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blindtaleteller · 6 months

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Just out of curiosity... Is it really in character of Loki to replace Odin with magic like he does at the end of TDW?.. A part of me feels like it is tainted with hasty writing (which fits the narrative regarding how this was a change mid-production). If Loki truly survived the attack by the Cursed, what seems most in character for him to do? Getting on the throne of Asgard doesn't seem that likely to me, to be honest..

This one is gonna be long I think, because asking that particular question, tells me you've missed a few things. Nothing wrong with that; it happens. (I do know a lot but even I forget to add or remind myself of certain bits too now and again: which is yet another reason why I do watch and re-watch the content over and again, and seek out creators and actors interviews from the era from varied angles.)

I wish the current creators paid a decent fraction as much attention mind you, but that' as whole other thing and annoyance.

Anyway! Here we go again~

It does make the most sense choice wise, actually; that Loki would take the throne in 2013: and it has nothing to do with wanting the throne itself as implied and said outright repeatedly by current creators and their "scripts."

While there are a LOT of reasons to do so with what's going on in the story both immediate in Thor the Dark World itself and otherwise? Most of them, and the reason why Loki absolutely would keep the throne for the next five years boils down to the same reason used to attempt to execute him on his return, and ultimately put him in the dungeon to end up as the major reason Asgard's people were spared a prolonged siege at a time when their defenses had been almost entirely decimated.

The ultimate answer boils down to the not-so-hidden Chekhov's Gun for the overall story of the first sequence/series of MCU films.

I say it that way in particular, because in this case.. they started setting up for it back in 2009-11 with Captain America the First Avenger and the first Thor movie as well. Iron Man 2 released in 2010, had some part setting up details for Avengers 2012 as well; though some of them are mostly less important in regards to this particular ask, for the era and subject we're talking about here.

They did this incredibly well though, when you look at the way the set up was constructed.

Basically, there are two layers of story being told in most Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies of the era; if you didn't notice.

1. Local Story, the story that wholly belongs to the title; era and or immediate characters.

2. Universal and or Overall Story belonging to the universe in which those local stories are taking place.

Remember this guy? I'm pretty sure you do but..

One of the things that people love to forget (or more often pass over as taken for granted) is that Thanos is the person who ultimately snatched Loki up, purely with the intent of getting another stone (Tesseract) into his hands. (Of course there was never any promise Loki would rule over 8 billion rather than 4 billion either, and well. That kind of action; taking half the population then rather than 2018: is established repeatedly as being very much in Thanos' character too.)

I say one of though, because the fact that the Mind Stone (Scepter) was in Thanos hands well before that was established in the very first scenes of Avengers 2012.. before they even put a single character on screen.

In a scene that, tells the viewer outright why Loki was the one chosen; and what they want. This scene is a lot more than just a foreword to catch up viewers who hadn't seen Captain America or Thor at the time. This is also the first not-so-subtle mention of their Universal Story Chekhov's Gun, Thanos.

To break it down for you real quick:

------pre-Universal story set up.

1 - (2010) Tony Stark creates a new-to-earth element (Badassium.. lol I didn't name it, they did) replacing the palladium in the reactor in his chest with this element. Black Widow (Natasha Romanov) is introduced.

----this sets up in minor ways for the Mind Stone: a more believable reason and mechanic for Stark being immune to the Scepter being used on him at the top of the tower at the beginning of the Battle for New York. (There are other mechanics like this set up in the previous IM movies as well: including his brief float in space otherwise ignoring physics of human body and suit versus a lack of atmosphere, gravity or air pressure. [IM1]) But it also introduces Nat and her position in SHIELD into the Universe, rather than just throwing her on screen in A1.

2 - (R May 2011)This film is the heavy lifter as far as Universal story goes. It doesn't just introduce one or two major characters in the Avengers; but THREE of next movie's three major, main characters and their place in the universe are introduced and built: As well as giving the first glimpses of the Universe at large.

There is a reason why Loki and especially Asgard where he is after Thor's banishment, has more screen time than Thor in the opening title film, and the Universal Story is that reason.

(This one is going to be among the largest, because it contains some of the intent behind the character as he is in the MCU.)

FEIGE: "The movie, very much, is an origin of Loki, almost as much as it is an origin of Thor. We had to ride that balance." BRANNAGH: " I think the connection, if there is one, is that the stakes are high. So, in something like Henry IV or Henry V, where you’re wondering if that young prince could be the king and whether he’s the right man for the job. That story arc of the flawed hero who must earn the right to be king is in our piece, but what’s key is the stakes. There, it’s Europe and England, and here, it’s the universe. When that family has problems, everybody else is affected. If Thor throws a fit and is yelling at his father and is banished, suddenly the worlds are unstable." I: Can you talk about casting Tom Hiddleston for Loki? BRANNAGH: "From the performance point of view, we needed somebody who was complex and could convey intelligence. There was a constant conversation between us all about whether it was a good thing to keep the question mark over the character of Loki throughout. Is he bad? Does he have a plan? Does he love his brother? Does he hate his brother? Does he hate his father? Is this happening before our very eyes? How does he truly react to the secrets and lies that emerge, in the course of the story? So, you needed someone who could be adept at putting on all those masks and making it seem seamless." [Link to the full Interview HERE.]

Granted Brannagh summarized Thor's part IN throwing that Universe into chaos more than a bit, but yeah. (his shit fit from a less personal view included breaking peace treaty with a no border crossing agreement between two entire worlds, threatening and then killing the residents in the process, and then throwing another fit in defense of that TO get banished: and furthering that later on as the source of that problem through the extra treason of ignoring his very and repeatedly stated light punishment for that first set of acts of treason: by attempting to return from that punishment against the order of not one but two kings [interim and prior] to have the Destroyer sent after him only then.)

As you can see through Brannagh's words in particular though; Thor as a movie (and Asgard in particular) was aimed as one of the major contributing factors and powers in the MCU Universe and Universal Story from concept one.

Asgard (and T1 as a result) as a power and society was set up and built as a major pivoting point and joint for the Universal Story, with all the power, knowledge, flaws, limitations societal and otherwise needed to forward that story.

Brannagh was not just and only aware of that and the scope to which a universal monarchy and having that monarchy including Thor and Loki as main characters would stretch: he and the creators of Thor and the Universe including Feige were VERY aware of it.

And it kept all the way through to IW and EndGame, and would have even if Loki had not kept the throne.. if at a much higher cost. (We'll get to that; though I'm betting with this taken into account you can figure out some of why.)

All that kept to one side, this film introduced Asgard's current ability as a technologically advanced Conquerer-type Imperialist society, rather than gods; but also and temporarily disabled the Bifrost as their most used and fastest known means to deliver larger numbers to Earth, at the time of the movie's release. It likewise released Loki for his role in the Avengers 2012 and in their Universe at large: and set up for Guardians of the Galaxy in subtler ways to start off the Other and Thanos as the ones conducting the Invasion and looking for the Infinity Stones.

Needless to say, juggling all that in one film before the Universal Story hit, made giving their other introduction and Universal story mechanic on the Earthen end a little hard to squeeze in; but they did manage to introduce both Hawkeye and Selvig in the same movie setting on top of that: and added the end credit scene to establish further connection during Thor's banishment: by further involving SHIELD in his and especially Mjolnir's arrival.

Like I said.. heavy lifter of a film. Brannagh did a beyond amazing job with everything he was made to juggle both in film and setting up for the next two: one of which was in production at the same time as the one he was chosen to direct.

3. (R July 2011 [1940s]) Coming out later that year, CA:tFA took the next (and the one at the time unknown previous) page that the end credit scene showed us in that set up, to establish how the cube and Stone got there, a feel for it's danger in the wrong hands and how it ended up on Earth still in 2012 at all: again tying to SHIELD as Earth's portion of that Universal Story, using Asgard's pivot point to advance the plot and add the final Avenger (which lol at the title 'The First Avenger' for that reason and others: someone had a giggle at the name I'm sure). The Tesseract first seen in the end credit scene of Thor; is properly introduced immediately, as A. having been in Asgard's hands before leaving it in the charge of humans, and B. Stolen by Schmidt who knows and tells us this as he's stealing it from it's guardians descendants (right out of their ancestor's grave and dead hands) for Nazi/Hydra gain. The Tesseract (along with Schmidt and Rogers) is lost somewhere over the Atlantic.

----this movie sets up quite a few more things, and uses that gap in time to do so without need for a whole other movie. Cap's presence in 2012. What's really fun and interesting though, is just how afr ahead this one was running it's projected Universal Story aim: even if only in The Tesseract being reclaimed by SHIELD and Hydra sometime between 1945 and 1970 just before Tony's birth in that same year of 1970 (remember, Hydra were unidentified as being in SHIELD all the way up to 2014.)

Hydra's existence, threat, and eventual reveal in CA:TWS resulting in the Mind Stone they stole* while within SHIELD after 2012 to only be recovered three years after that in 2015. Bucky Barnes was introduced in this first film; and while his character on it's own doesn't do a whole lot for the Universal story.. where and what organization he's found in that he resurfaces as forced a part of, does: as the Universal Story in CAtWS connects from CAtFA and Avengers, to GoTG; and leads straight to Ultron where it's finally recovered, and more importantly to revealing the Infinity Stones for what they are.. as well as telling the viewer outright that of the six stones as of Age of Ultron?

We have already seen four of those six stones on screen.. and, three of them have been in Loki's presence if not directly in his hands as of 2013 the year after 2012. (Tesseract twice, Scepter, and Ather: and in that chronological order.)

(*Side note: Errrr, is it stealing when Hydra were running SHIELD more than Fury at that stage after Howard Stark's death: and they just kinda handed it to Rumlow and Pierce without question for two years? idk, that's more than a little iffy in a lot of ways lol!)

Anyway, again that pivoting point is straight-away Asgard, and Odin in particular. Though they make when it arrived on Earth ambiguous in CA:TFA, the Other's dialogue from that opening Avengers 2012 scene mentioned way up there at the top? Tells us outright that the Tesseract was left there AFTER the war with Jotunheim.

The line among the few I'm talking about in particular is:

" The Tesseract has awakened. [...] But our ally [Loki] knows it's workings as they never will. " - The Other, Avengers 2012, Opening Scene

(Another set of side notes: the inflection and especially emphasis being where it is in that dialogue was pretty interesting and a bit odd back then, prior to Thanos being properly unveiled as the Other's keeper two years later. Right away that opener tells you outright what they want from Earth at that moment[tesseract & the stones], the fact that the one speaking isn't in charge either [Thanos being behind the Other and Chitauri], that they are not the only army available to them [he says our Chitauri, not our army or armies: see Ronan the Accuser] and that they're willing to go war and kill on an interstellar level to get it [self explanatory].)

(There's also how Schmidt disappears as shown in this film. Reminder: while we generally know that Asgard put the Tesseract on Earth sometime during Loki & Thor's adult lifetime, we don't know when Asgard got it. BUT. The visuals alone at the end of CAtFA have some pretty big implications in that direction. More so as TDW shows us that there's a certain technology in play as far back as Bor's time. Here's a gif.. Look kinda familiar, Thor fans..?)

Here's one I've shared before, from TDW itself to visually remind us where we've seen that kind of things repeatedly:

(Yep. That's the Bifrost being used 5,000 years ago to bring in Bor's army and steal the Aether, y'all. It also shows us something else: that the Bifrost can be held in long spurts without destroying the planet it's pointed at becoming an immediate thing. Combine this with Loki's knowledge and hm... that raises some other interesting facts and extra questions about the Bifrost scene at the end of Thor 2011 too, doesn't it.)

Okay so! Some who see this might ask 'Why is all that important?'

Welp.. the answer is in the question at the very top of this ask.

Asking about Loki, and his taking Asgard's throne at the end of Thor the Dark World...

The answers are yes, especially because motivation, all that backstory (both directly on screen and what was established and cemented as canon even off it for years by the creators, for that story to work [yes click that link if you haven't seen the breakdown of the year between Thor 2011 and Avengers 2012],) and more pointedly the fact that Loki by that point after the end of The Dark World: not only knows someone is pursuing the Infinity Stones, and knows very well how the Tesseract in Asgard's vault at this stage would help Thanos collect the rest.. but!

Loki has also up close and personal just been introduced to a third, formerly lost/hidden Infinity Stone being revealed and claimed in a very loud, very public way, by a just as universally known power he himself has intimate knowledge of... Asgard [if through Jane/Earth: and gawds but Bor was just as bad about hiding vital and fatal info as Odin turned out to be, sheesh.]

And here's the extra addition to that motivation to stay and take that throne in a way that also knocks out all threat FROM Asgard and it's allies: the person who tortured him and is seeking those stones has already threatened his life more than once in pursuit of them, and promised to hunt him down if he didn't get what he wanted then in 2012.

(If you missed it by the way? The dialogue, inflection and expressions there both show and tell us right away that they don't trust him NOT to keep the Tesseract from them: even if Loki doesn't fail in 2012. There's no reason to use up the extra airtime, or hit him with pain immediately after, to triple down on it otherwise. The Other, and Thanos by extension; do not trust their hold on Loki: or that he will give them what they want in other words. They don't trust him to succeed [purposely or not] and they don't trust him not to gank both Stones completely out of their already distant reach. (Which and lol he absolutely does manage to do anyway, by putting up neon info signs, really gone-ham public and personal displays, riling the trashed initiative team up left and right, leaving Barton behind on purpose knowing he was coming, and definitely missing the slant of a sloped sky scraper AND the landing pad loop when he tosses Stark into account? It was brilliantly done as was and without that examination, but when you take all that into account too.. oof..! The higher probability that the plan was internally wrecked by the underlying knife of absolute spite for his torturers this character likely pulled off; was just plain beautiful, and clean AF. Just sayin'.)

But and no, Thanos didn't get what he wanted in gambling even the one stone he did have in 2012 in order to try and pick up that second stone.

Obviously.

So they (and we) had more than enough of the potential motivation put down both on screen and off it, over the course of four years (including IM2 production preparing for it in that foundation) but is that still enough to take the risk, and go for the throne?

( ⬆️ Loki's appearance on arrival in Avengers 2012 after his time with Thanos as originally intended; prior to toning it down in order to fit the PG-13 rating the studios were aiming for to increase audience.)

YES, it was.

Even if only temporarily at first, taking Odin off his throne insures Loki's freedom from pursuit on Asgard's end: as he is now king of those pursuers, and a great deal more overall autonomy even outside of Asgard.

This puts him in direct control of the King's Vault, in which the Tesseract [possible means of escape, while within the reach of that greater tech level etc] is being held: and which again.. Thanos [again threatened & tortured him] still wants, and he knows this.

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(⬆️ On-screen Example 1 of what it was like even to be claimed as family, by Thanos. Loki was not, family.)

On top of that, in the long term; his position as King allows him to have a broader sight that running or hiding would not: thanks to Asgard's position as a Known-Universe-sized Imperial Protectorate encompassing multiple Worlds and or Galaxies .. including Earth where the Mind Stone (and Time) is, Xandar (Power shows up just a little under a single year later during his reign,) the Kree (same.) And a much greater ability to prepare (keeping those stones as separate as possible, as he does as the King on the throne who sends Reality to the Collector) and see Thanos coming when he does as a result.

Ultimately, even if temporarily: taking the throne at this stage and in this situation is absolutely within his character, even not wanting it. The massive tactical and personal advantages with Thanos alone, which that position with his knowledge; would provide him with a great deal of capability and reach for a very minimal amount of effort, and especially lives and time lost going the other route..? Were not only on display for two years worth of films to call on, but are pretty hard to excuse passing on in his situation at that time, for any reason.

(⬆️ On-screen Example 2)

There are and were other routes available yes: quite a few of them being he was and likely still is a hero everywhere BUT Earth*. But each and every one of them was that much more dangerous, and lacking in protection both for himself personally and for anything left of what he might have wanted to save of any of those also involved: including Asgard.

(*And yes some of those civilizations might maybe question him and that bad guy status a little: but let's be honest. Confronted with the facts of how all that and Thor's mess ups with Jotunheim actually went down, which Loki also knows about both first hand and in depth, and could easily call out just as publicly [and has in some of my fics]... it's not incredibly likely other societies and especially their leaders responsible for their lives, would choose to indulge Asgard's pride and arrogance at the risk of something like Thanos being allowed to continue to run loose after at least decades of halving populations like Gamora's, Drax's through Ronan, and possibly Nebula's [unconfirmed]. There would be a process to that too though; and time spent correcting all the messes that would cause for him to clean up in order to move forward with fewer obstacles as a result, possibly years if not centuries depending on location and how little they know.)

Taking Asgard's throne (even temporarily) while the majority of big players were either dead at that point[Frigga], weakened [Odin was putting Thor up for king in T1 to take his place & putting off Odinsleep at least 2 years prior to TDW] or occupied/distracted with the final death throes of the Dark Elves [Thor, pretty much everyone else] was the cleanest and safest way to ensure his life, his safety, and his freedom.

Even if, only short term.

Add on the other bonuses being in that seat "wearing the old goat's face" (yeah I borrowed that line from GROUNDED's Tony muse) and well.. there are too many more reasons to do it than not.

The other option has him either trying to escape Darkalfheim to a planet NOT Earth or Asgard to keep from being noted or picked up, before he's found first and knowing Asgard is and has been pursuing him (and Thor) since Thor broke him out of the dungeon: or trying to escape Asgard itself: with very little influence or power to do anything about both the person who tortured him coming after him as promised.. OR Asgard coming after him.

Because there is another thing that would have come out, with Odin still on the throne: is the fact that the body there [if he used a decoy, like one of the elves corpses left behind, or even the guard sent] was not his. Which would have led to immediate search and pursuit, and likely Thor being part of it after dealing with Malekith.

In these scenarios, Loki would have to pursue a counter to not only Asgard itself or Earth's established [and re-established through Jane's reaction] perceptions of him; but also Asgard's political reach as well in order to maintain his freedom, and actually start to counter Thanos before the slurpee stain could reach either, and potentially reclaim if not claim the stones: because they WOULD become an obstacle.. if not because of Odin and Thor [both of whose positions are made blatantly and glaringly clear where Loki is concerned in that same film, repeatedly and reflected on top of that in the entire scene with Thor's friends threatening him, as well as Frigga's own gaslighting scenes prior to her death as the Queen who should have taken her throne in T1 and in the dungeon in TDW.] then definitely because of the Other and Thanos, both of whom were very much alive and still running around the outer edges of the Galaxy until the Other was killed by Ronan in 2014.

Whether he's solely protecting himself, or looking to set up revenge, Loki, Thor, and Asgard's Local story in the MCU was designed to be part of if not heavily intertwined with the Universal Story before we saw any of them on our screens. And, if you're picking up a crafting story any time after 2011 in canon in that Universe.. that's gonna, and should be a thing.

Sad (and more than a little pitiful) that current creators ignore and mock all that and more, along with the efforts of over a decade of that work and hundreds of creators before them, especially in what they're passing for Thor since Gagnarok, or calling the "Loki" series (aka Bob: The Accountant/The Not-Enchantress Show) today*.. but I suppose that's what you get when you pay a bunch of clueless and Odin/Thor-level-arrogant cartoon creators for a twice rejected, unfinished script as the knock-off and fill in for crafting the next part of that story: and then hire their friends to do the next part even worse than the first?

(*Just sayin'. lol! Also yes those are both separate links to just a few examples of what's been going wrong since.)

So.. TLDR...

Yes, it's actually very in-character for Loki to have taken the throne; as a proven and intentionally crafted intelligent and tactically-minded character,* who was raised knowing Asgard's reach and power when a King who uses it properly is seated in that throne.

(*Regardless of what the series tries to tell you to mock viewers otherwise.. those scenes stating otherwise about Loki's character in S1 and now in S2 still makes me laugh my ass off at the stupidity and ignorance on display in this regard especially: as they tell you outright that absolutely no one who might have cared on the BTS team watched an ounce of the Avengers movie they want you believe the character came directly from, any of Thor 2011 before it, and definitely not TDW or Guardians to guess never mind know even remotely accurately as to the TITLE CHARACTER's characterization or motivations, of their own series; to get it THAT wrong on purpose... to the extent that, they have to put those kinds of words in his and other characters' mouths through the "scripts" they wrote and put on screen.)

I do however and as an addition: think Loki probably hated it from day to day.

After all, everything he did to stop if not pause Thanos and buy time; was done so with Odin's face.. and as a result was credited to Odin, who reminder.. by the time GotG and then Ragnarok ended, we knew was aware of Thanos at the very least (if not through Asgard then through other huge powers in the universe like Xandar and the Kree [Ronan was killing on Thanos behalf, Gamora's planet was halved decades prior]) and sat on his hands rather than face the largest army in the known universe, as it's proclaimed protector.

The leader for which being let run loose like that [Thanos].. was able to snatch Loki up, and the New York Invasion to happen as a result of Odin and Asgard's complacency.

Loki would have been stuck with the prospect of revealing himself and slowing down his potential progress and preparation (including restoring Asgard and it's defenses around the Tesseract in it's vault) over the course of those five years, being pursued for likely execution or maybe the rest of those 3,500 years of solitary confinement Frigga had to beg for as a sitting duck in a literal gilded cage again, running and attempting to keep his autonomy while doing all of that anyway, or ... just taking the throne and keeping his face hidden in order to avoid almost all of any of that and the many variations possible there that would have wasted months if not years of very precious time.

Ultimately, avoiding these things would have cost him in another way too, if he did manage and he knew that; because and again, Loki knew Thanos' game and purpose much earlier than we the viewers did. Sitting aside and hiding was not going to exclude him from the gamble of the snap even if Thanos did not find him, and took the stones without his interference.

Without his interference (and especially after Hydra stealing it in the 40's, and Thanos' first attempt to take the Tesseract from Earth as one very near example of why not to: especially from the outside looking in at that) it remains very probable that Odin would not have moved the Aether at all; as Loki did, wearing his face. Which means that, regardless of whether or not he returned for Ragnarok (which was established even in it's own plot-hole ridden mess of a story) as happening anyway: Thanos still would have collected Space and Reality after Power.. and he would have been able to do so far more quickly with them both in one place.. whether that place was floating space with Loki not there to collect either, or in their hands after the fact because he did think not to leave them in the open and undefended.

There are some ways around this (I've done some and planned out more,) but they're very tricky to do believably: and they still take time, allies, and correcting at least some things (especially perceptions and the break in trust worsened majorly by Odin and Thor) to manage. Sometimes a LOT of all of the above.

What's more, when taking him out into the open after the part he played in saving not only Jane, but also Asgard from Odin's rage filled dumb in TDW?

It's pretty likely that revealing himself on the throne and explaining this shit would have wasted even more time in various ways. But the very first and most obvious thing to become a problem in the realm of big-picture no-nos he definitely would have been aware of is this:

Asgard as a whole at that point and likely after having the story confirmed by Thor, would likely fall into a state of even more chaos in civil war if not a war of succession afterwards: further screwing over their ability to recover their defensive capabilities due to fighting themselves.

Other societies becoming aware could spark the same reaction, if a little later and cause Asgard's reputation, standing and overall influence to crumble as the facts came out. While some of these are avoidable or made less in certain situations: the fact remains that is what Odin set himself and Asgard up for by sitting to the side rather than doing everything in his power as King of an advanced space-faring society in contact with numerous others capable of moving them even without the Bifrost in effect.

It's very likely that, some of those external (and maybe some internal like Vanaheim) would use the very good examples of Odin and Thor's incompetence when dealing with things like Jotunheim (oh wow lets not get into that long list of treason and kid-glove handling of prince raised as genocidal traitor yet again), and Vanaheim (Asgardian colony with no Asgardian defense cannons or ships ..hm that reeks of some serious issues and bigotry too: especially seen in the very same film as those cannons, AND the fact they could transport whole armies via Bifrost 5,000 years prior?) alone, as a springboard to either GTFO Odin's alliance party, or support the idea of Loki being crowned instead of Thor.. if not both.

Anyway. This was really long and I have pulled this whole thing apart so many times in so many different ways that I could definitely keep going.. but I think that's a good enough view of the whys it's very much in character.. and some of what likely would have happened if he hadn't. And yes that emphasis in bold is very much needed.

There are other factors to take into account alongside of all this, including (aka not only) the fact his actual species (yep, don't forget: he's not Asgardian either) is both known at this point, and absolutely despised by Asgardians in particular on top of all that. And, at least some of the generation that hates his kind most --Odin and Frigga's-- are still around to keep carrying that on and attempt to pass it to their kids of the same generation. A thing we know they did already, through the dialogue, responses and and actions of every single member of the Royal family, including Loki's, starting with the very first film.

Remember.. this was the entire reason Thor thought it was completely okay to rack up multiple charges of treason, trespass on a completely different world he was forbidden by both sides from even setting foot on, and then insulting and killing them on the home planet he invaded, in the first place...

..and that fact it was still present, and was in action, was ultimately the root of the reasoning for that banishment.

Incidentally, and as final set of side notes?

This another example of why world building and sticking to the rules of that world/universe as established is necessary, and only serves to make the world and universe the characters are supposed be part of that much stronger and more interesting when done correctly.

Limitations (physical, social, psychological and more) exist in story and in those universes not just as near-laws-of-physics, but sometimes as an obstacle themselves to overcome, or more importantly and most often forgotten?

To work with, rather than around or over; in order to actually accomplish something, or at least give the sense of that accomplishment.

This is at the heart of what it means for a character to earn what they're given and show that, rather than simply getting it for free.

Ultimately I see that choice as Loki exchanging his name and identity, along with recognition for having put Thanos off of killing half the universe with him in it for five years; for the ability to better and more quickly protect himself and the things around him from those threats, not only from Thanos.. but also those threats posed and put into word by Odin, Thor, Sif, and the Yes-men Three.

And he was only able to to that without interruption, because he did make that sacrifice in hand for five solid years by taking Odin's throne and face.

It does fit that Loki absolutely did and as Tom Hiddleston and creators have said: at least try let go of Asgard, Thor, Odin and the rest when he let go at the end of Thor 2011...

..However. It's also very clear even if he hadn't; that Thanos' actions and Odin's and Asgard's inaction, ended up forcing him right back in front of them, whether his remaining anger re-igniited by the Scepter during that missing year had been bolstered as it was, played the part it did on screen or not.

All that said.. it was quite a long way away from hasty or lazy writing. If anything, that would have been true for going through with Loki's death at the end of TDW instead: as the next set in line would have been entirely excused from putting him or any of that story into focus on screen at all, even in what little they did pay attention to it during and after Gagnarok.

The TDW creators simply chose the most obvious path the previous creators had already crafted in their foundations, and laid down the path for them to take in crafting the next with TDW to set up for hte next even after it.

Sucks that it took getting that big an audience reaction in that direction to do so and not be that lazy about it.. but it is what it is.

Post-Script and For faster reference and in order from Captain America 2011 on, Loki did/was subject to, the following:

[Pre-1940s: unknown era] Had enough definitive exposure to the Tesseract as prince of Asgard, to be referred to as the equivalent of an expert on the Tesseract. (Given his discovery of the doorways between worlds as put on display in TDW, this makes even more sense than it already did in 2012.)

[2011]Was tortured and influenced both emotionally and mentally by the Other and gifted the Scepter with the intent of further riling and amplifying [that's what fueling means in this instance] his anger towards Thor and Earth's part in helping to release him from his banishment: in return, he's offered rule over Earth and more importantly his freedom from all of the above in that rule after.

[2012] The Mind Stone is used long distance in conjunction with the Tesseract to watch and torture him at a distance on screen as well. It's only functions used on screen otherwise is as a projectile weapon and device to spread that mind control to serve the deal made.

[2013]Helped save Jane & the Reality Stone.

[2013]Helped save an otherwise defenseless Asgard from another siege & Odin's stated intent to die to the last man, woman and child in that fight: at the same time.

[2013]Killed Algrim/Kurse in defense of Thor and Jane; an individual who was so powerful as enhanced by the Reality Stone: that he batted Mjolnir aside like it was a nerf toy.

[2013]Sent the Reality Stone to the Collector, separating what stones he had.

[2013]Kept the Space Stone in it's place in the vault ..and it stayed there for the 5 years of his rule.

[2014] Between Asgard proper as a political and protective power, and his connections to the Collector himself: clearly knew about and did not claim the Power stone, or put it in Asgard's vault either, after it's use there.

[2015] The Mind Stone being removed from Earth, was stated as being Thor's purpose, as directed by the King [Loki.] No intended ending destination was given.

[2017-2018]Rebuilt Asgard, it's homes and it's defenses: well enough that even in and by Gagnarok they were building theaters and statues, and enjoying plays.

( ⬆️ Yeah I wasn't kidding: that's the Kurse nerf-toy mjolnir sequence in TDW, if you missed it.)

#Loki #MCU #MCU canon #TDW #motivations #intent #survival #the world a character is in and it's history (esp immediate) should always effect them #if it doesn't; there is no point to having that world/universe #or pretending they're in anything other than a plain white 10x10 box #the MCU used to do this fairly well #the problem is they stopped following through in entirety about 2/3 of the way to IW between Gagnarok and Cpt Marvel #and both Infinity War and Endgame: along with everything that followed? Suffered and still is suffering because of the lack of effort..#..and the lack of the intent or focus of telling a good comelling story with their entertainment; rather focusing it as a political podium.#gee..#idk why the entertainment companies are losing money: they only stopped entertaining to bring politics to the fore <.<;;#no idea why THAT and using isms and ists to drive off your customers when they didn't like it didn't go well. none at all.#..if you can't hear my sarcasm and laughter there?#that's not MY fault lol #Thor: the Dark World #Avengers 2012 #Guardians of the Galaxy 2014 #Captain America: the First Avenger #Local Story #Universal Story #and how they interact when done right #asks #canon info dumps #canon break downs #situational & background

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itsahotminuteinbetween · 4 months

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Hello there! You've been visited by the random question fairy! ~ ☆

What is your character's living situation like? Do they enjoy where they live? Would they change anything about their living situation?

oh! I've been blessed with the presence of the question fairy!

Not sure which characters this refers to, so I'm gonna go with both my ocs and my witch au cuz I wanna ramble more about those!

Alright, so Loup Doop and Bloo share an empty broom closet close to Loup Doop's station. It's...not terrible. They're not really held as highly as any of the Glamrocks or even the Daycare Attendant, so they try to just be happy they aren't bunched with the staffbots or the endos. They tried decorating it with some stuff: Bloo has a collection of Daycare souvenirs he stores behind some of the boxes, plus some old plushies and fun looking toys he managed to scrounge up at the Lost and Found. Loop Doup doesn't really own much, and most of her stuff is just extra parts or small scraps of paper and drawings the DA made for her. She has a small shelf she set up for her borrowed books and little projects. Were it up to them, they would have definitely changed their living space, moved out of the Pizzaplex and never looked back, but they know they're stuck here, so they try to make the best of it. They've tried staying the night in the Daycare, but even if they could override Sun's protocols, the security guard always manages to drag them out. Pulsar doesn't really live anywhere; it just hangs around its designated stations for the night.

For the Witch Au:

Sun and Moon live off the edge of town, a good twenty miles out. Moon set up a defense system to keep people from noticing a random cottage in the middle of nowhere. Though Sun isn't always home, it's all they've had for years, and neither of them would trade it for anything else.

Earth lives across the woods, so fairly far from the boys' cottage and extremely far from town. She estimates having been there for perhaps 6 or 7 years. The cottage seems older than her, though, and she quickly gets to work on personalizing it and making it her own. It's her pride and joy, along with the garden. After the mishap with the woods, she doesn't really leave much, so she's never known any other home. Anything she wants to change, she can, so she doesn't see a reason to leave or go out to see the world. She has everything she wants, and though she does sometimes find herself wanting more, she's never really taken that step. (A merchant stops by one day and sets out to change that...so does another, far more dangerous entity...)

Eclipse lives in the original cottage. Unlike Moon, he never left home when KC disappeared, a decision he almost regrets. He absolutely loathes the place; it reeks of old memories and rancid emotions and broken promises, all the things he would rather forget piled neatly in one place. The first thought on his mind after acquiring the amulet was finding a new place to live, somewhere far away from the past and truly fit for him. In spite of all his hatred towards it, however, he's never actually made any attempts to change anything; everything is in it's place, just as KC left it. Though all of his belongings are scattered and discarded half-hazardly throughout the place, everything else is left untouched, save for some dutiful vacuuming and dusting. The door to the old room upstairs remains closed and locked. Lunar asks him why thick layers of dust only seem to coat certain objects. Eclipse refuses to explain himself. He hates trying to explain the meaning behind it, and he refuses to acknowledge how sentimental he is.

The Blood Twins live in the woods between the boys' and Earth's cottage, the woods that Earth accidentally grew that one time. They hate it with a passion, not because of the place itself, but because they remain trapped there. Due to the nature of the field surrounding the woods that Sun set up for Earth, they are bound to that plane and cannot leave unless summoned, and while they hate summonings, anything is better than the rotting wood and dying green. Fortunately and unfortunately, this latest summoning has given them many new liberties that they are quick to indulge in...

#asks #personal #witch au #tsams au #my ocs #loup doop #loop doup #bloo #pulsar #THANK YOU FOR THE ASK #I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT #rambles

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countrymusiclover · 1 month

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3 - The Feast pt 1

Part 4

The Last Velaryon

Tag list @rise-my-angel @cdragons

Chezney and I followed Robb's heel's quickly through the winter castle. All our belongings were being brought in by some of their guards and the rooms being prepared by the maids. But none of that matters to me. The ends of my dress had begun being covered in thick mud. "So where are we going now, Robb?"

He glanced over his shoulder causing his curls to bounce as he walked ahead of us. "It's just a little further, my ladies. Don't you worry I won't keep you out long to catch frostbite."

"It's colder than I anticipated it to be, Haelesa." Chezney shivered under her one layer winter fur causing me to pause in my step and drape mine over her shoulders to which she protested. "You'll catch a cold for sure."

Shaking my head I kept walking forward. For most of the remaining trip I didn't notice the cold too bad until we stopped moving and ended up underneath a large red tree in the middle of a winter garden area. "She's right, Lady Haelesa. I would never hear the end of it if you froze to death on my watch." Robb came over sliding his light colored fur cloak off his shoulders.

"Robb, that's not necessary. You'll surely freeze too." I attempted to turn down his offer.

But the Stark boy was raised to be honorable and kind by his parents. He placed the cloak over my shoulders and it almost fell off since it was bigger on me than him. He moved his hands down, tying the laces so it stayed on. "I was born in the North, remember. I'll last longer without a cloak than you and your friend would have."

"Well thank you. So what is this place?" I lifted my head up slightly eyeing the tall red tree in front of the three of us.

He lifted his blue eyes upwards the tree. "This is the Godswoods of Winterfell. My parents were married underneath this tree and someday I shall be too. I thought I should show you since they probably don't have one like it in the south."

"I must say I've seen more of the North than the place I shall call home for the rest of my life." I sadly admit to him.

He apologized. "I'm sorry."

"Not you're doing. It is the fault of my new golden husband." Shrugging my shoulders.

He made a face at me. "You're the girl from the foreign fish house by Dragonstone. My father mentioned it once but I didn't think I would be meeting you during the king's ride here."

"Yes well, my father had legitimate son's. The one he has is only concerned with bedding girls instead of helping the family name. So it all hangs on my head." I explained to him.

Robb eyed me silently for a moment. He wasn't sure what had come over him but he knew he couldn't keep it to himself. "You don't want the marriage to the Kingslayer do you?"

"I told her he might be nice once she gets to know him." Chezney remains the hopeful one.

Turning my head slightly back and forth the wind managed to catch some of the baby hairs that couldn't fit into my braid. "I've heard some good and some bad. Rarely any good ones come from an arranged marriage in this life."

"My mother claims that hers ended well. Five Stark children and an honorable husband." He pointed it out to me.

Nodding my head I kept on. "Indeed it appears so. I dream of the day but it is not my only dream in life."

"An arranged marriage is not my dream either. But I was raised to be lord of Winterfell. I must do the duty of my house." He declared dropping his brown gaze onto me. "What is your dream, Haelesa?"

Throwing my arms away from my sides I raised them in the air feeling a rush of excitement at somebody finally asking me after all these years. "What I want is to see the world. I've lived my whole life in a castle surrounded by water. After the Targaryen reign ended my house fell into the shadows. I assumed I would die in that castle until my father declared I was to wed Jaime Lannister."

"But we are seeing the world, D." Chezney attempted to say.

Sending her a glare I wasn't finished. "Until we're shipped off to Casterly Rock surrounded by the ocean once more. Forgive me, Robb but what I want is something I shall never have."

"I understand, my lady." He replied softly. "You want love and adventure. Same as I."

I chuckled lightly at the eldest Stark boy. "Aren't we a pair."

Chezney turned her attention away from our conversation hearing the galloping of hooves coming our direction. Robb and I soon noticed it and turned our heads over our shoulders seeing a Stark knight. "My lord, my ladies. Lady Stark sent me to retrieve you for the feast tonight."

"Thank you, ser. We were just on our way back." Robb nodded at one of his father's men.

Chezney and I watched the knight remain there where she spoke up. "Was there something else, ser?"

"Ser Jaime wishes to see his betrothed before the feast tonight. I was informed to escort you to him." The knight said.

Tugging the cloak closer around me I huffed following Robb back on foot. Chezney was behind us and the knight followed from behind even though I didn't feel afraid in these woods. "And so it begins." Getting back to the castle I didn't bother with changing out of my muddy clothes if he wished to see me it would be like this. The Stark knight led me through some hallways until we reached the chambers we had been given by Lord Eddard for our time being here.

The Stark knight held open the door and I shooed him away where he shut the door before my betrothed ever uttered a word. "I was wondering if you were ever coming back or had you and your lady in waiting scampered off to the woods with that boy."

"The boy's name is Robb. Now what is it you wished to see me for?" I questioned him.

Jaime smirked, taking a step towards me. "Ah already on a first name basis are you. Tell me are you more intrigued by such danger of getting caught. Because I can gladly help you with your desire before the wedding in a few weeks."

"Hah. I have no desire to share your bed." I scoffed.

He shook his head. "But you'll have to at some point."

"Not by my choice." I sniped, closing Robb's cloak tightly around me. "If you called me here just to make flirty remarks I must be ready for the feast."

"I have something for you actually. If you're interested." Spinning on my heels I headed towards the door until he spoke up. He went over to a crate drawing out something long wrapped in a cloth sheet. He unwrapped it revealing a shiny new blade.

Tilting my head to the side I slowly moved away from the door admiring the newly forage sword that he had placed on the edge of the bed. "Did you have it made for me?"

"I did my best to get the balance right. If it's too heavy I can have the blacksmith change it." He said back to me.

Slowly wrapping my fingers around the handle I took a hold of it with both hands. Swinging it lightly around I could feel much better balance than the one I held at Kings Landing. "This is much better but I don't understand. Why do this for me?"

"It's very unlikely we will fall in love with this arrangement. So I thought I'd do something to make you happy. I saw that we are both in our true element when we were sword fighting. It's yours, Haelesa." Jaime explained resting his right hand on his hip.

Laying the sword down on the bed I sent him a tiny smile. "Thank you, Jaime."

"You're welcome. Now you best get ready for tonight. We can practice before we leave here in a few days." He says while I put the sword back in its holder and headed for the door.

Opening the door I halted in my tracks seeing his sister standing there where I quickly gave her my best curtsy. "Your grace."

"Little Velaryon." She greets me with a stern look walking past me and into her brother's chambers. Once the door was shut behind the young Velaryon Cersei changed her entire demeanor towards her brother. "What exactly do you hope to gain with her?"

Jaime sat down on the bed confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I am talking about. I have spies everywhere in the city. They told me about you sword fighting with her and her lady in waiting. Now you present her with her own sword. Father won't be happy with that."

He rolled his eyes. "Father has rarely ever been happy with anything we've done in our lives."

"Probably because you and our monster of a brother never did what he wanted. Like jumping off the side of the Rock when we were children." She grumbled to him.

Jaime rolled his eyes. "There was nothing wrong with what I did until you told him about it. Now is there something you want to tell me or did you just come to snoop on me?"

"I came to warn you of her. She won't love you. She's a child and she will never have what we have." Cersei stepped closer to him, throwing her bright red dress around as she went.

Jaime dropped his hands in his lap. "Don't tell me you're jealous of the Velaryon girl. She doesn't want this marriage. The only thing I can do is make it look like this can work between us. If I make it clear that I am with you both our heads will be on spikes."

"You let me worry about my drunk husband. And remember that father doesn't care if you make her slightly happy or not." The queen of the seven kingdoms eyed her brother.

He got to his feet snagging her wrist and bringing her to his embrace. "Lannisters don't act like fools. It's the family name that lives on. Nothing else matters."

"So give her a child and then be done with her. That's the plan." She nodded to him in agreement sepering from him and leaving him to prepare for the feast herself.

I wasn't familiar with the rules of many feasts where the royal family was present. Thankfully I wasn't the one hosting such an event. I simply had to represent my house to the best of my ability. Chezney and I made our way down the cold stone stairs that led into the large dining hall. "I can't believe we're here together, Hael."

The feast

"It's not that exciting." I told her where she huffed and I knew I needed to change my attitude about this. "I'm sorry, Chez. This just doesn't feel like me. All the formalities, gowns and accessories. I don't care for it all."

She squeezed my arm that was looped through hers. "Yeah. I suppose you'd rather be running through the woods like a wilding."

"I wouldn't say that - oh I'm sorry." I accidentally bumped into a young girl with dark brown hair and a messy dress. Tilting my head to the side I recognize her as the youngest Stark daughter. "You're Arya aren't you?"

She spun around on her feet. "You're the Velaryon girl. Come sit with me." She takes hold of my hand and drags me to her seat with Chezney trailing behind us and pulling up a chair for herself.

"So how boring are these things normally?" Chezney asked the young girl.

Arya sticks her tongue out. "Extremely. I don't like them. But I can't stand that either. I'm Arya, what's your name?"

"I'm Haelesa and this is Chezney." Following her gaze I saw that her older sister Sansa was gossiping with her friends. She kept aweing the blonde haired prince who was looking in her direction. I couldn't blame her for not liking it. Yes he was cute and had the title of Prince but that wasn't important if he was a brute. "I see that. I never had any sisters to relate to."

"She was stuck with me. I think I do a rather good job." Chezney throws an arm over my shoulder.

Arya smiled, grabbing her fork and getting some cake on the end of it. "Watch this, it'll be funny."

"Arya!" Sansa gasped shapely when the cake from the fork smashed on her cheek. Some of it fell and got on her dress which caused laughter to fill the hall. Covering my mouth with my hands I couldn't contain the laughter that fell from my lips. Chezney nearly fell backwards off her chair.

At that time Lady Stark sent her eldest son a look sending him over to the three of us. Robb began coming in our direction where I warned the girl. "Run Arya."

"Come on. Get some more." Chezney attempted to help her get some more cake on her fork to do it a second time.

Scrambling to my feet I moved around in the blue dress I wore hoping to block him from his sister. "Haelesa, what are you doing?" He chuckled moving but I got in front of him at every step.

"Keeping you from her, what does it look like?" I teased him with a grin.

Robb made a move but I jumped in front of him yet again. He kept his hands at a distance where if he had he could easily beat me here. He was much faster and stronger after all. "My mother wants me to put her to bed before she embarrasses us more tonight."

"Sorry Robb. But it's three against one." I chuckled seeing his eyes shift from me to my best friend and his sister then back to me. "What's the problem, Stark. Afraid to fight a girl?"

He answered my question. "I was raised not too."

"It's all in good fun." I responded.

Chezney nudged Arya who bent her spoon back and launched cake in his face. He ran toward her and he almost grabbed her until I jumped on his back and we went tumbling to the cold floor. "Haelesa!" He called out my name in a fit of laughter.

"Ha we beat you." Chezney teased him with Arya proudly at her side.

Robb rubbed the back of his head while I brushed the dirt off my dress. "Yes you did. Now off to bed you." He forced himself to his feet pushing his sister towards the hallway.

"At least you're not a sore loser, Stark." My best friend sticks her tongue out.

I pushed myself up to stand on my own feet not bothering with fixing my messy hair. I felt my chest rising up and down knowing I was enjoying myself at this moment. "Uh, I need some air." I told the pair sensing that someone was watching me. I was right to assume so because Jaime was leaning up against the wall watching the whole moment between us. I didn't feel comfortable being myself with him watching me.

"I'll come with you." Robb offered me his arm since I wasn't familiar with the grounds and it was nightfall now so it was easy for me to get lost.

Chezney waved bye to us. "See you later." She saw Robb and I walk away from the feast yet she wasn't the only one watching in the room.

Unknown to the young pair King Robert and his friend Lord Eddard were the ones watching them. "Ned, there's something we should talk about."

"Of course." He agreed to his friend leaving the feast.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

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1234explode-blog · 10 months

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The Warmth (Kaze to ki no uta fanfiction) part 5

I love you not arbitrarily, but sincerely.

"oh, so you're moving?"

"Yes, madam."

"Okay. First of all, I thank you for paying all your taxes while living here.

secondly, never come back again. this place is disgusting for a youngster like you, okay?"

"Okay ma'am. Thank you very much."

Pascal and Patricia were waiting in front of the small apartment with a carriage waiting too. Pascal saw that Patricia looked nervous, he took her hand gently "Pat..?"

"I-I'm sorry, brother. I'm just nervous for no reason." She laugh at the end and Pascal patted her back "don't worry. We can get through this. This is Serge's dream; to take Gilbert away with him."

then the door opened, Serge came out first with a neat appearance, carrying two suitcases and wearing a scarf around his neck.

then, Gilbert came out behind him. the blond only carrying one suitcase that looked a lot lighter than the two Serge was carrying and Camille also came out. She step aside and Patricia looked at her,

"Hey, umm.. thank you so much for your help before. I wouldn't know their room if it wasn't because of you." Patricia thanked Camille giving a short bow in which Camille also responds with a bow, "your welcome, miss Patricia.

Make sure they already carry their belongings. New people will someday use their room." Camille said and Pat nodded with a smile.

Pascal approached Camille who kept holding her stomach and her face looked pale, "Are you sick? Here.. some money for you as my gratitude for taking care of my two friends." he said.

Camille was initially hesitant to accept, but she finally agreed to accept the money "..t..thank you, sir."

Pascal smiled and he checked his pocket watch from under his coat and said

"we have to go. the train will be leaving in 30 minutes."

the four of them reached the station and got off the carriage. Pascal paid the coachman and continued their way.

Pascal and Patricia walked behind Serge and Gilbert. Pascal observed several people looking at the two beauties in front of him. if Pascal had to confess, Serge and Gilbert were indeed very attractive in appearances and pleasing to the eye. the more they mature, the more attractive they are.

he could not even believe that Gilbert had grown a bit taller than him.

'He has grown taller than me...his looks are more interesting.' He thought staring at Gilbert's back, his golden hair dazzling under the sun and Serge's black hair that seems dazzling too.

Pascal looked at Patricia's hand that seemed alone beside him, he held his sister's hand. Patricia was a little surprised but smiled at her brother and clasped his hand back.

they arrived and waited on the platform for the train to come. Pascal checked his pocket watch again and in 5 minutes, the train would be here.

Pascal turned to Serge and Gilbert. The blond seemed to be saying something to the dark skinned boy, but Pascal couldn't quite make out what it was.

but after that, Serge put the two suitcases he brought down, took off his scarf and put it on Gilbert.

'Is he telling him that he's cold? Today the weather is a bit cold that's why I wear almost 4 layers.

The way Gilbert's lips move is like he's mumbling but Serge can understand him.

They understand each other heart, huh.' thought the glasses brunette.

'..I can't force Serge's will, because sometimes that boy doesn't listen.' He huffed pursing his lips out and fixed his round glasses.

then the train they were waiting for finally came. It passed so quickly that it produced a strong wind and Gilbert hugged himself more, Serge by reflex grabbed his shoulder from behind.

'...it's hard when two hearts are already tied to each other...like them.'

~~~~

even in the train, Pascal would sometimes glance at the seat Serge and Gilbert were in with the motive of pretending to read the book in his hand.

Gilbert laid his head on Serge's shoulder and…his expression was serene. The other's right hand resring on the blond's thigh gently patting him as if to soothing him.

the two looked out the window of the train, seeing every sight. although both of them were expressionless, Pascal could see light radiating from both of them.

He smiled a little and finally read his book through the ride.

finally they arrived and Pascal was amazed to see the luxury of Serge's house, "you live here?" he asked and the boy nodded "this is where I grew up."

Gilbert seemed to look at every side of Serge's house, saying "..pretty." Serge look at his lover and grip his hand,

"not as pretty as your house. Yours is bigger than mine." That's right.

Gilbert's house is more like a castle to him.

each side is filled with trees, statues, fountains, the white color is synonymous with the color of holiness, and moreover they have to pass through two large gates at once. plus Gilbert was like having a big private garden that could be used for horse riding.

Gilbert lived in a fantasy world, a world that couldn't be considered part of Earth. just from seeing the inside too, he knew why his friends used to ask him not to underestimate the wealth that Gilbert had and the power Auguste held.

"Master Serge!!"

"Young Master!!!"

Three maids rushed out of the door suddenly and Gilbert immediately step back when they surrounding his lover. Pascal quickly went over to his side, to keep him company.

"Young Master, we were so worried about you!!"

"Look how big you've gotten!!"

"Master, we were so-oh my!"one of them saw Gilbert and was shocked.

"Fairy..? no..doll..? no! sir, who is this beautiful blond woman?" asked the maid.

Serge looked back with a nervous feeling "ah, this is...."

he and Gilbert looked at each other, Pascal watched them communicate using a language that only they understood.

Gilbert's brows furrowed slightly and gave a shake of the head that was barely visible to the naked eye, but again Serge understood it.

"This is my friend from the dorms, Gilbert Cocteau."

'What is that..?! I can't even barely catch Gilbert shaking his head!'

"Gilbert..? A boy?! Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

"Nice to meet you, master Gilbert Cocteau!" They now go to Gilbert and greeted him. Pascal was dumbfounded when the blond accept their handshakes.

"You are so beautiful like a porcelain doll! Your hair too..."

'Does Gilbert slowly getting used to other people?'

"Serge!! Serge, I'm glad you came home!!" Angeline step out with tears in her eyes and she hug him in which he hugged her back, "Angeline! Angie...I'm sorry I have caused a problem to you again!"

"Oh Serge, you don't know how much I've missed you! My mother has fallen ill and I don't know what to do without you here. It feels like the time you leave me alone..!" she cried in his arms.

'Ah Angeline...my angel Angeline...'

"I'm so sorry, Angie. But I'm home now..you don't need to worry anymore." They pull away from their hug, Angeline lift a hand up and she touch Serge's cheek, "you have turn into a fine young man."

Patricia came in and Angeline noticed her, "ah, miss Patricia, welcome!"

"O-Oh, my Lady!"

"Thank you for keep writing letters to me so that I can find out about how Serge is doing. Without your help, I would be clueless all the time and worried about him." Angie approached her giving a bow and Patricia startled, "y-your welcome, my lady."

"Call me 'Angeline'. You are older than me" Angie said with a smile, "ah...maybe I need time to do that."

Serge smile at the two girls before looking to the entrance and Pascal is trying to assured his blond lover to get in because he's hiding behind a wall, "ah...Angeline."

"Yes, Serge?"

"Are you fine with...Gilbert coming in?"

Angeline's eyes widen immediately. Gilbert..? Gilbert Cocteau? Auguste Beau's beautiful nephew who kissed Serge and she saw it.

"Hear me out, Angie." Serge grab both her hands and clutch it tightly, "I'll tell you the story later, okay? this time, please… accept Gilbert. he means a lot to me and you too. I'll tell you what happened while I was gone."

#kaze to ki no uta #kazeki #gilbert cocteau #serge battour #keiko takemiya #the poem of the wind and the trees #pascal biquet #kaze to ki no uta fanfictions

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beerecordings · 1 year

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Wolf Bite - Part 17

“I have kids,” he says, the second she closes the door behind them. “Two of them. And they're cute as hell, for the record.”

“You've done little else but beg for your life since I sent Anti out for you again,” replies the Alpha, kicking a chair into place in front of him. “It doesn't seem to be working out very well for you.”

Chase wishes he could be glaring, fierce, cocked like a gun. But he knows he's bug-eyed and pallid, a bead of sweat tracing its way down his temple like a raindrop on glass. The amount of cameras in this room is even worse than the darkness of downstairs. He remembers the anxiety that started to eat him alive in the last year of his streaming career: everyone is looking at you, and all of them think you're pathetic.

Iris folds her hands together, leaning against the table as she looks at him. He doesn't like that. He doesn't like her. He doesn't like that brutal smell, like a layering of something on his tongue, he doesn't like her eyes, looking into him instead of at him, and he definitely doesn't like this place, decrepit and tattooed in spiders.

“What do you want?” he whispers.

“To learn about you.”

“I don't mean that. I mean all of this.”

“Ah,” she says. “Of course. I'm a researcher, Chase. I'm conducting an experiment.”

“Living in the wild?”

“Oh, sure, living in the wild. We'll do that. But it's been done before. What we'll do is live as part of the wild. Never human if we can help it. I want to know how close to a real wolf you can actually get, Chase. And wolves, they don't pick their packs the way humans pick and choose and come and go. No. I'm an Alpha. I saw someone I wanted for my pack, so I took you, even if I had to have you bitten. When we're all wild, you'll stop resisting. The wolf, Chase Brody, is stronger than the human, even in turned wolves. That's my hypothesis. You're my research method.”

He feels something other than sweat running down his cheeks, and he swipes bitterly at his face. He wishes he didn't believe her. He wishes he thought he could resist no matter what. But the moon is getting so close to full, and he knows that the feeling of needing to be a wolf who belongs will only get worse. He knows because he did it once already. He couldn't resist the Second and he can't resist the Alpha now.

“Well, great pick,” he sneers, shoving mussed hair out of his face. “A fucking has-been Youtuber who got famous throwing shit at cups. I've been surviving on junk food, Gatorade, and my space heater for years. I'll be dead in a month living in the woods like an animal.”

“I won't let you die, Chase,” she replies coolly. “Don't be so dramatic. This had nothing to do with your videos – although they did give me a chance to examine your character, or at least the version you show to others. But I've seen your charity streams too, Chase, and I've been to your court dates.”

“What? How long have you been following me?”

“Oh, since before I had JJ turned. I knew exactly who I wanted. You getting away was a mistake, admittedly... Anti fucked that up. Couldn't keep you quiet enough. If he'd listened to me you would never have been barking and howling like that. He would have shut you up.”

Chase swallows, leaning away from her in his chair.

“But once the police came I knew it wouldn't be safe to go get you again, and taking Henrik would be tricky too. Then they sent you to Sean, and I realized you'd find Henrik there if I had him bitten too.”

“So we bonded,” Chase growls. “You planned that. Anti said so. But you planning it didn't make it happen. Henrik's a good guy, and we get along easily, that's the only reason we're friends.”

“Henrik's a trust fund kid with control issues and a sum total of zero social skills. You're not friends, you're pack, and that's because I picked a pair of isolated recluses, put them in exactly the same boat, and threw werewolf instincts into the mix. There is no possible scenario in which you two didn't bond the way I intended you too. My healer, the genius... and you, Chase. The pack wolf of all pack wolves.”

“I don't know what you mean,” he croaks. “I want to go back downstairs to Henrik. You're just a liar.”

“I've seen how you interact with others, Chase, how genuine you are, how you light up every room you step into when you're well. Everyone likes you, Chase.”

He starts laughing, then, despite everything. “You're actually out of your mind.”

“You will be the one to bring my pack together,” she tells him, smiling for once. “Leave the worst of the hunting and the fighting to me and the others, if you have to. You'll be the lowest rank of the pack, but the most central part, too, our cornerstone. When we're settled and we want more wolves, you'll welcome them, the same way you welcomed Henrik, showed him the ropes, cared for him. I promise you'll be taken care of too.”

“You can't possibly be planning to take more people. This is insane!”

“You're prettier when you're not cowering from me, did you know that?”

“If you're trying to make me throw up, just know that it will be you I throw up on.”

She's opening her mouth again when a knock rattles the door.

“Iris?”

“What?” she snaps. “I'm in the middle of something.”

“That doctor's going crazy. I don't want him around JJ. Can't we go for a run?”

“What, in that park where you nearly lost a fight to a fucking social worker? No. Everyone will be out looking for you. I'll take JJ with me tonight. You're staying here. And let the doctor go crazy. He can feel the moon coming. He'll be more himself by the time it's risen.”

There's a long pause, but Chase can tell Anti hasn't moved.

“I want to stay with JJ,” he says finally.

“I said I'm in the middle of something! Do you want me to tell you again? Medicate if you're anxious, just handle it.”

He retreats this time, but Chase can smell... too many emotions at once to pick them apart. Anti smells like that most all the time. Chase never knows what he's feeling.

Iris leans forward again. Her wild hair slides down her shoulders, hanging around her face. “I've been planning this a long time,” she says, very soft. “I'm so glad you're here now. You and the moon, Chase. I can't wait to run with you for the rest of our lives.”

He closes his eyes, trying to breathe. In some part of his body, like the instincts that teach birds to fly, he can feel the moon rising.

Marvin finds Jackie at home.

Their home. The thought is still warm in his stomach, but the rest of today has been cold despite the summer heat, everything layered over in goose-flesh anxiety for their missing friends and Sean in the hospital.

Jackie's at his desk, staring at nothing. Unnaturally still for Jackie, always meant to be in motion. He only turns when Marvin is so close he can't smell anything else, startling as he looks up.

“Hey,” he says. “Did you leave Sean in the hospital?”

“Nah, he's in my backpack,” says Marvin. When Jackie only frowns at him, he continues. “His brother just flew in from France, dummy. He's okay.”

Marvin pulls Jackie's rolling chair away from his work desk, spinning him to face him. “You're thinking about Chase and the doc.”

“I'm going to handle that,” says Jackie. “I don't want you worrying.”

Marvin pauses, rocking on his heels as he regards his cousin.

“Yeah,” he says. “You're going to get Graham to help you.”

Jackie's stern look breaks in half and his mouth falls open, staring at Marvin. “What?”

Marvin breathes out, shaking his head, and gives a little laugh for reasons he couldn't name. “Jackie. For all his many, many, many faults – like, a lot of faults, for real, probably hundreds – ”

“Yes, thank you, Marvin, I get it.”

“ – he's also the greatest tracker I've ever heard of. He might be able to catch their scents beneath everything.”

“Yeah, but I didn't want you to know,” says Jackie, voice rising. “I didn't want – ”

He cuts himself off, rubbing bitterly at his face. Marvin nods, breathing out again, long, low, slow. It's okay. They're okay.

“Jackie,” he says, softly. “Go do what you have to do.”

Jackie's shaking his head at him already. “No. I will do anything to help Henrik and Chase, but you're my pack, I have to worry about you first, and if this will hurt you, I – ”

“It won't hurt me. It's you. I trust you.”

Marvin leans down to Jackie's level. He reaches out to grab his shoulder, squeezing firm, familiar pressure into his arm, and smiles at him.

“I told you I wanted you to be my Alpha. That means I trust you to make your own decisions about your dad. Whatever you need, Jackie, I'll support you.”

Jackie's breath catches slightly, blinking fast. Oh, no. Marvin laughs again, weaker. If Jackie cries, he'll cry too, and they've had enough of that for this week.

“You really meant it,” Jackie says. “All of this.”

“Yes,” Marvin murmurs. “I will follow you wherever you lead.”

Jackie clears his throat and nods. “Okay. Okay, yeah. I'm going to call on Dad. And when I find them, Marvin... I'll bring them back to you. And I'll build a pack for you.”

Marvin feels his face stretch with how big he smiles. “Seriously? You're ready?”

“I will be,” says Jackie, rising to his feet. “Because they need me to be. And if you trust me, that's enough.”

He throws up the hood of his jacket. “Stay here for your full moon, where it's safe. Dad and I will be tracking. He's not pushing me around today, either. He's not my Alpha anymore. I lead my own pack.”

Marvin sees him off, watching him go from the door. He won't celebrate, not until everyone's home safe, but with the moon so close to full, he can't deny for a moment how long he and his wolf have both waited to hear words like those from the Alpha he's followed for years.

He doesn't want to deny it anymore, either. This is what he's always wanted. Finally, he can have it.

“As long as the moon brings you all back to me in one piece,” he whispers. “Hold on just a while longer. He's coming.”

He just hopes Chase and Henrik are still themselves when they find them.

The line of questioning Iris puts him through freaks him out so thoroughly he's actually relieved to return to the concrete prison of the basement beneath the house, but the door still closes behind him with a click like the timer of a bomb being started.

It's dark down the stairs. Chase stands at the top of them for a moment, shaking and hugging himself. He wants to go home so badly. He wishes he could have at least said goodbye to the kids.

“Schneep?” he croaks, padding down the stairs. “You okay?”

Claws scrabble in the dim light and he blinks as he makes his way down the stairs, trying to sort through everyone's scent. Henrik's still a wolf, and for some reason, it gives him a chill down his spine. He barks and approaches Chase in a rush, pressing his head into his leg.

“Your packmate's out of control,” snarls Anti from the corner, JJ panting cheerfully in his lap. “Howling and sprinting around. Can't you quiet him down?”

“Oh, yeah, I wonder why he'd be freaked out,” Chase snarls back, but Anti responds with a growl so intense Chase shows his neck, gripping at Henrik's fur. Henrik rumbles a threat at Anti.

“Dude, please give me a sign you're okay,” Chase whispers, leaning down to speak to the white wolf. Henrik nips gently at his hands, but doesn't shift back.

“It's his first full moon,” Anti mumbles. “He won't be himself much longer. You were the same way.”

Chase shivers and leans down to hug Henrik closely. JJ, apparently interested in the display of affection, trots over to the pair of them, tongue hanging out warmly. For the second time, Chase reaches out to the little stranger and puts his hand tentatively on his head. Henrik growls, but he doesn't do anything, and when JJ doesn't either, he goes quiet. When JJ is still, Chase rubs at his ears. JJ thumps his tail and leans forward to sniff at Henrik. For the first time, Henrik allows it.

Okay. At least they're not destroying each other down here. They've got to work together, and after all he's heard... Chase thinks there might actually be a chance they could.

He clears his throat. “Anti?”

Anti glares up at him from the corner. Even as a human, he seems to have an unnatural light in his eyes. Chase steels his nerves and approaches him, hands gripped into fists.

Anti watches him carefully. Chase sinks down to sit a few feet from him, showing his neck nervously, and it seems to soothe Anti in some way, the show of submission.

“I need to talk to you,” Chase says. “Quietly. Do you think she can hear this?”

“Don't try to conspire with me, dumbass,” grumbles Anti, rubbing at his face. “She always finds everything out.”

Chase scoots closer, licking at his dry mouth. “Look, man, she – she turned you, right?”

Anti doesn't answer, setting his chin in his hand and staring across the room at JJ as he gently explores Henrik's smell, that bushy black tail wagging endlessly.

“I thought it was all you,” Chase rushes to explain, voice low. “When you abducted me, when you made me shift – but I realized, while I was talking with her.”

“That it was her orders?” Anti mumbles.

“Yeah, well, I knew that. But what I realized, Anti, is that my wolf, the part of me running on pure wolf instincts – it never felt this way with you. This total fear I have of her – when it was you and me, it wasn't like that.”

“Because you bonded to me, idiot,” Anti snaps. “Duh. I'm the one who turned you. Of course your wolf trusted me, even though you shouldn't have.”

“My wolf doesn't trust her even though she smells like an Alpha,” Chase insists. “But you – my wolf never stopped trusting you. And that made me feel like shit the whole time I was trying to recover, because I didn't want to feel anything for you after what you did to me. But now I wonder if maybe the reason my wolf trusted you – the reason I bonded to you, missed your scent, missed being your pack – was because you are, actually, a lot more trustworthy than you're letting on.”

“Oh, shut the hell up,” Anti growls. “Are you joking? You know exactly what I did to you. And to the doc.”

“She told you to. Right? It was her idea. She made you.”

“Chase, why are you fucking trying to give me excuses? Are you really this desperate to believe I'm not dangerous?”

“Yeah, kind of,” he chokes, voice wavering. “Aren't you a prisoner too?”

Anti rubs at his face again. Chase watches his hands, frowning. Is he shaking? It's not cold. Chase reaches forward for a second, almost wanting to touch him.

“Anti,” he says again. “Weren't we pack, for a moment in time?”

“No,” says Anti, softly. “You're fooling yourself.”

“Please don't let this happen to us. Tell me you regret what you did, that you only did it because she made you. We have to get out, man. You can't want this to happen, can you? Your brother – ”

“Don't talk about JJ.”

“You love him, right? Is this really what you want for him?”

Anti won't look at him anymore. He's running his fingers through his hair, eyes distant.

“Even if it was your teeth,” Chase goes on doggedly. “She bit all of us, right? She – ”

“No,” Anti cuts him off. “No, she didn't. I'm a born wolf.”

Chase starts. “Oh. I thought you said...”

“I didn't say shit.”

“Why didn't you tell me when I asked?”

Anti takes a long time to reply. His eyes flicker up to the cameras all around the room, and he shifts in place, looking back at JJ, who's now trying to engage Henrik in a game, chasing his tail and yipping. Chase slips a little closer to Anti, desperate for any shred of hope. He can't lose himself tonight.

“I didn't tell you because it makes it worse,” whispers Anti.

Chase stares at him, waiting, but Anti never seems to volunteer any info without being prompted. “Why is it worse?”

He's staring down at his hands, shaking in his lap. Actually, they're shaking pretty badly.

“Because for nineteen years, I made sure my baby brother knew he could be a wolf the second he decided he wanted to be,” Anti replies, voice rough. “I would offer every year on his birthday: told him I could bite him, guide him, be his pack, but only if he really wanted. And for nineteen years, he told me no.”

“He finally told you yes this year?”

“No,” chokes Anti. “No. He...”

Oh, no. Chase's stomach hurts for a second, twisting up.

“He didn't want to be a wolf.”

Anti doesn't reply. His eyes are wide. Chase blinks, tilting his head to look at him more closely. His eyes aren't just wide, the pupils are blown.

“Wait a second, wait,” says Chase, almost laughing from how fucked up this all is. “Are you – are you high?”

Anti licks his dry lips, gaze flickering over to him. “No... I mean, I just had a little.”

Chase gapes, head shaking. “So she's your supply too. That's – holy shit, that's what that chemical smell is, and where the money for the fancy equipment comes from. She's dealing. What are you on?”

“Nothing illegal, they're just painkillers! Fuck off, okay?”

“Yeah, painkillers are still illegal without a prescription.”

“I just need something to help. She says the cravings will stop once we're wolves full-time.”

“There's no way it works like that. Anti, this is insane. You need to get out of this, man. This is – this is Alpha violence and addiction and maybe a cult, I think? And if you're her Second, does that make the two of you partners? She's the one who gave you that bruise on your face, right? You and Henrik and JJ and I, we need – ”

“Keep your fucking voice down!”

“We have to get out of this or we're going to get stuck!”

“They're stuck already!” screams Anti, whisper tearing into a shout. “Look at them! It's been months since JJ was human! His mind is gone! Don't you understand, there's no escape for us: he can't disobey her while he's this feral, and I won't leave my brother to this fate alone, I can't. So yes, I bit you and your friend, and I locked you up, I don't care, I would do it again to keep him safe!”

“Does this look like safety to you?” Chase snarls back.

“Once we get to the forest – ”

“No, once we get to the forest we'll all be lost, for good! Now is the time to fight her, Anti, now is the time to save your brother, because I don't think we'll get another chance!”

Anti clamps his hand over Chase's mouth, shoving him back against the wall, and all of a sudden Chase remembers exactly who he's dealing with. He whimpers, extending his neck in a snap, and Anti's teeth gleam even in the sliver of light through the high basement window-wells.

For a second, he thinks Anti will bite him just to show dominance. His eyes have caught the moonlight; they gleam more like a cat's than a dog's, silver and piercing. But a moment passes, and Anti just seems to crumple. His hand slides away from Chase's neck. His gaze falls to the floor.

“Iris used JJ against me,” his voice comes, tremulous as a leaf on the wind. “For so long, it was just talk: talk about her and I going away together, to live like real wolves. I loved it. Soaked in the idea. She was my only werewolf friend, and then something more, and I needed the connection. We made plans to go to Canada. But she started to change when I let her start calling herself my Alpha, and myself her Second. Commanding. Confining. I thought we were just fighting like a normal couple until the first time she hit me, hard enough that my nose bled. I tried to get out that night. She told me that if I didn't come home, she'd go to JJ's dorm in London and bring him with her to the wild instead.”

Chase's blood chills. For a second, he almost gets lost in the memories that summons in him: memories of his own sister, of his failed attempts to protect her or to get back to her. Even now, not having spoken to her in years – if someone threatened her, he... might do anything.

“We used to visit him at uni together. She got along with him, but he was having trouble with his professors and classmates. He – he's mute, always has been. A deformity in his voicebox. There were some incidents of discrimination, and he was having trouble making friends. He started to isolate himself. The worse it got, the more she started to talk about how much better it would be for him to be a wolf, how he wouldn't need to talk if he were living wild with us. I even thought it might be an okay idea, for a while. I let him know the offer always stands if he wants to come with. But he was determined to get his degree. I thought she was just lamenting the discrimination until she started to threaten him, to keep me in line. I realized she has no respect for him or what he goes through with his mutism. But by then it was too late. She knew where he lived, and she wanted him for her own.”

Chase can't help but reach out, then, just for a moment. His hand raises and falls onto Anti's shoulder.

“I was so stupid,” Anti whispers. “For not seeing what she was earlier. She's nothing but my captor, now, and his. I should have taken him and run the first time she threatened him. Should have called the police, should never have started taking the oxy's with her, should have – ”

“Dude, you can't blame yourself,” Chase whispers back. “This is messed up stuff, and these things, they happen in a spiral – start out small and get bigger, and by then, you feel trapped. She hid who she was. You did everything you could to keep him safe.”

Anti just shakes his head, lost in something else, somewhere far away.

“I bit him,” he whispers, so soft Chase almost doesn't catch it. “She pinned him down and ordered me to. Said she'd do it herself if I didn't.”

Chase closes his eyes.

“The way he looked at me,” Anti chokes. “The betrayal in his face... I... I haven't seen his human eyes since, and now, I never will again. I'm going to be stuck with that memory of him staring up at me, with the tears and the pain and the disbelief, signing my name... for the rest of my life. So you see... JJ and I, we're both stuck already.”

“Please don't give up, Anti,” Chase begs. “I can't do this alone.”

“You saw me as I am when I bit you, Chase. Just an animal, trapped by her will. I deserve this fate. Now, I can't do anything but try my best to keep him safe from her for the rest of our lives.”

His gaze goes distant, a drowsy, sickly smell poisoning his scent, and Chase knows whatever he took is kicking in. “I think it will be better in the forest,” he says, almost dreamily. “Maybe all these thoughts will leave me alone, and finally, I'll just be the monster I am.”

Henrik comes trotting back towards them, and Chase can't press any further. He doesn't think he wants to know more. Instead, he reaches out with trembling fingers and clutches Henrik's fur, burying his face in the side of him, and he cries for a while as Henrik sits solidly beside him, as though protecting him from the rest of the world.

JJ comes to join them minutes later, settling himself back in Anti's lap as his brother drifts, eyes fixed on something nobody else can see. Chase's bones begin to itch with the need to shift, but he'll hold on as long as he can. Someone has to keep track of Anti's pulse, thready and tremulous beneath Chase's fingers on his wrist.

#tw domestic violence #tw abduction #tw imprisonment #drug use tw #okay i'm trying to get back in the groove with this one! i feel like the quality might have dropped a little but i needed to get it done #hope you enjoy the chapter although it's kinda INTENSE just a heads up

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script-a-world · 2 years

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Submitted via Google Form:

—Can I create a culture with basically concept of religion? I suppose the definition of religion is needed here. I mean specifically, there is no thought of gods or higher beings or humans and stuff like ideas of what happens after death. Last thing, I'm actually not sure whether to give this to a human culture living out of the way in a fictional mythic place or an alien culture. However, there are actually a few species in the universe that have massive god-like powers that's unexplained but never ask to be seen as gods. Is a no religion concept only possible if this culture has pretty much never really had contact with these species? Or if they have is it possible for all of that to be seen as fact and not as anything religion.

((Mod note: I believe they typoed the first line of their question and it should read "no concept of religion"))

Tex: How do you define religion? An institution that arose from the embers of folklore and culture to explain the metaphysical beyond the realm of direct, tactile understanding? Or the presumably illogical belief that anything you cannot touch isn’t real? This may be reiterating your point, but I’d like to establish the framework for it in my answer.

To put another layer of interpretation on there: how does one raise a child? From the child’s perspective, what is an adult? Not a child, obviously, but beyond that?

A few answers might be “big protective figure”, “comfort”, “makes scary things go away”, “makes good things happen”, “gives me food and nice things”, “makes me laugh”, “makes tears go away”, “gets rid of boo-boos”.

To align perspectives: is that not the function of religion? How a child - particularly a small child, unknowing of the greater scope of the world around it - views its parent(s), is an uncodified and earnest interpretation of a being comparatively all-knowing and all-powerful that religion also follows. Just, yknow, with greater pomp and circumstance and society-wide tantrums.

Religions are borne of a hierarchical society, and any society that has childrearing will have some sort of belief in the unreachable unknown as a matter of intellectual course.

Feral: Yes, you can create a culture with no religion featuring god(s) or an afterlife as there are in the real world these cultures and in fact religions that do not have gods or an afterlife as part of their teachings. If your human or alien culture has no concept of gods and the aliens with extraordinary powers do not impress upon the former the concept of godhood, then why would it matter? The idea that all (pre-modern) religions must seek to explain natural phenomena with divinity is just not accurate. A good many people have seen animals that can do things they cannot, like fly, and just accepted that the way the animal is, is different from the way they are without needing a divine explanation for it.

Utuabzu: I think a lot of the problem that you, and a lot of people who grew up in cultures dominated by Abrahamic religions, have is that your mental model for religion is Abrahamic. This isn't a criticism, it's just a thing that is. The Abrahamic religious model sort of assumes that a religion has certain default features: divinity/ies - supernatural being(s) that can be interacted with on some level and which influence physical reality, afterlife(s) - a place we go after death, soul(s) - a basic us-ness that endures after death, eschatology - how the world ends, creation - where the world came from, exclusivity - belonging to this religion means not following any others.

None of these things are actually necessary features of religions. Plenty of religious systems aren't exclusive - most East Asian traditional religions (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai) have no problem blending with Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism and other philosophies. Plenty of religions around the world don't really give much thought to what happens after death. Many Indian religions (Buddhism, many Hindu theologies) don't believe in a soul as Abrahamic religions do (ātman, the self, is considered in many forms of Buddhism to be a temporary thing that is destroyed along with the body). Many religions don't believe in an end to the world (basically no Indian religions do, nor did many ancient religions like those of the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Mesopotamians etc.) Many religions don't give much thought to the creation of the world. Many religions don't require belief in divinities (Buddhism, Jainism) or don't see them as fundamentally separate from physical reality (Shintō, many indigenous religions).

So, it's perfectly plausible to have a culture, either of humans or non-humans that doesn't have a religion as is generally conceptualised in Abrahamic-religion-dominated societies. Plenty of real world human societies do. Religion is a pretty fuzzy and elastic concept, very hard to define and very dependent on cultural context (17th and 18th Century Europeans found Chinese religion really confusing and whether or not ancestor veneration and Confucianism were religion was a matter of intense debate within the Catholic church).

That all being said, humans and other animals look for patterns in our world, and try to work out cause and effect. If you don't know what causes something, but you notice that when you did x, y happened, you might try and replicate that. There was a study* with pigeons that found they would repeat ritualised behaviours to try and make food pellets appear (the pellets were on a timer and came regardless, the pigeons just did the same things they were doing when the pellets first appeared, and even continued doing them when the researchers interrupted the pellets). Much as we like to think otherwise, humans are still animals and do tend to see patterns where there aren't any and misattribute cause and effect. Just think of all the strange little rituals you and people you know do, that you know logically have no impact but you do anyway just in case. Keep that up over a long enough period, across a society, and it becomes very difficult to say when it passes from superstition to religion.

Tl;dr: yes. You can. But also no, you probably can't. It depends on what you mean by religion.

*sorry, can't remember the name off the top of my head. I'm not well at the moment, which is also why this answer is a bit stream-of-consciousness.

#pylons #google submitted #religion

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athenodora-sulpicia-writer · 1 year

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OMG! OMG! OMG!! I LOVE YOU VANESSA ANGST FIC!! It really stabs me in a good way! vanessa deserves better tho :( I have my ideas about it tho! so mind if i add more? OK! so here it is; After some time Vanessa Ives had passed away. Everything went back to normal except for the grief everyone has been suffering. You all did your best to cope and recover for all the loss after an unbearable tragedy. You are a witch. You had your duties in need of your attention. As often as you can, you visited her grave and even sometimes sleep next to it until morning comes. Other times you had company, other times you don't. Not that you don't mind. You talked about how everyone else is doing, your adventures, and anything and everything that comes to mind. It's as if you will receive a response from this one-sided but you always hoped that your beloved vanessa is listening. Other times, you just sat next to her grave in silence reminiscing every memory you had with her. Over the years, you have developed a very good memory. You were grateful to remember everything as clear as if it just happened yesterday. Everything about Vanessa Ives is forever imprinted in your mind. Like her face for example; the way she looks at you like it is the best thing that has ever happened to her, the cute dimples that showed every time she smiles, Her hair wrapped in a bun is dark as the night sky, her porcelain skin and lastly her eyes... so calm and serene yet capable of a intense stare that can make you freeze in place. My goodness she is so attractive it should be a crime. If looks could kill, you would love to be her first victim. Another example is her hands. You've memorized where every vein is located, where are the rough parts on her fingers due to a lot of writing, how they are slightly bigger compared to yours, how soft they were, how warmth they were, how gentle it is when she holds you, etc. You can almost feel her touched again. Almost. Every now and then, her last words seconds before final breath popped in your mouth. You remembered how her voice was barely audible. You remember how you can feel her life force slowly fades away. You remember how much it saddens her to say it. You remember every single detail that happened in that devastating day of your life. No doubt it will scar you for the rest of your life. 'You'll go on without me Y/n, I promise you'll find love and live a good life....we were always meant to say goodbye, now let me go Y/n.' you hear her voice echoing into your ears. Move on?! How can you move on when you only have one heart that only belongs to her and her alone? How can you give your hear to someone else when it's full of her? When she died, your heart died with her. You will never see another woman as beautiful, loving, and perfect as her. No one can replace her. You wouldn't dare even attempted to do so. "Vanessa I don't think you truly understand how I can only love once and never again. I'm yours forever more." You broke the silence. "I'm sure i can live a good life but it can never be as good as with you by my side." Tears began to shed. You stared at her grave and pretend it was her. Oh how you missed getting always lost in her ocean blues eyes. "You really shouldn't make promises you can't keep. It hurts y'know." You smiled bittersweetly and lay next to her with your hand caressing on the carved stone. Today's work was exhausting as always. Soon the strong need to rest overtakes you. "I love you forever, Van. My one and only love." You whispered before falling into slumber. Even in death, you still can't get enough of this woman. Absolutely nothing can stop you from loving her even more than ever. It's out of your control really. Not that you were complaining. You are well aware that witches live longer lives than humans which means you shall live what it felt like an eternity without the love of life. A life without her is the 9th layer of hell to you. sooo... what do you think?? :D Sorry to grammatical errors :(

Oh My Gosh, I’m in love with this, it’s so beautiful and perfect, thank you so much for writing it. It’s brilliant and sad and poetic, I just can’t get enough of it.

Right now I have a task for you, I want to write pregnant Vanessa x Fem witch reader but I need an idea and plot. Think you can help me out, it can be as crazy and bonkers as you want.

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adozentothedawn · 3 years

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Hey so, Moist von Lipwig as the representation of hope, Lord Vetinari as the repersentation of consequences, and Reacher Gilt as the representation of freedom.

#going postal #gnu terry pratchett #i have to write a literary analysis about this book #and it is a very good book #and as such has a bunch of layers #so right now i'm sitting here with the literary equivalent of an onion #i keep peeling and keep finding more #but i'm never sure what part belongs to which layer #anyway #thoughts on that?#i have some #but ordering them is really hard

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apocalypticgargoyle · 3 years

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𝙅𝙀𝘼𝙇𝙊𝙐𝙎𝙔 | 𝙠𝙖𝙧𝙡 𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙤𝙗𝙨 (18+)

∘ request(s):

Ooh maybe edgy!karl teaching skateboarding :o. I’m also in uni and I remember my first frat party was quite interesting 😂 -🦋

ahhhh part four of your edgy karl was soooo good!!! could i get jealous karl? maybe someone else is hitting on the reader at a party

please please please more edgy!karl if u can. like maybe where him and reader get into a fight because he gets like jealous and he just shows the reader who they belong to fjsjjsj thankyouuu !! 🤍🪐 x

∘ pairing: edgy!Karl Jacobs x fm!reader

∘ warnings: nsfw (18+ minors dni), smut, light bdsm, jealous, somewhat toxic behavior, crude language, frat boys (again), mentions of masterbation, biting, domination, spanking

∘ word count: ~3200

∘ links: 𐐪 ao3 𐑂 𐐪 previous part 𐑂 𐐪 submit an edgy!karl edit 𐑂

a/n: not me having to watch daddy tony hawk tutorials for this bc I'm uncultured and only skateboarded for like three months when I was 14 :)))

thank you for all the requests (especially 🦋 ily). if any of you have ideas for what I should call this series, lemme know! as always, have a great week and happy reading :)

♡ ᵍᵉⁿᵉ

The parking lot behind the campus union was barren. The morning dew in the air left a sweet smell to combine with Karl’s cologne as he walked beside you, his arm bumping yours as he listened to you nervously ramble on about one of your classes. You weren’t sure why, but the thought of falling on your ass in front of Karl terrified you more than anything. This man had degraded you and made you completely submit to him in the past, yet you were worried that not being able to master his ~craft~ would ruin his image of you.

He dropped his skateboard, his feet settling on it lazily as he rolled beside you. You watched quietly as he stopped, kicking his foot down on the front of his board so it popped into his hand. “You won’t fall. I’ve got you,” he joshed, tugging on your hand so you were in front of him.

He set the board down, his hands going to your hips as you stepped on it. His fingers dipped under the hem of your sweatshirt, your skin lighting up at his touch as if his hands belonged on you. “You look like an anemic Victorian boy. I don’t trust you as a safety net,” you grumbled, your hands covering his. You knew, roughly, how to skate from a middle school phase you had. Karl only promised to teach you a few tricks, but to say you were rusty would be an understatement.

He chuckled darkly, nudging you closer to the middle of the board and peering over your shoulder to look at your stance. “I’ve fucked you without your feet touching the floor. I think I can catch you before you hit the ground, baby,” he chided, making you scoff.

Your cheeks flushed with heat at his words. “Dirty, dirty boy,” you mumbled. He instructed you on how to kick the board up to where you needed it. His words were simple and almost plain like he knew you could figure it out. You attempted to push the board up, but crashed into Karl’s arms, your back thumping against his chest.

He giggled slightly as he straightened you up, setting you back on the board as his foot kept it from rolling out from under you. His hands hovered over your hips again as he moved his foot, leaving you to balance on your own. “If you fall correctly, people will just think you were giving really good head,” he jested. You shoved his arms away at his words as he laughed at his own joke.

You attempted a few more times and nearly had it down before Karl’s hands were on your hips again, giving you further instructions. You fought not to smile as his breath ghosted against your neck. You knew he cared about teaching you something that---on paper---was seemingly so easy, but his vulgar teasing was beginning to swarm your head. With his next steps set as your goal as well as the feeling of his hold on you, you kicked the board up and attempted to jump with it. While your brain was up to speed, your feet weren’t, sending the board out from beneath you and you to fall into its place.

Karl snorted as choked back a laugh at you scrapping your hands on the concrete. “Come on, don’t be a pussy. Try again,” he chided, voice uneven and laced with whatever dark humor he was getting from watching you do this.

You rolled your eyes playfully, letting him tug you up in front of him. As you wobbled on the board once again, you let his hands dig into your sides. Obviously, it seemed that he actually was worried about dropping you again, despite the fact that he was holding back some kind of sick laugh. “You would be great at teaching a kid how to ride a bike,” you quipped, the fact that he called you a pussy seeping into your mind.

You gasped slightly as you slipped again, this time Karl’s arms wrapping around you tightly, pressing your body against his. “Awe, you want me to put a baby in you, pet?” He jeered with his lips near your ear. You shrugged out of his grip, breaking up your indecent thoughts at his comment.

You could feel the heat rising to your ears as you balanced on his skateboard again. “Stop, you perv,” you deflected, hoping he couldn’t tell how hard you were having to bite back a smirk.

After your skateboarding escapades, you sat typing away at your computer, Karl occasionally looking over his phone to peer at you. His legs were thrown lazily on either side of you as he stretched out on his pillows.

An alarm went off on Karl’s phone, startling you in the process. He fought against smirking at your surprise as he sat up, crawling over to you. “Okay, I gave you two hours,” he stated, leaning forward to press his lips against yours and gently close your computer. The taste of him on your tongue was like a drug for you, leaving you constantly wanting more.

You smirked into his kiss as your brain finally caught up with you. “I hope that document saved, asshole,” you groaned, pushing him back into his pillows as he chuckled at you. His fingers dragged up the length of your thighs, squeezing the flesh in his hands as you straddled him. “Fucking weirdo, timing me. Who are you, my dad?” You teased, pressing a kiss to his neck and digging your fingers into his hair.

He moaned lowly, grinding against you. “Oh fuck yeah. Call me daddy,” he cantered.

“No,” you answered simply. You sat up, reaching over to his top drawer in search of protection, but running your fingers over a lacy garment instead. Your brows knitted together as your gaze shot to the drawer, your underpants dangling from your finger. Karl tucked his hands behind his head, looking up at you nonchalantly as your mind flashed with memories of your time in the bathroom.

Before you had the opportunity to ask him what he was still doing with them, his door popped open to reveal one of Karl’s roommates, his name beginning with a D but slipping your mind. “What are you guys doing in here?” He asked with a rather dopey smile, gesturing to Karl still between your legs. “Everyone’s downstairs, come on.” You and Karl shared a look as he left.

You leaned back down to him, kissing him briefly before pressing your lips to his neck again. “Wanna come over instead?” You suggested softly, your lips ghosting over his ear.

Karl loped down the stairs in front of you, a heavy layer of smoke hanging in the air above your heads. A mass of people crammed themselves together, finding solace in each other after the long week. If you weren’t so hung up on getting into Karl’s pants, you might have considered joining them.

Before the two of you could reach the door, someone called out for Karl. Their voice boomed over the loudness of the music, making Karl wince slightly. His face flattened into a frown as “Todd” waved at the two of you. Karl took a few slugging steps to stand close enough to Todd’s group that they wouldn’t have to yell at each other. You settled your hand on Karl’s hip as you wrapped your hand around his waist, leaning against him. Todd’s eyes traced over you.

He wet his lips. “You guys leaving already?” He asked, leaning back in his chair and accepting the joint offered to him. From an outsider’s perspective, he looked like the king of the castle. Luckily, you knew better. “Come on, play a game with us!” He suggested, patting the empty spot beside him. Even though you couldn’t see his face, you could tell Karl was rolling his eyes. “I got a seat warmed up for you, baby girl,” he nodded towards you.

You perked an eyebrow in his direction and Karl slipped his hand into yours nonchalantly. “Thanks, but no,” Karl stated.

“Come on, Karl. Don’t make me pull pin.” At Todd’s words, Karl groaned reluctantly, the sound barely audible. You furrowed your brows at him. “Fifteen minutes. We were gonna play Never Have I Ever.”

You leaned towards Karl. “What’s pulling pin?” You mumbled.

“Flexing rank,” he grunted back. He tugged you with him to join the group. Before you could sit down, Todd pulled you into the spot beside him. You laughed nervously, watching as Karl’s features darkened as he sat across from the two of you. Todd handed you a drink, which you took but avoided sipping out of.

A boy beside Karl piped up. “Okay, so never have I ever graduated high school. My degree is literally fake.” The boy smiled before taking a drink, making you giggle slightly. Todd draped his arm around the back of the couch where you were sitting. He wasn’t touching you exactly but every ounce of his being was getting under Karl’s skin.

Todd smugly shook his head. “No, Zeke. Those aren’t the rules. You have to say something that’s not true about you. Like…” he trailed off slightly, his gaze settling on you before his mouth twisted into a smirk. “Never have I ever slashed someone’s tires.”

You humored him with a subtle smile as if to ask if he was serious. He gestured towards Karl, who took a drink. You bit back a grin. “Well, never have I ever masturbated to a girl my roommate’s sleeping with,” Karl retaliated. Your eyes grew wide, suddenly happy to watch the event unfold before you.

Todd took a drink after glaring at Karl. He leaned closer to you, this time his arm dropped to pull you against his side. “Do you wanna take a turn?” You shook your head, flashing your eyes to Karl before looping your fingers with Todd’s. Karl chewed the inside of his cheek, looking like he was holding back another laugh. “Alright, I’ll go.” Todd brought your hand up to his lips, kissing your palm. “Ah, I know. Never have I ever betrayed the secret oath of the frat and called the police.”

Karl took another sip, his eyes on you. “Yeah, because never have I ever set the house on fire trying to light a bong,” he answered, making you snort.

You let your free hand settle on Todd’s knee. “Awe, I’d light your bong for you,” you chided, making Todd laugh as he took a drink.

“I bet you could do a lot for me, Princess,” he flirted, his lips nearing your ear. You raised your eyebrows in Karl’s direction, who was sitting with his chin in his hand. His expression was darkly entertained as you flirted with Todd. “Speaking of,” Todd looked to Karl again. “Never have I ever fucked someone on my roommate’s bed,” he teased, tucking his nose in the crook of your neck.

Karl smirked. “You’re right, you probably haven’t,” he stated simply, downing the rest of his drink. Todd tensed slightly beside you. Karl stood, ruffling the hair of one of the other Brothers that were in the group before holding his hand out for you to take. As the two of you left, you heard one of the guys whistle and say something about never having peed in a pool before.

As the two of you left the house, you walked in time with Karl’s heavy steps, swinging your entwined hands as if you were completely oblivious. “I can’t believe I made you jealous,” you taunted. You could practically see the steam rolling off his shoulders as he opened the passenger car door for you. Before you could slip into the seat, Karl’s hand gripped the back of your neck, bringing you to press your lips roughly against his. He pinned you between him and the cool metal of the car as the taste of beer spread across your tongue.

His fingers dug into your hips, his other hand tightening around your throat. The coolness of his tongue ring was a welcomed sensation as you attempted to find friction against his hips. Your fingers moved to close around his wrist as he pulled away, leaving you gasping for air. His face was expressionless as his gaze danced from your lips to your eyes. “I’m going to fuckin’ ruin you for the way you acted,” he ribbed, stepping away from you.

You nearly slid down the side of the car at his words. “Okay,” you whispered, heat rising to your cheeks and ultimately to your core.

Karl’s calm exterior followed you until you finally got your apartment door open. Karl pinned you against the wood of your bedroom door, reaching to twist the lock as his lips began to commandeer your own. His hands dragged up your thighs beneath your skirt, squeezing at the flesh roughly. He yanked your shirt off, grinding his hips up and against yours as his teeth moved to nip at the skin of your neck before returning to badger your lips.

The taste of beer on his lips blended with your flavored chapstick as your tongue slipped into his mouth. In a mess of tugging and biting each other, your body melted into his rough grasp. You wanted whatever repercussions his twisted mind could come up with. You wanted him to do whatever he wanted to you. You fought against diving your hands into his jeans to beg him to continue, but he broke away from you as you fought to catch your breath.

Your lips were buzzing as the feeling of him still lingered. He brought his hand up to your jaw, tipping your chin up to him. “Fucking slut,” the devil’s grin painted across his face before he continued, pressing his lips against yours once more, his grin dragging your bottom lip between his teeth. “You act like I don’t fucking own you,” he nearly growled, his face hovering over yours as his hand squeezed your throat. You moaned quietly as he regulated your breathing with his hand. You wanted to drink in his dark, commanding appearance.

He pushed you back on the bed, making you instinctively crawl up towards the pillows. He smirked slightly, undoing his belt and slipping it into his hands. He put the garment on your bedside table. After tugging his shirt off, he was on top of you again, pushing you into the pillows and the fluffy comforter. Karl’s lips seared yours, showing you how much command he had over your body. He ground his hips against yours, the fabric of his jeans digging into you to elicit a moan echo from your mouth. You could feel his erection hardening against your leg, the tension deep within you tightening at the prospect of what he was going to do to you.

His fingers tugged at your skirt, gripping the material in his fist and dragging it down your body as if it was nothing. He flipped you, your elbows crowding the pillows as you felt him sit on your back, snapping the belt in his hands again. You let out a short breath as Karl’s nails raked up your back before his fingers dipped in your hair, tugging your head back to look at him. “I want you to scream my name tonight,” he groaned. You obliged as he dropped his grip on you.

He pulled your wrists between the bars of your headboard before binding you to the metal with his belt, yanking the leather to sinch against your skin. He dropped his head to press his lips against your shoulder, a tender nod of affection you knew would be the last. You leaned on your side to watch him sit back on his knees to unbutton his jeans. “Be gentle,” you leered, tugging your bottom lip between your teeth to fight your grin again as you watched him spit into his hand and stroke himself in preparation.

He chuckled. “I’ll take good care of you, sweetheart,” he murmured darkly through a smirk. He pulled your hips up and against his own, forcing your face into the mattress. Your hands tightened around the metal bars, as he angled himself at your entrance before driving himself into with an act of force you knew you deserved. A moan of his name slipped past your lips as his fingers dug into your hips, thrusting into you to drive himself deeper into you. “That’s right. I want the neighbors to know who’s fucking you,” he groaned, snapping his hips against yours.

Moans of pure bliss escaped your lips as his head neared yours. Karl used your hips as leverage for his unwavering pace, leaving you a mess of pleasure beneath him. His lips found their way to your neck as he nipped against the sensitive skin. You wanted him to mark you, to claim you, and he deserved to. His hand from your hair became wrapped around your throat as he began to reach his peak.

His hand slapped your ass with such force you knew there was a handprint, but you were too overwhelmed with the noises escaping his lips and your climax threatened to disobey your control to be concerned with the sting. If anything it threatened to push you over the edge. Your hands pulled against the leather of his belt as he pounded into you.

Your toes began to curl as he leaned over you, his breath fanning against your shoulder as you bit back heavy moans of pleasure. Karl’s hand was knotted in your hair again, his other fisting the sheets beside you. “Who’s making you feel this good? Huh?” You moaned out his name as he punctuated his sentence with the thrusts of his hips. “That’s right, you fucking slut.” You tightened around him, your orgasm sweeping over you with an element of shock.

You could practically hear Karl’s smirk as he moaned at the sight of you coming undone beneath him. He continued to ride you, finishing rather abruptly. He pressed his lips between your shoulder blades before loosening the belt around your wrists. Your back popped as you were finally able to move freely. He bit back a chuckle as you gingerly snuggled beneath the covers beside him. You slipped your hand across his torso, hugging his side against your chest as he rested an arm behind your head.

As you laid your head on his chest, his heartbeat began to steady, his fingers lightly brushing against your skin. “I’d rather eat my own feet than sleep with Todd, you know,” you croaked, realizing just how much your voice was weakening, breaking the silence between the two of you.

Karl chuckled softly. “Me too,” he commented, making you smile slightly. “I’m actually…” he paused slightly before continuing as if searching for what he wanted to say exactly. “I’m actually not sleeping with anyone else.”

You couldn’t fight the smile spreading across your face. “I’m not either.” You hugged him tighter, letting his fingers twirl into your hair. “I’m good with you.”

“I’m good with you, too,” he mirrored, a smirk evident in his voice as his other hand traced over the red marks on your wrists from his belt.

Tags:

@mrwinemaker @madsbbg @idiotinnit @xxtakechancesxx

#karl jacobs x you #karl jacobs smut #karl jacobs x reader #edgy!karl #edgy!karl jacobs #edgy aesthetic #eboy #🦋 anon #mcyt x reader #mcyt smut #karl jacobs imagine

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