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bestworstcase · 6 months

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anyway.

i’ll tell you a story:

mankind is no more, yet your world remains, and in time, your kind will grow to walk its face once again. (as long as this world turns, you shall walk its face.)

for as long as mankind can remember walking the surface of remnant, so do they remember this wicked force:

most of us spend a lot of time talking about mankind versus grimm, but technically, there is a third party in the mix:

as far as anyone’s aware, the faunus have been around as long as mankind—if not a little longer.

and yet:

in both origin myths, faunus are made from humans; or to be more precise, faunus are a people who were once human and chose to become something new.

she painted them pictures of a time […] when they could claim the power of their creators, and perfect their own design.

“here at least we have control of our fates, free from the influence of others.”

the tree does not kill; it resurrects, and rebuilds. this force of pure destruction could not destroy, so it created:

“the water hasn’t changed us. it has washed away the lies to reveal what we’ve always been […] this is who we are.”

the faunus had changed so much, inside and outwardly, so that they were no longer recognizable to their mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters. in addition, they had been pursued by creatures of frimm, which the villagers viewed as an intentional attack. in the chaos that followed, the faunus and humans all fled for their lives. the humans left to find a new settlement, safe from grimm and closed to faunus. the faunus left to find somewhere they could live peacefully with one another and become the best versions of themselves, free of prejudice.

(and grimm. there have always been grimm. there will always be grimm. but those creatures don’t figure in this story, so just put them out of your mind, if you can.)

(no, not grimm. grimm are not alive in the usual sense, nor does anyone want them. please do put them out of your mind, if you can.)

(were you wondering whether there were any grimm on the island in those days? as I’ve told you, grimm do not figure into this story, and i wish you would clear them from your mind.)

scientists are still scratching their heads when it comes to… well, a lot about the faunus.

very little is known of [the grimm’s] origin. [but] they exclusively attack humans and their creations.

early man was scared to death of the faunus […] seeing something that looks like you and acts like you walk out of the forest and reveal a pair of fangs can be a little... upsetting. like most things man doesn't understand, all sorts of rumors and stories surround the faunus.

many ancient cultures believed the creatures of grimm to be animals possessed by evil spirits, or perhaps the spirits of tortured animals themselves.

people avoided [the faunus] like the plague, pushing them out of settlements and sometimes even hunting them down.

creatures known as faunus bore fangs and claws and were locked away in cages.

frightened whispers that spoke of a terrifying sorceress who commanded dark powers in the wilds among the beasts and monsters.

the common belief is that grimm are not obligated to feed; they choose to. (keeping them in captivity has proved […] a difficult task, as the creatures tend to either die or kill those who imprisoned them.)

those who hunt the beasts for sport find [their disintegration after death] particularly upsetting. (and in the end, killing is all that matters.)

humans wanted to make monsters of us, so we chose to don the faces of monsters.

it was the grimm that brought humans and faunus together for the first time. a village in sanus came under attack, and the only reason anyone survived was because humans and faunus united against their common enemy. it was a step in the right direction, but it didn’t fix everything; once humanity learned they weren’t so different from the faunus, they still used those differences as an excuse to exploit and alienate them.

“the humans wanted to control us and make us their property so they can sacrifice our lives against the grimm instead of their own. but that is not our fight! we just want to be free.” “the animals are wild and unruly. they steal from us at night. we only want to keep them in their place so we may live in safety and peace.”

so you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called free world, but take heed: there will be no victory in strength.

you and i all have a common enemy: the ones in control, the people pulling the strings, the dirty, rotten humans that run our kingdoms.

i know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. […] our kingdoms are on the brink of war, and yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark.

your faith in mankind was not misplaced. when banded together, unified by a common enemy, they are a noticeable threat.

i do not want to start a war with the humans that we cannot win.

and the descendants of the humans who turned away from our god’s great gift have always carried envy in their hearts. to this day, they resent us for reminding them of what they are not and what they never can be.

why spend our lives trying to redeem these humans when we could replace them with what they could never be.

if you can’t beat them, make them join you.

where do we go now? wherever you’d like.

what do we do now? whatever we’d like.

we can mold these lands into whatever we want—what you want! create the paradise the old gods could not…

what am i supposed to do? you can do whatever you want. be whoever you want!

what’s going to happen to me? am i going to die? the only thing that could happen to you here is what you want to happen. the choices of what you become and where you end up is yours to make.

menagerie does not fear the grimm.

faunus were ostracized, hated, feared, caged and hunted like beasts until they stood to defend humans from grimm. then they were persecuted and enslaved.

put the grimm out of your mind. clear the grimm from your mind. forget about the grimm! stop asking about the grimm! there were never any grimm in this story!—the shallow sea is an oral tradition. how many faunus had to tell it this way, as storytellers entreating their audience to stop asking why the grimm have been left out, before the original myth was forgotten?

once upon a time, the god of the faunus was a grimm. humans hunted grimm and faunus alike; both adversaries of mankind, both hated and feared as corrupted beings, possessed by evil spirits. look at this imagery:

salem knows the tree and the blacksmith. she understands life and death—not the artificial balance enforced by divine fiat but life and death—and the faunus are her people. grimm are the oldest form of life on remnant, and faunus the second, but faunus culturally remember themselves as changed humans because their god was human once, before she became grimm and made them.

the humans leave to find a new place to live, safe from the grimm and closed to the faunus.

the faunus set out to find somewhere they can live peacefully with each other and, ah, perfect their own design.

long ago, humans were the common enemy of the grimm and the faunus; then the ozlem kingdom rose and fell, and ozma dedicated countless lifetimes to the task of exiling salem, and humans grew ever more numerous until it became impossible for faunus civilization to exist separately from humans. the grimm continued to attack human settlements, and the faunus who lived along humans fought to defend their human neighborhoods. the narrative shifted; grimm became the common enemy of humans and faunus. humans still denied the faunus personhood, of course. the old associations lingered as pernicious stereotypes even as the grimm vanished from faunus folklore.

salem is the god of animals.

and there’s probably some sort of human -> grimm -> faunus reincarnation cycle going on here because salem made a bridge.

#banging pots and pans #grimm are people. hi #isn’t it fun how WOR grimm is narrated by a grimm who’s just *seething* behind the vicious sarcasm #and WOR faunus is narrated by a human who’s never seriously examined his subconscious biases #so that if you watch them together it’s crystal clear that humans have just demonized both non-human peoples #<- we’re the same you and me

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orbmanson7 · 9 months

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@intrulogical sent me a Logan Angst prompt!

logan crying in a video whilst offering a solution to something and thomas going "stop crying"

I'm still taking Logan Angst prompts from any word or phrase sent to my ask box!

Asking for clarification had become almost habit for him by now.

"Ah, so you didn't mean that literally then?" Logan steadied his expression after the realization struck him. "I suppose this is why clarification is so useful in these discussions."

"There's nothing to clarify, Specs!" Roman threw his hands up dramatically. "It's not like we were trying to trick you!"

Logan blinked at that response. He hadn't thought they were trying to deceive him with their words, no, but it's not as though they had meant what they said, either. Hence the need for clarification.

He nodded towards Roman, replying,

"I understand that, but--"

"Do you?" Roman instantly cut him off. "Because it seems like it takes a million times for us to explain something to you before you actually get it!"

Oh. So he was bothered by Logan's repeated desire for clarification. The quantity was the issue.

"I believe I understand your concern. While some subjects may take extra consideration, I can assure you, I am trying my best."

"Are you?"

Thomas stared back at him with an unreadable expression. Was it unreadable to everyone else, too, or just him?

"Wh..." He was so shocked to hear Thomas outright doubt him like that, he couldn't even formulate the question he wanted to ask. He tried not to let it show, straightening his stance.

Thomas needed his trust, his confidence.

"Of course I am," he told him.

He just needed to be confident. He didn't need to bring more doubt to the topic at hand, after all.

"Princey kind of has a point, though," Thomas only frowned at him. "We've talked about this before, but you never seem to get it. Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?"

"Well, yes, of course," Logan replied as quickly as possible, trying not to sputter over how badly his attempt had just failed. "But it's not as though I have limitless knowledge--"

"Aren't you his language center or whatever it's called?" Virgil piped up. "Isn't this supposed to be your thing?"

"I operate his recognition and use of language, yes," he answered truthfully, "but understanding more than the contextual meaning behind a phrase via facial expression or body language or tone of voice doesn't typically fall to my expertise--"

"Then why are you even doing it?"

"Wh... It... Because it's my job."

He'd never had anyone ask him such a question before, and he wasn't sure there was a better way to answer it.

"And yet," Roman butted in, "you need us to explain what we mean forty times every episode for you to understand? If it's your job, shouldn't you already know how to do that?" He grumbled, crossing his arms. "It's not like I have to relearn how to write every time I have an idea, you know. I already know how to do it. So what's your problem?"

Logan stared. He...wasn't sure there was an adequate answer to that, either. Surely, there was a legitimate reason why pragmatic errors frequented his discussions with others, but if it really was his role to handle that on Thomas' behalf, why was he continuously struggling with it? Why had he not learned about it, held onto that knowledge, and then applied it when the situation arose, just as he had with near everything else?

Why was this different, especially when it so heavily affected his purpose to Thomas?

What was his problem?

Roman laughed.

"What? Cat got your tongue now?"

"...no?" Logan raised an eyebrow, confused. "I still have my tongue and there is no cat to--"

"Logan, seriously, just stop." Thomas held up a hand to stop him. He wasn't even looking at Logan as he spoke. "You're the one always lecturing us about learning stuff but then you don't even understand half of what we're saying unless we spell it out for you!"

Logan bit his lip, willing himself to understand.

"I don't think you'd need to spell anything out, Thomas. I simply ask that you clarify the meaning of--"

"For the love of God, Logan, this is exactly what we're talking about!" Thomas shouted, finally turning to look directly at him.

Logan paused. So this was more of the same, then.

"Ah."

It wasn't just that he was asking too often, it was the matter of his asking at all.

Roman rolled his eyes.

"Boy, and you call me stupid."

"I don't believe I've called you that," Logan responded calmly, then adding, "Today."

Even if it was harsh, at least when he had said that, he meant what he said.

After all, why would someone say something they didn't mean? Wouldn't they want to be understood? To be able to communicate effectively?

When he spoke, he wanted to not only be heard but for others to know what he was trying to convey. Using hidden context served little purpose, and only proved to create massive communication issues like this one.

Logan absently fiddled with the end of his tie.

The others were all looking at him disapprovingly.

He swallowed, but something in his throat felt tight, obstructed. His eyes seemed less focused, slightly blurring around the edges.

He tried to take a proper breath, but it came in shuddering and came back out shaky.

None of these were good signs, at least as far as seeming professional goes.

"Perhaps I have asked for clarification far too often for your liking." Logan paused, expecting to be cut off yet again. When the others didn't respond, he continued, "I merely wish to make sure we're communicating properly, that I'm not misunderstanding your--"

"We shouldn't have to explain it every time!"

And there it was.

Roman and Thomas both began yelling a number of things, but Logan just waited.

Everything they were saying... They were right. Something was definitely wrong here. Logan shouldn't be continuing to struggle if they've all done their part to explain their intention so many times. Why was he still in need of clarification, of assistance? Why hadn't he resolved this on his own already?

He would have to keep trying.

As it quieted down, he turned to Thomas, attempting to hold his gaze without trepidation.

"I... I'll keep trying, then."

"What, so you weren't trying before?" Thomas was so immediately outraged. "How long are we going to have to put up with this?"

"Logan, maybe you just need to try a different way of figuring it out." Patton offered, hands up, placating. "We all know you get stuck in your ways, so maybe just try it our way this time, yeah?"

But doing just that hadn't ended well at all last time. He couldn't have been the only one who remembered that, right? Last time, he was only left confused and ultimately misunderstood by the others when he tried it 'their way'. That couldn't possibly be the solution. No, there had to be something else.

"Well," Logan tried, "I don't know if that would--"

"He's right!" Roman cut in, sounding angry. "You don't even want to get it, do you? Is this an attention thing again??"

Roman moved his arms around in ways that failed to make sense to Logan at all.

"Oh no, Logan needs even more attention now so he has to pretend to be stupid to get even more camera time!"

Logan was completely confused at such a comment. That didn't seem like a fair judge of his conduct at all.

He grimaced,

"I... I would never pretend to--"

"L, it's fine if you're just doing it so you get to talk more," Virgil told him, leaning back casually on the staircase. "I get it, man, but this isn't the way, you know?"

Logan did not 'get it' like Virgil apparently did. Why would someone pretend to not understand something? Why not just be sincere, clarify their confusion so they can get the help they need? What purpose would it serve to lie about it?

"I just..." He wasn't sure how to explain to them that he wasn't pretending without knowing why they thought he was. "That's not... I wouldn't do that--"

"Oh, please." Roman scoffed.

Thomas sighed, putting his face in his hands.

"Logan, the excuses aren't helping, either."

He hadn't meant to bother Thomas with all of this. He was at a loss on what he could do to fix this mess, one he had apparently started all on his own.

He swallowed again, feeling heat begin to rise behind his eyes.

"A-apologies."

Thomas shoved his hands down at his sides. Logan may not have been the best with body language but he could certainly tell his choice to apologize had been the wrong one to make.

Thomas glared at him, something Logan realized he had started to see more often lately. Logan flinched without meaning to, and he couldn't even begin to understand the shiver that had gone through him or what it could possibly mean. His vision blurred.

He could just make out Thomas' expression as it twisted at Logan's knee-jerk reaction, and he suddenly shouted at Logan,

"Ugh, stop crying! Just do better!"

He really hadn't meant to have any overt reaction, but he'd been quite unprepared for this turn of events.

Where had they come up with the idea that he would lie about this? Was this his fault to begin with, for not putting in enough effort to understand, to learn, to improve?

Clearly they had a better understanding than he did, so perhaps they were right. Maybe he was capable of understanding and was simply choosing not to properly learn how to discern the difference in someone's words with how they speak them.

He reached up, removed his glasses, and wiped a palm across his eye, trying to stop the tears that kept flowing. He wasn't entirely sure when he had started crying, either, but now it didn't seem to want to stop.

Thomas was right. Logan had to do better. It was past time he did his job the right way by now, and in the way Thomas wanted above all else.

He put his glasses back on and turned to Thomas, ignoring the last tear escaping down his cheek as he spoke.

"I'll try."

#logan angst #logan sanders #fanfiction #finally something with some dialogue #ooh boy i swear this isn't unsympathetic sides and thomas even if it seems like it #this is genuinely just a very bad reaction to Logan's difficulty with pragmatics #stuff like hyperbole innuendo metaphors irony and sarcasm all change how youre meant to interpret language #so of course logan can understand whats being said but when you change how you say it then it becomes harder for him to understand #when you dont say what you mean you know?#anyway yeah angst fun enjoy #sanders sides #long post #orbs speech bubbles #oh! and i was listening to I'll Try from Peter Pan 2 Return to Neverland when i wrote this #go listen to that and tell me thats not a logan angst song yeah?

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