speak until you’re standing by his side. You lean against the table, your back against the wooden furniture, so you can stare at him. He doesn’t turn his black eyes towards you though. He’s too lost in thought, or perhaps he’s fleeing your gaze. You’re not sure. It doesn’t really matter, anyway.

“We don’t have a choice,” you speak in a soothing voice, crossing your arms before your chest. “They won’t let you go anywhere near Alina. But they don’t know who I am. We know they’ve taken Genya and David in. Probably others too. They could want to take me in too. I can try and get closer, close enough to talk with her.”

“And if you can’t convince her?”

“It doesn’t matter. It will give you time to access Keramzin undetected. And I’ll make sure she joins us, whether she likes it or not.”

“She will try to kill you.”

You notice the way his fits clench by his side, so tightly you’re pretty sure it hurts. His knuckles have gone ivory with the strength of his gesture, even if his voice didn’t falter. You reach for his hand, and he lets you slip your fingers between his.

After all this time, it still feels the same. The rush of his amplifying powers coursing through your veins. The callous pads of his fingers brushing against your knuckles and sending shivers down your spine. The warmth of his palm soothing you, making your heart skip a beat…

You know he feels the same. You see it in the way his hold on your hand is tender, in the way his shoulders drop ever so slightly, in the way his gaze shifts in your direction, without looking at you. He’s averting his gaze still. It’s alright. You’re used to it.

“I’ve survived more perilous situations.”

“Because I was here.”

“Don’t take all the merit. I’m incredible.”

He lets out a shaky breath, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. There was a time when he would have offered you a full laughter at that remark. It was a long time ago, when you were young, and too naïve for this world. When you still believed there was a peaceful way out of all this…

“I will be cautious,” you tell him, and your voice sounds like a promise, your tone makes him tighten his hold on your hand. “I will come back to you in one piece.”

“You’d better. Or you’ll have me to deal with.”

“I’m sure I should be terrified of the Darkling’s punishment, but I really am not.”

“You should be.”

You scoff at that.

“We’re alone, you know. No need to play the cold, tough guy with me. I’ve seen you cry before.”

“I’ll cut off your tongue if you tell anyone about this story.”

And his voice is icy, and firm, and serious, and anyone but you would have trembled before such a threatening tone. But not you.

You’re the only one he would never hurt in any way, and you know it. He could kill, torture, destroy, annihilate everything, the entirety of Ravka, of the world even. But not you. You could betray him, you could try to kill him, and he wouldn’t lift a finger to stop you. You’re the only one he wouldn’t punish, the only one he would forgive. You make him weak like that.

And he hates it. He hates it, but he needs this fragility, this one weakness. He must indulge it, he doesn’t have a choice. And you know it, you feel the same about him. That’s why you’re never afraid when he’s around, no matter what he does, no matter what he says. You trust him too much for that.

When he turns to you, at long last, he forces a tender smile to his lips.

“And throw it to a Volcra?” you ask, struggling not to smile too brightly.

“Or one of my nichevo’ya.”

“Of course, for a second I forgot your new minions.”

“You are not terribly fond of them…”

“I know how painful it is for you to summon them. Of course, I’m not fond of them. They’re efficient, though.”

You stare at each other for a while longer. In the hearth, the fire lets out cracking sighs. There’s an owl outside, somewhere, you hear it singing, the voice of a night at its fullest. There are voices in the corridor too, coming inside Aleksander’s room as shushed, barely there at all, only ghosts of other lives. Lives that will never be like yours, or Aleksander’s…

“I will have to tell Alina the truth, if I want to have a chance to convince her.”

Aleksander clenches his jaw.

“You shouldn’t. It’s too dangerous.”

“We’re beyond pondering about risks, I reckon.”

“Y/N…”

“I know what I’m doing. If I want to convince her, she needs to realise that this is not going to work. That none of it will ever work. We’ve tried it before, and it failed, because the world is not going to change, unless we burn it to the ground first. She needs to understand that.”

“I’ve tried to show her…”

“No, you’ve tried to lure her into trusting you too blindly to protest.”

“She’s a child. She will never understand…”

“Then we’ll get rid of her. She’s too dangerous alive if she’s not on our side.”

“On this, we agree.”

You heave a sigh, suddenly tired, as if the weight of many battles fought in the past was suddenly thrown onto your shoulders once more.

And he hates it. Aleksander hates seeing you like this, tired and almost broken. But then again, after all you’ve been through, how could you not be like this? He has lost himself too, along the way. He has lived too long to remain the same.

You’re disappointed for a second when he lets go of your hand, but it only lasts a moment. Instead of your fingers, he reaches to touch your cheek.

You’re the only one he has ever touched so gently, so slowly, so lovingly. He hates it, the power you have over him. But he has never had a choice.

It was always you. It still is. It will always be.

“I cannot lose you,” he whispers, and Aleksander wishes he could add an argument about how useful you are, to at least keep the illusion that he’s not so vulnerable, but what would be the point? After such a long time loving you, it would be of no use at all. “Please, be careful, my love.”

Your smile widens, you can’t help it. It would be dangerous for others to know who you truly are, just like no one can know who hides behind the image of the Darkling. It’s safer if the world doesn’t know about your relationship with Aleksander either.

The Darkling’s wife, that would put one hell of a target on your back. And it would make him unbearably vulnerable too.

That’s why these moments are so rare these days. The ones when he calls you sweet names, and touches you like this, and lets you get so close again. There was a time, long, long ago, when things weren’t so complicated, when you were together all the time, when all you both had to do was love each other. But that type of happiness didn’t last for long. You learnt that lesson the hard way.

You are both Grisha. You were never allowed to be happy. If you want happiness, you need to fight for it.

You lean into his touch, letting him cup your cheek, brush the pad of his thumb across your soft skin. You close your eyes for a second, enjoying the soft caress. You wish you could stay like this forever…

But when you open your eyes again, and fall into his dark eyes, you read too much fear into them to be fooled.

You are both Grisha. If you want happiness, you need to fight for it. And if it means that you must burn the entire world, until there’s no one else left, then so be it.

“I’ll come back to you. I always do. I always will,” you promise him, resting your hand against his heart, feeling its steady beat, the rhythm that matches the one under your own ribs, the rhythm that belongs to you.

He nods, and you can’t help but step into his embrace, but hold onto him as tightly as you can. It takes him a moment to reciprocate the gesture, but he does. He kisses your forehead, sweet and tender and a little desperate.

“Be careful too,” you admonish. “I’ll meet you at the Little Palace.”

“Until we’re the last ones on Earth,” he whispers into your skin, eyes closed, his voice a mantra you’ve both been repeating for years, so many years… It’s almost a prayer.

And you pray too, you pray even if you don’t believe in Saints. You know who they really were: Grisha slaughtered and brought into legends.

What an irony, to idolize the most hated people of this world…

You breathe in deeply his scent: woollen kafta, a bit of leather, something cold like a wintery night. Home.

You bury your face in the crook of his neck, and that’s the safest you’ve felt in a while. When you answer him, your voice is firm, unfaltering. A promise, just like a vow.

“Until we’re the last ones on Earth.”

You leave before dawn, it’s safer that way.

You know Aleksander is watching you leave through the cracked windowpane of the room he’s taken as his own, in the deserted house where the Grisha have now taken refuge. You take one last look at the wagon that arrived the previous evening. There are still traces of blood darkening the wood.

Twelve Grisha rescued from a town nearby. Encaged. Beaten almost to death. They were to be killed without much of a trial or any type of mercy. Their crime was existing.

You are used to it by now, but you wish you weren’t. You wish it could still surprise you, that you could still be aghast by the cruelty of it. But you aren’t, not anymore, not after witnessing it again, and again, and again.

It will always happen. You’ve lost your hope for a better world made with peace and harmony a long time ago. You are not so naïve anymore. Instead, you’ve learnt how to kill.

You have a long journey ahead, at least three days of riding before reaching the last-known location of Alina and Nikolai Lantsov, along with their little group. It’s safer if you travel alone, no one will recognize you without your kefta, no one has ever paid enough attention to you for that, anyway. Besides, you’re strong enough to defend yourself. No, you are not worried about the journey that awaits you, you are worried about the negotiations that will follow.

You’ve almost guided your horse outside the lands attached to the mansion, and you can’t help but take one last look over your shoulder. Beyond the large house stands the infinite wall of the Fold. It stretches up to the heavens, loses its tip into the clouds, you wonder if it has any end. From here, it only looks like a dark void: ominous, unforgiveable. It is splayed in both directions too, from South to North, as far as the eye can see.

You can feel Aleksander’s stare upon your frame, and your eyes drift down from the Fold to its creator, to his motionless shape by the window of his room. He won’t move, won’t acknowledge your presence any other way than by staring at you as you leave. You shoot him a smile anyway.

He’s grateful for it. If he never sees you again, at least he’ll have the memory of one more of your smiles…

Ten months earlier

The Little Palace

You had not seen Aleksander in a while.

It wasn’t that surprising, with the new Sun Summoner taking up an awful lot of space and air. She enjoyed complaining too much. She also enjoyed thinking she was righteous. Maybe she was. More than you, at the very least, without a doubt.

You had not seen Aleksander in a while, and so you were surprised when he called for you, sending Ivan to look for you and bring you to his war room. You bid David a good night, leaving behind your messy desk on which you worked on some gloves to help Alina control her powers. A waste of time and energy, in your opinion, but maybe there was a tinge of jealousy that blurred your judgement when it came to her.

You followed Ivan, trying to control your heartbeat into a steady rhythm, so that the Heartrender would not notice how excited you were at the prospect of seeing the Darkling. No one in the Little Palace knew how close the two of you were, and it was better if it remained that way. It could endanger more secrets, some darker and more dangerous than a hidden love story.

Lucky for you, you had been playing this political game for a long time now. You were used to controlling your own heart. And even if Ivan was a talented Heartrender, he couldn’t sense any change in your heartbeat as you advanced towards the door of the War Room, the Darkling’s symbol of a moon in eclipse engraved on its surface.

He opened the door for you, and let you walk inside.

The Darkling was leaning above the giant map set in the middle of the room, lost in thought, considering the next movements of his own troops. He was alone, wearing his usual black kefta although you noticed that his hair was a little dishevelled after a long day. It was nighttime, after all. Dinner had passed, and with it, most Grisha in the Little Palace had gone to sleep, before a new day filled with training and work would arise. Outside, stars were shining brightly, you could guess the blurred shape of their light through the windows on the opposite side of the room.

The Darkling didn’t look up as you stepped inside, didn’t acknowledge you at all.

“Thank you, Ivan. Leave us.”

The Heartrender gave a small bow, almost a mere nod, before turning on his heels and walking outside the room without a word, closing the door behind him. You moved your hands in a quick, circular movement to lock the door.

You relaxed as soon as you were safely alone with the Darkling. Although, he was still hunched over his map as you turned to him again.

He seemed worried, his brow bearing a frown that traced lines across his forehead and at the edges of his eyes. You heaved a sigh.

“You do know that even the General of the Second Army needs to sleep every once in a while, right?” you ask, crossing your arms before your chest.

Your tone was both teasing and admonishing, and Aleksander closed his eyes at the sound.

He had missed you. Saints, he had missed you so much over the past three months. But seeing you alone was too risky for a while. Now though, with your work for Alina’s gloves, he had a perfect opportunity to require your presence, alone.

At last, he stood straighter again, looking up to catch your eyes with his black ones. He tilted his head to the side a little.

“Do I look so tired?”

“You look exhausted.”

“You don’t look so rested yourself.”

You smiled at that, and he noticed the tears that shone in your eyes. He tried not to feel happy about the sight, but he did. You had missed him too… even after all this time, you still missed him…

“Lots of things going on. Lots of things to worry about,” you answered, shrugging. “Doesn’t help that I’m working way too much because of your stupid gloves. You know how grumpy that makes me if I don’t get my beauty sleep.”

He chuckled.

“And how many years have passed since you’ve had one of those peaceful nights?”

You didn’t answer at first. Before that, you took off the leather gloves that you always wore. He was the only one who got to see you like this, with your last bit of armour, of disguise, resting on his table. You were fully yourself before him.

“Two.”

He frowned, searching through his memory. Two years…

He smiled as he figured it out.

“Our journey to Ketterdam?”

“We had a couple of days free then. It was nice.”

“We spent all of those days in bed…” he gave you a smirk, a dangerous glint in his eyes that you recognized, and that made your heart skip a beat, like it always did.

“That’s what I’m saying. Despite your unbearable snoring, I still had plenty of time to rest.”

He laughed at that. It wasn’t one of his bright ones, the ones he used to give you when you met, when you tried to have a life together. But it was a laugh all the same, and you welcomed the sound of it, tried to carve it into a memory.

But too soon, the sound vanished, failing into the air, replaced by the cracking of the fire in the hearth, the soft sound of his breathing, the regular ticking of a clock. There was no sound coming from outside the room, and no word spoken inside could escape either. You were an amazingly skilled Durast, after all. You had prepared, in secret, long ago, some materials only known to you that could absorb sounds.

No eavesdroppers. Aleksander and you could talk without fear.

He clenched his jaw, straightening his posture a little. Coming into a commanding stand.

“There is much to discuss though,” spoke the Darkling in a cold voice. “We don’t have much time…”

But you didn’t let him finish. Instead, you crossed the room, and rushed into his arms.

Aleksander’s arms…

“Y/N… we need…”

“Shut up. We’ll discuss everything you want. But give us five minutes. Just five minutes to be ourselves. Please, darling.”

You felt him tremble under your touch as you called him by this sweet name. Both of you were too used to act distant, like strangers. It was good to be reminded that you were so much more than that.

At last, he wrapped his arms around you, an embrace strong, comforting, safe. Arms that had never failed to protect you, no matter what the world had tried to destroy you both…

“I’ve missed you,” you whispered, your voice more fragile than you intended for it to be, but you couldn’t find a way to care.

You closed your eyes, breathed deeply his scent. The wool of his kefta, a tinge of leather, something cold during starless nights.

Home.

“I’ve missed you as well, my love,” he whispered in your hair, brushing his cheek against your temple, his beard tickling you in a delightful way.

The skin-on-skin contact made the rush of his amplifying abilities course through your veins, but it wasn’t what sent electricity travel across your spine. It was because of the hand he slipped to the back of your head, to press you closer to him, to keep you right there, tugged into the crook of his neck.

You remained motionless for a few minutes, basking in each other’s presence, in each other’s warmth, in the safety of an embrace you had shared thousands of times, so familiar and missed as soon as it was broken.

“Are you sleeping at all these days, darling?” he asked in a soft, tender voice that almost sounded like it wasn’t his own anymore, after banishing it for so long.

You nodded, even if it was almost a lie.

“Just not enough,” you reassured him.

“Nightmares?”

“Sometimes. I’m genuinely busy though.”

“I wish I could tell you to get more rest, but time is working against us.”

“I know. It’s okay. You look exhausted too.”

“I am, but that’s not the point. I think I’ve found the stag, Y/N.”

You looked up at him, not breaking your embrace just yet, but frowning hard.

“Are you certain?”

“Not entirely, but it seems promising. Trackers seem to have found it in Fjerda, near the border.”

“Saints…”

“I know. I doubt it is a coincidence that we finally find Morozova’s amplifier when the Sun Summoner appears out of nowhere.”

You nodded, turning to the map to let him show you where the stag was spotted. He went on for a while about that, explaining you the whole situation in details.

It wasn’t the only thing he wanted to discuss with you, though, and you knew it. You knew him to well to be fooled.

“So, what will you do about Alina?”

You noticed that he was tensing. You felt almost guilty for enjoying this sight of discomfort. But then again, he never tensed, not unintentionally, except in your presence. He could let his guard down with you, he trusted you enough for that.

“You know what I’ve been doing about Alina,” he deadpanned.

“I know. You’ve tried to seduce her.”

“And I am certain that you hate it.”

“You’re my husband. Of course, I hate,” you scoffed.

“It will not go as far as sex, if it is what worries you.”

“Have you kissed her?”

He intensely stared at you.

“Not yet.”

“You’re planning on going that far?”

“Maybe. I don’t know yet. We’ll see.”

Slowly, you nodded, and he hated that look on your face. A mix of rage, of pain, of an anger you tried to suppress because you knew why he was doing this, and you would have been ready to go that far too, without a hesitation.

Still, he understood your reaction. He would have killed the person you needed to seduce instead of letting you play that game.

But you were more rational than him, if not more patient. You wouldn’t strangle Alina in her sleep. Instead, you merely glowered at him.

“I don’t like it. It won’t work,” you mumbled.

“She’s falling for me, already.”

“How did you do it?”

“With the truth. That no one else she knows can understand her. That she will live a thousand lives and everyone else will wither and die. Except for me. I’m her only chance with eternity.”

“I see. Nicely done, I have to admit.”

“Well, thank you.”

“Do you think it will be enough to make her agree to all of this? To use the Fold against Ravka, Fjerda and Shu Han? To kill the king?”

“I don’t know yet. But I don’t see any other way to secure her power on our side. She must believe that she depends on me. Or else, why would she help us at all?”

“What if we told her the truth?”

“The truth?” he repeated, his tone mocking. “Since when are you so naïve?”

“I highly doubt Alina will agree to destroy entire villages, slaughter populations, and draw the world she knows into chaos just for your pretty eyes. Sorry for your charms, but a crush won’t be enough for that. She won’t accept to take over Ravka if she doesn’t realize that this is the only way for us to ensure that Grisha will find peace.”

“You overestimate her intelligence.”

“And you underestimate her stupidity. She is still naïve. She’s a child, Aleksander. At her age, did you believe something as terrifying as the Fold was the only way towards peace?”

He didn’t answer, he merely stared at you instead. You were right, of course. Like always. He knew it was the only way, but Alina didn’t. She had not suffered nearly enough for that. But the two of you?

You had so many years of practice with suffering…

“I have never played with pity, I will not start today,” he spoke with too much pride, and you both knew it.

“But breaking my heart by seducing a stupid girl is perfectly fine to your standards, I see…”

“Y/N…”

“I know that you’re doing this to reach our goal. I understand. It doesn’t mean I have to like it. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to rip her tongue out every time she talks about you.”

His gaze softened, and he held out his hand for you to take, palm up, inviting you into what you knew would turn into an embrace.

“My love, there was never anyone else for me,” he let out in a breath, a tender smile on his lips. “There will never be. But we need Alina Starkov, if we want to have this peaceful life we have always longed for.”

But you shook your head at that.

“You want power now. More than this quiet life we dreamed about at first.”

His hand trembled, faltered, but didn’t disappear. He kept his offering up, hoping you would take it, the way you had always taken it before.

“Maybe,” he admitted. “I’m too angry. I’ve lost too much to want more than revenge now. But beyond it, I still want this safe life with you. The one we have always dreamt about. I want all Grisha to have it too. I won’t deny I’m thirsty for power now, that I’ve left morality behind a long time ago. You know when I abandoned it. I abandoned it the day you died.”

“Almost…”

“You were dead, Y/N. No matter how you want to call it today, you died for several minutes that day. I will never forgive them for that. And I never want to have to feel this way again. If I need to do the most atrocious things to protect you, to protect us, then so be it. I am tired of depending on stupid kings, I want the throne. I want the throne so I can make my own rules and make sure that no one is stronger than me. That there is no one against whom I will not be able to protect you.”

There was also a selfish part of him that longed for power out of pure greed, you could see it in his burning gaze. But you also knew that he was earnest when he spoke such words. He was doing it for himself, but he was also doing it for you, and he was doing it for all Grisha too. There was a time when the Grisha were the most important element, then it was you, and now, maybe it was him. It didn’t really matter. The truth was that he would never act against the interest of the Grisha, and against your safety.

His soul had darkened along the years, like his shadows. But it was still him, looking out through these black irises. The same man you had always loved.

You slipped your hand in his, holding tight, and he reciprocated your gesture in a firm, certain squeeze. Steady. Infinite. A silent promise that he would do all that it would take.

“Seduce Alina, if you think it’s the best way to make her yield,” you spoke at last, holding his stare, your voice firm and decisive. “But don’t sleep with her.”

“It won’t go that far. I won’t need to.”

“Very well, then. Do what you have to.”

“Are you angry?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t be. You’ll have to leave in just a few minutes. And then, I don’t know when I’ll have a good excuse to talk to you alone again. I want to see my beloved wife smile one last time before she needs to leave…”

You snorted at that.

“I’m not Alina Starkov. I don’t fall for cheap lines like that.”

“What about the truth, then?”

He reached up with his free hand to cup your cheek, move his fingers across the soft skin, trace the outline of your jaw with his fingertips…

You could barely breathe at all, and neither could he. His gaze had grown softer, much softer. The way it used to be, a long time ago, when you were still naïve…

“I love you, Y/N,” he whispered, vulnerable and almost begging for safety. “I always will. There is only us. It will always be just us.”

You nodded, tears shining in your eyes, before you leaned up to kiss him, and he met you halfway. Your lips met and danced in movements you had repeated thousands of times, but they still felt the same. Passionate, reassuring, loving, dependant, desperate…

“I love you too, Aleks,” you whispered against his mouth, right before he leaned in again, deepening the kiss quickly this time.

You weren’t sure for how long you kept on kissing, safely held in his arms. None of you truly cared. All you knew was that when you pulled away at last, it was to whisper against his lips this promise you had made a long, long time ago. Vows that neither of you would ever break.

“Until we’re the last ones of Earth…”

******************************************

Taglist: @reg-arcturus-black @wolfmoonmusic

#the darkling #the darkling x you #the darkling x reader #the darkling x y/n #the darkling fanfic #aleksander x reader #aleksander x y/n #aleksander morozova #the darkling series #grishaverse #grishaverse fanfic #grishaverse series #writing #fanfic #fanfiction #series

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goldenheartstudios · 1 year ago

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I wanna talk about the monks' fears

Disclaimer: Spoilers for those who haven’t watched this show from 2003 (And if you actually didn’t watch it, then do it. Why are you here in the first place?)

With that out of the way, it’s time to indulge into my hyperfixation once again

You see, one thing that I really like about Xiaolin Showdown is its combination of simplicity and subtlety. There are some things that are as they’re shown, and there are other things that are actually more detailed than they seem and you can miss them on first watch

As such, the show encourages you to go deeper, to think beyond what it’s shown in front of you and have your own interpretation on things

And one thing that always left me think is episode 10 from season 2, where we get to see each of the monks’ fears, because what we see can be taken in a simple and literal way

But you can also go deeper and break each fear into a core concept

First, I wanna make note of the fact that each fear has something special to them. They have at least one thing that help them be different from each other, which is something more notable when you take them one by one to analyze

And this is what I plan to do

1. Clay’s fear

The thing that’s interesting about Clay’s fear is that it’s the only one about someone. If the others’ are represented through animals or objects, his is represented by not only a real person, by a relative as well

You can also easily take his fear as it’s shown: he fears his grandma because he had a bad experience with her. You can put it as a simple trope of fearing your relative, which was most likely the intention (and honestly, she does look scary in her own way)

But aside from that (and my personal feelings of relating to his fear), one thing that’s important to note is that children, just like adults, can subconsciously associate things with feelings. Sometimes their fear is straight forward: they fear it because it looks scary. But sometimes, their fear is associated with another emotion, but they’re not fully aware of this and they deem the “object” as scary instead of the real reason they were afraid in that situation

To put it simply, it’s like conditioning: you get a bad emotion from a thing, so you learn to avoid the thing, without realizing that the problem is the emotion and not the thing itself

And since these are supposed to be their deepest fears, it makes more sense that they’re associated with another feeling than just being scary

With Clay’s fear, I would say that it’s related to the lack of control. The way he talks about her makes it seem that she was something he had to endure, which would make sense because if they visited her as a small child, then he had no choice than to accept her doting which was actually painful

And it would make sense if his deepest fear is the lack of control, because one of Clay’s core traits is strength within self, which is affirmed by his feeling of relaxation and comfort. He’s someone who likes to chill and vibe in his own way, and when he has to do something he doesn’t like, we can feel him being awkward or uncomfortable, an example being the episode when he followed his father’s orders

Yes, he can act with anger in unpleasant situations and stand up for himself, but as I stated before, it’s most likely that he endured the unpleasant visits to his grandma when he was young, when he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. So, it makes more sense why his grandmother is the image of his fear of lack of control, because these were the moments when he lacked control in his life the most

This fear of lack of control has its benefits, but also its downsides. On one hand, it helps him be focused on what he can do and how he can use the knowledge he has in order to be in control of situations. On the other hand, he has a subtle avoidance of things that he’s not certain about, and he can either become too set up in his comfort zone, or he’s too thrown off in situations that he’s not familiar of (for example, his stage fright)

Which it’s interesting to think about. Clay is a character who has stable principles and he’s defined by strength, both internal and external, but his desire to maintain this sometimes leads him to a bigger passive role than he would want to. And if it goes to extreme, it could have an opposite effect and make him question his value and strength

Just some food for thought

2. Kimiko’s fear

One thing that’s worth noting on the spot is the doll’s appearance. It was probably meant to look like this to fit in with the creepy doll trope, but it also makes it different from others for another reason

Unlike the others, this one makes you think on the spot, it makes you immediately have questions like “What happened? Why does it look like this?”. Its appearance alone tells a story, by hinting that there may be a different reason why she’s afraid of it, not just because it looks scary

And from the looks of it, it seems that the doll got burned, which is even more interesting, considering the fact that fire is Kimiko’s element

Now. I did see some people theorizing that Kimiko activated her powers and accidentally burned it, which I’m honestly 50/50 about this idea

On one hand, it would immediately make a lot of sense why she’s so scared about it. She was a young kid who experienced a supernatural and dangerous event out of nowhere, and she possibly spent years in confusion about what happened until she got the revelation that she’s the Dragon of Fire

But on the other hand, even if I read some good stories with this subject, I’m personally not into the idea of the monks showing their elements before they joined the temple. Them using their elements always felt like something gradual, like something that evolved and developed along with their skills and that at the beginning of the show they only had the potential and capability to use their element. Sure, maybe they showed an interest/drive to it, but that was never something that defined them

My personal interpretation is that they were never defined by their element, their element was defined by them, if that makes sense

Which is why I prefer to think that she accidentally burned the doll through other means, which would also make sense. Kids can easily do reckless things, and Kimiko showed in the past how her curiosity and experimentation can cause some issues, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that she wanted to try something out with fire and burned the doll as a result

But this also leads to the question to what fear she’s associating the doll with, because it wouldn’t be danger, as he bravery is a strong element to her

With that, I would say that she associates the doll with guilt. Another core trait of Kimiko is her compassion, as she easily offers her care and understanding to her friends. Yes, she can be hot headed and impulsive, but it’s very clear that helping others is in her best interest

And as a result, she immediately feels guilty when she makes a mistake, when she’s hurting others, whether she’s mistreating someone or her ambition leads to problems instead of solutions

Deep inside, she’s afraid of regret, of doing things that could make things worse, and the doll is a representation of that: maybe it was the first time she did a mistake like this, and the first time she felt guilty because of it

This fear of regret is interesting, because it can go in conflict with her bravery: she’s not afraid of danger, of taking risks herself, but this ambition and bravery can lead to her making things she would feel guilty of

Her ambition is both her strength and her weakness, which is fascinating to me

3. Omi’s fear

His fear seems to fall into the silly fear trope which, just like I stated with others, this was probably the reason. But what’s interesting about his fear is actually not the appearance

Is that we can actually pinpoint where his fear is coming from

I can explain by going back to episode 12 from season 1, when Omi fought Jack in a showdown over the Heart of Jong. This is when we see his first reaction to squirrels, which is not one of fear, is one of surprise, and he only reacts after the squirrel bites him

And as showdown, he chooses one who’s squirrel themed while talking about them with respect

Which doesn’t really make sense if he’s supposed to be terrified of them

But after this episode we do see him be terrified of squirrels, starting from episode 3 from season 2, when Jack messed up with the monks by stopping time and such

So, what changed? Why is he scared of squirrels now?

Well, I’d say that the reason is in episode 12

Omi is a brave and strong warrior, this is true. But because of his big ego strong confidence, there’s one thing that I can say for certain he’s afraid of: failure

Failure is a sign of lack of skills, of imperfection and of possible danger brought upon others. Omi holds himself on a high regard and under big responsibility, so every time he experiences failure he gets a hit on his confidence, which is why he’s shown many times to be guilty when he’s failing at something

And despite the fact that he lost other showdowns at the start of the show, in this episode he lost a showdown which had a Shen Gong Wu that almost brought destruction over all by being used to bring back Mala Mala Jong, a foe that made even Master Fung look terrified

This showdown is the first time he felt this much of a failure, and his mind subconsciously associated the failure to something physical: squirrels. Then he subconsciously justified his fear over squirrels by exaggerating their features and this is how we got here

This would mean that we got to see how the main character developed his fear, which it’s fascinating. We don’t get a reason in the episodes, but we get hints that help us come with an interpretation ourselves

Omi’s fear progression is like the representation of the show itself, which it’s the reason why I find it this interesting

But there’s one more that I personally find even more interesting

4. Raimundo’s fear

Okay okay, there’s a reason why I left Raimundo to last and that reason is that he’s my favorite character of all time. This is not a secret and will never be, and every time I get the opportunity to talk about my boy I shine so brightly I could challenge the sun from Philippines

And the first thing I wanna talk about his fear is how strange it looks. It doesn’t look like a person, it doesn’t look realistic and it barely resembles a jellyfish. It doesn’t look extra intimidating or scary, it actually looks cartoony

And it makes my mind run wild, because what’s the reason it looks like this? Why is his fear so different from the others? Sure, you can come up with a meta explanation that the writing team wanted to keep things family friendly, they didn’t care much about how a jellyfish (or maybe a Man o’ War) looks, or they wanted to represent the kind of cryptid/ambiguous fear a child can have, but I’m not looking here for meta explanations

I’m looking here for psychological interpretations, and my interpretation is this: it’s a direct proof that not the jellyfish matters, the idea around it does

Maybe he encountered a jellyfish when he was young but he didn’t get to see it properly, or maybe he got to see it but subconsciously doesn’t focus on the jellyfish itself, but the thing that I want to be certain of is that he encountered one and got stung by it

Why? Because it would be the first time he felt pain, the first time he felt fear

And the thing that Raimundo fears the most, is vulnerability

Maybe it’s because he learned to look tough in the time he explored the dangerous places from Rio, maybe it’s because of some desire to prove himself that he developed from a family with many siblings, or maybe it’s a combination of both. But what I’m certain of, and that he showed many times in the series, is that he’s afraid of vulnerability. He’s afraid of showing himself as vulnerable, being considered as such and other things related to it, which includes not being good enough

Which is the reason why his fear is once again represented by a jellyfish in episode 8 from season 3

(Also holy hell I love this version so much, it looks so cool-)

That episode dwelled more into his fear of not being good enough, which is what he overcame at the end. The fact that his self-esteem issues have been hinted at for many many episodes and we got them actually addressed is something that I’ll always admire and love about the show

But another thing that’s been hinted at in the episode was his fear of admitting to it, which I would argue that it’s the reason why his fear of lack of competence grew this much in the first place

Just like with Omi, I’d say that this fear of inadequacy started in episode 12 from season 1, with the Mala Mala Jong incident. He saw the rejection of being promoted to apprentice as being considered a failure, as not being good enough, and as this is a sign of vulnerability, his reaction was to hide it and run away

And if before he was complaining but still doing tasks (in his own way), after this incident with Mala Mala Jong and Wuya we actually saw him slacking off more in season 2 by hiding dirty plates, dust and using Vlad to do the work for him. Only after this episode he got officially characterized as a slacker, which in episode 8 from season 3 we got it confirmed that it comes from his fear of not belonging in the team because he’s not good enough

He was having this fear for so long, but he never showed it properly because he avoids showing vulnerability, so it got bottled up for many episodes till it finally got addressed and dealt with in episode 8 (also, Omi’s constant remarks and his team’s occasional distrust on him most likely didn’t help with his fear of inadequacy)

And this is what’s interesting for me. Even if he resolved his fear of not being good enough, his core fear of vulnerability is still there, and it has the possibility of raising other fears in him, because he still has the habit of closing himself

As long as he doesn’t learn how to open up in a healthy way, he will still form fears, he will still form worries, and they will still grow until he will not be able to hide them anymore

His fears may take many forms, but they will still be rooted to the same idea, to the vague image of a jellyfish

And I love this so much

So yeah, these are my interpretations on the monks’ fears! Of course, you can have your own interpretation, as many of these things are more or less implied than confirmed. And I am curious about what you personally think! (I’m always eager to talk to someone about the show)

And if you got to read till the end, here’s an image with Raimundo being made to do his work

Look at him

The little prick

#xiaolin showdown #gh rant #character analysis #clay bailey #kimiko tohomiko #omi #raimundo pedrosa #been a while since I did a rant like this huh #it feels so good to finally have the time to ramble on my favorite cartoon of all time #all of these characters are precious to me and I'll never get tired of talking about them or the show

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nicnacsnonsense · 1 year ago

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I really do think so many of Buffy’s problems in s6 could have been prevented if Giles had been the one to move into the Summers house after Buffy died rather than Willow and Tara.

It would have solved the money problems obviously, because Giles would have just been paying the bills. All the bills before Buffy came back but also all the bills after too, because his mental concept of these bills would just be so different. In canon the bills are Buffy’s bills, they are a challenge in her life. And Giles is willing to help out to give her some breathing space to figure things out, but ultimately this is a challenge that Buffy needs to face on her own. Whereas if Giles lives in the house and has since before Buffy even came back, those bills are the household bills and as the one person in the household with an income, of course Giles is going to pay them. I’m sure he still would be pushing Buffy to try to find a path in life, and if said path included a job she might at that point be expected to contribute, but there would be no pressure on her to start making income ASAP.

Then with Dawn, first of all you just know judgy Doris is going to love Giles — middle-aged white man with an RP accent and wearing a tweed suit? Automatic stamp of approval. But beyond that, we have this dynamic where Buffy wants to lean on Giles to help her parent Dawn, whereas Giles again sees this a challenge in Buffy’s life that she needs to learn how to handle. And neither of them are entirely unreasonable for feeling the way they do, but they are also not talking about it. Buffy just assumes Giles will step up in that parental role and then Giles silently judges her for what he perceives as a failure to live up to her responsibilities. But if Giles had moved into Revello after Buffy’s death then he’d be doing it on the understanding that he was going to be Dawn’s guardian, presumably until she was all grown, an understanding that would have lasted for nearly 5 months by the time Buffy got back. So when she does get back, Giles will understand that there needs to be an actual conversation about Dawn’s care and the best way to handle things now. It doesn’t even matter what conclusion they come to, just the fact that they had the conversation and are on the same page about it will put Buffy in a better position.

Giles moving into the Summers house also means that he would not have gone back to England at the start of the season, so he would be there for Buffy from the day she came back. And now that the bills and raising Dawn are no longer challenges she is failing to meet, he wouldn’t feel compelled to leave to force her to meet them either. Which means Buffy would still have the one member of her support system that she really feels comfortable with leaning on for help in that way and crucially who had nothing to do with ripping her out of Heaven. In canon the closest thing she has to that is Spike, and I love Spike and Spuffy, but there’s no denying that their s6 relationship was not the healthiest. Much better if she has Giles to lean on.

#btvs #rupert giles #buffy summers #dawn summers

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midnightanxietytm · 1 year ago

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The rites of spring

Summary: Amidst the spring rites, Narinder learns something about his usurper.

"What could that mean? Had the Lamb not taken a consort during the previous fertility rituals? That was very unbecoming, it should be a God’s duty to bestow such blessings upon their followers…"

Author’s Note: So, before starting, a few things just for context: Since i'm not really into anthro, the lamb and their respective followers have human forms and wear animal masks that correspond to their role in the cult; The lamb is the leader obv, cats are “keepers of the house” aka they are organizers/overseers of other tasks, crows are gatherers, moles are miners so on so forth.

Also, I’ve imagined that as The Lamb, after achieving godhood, has a face that’s perfect to an unsettling and undescribable degree and that only the ex-bishops can actually look at them unmasked for more than a few seconds.

Also also, Masks, man! I love the concept of masks that both hide and reveal identity, don’t you?

Contents/warnings: Narilamb being toxic yaoi/yuri. This author is self-indulgently using the sex update for content. Non-explicit sex (aka we fade to black because i got lazy). Some angst. Mention of spouse death. Pinning, banter and all that fun stuff

Dividers by @/cafekitsune

“I wonder if our glorious leader will give anyone the honor of spending the night with them this time…” Muttered one of the Crow-masked followers, and Narinder frowned upon hearing it.

What could that mean? Had the Lamb not taken a consort during the previous fertility rituals? That was very unbecoming, it should be a God’s duty to bestow such blessings upon their followers… Maybe Narinder should take this as an opportunity; point out their flaws, make them uncertain, shake their foundation… Yes, surely that was the intention behind him making his way to the fields, where the Lamb-masked deity stood, casually talking with their followers.

Said followers, upon seeing the former god approach, promptly bowed to their leader and left quickly. Narinder was still proud of that, even decades after losing his godhood, they still avoided him in fear, yes, surely that thug in his heart was pride… This new mortal body of his was confusing sometimes…

The Lamb sighed upon seeing their followers flee, but turned to Narinder with a soft smile; “Yes, Narinder?”

The former deity put on a cheeky grin; “I heard you won’t take a partner for tonight’s ritual…” He said, softly dragging out his words. “Your followers are feeling uneasy…” An exaggeration, but a necessary one, it doesn’t matter if the followers were still as loyal as ever, Narinder would make sure to point each and every flaw until they weren’t.

So the giggle his usurper let out in the face of that treat came as a surprise. “Really, is that your pick for today? Okay then, your complaint is registered, Nari.” They said with a soft laugh. “You are free to go for today, We’ll begin soon.” And they left, just like that…

Usually, Narinder would retire to his tent sooner for the Fertility Ritual, along with his siblings. That year though, he chose a hill a little further away from the main clearing, sat down, and chose to watch from afar.

The dances began right after the sun was down; a large bonfire was lit, drums resonated, and beyond it all, The Lamb was sat on a large, elevated wooden throne, and on the opposite side of the valley, Narinder stared at them.

The hours dragged, the activities and celebrations getting more lewd by the moment, and to Narinder’s surprise, from up the hill, he saw his brother, Leshy, leave his own tent, grab the attention of a follower with a orange cat mask, and disappear with them behind the temple. Ew.

Narinder looked back to the Usurper; now they had one leg thrown over the throne armrest, mask lifted and resting on top of their head, their ethereal features full on display, but none of the followers were paying attention, all either asleep from their exhaustion already, or engaged on lascivious displays with one another.

And they both watched, Lamb’s kaleidoscope eyes hooded, a small, satisfied smile on their face, as if their follower’s pleasure was their own… And maybe it was, Narinder couldn’t know; The Lamb had more domains than he had even at the height of his godhood, he chose not to follow that train of thought.

The night went on, then passed. The sun would be rising in about two or three hours, and by now most followers had either retreated to their shelters—most with a partner, so their fun would continue—, or fell asleep around the dying bonfire. The former god rose from his watching spot, and crossed the large clearing with slow steps. He jumped over sleeping, naked bodies, and climbed over to his new deity’s thone.

“You didn't take a lover tonight after all…” He said, and again, the deity laughed.

“So you were just curious after all?” Narinder chose not to give an answer, but The lamb didn’t desire one anyway. “This existence you doomed me to, Narinder, is a lonely one, you should know.” They mused, though there was no hint of sadness on their face, it was a mere observation.

Narinder growled either way; “I doomed you to it? Need I remind you that it was you who took it by force?!” He grabbed the back of the throne forcefully, leaning over the god laid down on the seat.

“I don’t mean godhood, Nari,” Says the lamb, laughing yet again, their eyes hooded, their soft smile never leaving. Utterly infuriating. “I mean immortality… I’ve taken a few lovers before, but they all left me, they die, whether of age or of their own volition, so why try?” The deity then reached both their arms towards him, hugging him by the shoulders, Narinder had to prop his knee on the throne as the Lamb refused to let him go.

“Mortals die, Lamb, that shouldn’t bring you pain, you are weak if it does.” He whispered tauntingly, but the usurper’s face still did not falter.

“I guess��” Hummed the Lamb; “But we both know that gods die too, even if just by the hands of another, and so what’s left for us?” Their hands slid upwards, from his shoulders, to his neck, then his face, where they took off Narinder’s mask and carefully placed it aside.

“That’s a fool’s conundrum, Lamb.” Narinder snarled. And only then, their smile fell, and they sighed heavily.

“I don’t know why I thought you’d understand,” Their hands left his body, cold, and they grabbed the black cat mask, holding it as if made of gold, staring longly at it. “even imprisoned you had Aym and Baal, before that, for better or for worse, you had your siblings…” They carefully placed the mask back on his face. “Leave, Narinder, The one Who Waits. If you must think me a fool, then so be it.”

And out of all the outlandish things Lamb said to him in those decades since his defeat, this is what took him back the most, this blatant dismissal of his opinion of them was something he wouldn't stand by. He growled again and spoke his mind; “You think you can just dismiss me like that?! Don’t forget I was a god before you, I am your predecessor!”

And his former vessel simply sighed and stood up, forcing Narinder to take a step back. “Narinder, can you honestly say you miss your godhood? Because as far as I’m aware, I’ve taken a huge burden off your shoulders, along with the chains on your wrists…” They then reached again for him, but now to pull him roughly by the back of his neck, until their faces were inches apart. “And you have eternity with me in order to learn to appreciate it.”

Then they let go and promptly turned to leave, and it was the second time in a very short timeframe where Narinder was left stunned by the damned lamb. Utterly infuriating. Narinder turned around quickly and grabbed the darned usurper by the arm. He had to say something, had to give a comeback, something, anything, to shut them up.

Yet nothing came out.

He looked at the crown, resting on the Lamb’s head, and for the first time, the sight didn’t infuriate him. “At least take a partner for the next ritual. When you’re immortal, you have to move with the time.” He said after a moment of silence. “Besides, whoever you choose will surely be grateful…”

The lamb spun on their heels with a smile, all of a sudden. “Whoever I chose would be grateful?” And Narinder knew that cheeky smile better than he’d like to admit. “What if I chose you?” Came the dreadfully anticipated honeyed words.

The former god made sure to keep his expression plain as he slid his hand down their arm and granted their hand, kissing their hand. “I would be honored, my God.” He much preferred this type of teasing, he could deal with this better than the dismissal and nonchalant attitude his little lamb would sometimes display.

The usurper hummed softly, their usual smile back to their face, they pulled their mask back over their face, and Narinder felt as if pulled into a trance, one he had allowed himself to be put under, he regretted nothing. “The night is still young, my darling.” They said, and Narinder allowed himself to be pushed into sitting on the throne himself, and happily allowed the Lamb to straddle them.

Suffice to say the haze from the ritual had not yet passed, and no one would dare prevent a god from enjoying it too. Narinder surely wouldn’t.

And by the time morning came they were already apart, Narinder in his shelter as if he never left in the first place, and Lamb diligently helping their followers through the afterglow of the ritual.

By mid-day, when they gathered for a sermon and a feast in celebration of the successful ritual, Narinder heard a rabbit-masked follower gossip that during the haze of the night, they thought the Lamb had taken a lover, and they might have been delirious, but they still commented that in his mind, their Leader had the most ethereal body, and made the most beautiful sounds in the heights of pleasure.

And Narinder agreed in silence, but that was no one’s business.

Author’s Note²: Yay my first COTL fic! I quite like it, but expect me to play around with their characterization a bit in the next ones. I especially want to give a shot to cannibalism as a metaphor for love, as one does. Hope my interpretation of them in human form with masks wasn’t a dealbreaker for yall, but i can barelly describe normal body language, much less antho body language, I’ll give it a shot too, soon.

Anyways, that’s it for today, thanks for reading and feel free to give me some kind criticism if ya want! Byee!

#midnight writes #taking requests #fanfic writing #cult of the lamb #cotl #cult of the lamb au #cotl au #narilamb #cotl narinder #cotl lamb #narinder x lamb #god of death lamb #these bitches gay #and a little toxic #good for them #toxic yaoi

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lurkingshan · 2 years ago

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I’ve been noodling a bit more on this week’s episode of La Pluie, which once again inspired debate about what this show is trying to say about soulmates. This week we learned that Patts used to spend quite a bit of time right next door to Tai when he visited his grandmother, and that two years ago, the two were in touch via exchanging anonymous notes and small gifts to comfort each other through hard times. Patts supported the boy next door when he heard his parents were going through divorce, and Tai supported the boy next door when his grandmother died. They did all of this without ever meeting or knowing each other’s names, and with no motive beyond being kind to each other. The kindness is the point. (@bengiyo)

@respectthepetty suggested that this shared connection in the past is another sign that Patts and Tai have a Big Destiny and the universe was going to push them together no matter what, and read that as the show confirming they are in fact soulmates. @heretherebedork @manogirl and @shortpplfedup emphasized a different perspective, that the importance of choice is a common thread throughout this story regardless of opportunity and coincidence, and that Tai and Patts are not together because of pre-destination but because they have decided on each other.

I posit that the show is knowingly playing with these ideas in order to inspire this kind of debate because they are specifically interested in interrogating the romantic notion of destiny and its use in the romance genre, though I tend to agree with the It's About Choice camp on Patts and Tai’s romance. I’ve already done a full rundown of all the ways the show has subverted the soulmates trope to date, so I won’t repeat all of that here. It’s also important to note that in this universe, the concept of soulmates is tied to hearing loss, that this pen pal revelation is not connected to their hearing loss at all, and that the show is in the process of dismantling the hearing loss connection as a sign of pre-destination in Lomfon’s side of the story as we speak. Tai and Patts were already connected via hearing loss during the time period where they exchanged these notes, but where the more explicit “soulmate” bond was a barrier between them, with the expectations and pressure of that stripped away, they found an opportunity to simply be kind to each other and connect based on who they each are as people.

So how to interpret this new information we received in episode 9? One could look at the reveal this week from either angle:

it’s a sign that the universe was going to throw them together no matter what until they finally met and therefore they are fated; or

it’s another demonstration that when these two are able to connect without the “soulmate” bond getting in the way, Tai and Patts choose to care for each other.

Both of these are valid interpretations, and I don’t think figuring out which is “correct” is actually the point. I don’t believe the show intends to give us a firm answer about whether soulmates are real. Their intention is to make us curious, to make us question, and ultimately to share a message that whether soulmates are real is beside the point.

Perhaps there is some magic at work between Tai and Patts; perhaps there’s nothing but lucky coincidence. It doesn’t really matter, because throughout this story we’ve seen that the characters must do the work to care for each other and build strong relationships, that coincide or fate alone won’t keep them together, that they have choices and more than one path to happiness, and that what they think fate is telling them may not actually be what they want or need.

What matters is that they decide who they want to love and that they choose every day to be together, to be kind to each other, and to keep putting in the work to understand and care for one another. I believe that’s the ultimate message of this story.

#la pluie #thai bl #thank you friends for the great discussion #y'all are smart and i appreciate you #shan shouts into the void

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johnlennonofficial · 1 year ago

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Happy 2024 let’s talk about “Now and Then”

I’m not here to argue about quality or production or that chilling music video. I need you to really, truly, fully look at this from an open, honest viewpoint.

“Now and Then”, from the perspective of John Lennon, is absolutely, completely, mortifyingly embarrassing.

I think it’s fairly straightforward to deduce that the topic of this material is most likely Paul. Many of John Lennon’s post-Beatles songs mention this concept of rewinding time and starting again, often accompanying references to Beatles songs. Along with “Now and Then”, I think of “(Just Like) Starting Over”, “Real Love”, and “I’m Losing You”. There’s this misconception that in the ‘house husband’ period, John was happy as a dad and baked bread and took care of his kids. In actuality, according to Julian in Cynthia Lennon’s book John, John was deeply depressed and hardly left his bed most days. His plea to return back to a time before appears to be pre-house husband, and the wording seems similar to the language he shared with Paul.

With this context, “Now and Then” comes across as an attempt to have Paul in his life again. The language goes beyond platonic to this strange other realm. The fact of the matter is, his word choice is strange to share between friends, and truly comes off more as romantic.

Then, we get to Paul’s response. Paul doesn’t see this language as ‘romantic’, because it’s the language he and John have always used with one another. Paul has never, ever been good at picking up on social cues and is stuck in this zone of John was not gay because he “…never made a pass at me, darlin’.” Bless his heart, but he’s reading these lyrics and he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know it’s about him.

Because if Paul McCartney received such a personal confession of love from a man who was his closest friends for YEARS, he would NEVER have released it. This song is a coming out, and more blatant than any John released before. But Paul doesn’t know that because he cannot fathom the fact that John may be interested in him, no matter how many times it’s been clearly stated.

Paul saw a song by John, thought it was good, produced it, and released it. He released something akin to John’s diary to be forever memorialized as the last Beatles song, and he did so naively.

If you truly, truly believe for one second that John Lennon, a man who hit someone for insinuating he might be gay, a man whose heartbreak lead him to a stubborn feud with his muse, a man who wills rather drag nails in flesh than share more than innuendos to the public eye, would appreciate this being shared, you are either wildly out of touch or are in complete denial.

This song is not cute. It’s not romantic.

“Now and Then” is John Lennon’s waking nightmare. He’s alligator rolling in his grave. He’s ashes are so heated they’re 99% of the cause of climate change.

I propose that if you hate John Lennon or feel he deserves the humiliation of having a confession of love stripped bare before billions of people, go right ahead and continue talking about it. Keep listening. But pushing the piece forward with no regard of its obvious meaning, as a Beatles fan, is doing a severe injustice to the man you claim to love.

#i will however keep playing it because it’s fucking hilarious #get booled on john lennon you wanker #john lennon #paul mccartney #the beatles #now and then

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variousqueerthings · 1 year ago

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Okay, well, what would you prefer then? The Dustmen?

Sleep No More! this season's dedicated spooky episode. I feel like I ought to have vibed more with this one than I did and I dunno why it didn't work with me that well. maybe I powered through s9 too quickly (EDIT: I have now analysed why it didn't work so well for me, ey!)

also: is this the first out trans actor we've had on this show? definitely some things to say about that

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 10/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or given agency to her emotional interiority): 4/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 6/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 3/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 3/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 9/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 6/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 10/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 6/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 4/10

FULL RATING: 61/100 (if I can count….)

ok ok let's get into it!

OBJECTIFICATION: see, cured!

PLOT-POINT: I mean, it's a standalone episode that doesn't do much beyond the episode itself, so it doesn't really need to give Clara much development. still, I think in a season in which Clara doesn't have many emotional beats, considering what's coming up in the very next episode... I'd have liked something perhaps

COMPLEXITY: it's complexity lies in its structure and I am nooot convinced by it. there's nothing wrong as such with found footage, but it feels gimmicky very fast, and I think there should have been more done with the fact that the dust was "watching" them

the fact that it's basically the beats of a low-budget horror should have meant I vibed with it more, but I think because in the end a lot of it is just running from place to place while going "whaat is even happening here" makes it feel a bit thin

also the ending is probably an "either you like it or you don't" type ending, so I have nothing against it as such. I think the single-episode characters were thinner than a lot of the other ones we've seen throughout the years, which is kind of a shame, because there is some interesting Stuff to dig into with the wider world they inhabit (which we'll get to) but these are all -- with the exception of Nagata I think -- relatively threadbare. this might also be a feeling arising from the other episodes being two-parters, so we got more time with the "under the lake" gang idk. but maybe actually that's why I'm judging it a bit harsher -- this is a concept I've seen before a few times, done better

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: nothing much here either, although there is a delightful little exchange between Clara and the Doctor right at the beginning that goes like this --

CLARA: Looks like a Japanese restaurant. Oh! Have you brought me to a space restaurant? DOCTOR: People never do that, you know? CLARA: Do what? DOCTOR: They never put the word space in front of something just because everything's all sort of hi-tech and future-y. It's never space restaurant or space champagne or space, you know, hat. It's just restaurant, champagne or hat. Even if this was a restaurant. CLARA: What about spacesuit? DOCTOR: Pedant.

I just think that gives me more on them as characters than often exists in their episodes together, which often feel like they go so fast and are so specific to Plot things, that I've often struggled to engage with their dynamic as ostensibly good friends. this was actually something I highlighted in "the girl who died" which was the way everything with them was constantly framed around danger and high stakes and how that takes me out of understanding what draws Clara to travelling, and this is a little counterpoint to that

COMPANIONS MATTER: ehhhh not really from my memory. she's there.

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: the Doctor just fully runs around like a headless chicken in this one. no that's not fair, he solves most of the puzzle. crucially not the really important piece at the end though, but I'd assume that happened offscreen, as the implications of that ending have never been brought up again on this show to my knowledge

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: couple of tiny references. actually it's more of a big send-up to league of gentlemen, considering Gatiss wrote it and Shearsmith plays the main bad guy

“SEXINESS”: again, cured!

INTERNAL WORLD: I think if this had had more world-building and less attempts at being a PG horror movie it might have been more horrifying actually, because the implications are already horrifying enough. but yeah, this, because of the characters, is quite a thinly built world, made all the more noticeable because the ideas within it are kind of compelling as heck and I do want to know more!

POLITICS: there's a couple of things in this, the first and more intentional of which is it brings up some good horrific capitalist world-building, and I wiiish whatever the story was was actually more about that. I mean, actually there's a really good TV concept on its own in it, that this episode didn't have the time or focus or ability to tell, because it's Doctor Who, we're not spending a season dwelling on the implications of functionally removing sleep from people, but ooooh I'd be interested in a story that did!

the other thing is that this has the somewhat dubious honour of featuring the first ever out trans actor in a lead role, played by Bethany Black, and... hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I mean. I mean. she's a vat-grown grunt referred to with "it" pronouns (and not, I get the sense, because of personal choice, if personal choice came into this in the first place), who "cannot speak properly" because these "grunts" are frequently not... bred well enough? there's a loooot of episodes on Doctor Who that are about personhood and respecting that, and this... is not one of those episodes. 474 is never a focus of the Doctor in this episode, and in fact relatively early on both (she?) and this cis guy who frequently insults her the most (whom she is in love with???) are separated from the others. she then sacrifices herself for this guy, but it doesn't really matter because he's killed anyway shortly afterwards

it's just kinda messy and badly thought-out, but Bethany Black is great, and we know it's going to get better at some point. I want to make a point though as well that Bethany is fat and was in her 30s during this episode I think, and her character is presented in a relatively genderless way and smeared with camouflage paint or oil or smthin (and again, referred to with "it" pronouns), so I don't think a lot of people casually watching would have noticed that this character was a woman (if indeed, the episode understood that), in the sense that obviously trans people should get to play everyone and not "just" have to be prettified in order to be allowed onscreen, but it's a shame we couldn't see a fat trans woman being respected as a woman in this story, or youknow... get to assert her personhood, considering this is Doctor Who, and I hope that the wonderful onscreen transness we're getting will not be equated with thinness and youth exclusively in the future

but like, they could fully bring Bethany Black back as another character and I don't think people would recognise her as having been on the show before, so... do it cowards. you did it with fuckn Capaldi and Gillan and Cribbins and and and...

FULL RATING: 61/100 (if I can count….)

so I did actually check what the feedback to this episode was, and apparently at the time it was the lowest rated episode apart from Love & Monsters, which if anyone has been on this blog for a bit, you know I'm so into that episode. and I think that's worthy of a little comparison, because the thing about Love & Monsters is that while it is a bit gimmicky in format and to the left of a traditional episode, it does all of this in service to something. it's about specific people who exist in the sphere of the Doctor's influence, and that in turn explores a tertiary character (Jackie) who herself occupies a difficult space in this universe. it is, fundamentally, a very very human, softly tragic tale that builds up ideas that we'll return to many times over the course of the show

this episode does not have that. it's characters aren't very fleshed out, its world-building is shallow, and its purpose as the episode before a Very Important Episode seems to be to just. be there. and I think that's its fundamental weakness. if this were in another season, and given some tightening here and there to give it some kind of focus (my preference would be on giving some emotional insights on the Doctor and whoever the Companion is and/or making this very much about the single-episode characters For A Purpose, with the Doctor and Companion taking a backseat) I would have liked it better

as it is I don't dislike it, it's just oddly situated and relatively forgettable to me. Bethany Black should come back though

#im watching nu!who #im watching capaldi who #episode sleep no more #the measurement

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kariachi · 2 years ago

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Part of what pisses me off about all the bullshittery in the Pern series is, it’d be so fucking easy to just- Not make it that? It is literally a bippity-bobbity-fuck-that situation. Because the vast majority of the time it doesn’t add anything to the story. The majority of the time it’s just random examples of Anne’s ableism, or sexism, hypocrisy, her fucking kink, that don’t actually bring anything to the table that’s necessary or that couldn’t have been made into a better story if done another way.

The Harper Hall doesn’t except girls except it’s actually that girls don’t want to come so we just said they weren’t allowed for some reason? Tell me that makes for a better concept than ‘Harper hopeful works with her teacher on a plot to get her free from her abusive family so she can apprentice at the Hall, only for things to go horribly awry when her flight to a secret pick-up location is interrupted by an out-of-pattern Fall and she’s presumed dead’.

‘Dragonriders are infallible except when they aren’t but even when they are they aren’t because who are we to say a rider is ever wrong?’ Not only serves no purpose from a story and worldbuilding standpoint when you refuse to have it pushed back against in any real or meaningful way, but just serves to make the characters seem even worse for the lack of acknowledgement and justice.

There is literally no reason for the sheer level and depth of ableism, misogyny, heterosexism, and racism is this series. It adds literally nothing to have it be so rampant that even our heroes are talking about how all women are horrible creatures that should shut up and do as they’re told.

How the fuck is ‘Robinton doesn’t acknowledge his son because the boy’s mother said he didn’t have to and also he’s severely disabled’ the story you settle on when ‘Robinton is uninvolved in his son’s life out of fear he’ll find himself pressuring him to reach heights that aren’t possible and hurt him in the process, especially after the emotional abuse he suffered at the hands of his own father, not realizing that this has just left him a neglectful parent rather than an abusive one’ is right the fuck there?

What does the rapey-tones of the whole Flights situation add to anything besides appeal to what I assume were Anne’s own kinks? It’s only truly plot relevant once, and again why would you go for ‘dragons fuck whoever so their riders have to fuck whoever (except when they don’t, but ignore that, it’ll never really enter into anything-) no matter what either wants’ when the potential for ‘bronzers all working to ingratiate themselves to suspicious goldpair so they’ll let them chase/choose them when they Rise’ or ‘dipshit bronzeriders try to prevent ‘all dragons are loyal to only their riders above her’-Ramoth and Lessa from learning about mating so they can be caught unawares while F’lar and his allies realize they have a singular moral between them and scuttle the attempt’ subplots are right there? Letting the risers have the power you say golds have and the power loads of female critters in nature have over who they mate with, let fuckers communicate and coordinate beyond Kylara trying to convince Prideth to fun for Mnemoth (which, forgive me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure that’s the closest we get to this shit in canon and it’s from a fucking antagonist), it is so fucking easy to fix that shit and it makes for more interesting stories with more emotional depth!

There is no reason and no need for so much shit (this is just an ‘off the top of my head’) and just-

It’s so fucking easy!

#achi rants #''achi if there's so much wrong with this series why do you love it?''#''because the dragons because some facets of the worldbuilding are so fascinating and have so much potential #because the problems are intrinsic but also so meaningless that you can just shear them off and for the most part harm nothing #because the fix is right there and so easy and between me and bondable talking dragons *i have to fix it*''

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abla-soso · 2 years ago

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My gal Twice literally developed a split personality that he couldn’t control for years. Brainwashing like that done in cults isn’t the same as media you know where a person has zero control over their actions. The manga spelled out way back in the My Villain Academia saga that Toga experienced extreme child quick “therapy” that was meant to mentally suppress the urges her quirk gave her. The mask imagery in those scenes existed to show the extreme mental pressure that put her under it wasn’t a simple talking session with a counselor. She was biting her hands drinking blood from her wounds in her sleep the experience did not leave her mentally stable.

Also you are literally the only one saying the LOV can’t be called out or aren’t responsible so don’t argue that when that isn’t the point at all. Maybe you interact with people that are giving you guilt free stuff but that was never the point of the manga or what we were talking about so stay on point.

If you feel people are saying you don’t understand trauma it is because your rants suggest that. You act and write in a way that is only black or white. Either the characters have full empathy and agency and choose evil or they have none and can’t control themselves. If you understood trauma you would know it can be a mix of both where you lack full control but are still responsible for the consequences of your actions. You say you understand but you don’t behave or argue in a way that in any manner really suggests you do beyond buzzwords.

You say “But I obviously do.” Where? Nothing you have said suggests you do. Everything you write is either fighting about arguments some unnamed people made or saying you guys as if the people that talk to you and point out issues with your posts are a hive mind that all believe these extreme points. If you think I want the LOV to skip away after the fight like nothing happened you are the one who doesn’t understand anything because you have made up something in your mind and are getting upset about that over there far away from the truth.

I mean You say you hope characters die and then act surprised when people thing you don’t want those characters heal. Shocking. It is as if you have no concept of others outside of you. Argue about guilt free cards when someone actually says such a thing and I mean actually says that says that not says something that you think means that. Don’t fight the battles you have with other people with anyone besides them.

Also maybe you may disagree but the key thesis of MHA is a true hero fights to save everyone. Just like a doctor fights to help all their patients or a firefighter fights to rescue everyone from a fire. If Ochako wants to make her profession you know her actual job hero work the story is saying she must first do everything she can even put her life on the line to save people and she can’t turn away who she saves. Same as how a firefighter must put their lives on the line and enter burning buildings where they could die to rescue people no matter who they are even terrible people. Same as how a doctor must treat everyone even murders and horrible people. Sorry but de-escalation isn’t easy. The reality of it is that you have to make yourself vulnerable to people some horrid that can hurt you. The story has always been about the idea that to defeat a villain it isn’t enough to just hit it society does need to listen to and address the issues that caused various problems and work to fix them while holding villains accountable. And for that message to work you have to do it for extreme characters just like a redemption arc doesn’t work unless the character has done something extremely bad.

Maybe we can agree that this is a lot for anyone and why again the society in MHA is flawed because it is traumatizing and using teenagers to fight these battles because the adults failed to protect the children or to address these issues. But the story is meant to take extreme issues and show kids that even if the world is messed up right now and they have to fix problems adults failed to address or worse contributed to that hope isn’t lost and they can do it by working together.

Its a modern fairytale where instead of children being forced to go fight giants and monsters they are being asked to empathize with people who hurt them instead of just calling them evil and killing them. Both stories when taken to extremes are bad but both teach valuable lessons the first bravery and the second empathy and both resilience, teamwork and courage.

This is just as obnoxiously condescending and ignorant as your previous message that I was tempted to just delete it. But I’m in a mood to rant and vent, so I will.

Talking to people like you is so frustrating because you swear you’re not excusing the villains and you claim you’re holding them accountable and yet you jump through hoops to declare the villains as too traumatized to know right from wrong and thus give them a guilt free card. Maybe work on this of lack self-awareness before barging to a stranger’s inbox to be as obnoxious as possible.

I don’t have the time or the energy or the desire to go through my whole blog just to give you specific examples of me supporting the idea of giving the villains a chance for redemption and healing. I’ve talked about it many, many times. Look for it if you care. But don’t talk out of your ass and assume how my mind works. Just because I no longer feel sympathy for the villains and wouldn’t care if they dropped dead doesn’t mean I don’t logically support the idea of their healing and atoning.

I am so beyond sick and tired of this narrative that claims anyone who dares criticize Hori’s writing (when it comes to the heroes’ responsibility to the villains) is an ignoramus who doesn’t get the story’s themes. I get the themes. Empathy is nice and mercy is cool. I fucking get it. I just think they’re terribly written.

Your comparison between heroes and doctors/firefighters is disingenuous because when doctors/firefighters say “we need to save everyone” they’re working against the elements of nature (diseases/fire), not against the people they’re trying to save. Your comparison would work if you compared the heroes with cops or the military or forensic psychologists or any job that forces people to help or deescalate the violence of criminals who insist on causing destruction and assaulting others. And guess what? None of them think all criminals can be saved. None of them think it’s possible to save someone who doesn’t want to self-reflect and take responsibility. None of them prioritize “saving” the criminals above protecting innocent people. None of them think deescalating means putting their literal lives in jeopardy.

And Hori is not even consistent with his "save everyone" because he showed us Deku giving up on some villains! Why are the league of the villains the only ones given endless chances while the other villains were tossed away after one chance and sometimes without being given any chance???

Other writers of Shonen manga nailed the “save the villains” plot because they leaned heavily on the unrealistic/fantastical presentation of their themes and characters’ psychologies, while Hori was fairly realistic. And they made sure that the heroes would not dehumanize themselves to be empathic and compassionate, and they would mostly let the “talk-no-jetsu” therapy for after the fight was over and the villains’ asses were kicked. And most importantly: they didn’t make every single hero - even teenagers! - feel morally obligated to give that “talk-no-jetsu” in the first place. That’s why their “save the villains” story worked and Hori’s didn’t.

One of Hori’s biggest problems is making the heroes feel morally obligated to be the villains’ therapists! during times of war! while the villains are trying to literally murder them! That is a ridiculous demand because BNHA is not a fucking fairytale. If it was, then serious RL issues like child abuse and redemption would be dealt be symbolically and not realistically. If BNHA was a symbolic fantasy then I wouldn’t care if serious RL issues (like terrorism, stalking, physical assault, attempted murder, and adultification) were used in an abstract way to explore other RL issues (empathy, mercy, acceptance, child abuse, isolation, despair). Like I said in the previous ask: You can’t argue for hyper-realism when talking about the villains’ trauma/moral responsibility but argue for utterly unrealistic fantasy bullshit when talking about the heroes’ trauma/moral responsibility (just give the traumatized terrorists empathy and mercy and they will stop being evil!). You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

#fandom stupidity #bnha manga spoilers

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