#or at the very least i would have given him a more honorable death because it was stupid as fuck
Bi-Han is an honorable man
I can't believe that I'm making yet another post pointing out the obvious but every time I go into a Youtube comment section I'm starting to question whether me and the rest of the Mortal Kombat fandom have even played the same game.
1. He shows opponents mercy
Sub-Zero: You want peace? Let us be.
Liu Kang: The Lin Kuei's sins aren't easily forgiven.
Sub-Zero: Surrender and Shao will show mercy.
Mileena: If you believe that, you're a fool.
Sub-Zero: Walk away while you can.
Raiden: I'll never give up, never surrender.
Sub-Zero: I won't hold back, Brother.
Scorpion: Do your worst.
Sub-Zero: We have no cause for dispute.
Kitana: You aided Shao's attempt to steal the throne!
These dialogues honestly speak for themselves already, they don't even need explaining. Compare that to actual villains like General Shao who sends Reiko after Bi-Han to kill him simply because he "doesn't like loose ends" even after Bi-Han saved him or Shang Tsung who killed Reptile's family out of nothing but sheer cruelty.
The fact that Bi-Han is willing to let people walk away from a fight, that he gives them a chance to walk away alive, speaks volumes about his personality. He warns his opponents in his intros and even during his end of round taunts ("Flee now and live."), he tries to solve things peacefully and without violence if possible. He's not bloodthirsty, malicious or eager to kill anyone, but will do so if given no other choice.
Despite Bi-Han's flaws, a man willing to show an opponent mercy is an honorable man. SPOILERS AHEAD: May I again remind you that Kuai Liang is not willing to show a defeated and dying Bi-Han mercy when he gets turned into Noob against his will? Not only that, but Kuai Liang wouldn't have hesitated to kill Frost who is probably around Hanzo's age at his own wedding if Harumi hadn't stepped in to save her. Harumi had to beg Kuai Liang to show someone mercy, while Bi-Han grants it without a second thought. Like it or not, at least in that one aspect, Bi-Han is the better man.
I don't know why some people think of him as this aggressive guy going around trying to pick fights with everyone when all he wants is to be left alone? It's wild to me how people think he's the problem here.
2. He respects/admires their fighting skills
Sub-Zero: You will surely test my might.
Ashrah: I will overwhelm it, Sub-Zero.
Sub-Zero: This fight I will long remember.
General Shao: Who says you will survive it?
Sub-Zero: I'm pleased to fight Outworld's foremost mage.
Rain: Will it also please you to lose?
Sub-Zero: I hear your skills are formidable.
Li Mei: As are those of all who have been Umgadi.
Can we also talk about how respectful Bi-Han is towards his opponents? He compliments them on their skills as opposed to Kuai Liang who even talks down to his own allies. Yes, Bi-Han is arrogant, but he can still acknowledge other people's strengths and respect them, even if they are his foes.
3. He admits when he's wrong
Sub-Zero: I was wrong to trust you.
General Shao: Yes, Earthrealmer. You were.
Sub-Zero: I wasn't aware of Shang Tsung's experiments.
Liu Kang: Had you known, would your choice have been different?
Sub-Zero: Your mother's death is regrettable.
Kitana: I consider you complicit, Bi-Han.
You can say what you want about him, but he certainly takes responsibility for his actions and even shows regret over some of them. Bi-Han might not be the most compassionate character, but he does express some sympathy towards others. Compare that to Kuai Liang who tells Havik it's his own fault that his face was burned off as if he had nothing to do with it. Yes, Bi-Han doesn't show much sympathy towards Baraka for his condition, but neither does Kuai Liang. Why Kuai Liang is still considered the more honorable brother regardless of that and his very obvious ableism, is beyond me.
Bi-Han's good traits are all too often overlooked. I don't know if it's because people don't pay attention to intros, but it's so easy to see he's not a bad person deep down. It's just the media comprehension skills of most MK fans that are seriously lacking.
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MCD Fighting Style breakdown
for @gonedreaminggg as a treat. I took your initial list, added a few ideas I came up with, had a breakdown, Bone apple teeth!
- Laurance: As seen in canon Laurance mainly uses a single large sword, though in his early appearances he uses a sword and a shield. I feel like Laurance has trained in multiple styles of combat to varying degrees. He's really good with a single sword of any size, and he can fight sword and shield. His dual wielding is lacking and he can tell every time he watches Dante fight. A lot of Laurance's movements are very basic forms of sword combat with slight variations and flare. Laurance is really light on his feet, so much so that when he really gets into a fight, it almost looks like he's gliding sometimes.
- Garroth: An absolute tank. Fuck what canon says here, Garroth has trained exclusively in fighting with a sword and shield. It is his bread and butter. His ass would not know what to do with a second sword, and nobody really tried to train him in anything else because he's so good at what he does. Garroth can and will always take the hits, he's a barbarian who manages to suppress the rage until he's forced to multiclass into paladin thanks to the relic. Always on the front lines, so good at throwing himself into danger, he wants to die a warriors death and go to Valhalla and both Aph and Laurance are like "Garroth please stop."
- Dante: Dual Wielding jack ass my beloved. Dual wielding isn't a super common style of combat just because it requires so much coordination and there's definitely a quantity over quality problem with guards in Ru'aun. Dante studies an unconventional style of fighting to stand out, and it works. He's super limber and flexible, at least when he's a teenager, and he's fast as fuck. Dante will absolutely be the one getting insane hit combos and doing like 8 attacks per round. He loves bragging about this so much, even though he has to slow down a little as he gets older and his body can't quite move the way it used to.
- Aphmau: Oh Aphmau... Can I call you Aph? You poor thing. In my brain Aph is partially trained by Garroth and Zenix in her early days, but she also just has some really good instincts from being Irene's reincarnation. She learns basic archery from Zenix, and a lot of basics in sword fighting from Garroth. She tends to prefer one lightweight weapon, though she does learn to get comfortable with larger weapons. She's shorter than a lot of her opponents so she likes having a lighter weapon that let's her move fast and go for the fucking knees. She does not fuck around in a fight, she will go straight for the kill. All the guards have some sort of honor/respect for their opponents. She doesn't. She will fucking kill you.
- Travis: Travis is the jack of all trades. You put a weapon in his hand and he knows how to use it. He's not particularly great with any one weapon, and he never has a preference. He was taught to always have his guard up and always be able to defend himself, so Travis is much more comfortable with being given a weapon and using it instead of having a preference. He carries a long sword with him everywhere he goes, but that's just in case he can't get his grubby little paws on something else. He also uses potions a lot more in battle than anyone else thinks to, so he's able to make up for any shortcomings in his fighting.
- Katelyn: Punch people at the perfect weak points of their body. Katelyn has done a lot of study into human anatomy and medicine, and she knows all the weak points of the body for taking someone out in a certain way. Want a quick knockout? There's a pressure point on the back of the neck she can hit while blindfolded. Want to make someone winded? Hit them in the solar plexus. Katelyn has honed her body for this style of fighting, she is ripped as fuck, and while she isn't the fastest fighter, mostly due to her still wearing armor, her strikes are powerful enough to make up for it.
- Lucinda: Evil!! She uses her witchcraft obviously, which I have a lot of thoughts about. I think it's basically being a prepared/component caster, so how well she does in a fight depends on what components she brings into it. But Lucinda literally has like three bags of holdings, she can always whip up something to kick your ass. And if she can't, her staff is definitely made out of some ancient tree and she'll just sweep people off their feet with it and then concuss them with the giant curved end of it. She prefers to take people down non-lethally if possible, especially because witchcraft is very susceptible to accidentally killing people, but if you hurt her friends, it's on sight,
- Zane: Despite his high position, Zane isn't particularly good with any large weapons. I always envision Zane to be somewhat lanky in his stature, and definitely the weakest out of his brothers. He doesn't want to be seen as a threat initially, and as shown in the series, he'd much prefer to find a non physically violent way to kill you. If he has to, he's always got knives hiding on his person, in his robe, in his belt, in his boots, man's always has a way to kill just in case.
- Nana: Magic in this universe is spontaneous casting, where most spells don't need active prep work, and fewer components. Like she needs her dolls as vessels and some magical energy that's naturally present in her body and she's good. I don't think Tu'la was always a safe place, and she likely learned to defend herself from a young age. But Nana isn't really good with conventional weapons like swords or bows, no, she knows how to dent your brain with a frying pan. She doesn't like being violent, but if you threaten her friends or family, she will absolutely demolish you with a cutting board.
- Vylad: The archer!! I like to think Vylad tried to spar with Garroth like once and hated it so much. He hates eye contact and getting close to people, so instead they learn how to be an absolute master of ranged combat. Vylad knows how to stab someone with a short sword in a desperate situation, but he'd much rather be perched on a tree above the battlefield and rain arrows from above. Vylad is also incredibly stealthy and faster than anyone else. So people see his perch and try to get there to take him down or have their own archers fire back, but he's already gone.
- Sasha: Sasha moves so gracefully, so fluidly, and almost enchantingly. For her fighting is a performance, she's gonna kill several people and she's gonna look good while doing it. Even when she was a trained guard she made herself stand out with an affinity for smaller curved blades that naturally assisted her fluid movements. She makes fights into an endurance test, cutting people up and whittling them down. But if she needs to kill, she knows how to do it in a single swipe and knows the weak points that guards are taught to protect, and the ones they aren't. She's such a menace :)
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Gay wrongs tournament, round 1 of the major bracket
Propaganda:
For Eve and Vilanelle:
They quite literally are a wlw murderer couple. And I love them very very much.
Villanelle is a joyfully murderous psychopath assassin and Eve is the investigator trying to catch her who Villanelle seduces Eve into enjoying her own more murderous side. Villanelle does a Ton of murders (including of a tech bro billionaire), Eve also does some murders. It’s a good time.
THE murder wives!!! no explanation needed!!!
they got canon homoeroticism AND murdered together <3
For Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu:
you've got the founder of the fantasy ancient Chinese CIA and the leader of what is essentially the mafia and then they're soulmates and in love. they're both willing to kill anyone who dares hurt the other while also just wanting a soft domestic life together
Zhou Zishu is an assassin and spymaster who put the current Emperor on the throne, and then quit his job by faking his death (kinda, hes still dying but not as fast as he was supposed to). Had done A Lot on his old job, including murdering children (more than one, and at least one of them in a way I can't even describe without several trigger warnings), exterminating whole families, war crimes (and i dont mean this in a buzzword way, i mean "organized a public execution of foreign diplomats during war time")… btw he doesn't feel particularly bad about any of this, because he believes it was necessary. Like he wouldn't do it for fun, but he thinks the ends (putting a good Emperor on the throne) justified the means (all of the atrocities). As a retiree, he definitely cut down on the amount of morally reprehensible murder, but not murder in general. He still routinely kills ppl, he just doesn't go out of his way to kill more.
Wen Kexing, meanwhile, is the Ghost Valley Master - Ghost Valley being a place where the worst of criminals are exiled. Even in such a place, he has reputation as a complete lunatic, owed partially to the fact that he either skinned a man or fed him his own flesh or both at one point, and partially to him having a rule where he would kill anyone who came closer than 3 meters to him. But in truth, everything he'd done was to survive the Ghost Valley and eventually take revenge for his parents, who were brutally murdered when he was only nine. By the start of the novel's timeline, he put his plan in motion - the plan that would drown jianghu in blood, but also deliver poetic justice to all responsible for his parents' deaths, as well as all who'd commit the same crime given the chance.
And these two men, these two murderers and schemers, meet - and unexpectedly, find in each other the person who /understands/. The person who is just as ruthless and whose hands are just as bloody, but also the person who knows standing at the top of the world is not worth it, who seeks the same freedom of leaving it all behind, and who is still, underneath it all, a human, with human heart seeking connection.
So you have this couple who understand each other with barely a word, and who want the same things - who are so hungry for domesticity and for people they can just goof around with when all their lives they had to measure every step and word - but ALSO where one half a couple is like "i gotta go murder hundreds in revenge" and the other half is like "ok pick you up at 6". (This btw is why I'm submitting novel's iteration of the couple in particular. Show wenzhou with their ridiculous breakups over morality could Never.) Also they were both hiding who they are when they first met, and later flirted about having figured each other out.
Finally, I'll leave you my favorite quote that just. perfectly sums up their relationship:
"And just like that, they fell asleep in each other's arms, steeped in the smell of blood."
You’ve probably already had submissions for them but I’ll add on. One of them founded an assassin’s guild and killed a staggering number of people. His malewife is the leader of a sect of insane murderous outcasts, and he attained his position by proving to be the most crazy and murder happy of them all. Most of the plot involves him wandering around watching his schemes get more people killed. Together they adopt a kid that was only orphaned due to said scheming (oops). They’re terrible and I love them.
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random but it struck me that age is just another parallel/anti-parallel that Jon and Jaime will share. Jaime was 16/17(?) when he made the fateful choice to kill Aerys, which forever besmirched his honor and caused him to be “the Kingslayer” (deragatory). Jon was about the same age, 17/18, when he made the fateful decision to march south against the Boltons, something that will undoubtedly dent his already shaky reputation and could cause him to be “the deserter” (also deragatory).
We always talk about how Jaime stagnated and wallowed in his nihilism after Aerys’ death, never growing or maturing past that point; in a way, he was always mentally stuck at 17. Jon could very well die given the wounds he received during the mutiny, and though he will be revived, he will be always be physically stuck at 17, never maturing past that point. But I think Jon has been more successful in a way that Jaime never was in that he figured out quite early (when he was 15) that though he may lose his honor, he must keep pushing for the greater good. He understood the concept of “a bastard’s honor”, and is even more fortunate to receive Tyrion’s lesson of using one’s lowly position/lack of honor to his advantage, which he has been doing to enact what he considers to be the moral goods (ref “bastard” “guilty of that, at least”).
P.S: I also think it’s funny given Aemon’s advice to kill the boy in order for the man to be born. Ironic that Jon will always be a boy physically.
Jaime grew physically but not so much mentally. Jon grows mentally (it’s actually his strong suit as a character how much he matures with each book) but he will have sacrificed the ability to age normally as a boy would. Jaime lost his honor at ~17 and is characterized but years of (mental) inaction. I think Jon, on the other hand, will lose his honor but will be more and more prone to making decisions, because to hell with it all.
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Remus should have fought harder for Sirius and Harry!
No, but... how do you know he didn't? Canon is absoluely silent on it. What we know is that Remus didn't see Harry again until he taught at Hogwarts. Canon tells us nothing about what he was doing during this time.
We also know that Dumbledore had Hagrid pick Harry up from Godric's Hollow on October 31 and fly him straight to the Dursley's house. Hagrid tells us that he went straight there on the bike he borrowed from Sirius Black. Harry was placed with his aunt and uncle, by Dumbledore's order, and kept so completely unaware of magic that he didn't have a clue that magic--magic that he could do, by the way--was real until a giant burly man knocked on a shack in the middle of the lake on his birthday.
Harry was hidden by the most powerful, well respected wizard of the time. Sirius was blamed and put in Azkaban without a trial. This is already a terrible starting pace to *finding* and *rescuing* them, even if Remus had the capability to do so.
Remus is not Harry's godfather, he's got no means to care for Harry, and he's got once a month that he knows without a doubt that Harry is in more danger with him than without. Perhaps he knew that Harry was with his aunt and uncle, but no one suspected that the Durselys would abuse Harry as they did. Even if they hated magic, no one expected them to turn him into the boy in the cupboard under the stairs. That's perposterous. It's unthinkable.
Remus has no power. He's a kid with a wand and very little else. He doesn't have a name, he doesn't have money, he doesn't even have a clean bill of health. If he's going to try to get Sirius out and Harry back, he's going to go to the most powerful wizard he knows. Which, after the War, is Dumbledore.
Dumbledore received numerous awards for whatever it was he did during and at the end of the war. He received honors. He was the only one that Voldemort ever feared. he was given designations and authority, and no one really questioned him.
So Remus goes to him and pleads for his help. Let Sirius out, he demands. You know Sirius would never do this to James. He would never do this to Peter. They were his friends. Dumbledore says I didn't think he would either, and yet their dead. Remus says give him a trial, because there must be an explanation. Dumbledore tells him that Sirius laughed hysterically on the way to Azkaban. Sirius confessed, he says. "It's my fault their dead," Sirius says, because he believed it to be true, and they accepted his confession.
Remus begs, but Dumbledore tells him it's settled. Who is Remus to fight Dumbledore? Perhaps he tires, perhaps it's hopless. Or, perhaps, he asks to have contact with Harry. Even if he can't care for him, because no one would trust the boy who lived with a werewolf, let him at least have contact with Harry. Harry deserves to know his parents. Dumbledore tells him no. It will be too confusing for the boy. It will be dangerous if you bring death eaters with you. It's better for him if he grows up believing he is a member of that family. it is better for him if he doesn't have contact with you.
Remus has los everything, and the only person that he thought might help him has turned him away.
Remus has nothing left. He has no one left. No one will listen to him if Dumbledore is against him, and everyone is celebrating while Remus can only think of what he's lost.
What did he do for the next fourteen years? Personally, I think he left the country. Traveld the world as a magical creature exterminator for hire. He had nothing left in England. Why would he stay? Perhaps he didn't even keep track of the years--what do they matter anyway--until he gets a letter from Dumbledore asking him to come back.
He has nothing else. Why not return? Perhaps it's safe for Harry to know who he is, now. He just has to get on the train the morning after the full moon, but it's fine. he can sleep all the way there.
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Bday memories
Modern!Azriel x reader
Words: about 1.7k words
Warnings: sad sad sad, selfharm mentioned, death thoughts, fluffy couple, a little bit of innuendos of smut
Author's note: Hi! So this is the first for my series of oneshot for my birthday. I changed my plan and I'll plan the Steve Harrington one in honor of a lovely human that is born that day.
P.s this oneshot contains really personal thought and happenings. I don't know if you all are confortable with what I have written, but I kinda needed to get this out of my system. Please if you feel what I felt get someone to help you. I'm always here to listen if someone what someone to talk with :) You are not alone, remember it loves
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Bday plan
For your birthday, you never wanted anything more than to spend it with the people you love most, without going anywhere or doing anything special, yet you never really succeeded because eventually everyone you cared about would leave, leaving you alone.
You wake up in your boyfriend's bed, next to Azriel who, however, is still asleep, so you stop and look at him as you reflect.
Today is your birthday.
Usually your birthday is one of your favorite days of the year, not so much for the presents, but for the excuse precisely to be able to spend time with those you love, for no real actual reason, but rather to celebrate having gone another full circle around the sun.
Yet this birthday you feel it is different.
Last year, not on the very day of your birthday, but a few days later you had met up with what at the time was your best friend, or at least you thought she was, to celebrate your birthday, your 18th birthday, but the celebration had not gone as you expected.
Before leaving, after giving you the gift and a notebook with all the memories of your adventures together imprinted on it, she had given you a letter to read later, saying not to read it right away so as "not to spoil the mood." Immediately you had become suspicious, but had not given much weight to her words, wanting to enjoy that day with her.
In the evening, looking back at the sad and not very personal gift she had given you and wondering if really eight years of friendship was worth just that one gift on such an important day, remembering the personal and special gift you had prepared for her eighteenth birthday, you read that fatal letter.
At first you thought it would be tear-jerking, loving and sweet, as is usually the case among friendships that work, but this time you were surprised.
In this one she accused you of having changed into someone she did not recognize, into someone she did not have the pleasure of having near her because she no longer respected her tastes, and you felt as if pierced in the beginning by those words, and then turned that pain into anger, which, however, with the passage of time became sadness again.
At that moment, like a sword ready to cut the thread that kept you bound to reality, you felt like a horrible person, unable to love and unable to have friends.
Ever since you were a little girl you have been abandoned by every person you find, after a while, as if they get tired of you, and decide that you are the problem, when your only concern is that the other person is well and happy, but this time it seemed different, at least until a while before, where you had begun to sense that your friend was changing, into something different, something strange, and that between the two of you things were no longer going very well, but you didn't think it would ever come to that.
You had certainly changed a bit, but you thought you had done so for the better, as you saw yourself as more confident and happier, while she did nothing but talk about herself and think only of herself, overshadowing you and leaving you no room to grow.
His words hurt you so much that for months you were at your lowest, depressed so much that every night you cried on your pillow before falling asleep asking Mother not to leave you alone.
If it hadn't been for your friends, you don't even know if you would have moved on, or if you would have stopped doing the biggest shit of all that you had ever done.
After weeks of being in pain, and feeling cornered by life, alone in the grip of its fury, you had tried to make your pain go away by causing yourself some more pain, this time physical pain, cutting your wrists, not so much as to bleed profusely but enough to leave deep scratches that ached for days on end.
Fortunately, your other friends seeing your state did not leave you alone and made sure you got back on track to face what would be the worst school year of your life: your senior year of high school.
They have led you to believe that after all maybe you are not such a horrible person and that if they have done all this for you, there must be some good in you, however somehow this whole experience has led you to reevaluate that day that since childhood you love so much, and almost to fear it.
Then when you started college a few months ago, you met the first guy who really made your heart flutter like it was the first time: Azriel, an older guy who is in one of your classes, though, and after sitting next to each other for a couple of classes, he had asked you out, and you without a second thought said yes.
Now you find yourself here in his bed, ready to celebrate your big day, after being together only a month and a bit. Every day you wonder how lucky you were to meet him, and how much fate loves you for making him fall in love with you.
He is the guy everyone dreams about: handsome, smart, sensitive, funny and last but not least an absolute god in bed, yet he chose you and this is not possible to understand somehow.
You didn't even realize he woke up, too lost in your thoughts, until you felt his lips on your hands, clutching his shirt while your face rested on the pillow.
"Good morning baby." He says in a hoarse voice, and you almost have to hold back not to groan at hearing it.
"Good morning." You answer, trying to recover.
"What were you thinking about, before I interrupted you?" He asks curiously, as he wraps his mighty arms around you. Outside his bedroom door you hear the first movements of the morning, with Cassian, one of his roommates, leaving to go for his jog along the river.
"Well I was thinking a little bit about last year and all the things that happened to me during the year." You confess, without shame, having already opened your heart fully on that subject to Azriel a while ago, explaining to him the reason for certain faded scars on your arm.
He immediately becomes serious as he pulls your face up with one hand, making sure that you are now looking into each other's eyes.
"Love, the past is in the past and can no longer hurt you because you abandoned it at the bottom of the sea, it can never surface again." He says softly, while with his thumb he caresses your cheek, and with his mouth he leaves a trail of kisses all along your jaw. "And even if those memories surface now and then you instead of taking them as bad and evil omens, you remember that they became the launching pad for being the amazing person you are today." He continues, before leaving a sweet kiss on your lips.
You cry a little bit, unable to contain your emotions, and so you let all the emotions you were reliving before come out of you with those tears. Once you have calmed down he looks at you, trying to figure out how you were and you smile at him, so he kisses you again and hugs you tighter than before if possible. You feel the warm palms of his hands on your back, while his chin rests on your head, as if trying to absorb you into his own body.
"Happy complenno my little one." He whispers at the end, after a few minutes of pure silence. You smile and thank him with your voice still hoarse from crying.
"I know I promised to give you only one present, but we both know I can never fail to spoil you." He finally confesses, chuckling.
"Azriel! You promised me! Now I feel guilty!" You say, looking up and laughing in turn.
"How can you feel guilty if someone decides to give you a birthday present!" He asks shocked. "Besides, I couldn't decide, they were all perfect, so I got them all."
"Couldn't you keep them for Christmas, too?" You say with an obvious manner.
"Even by Christmas I already have at least five. "He confesses again in a low voice.
"You're kidding I hope!"
"I've already told you that I have to spoil you, you're my little girl and if it were up to me I would cover you with gifts every day."
"Which is not very different from what you do." You respond by sticking your tongue out at him. He responds by kissing you passionately, and pushing your body under his.
"Maybe I should give you your first present already." He says in a low, gravelly voice to your ear, before leaving a series of wet, warm kisses down your neck. "Which I believe will be repeated again tonight."
"Oh really?" You say trying to reason again, even as you begin to feel pleasure slowly cloud your senses.
"A guy has to make sure his girlfriend is well satisfied, especially on her birthday." He says chuckling, before returning to leave purple marks on your snow-white neck.
Too engrossed in your sinful activity you do not realize that Cassian has returned from his jog, until he throws open the door to the room.
"Happy birthday little one, how is it to be 19 years old-oh fuck is it possible you two are worse than rabbits?" Cassian comments, covering his eyes and walking out, not before adding. "When will you learn to close the door?"
"When will you learn to knock instead?" Azriel comments in return, covering your body with his so his friend can't see you. "Or better yet, when will you learn to mind your own business?"
"When you learn to keep your hands to yourself Azzy." Cassian replies, now in the distance.
"Well then I'd say we'd better learn how to close the door first." You comment this time.
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(sorry if this got sent twice, internet is very spotty at the moment) Rotating RnS Helsknight in my mind. I keep debating what dnd paladin oath he'd swear. Glory is fitting but also seems TOO obvious. I almost want to say Devotion just for the irony/contrast of it, and since he genuinely wants to make Hels better, and it would make RnS Wels lose his entire mind if he found out
Oooo I have a soft spot for this, because in my Curse of Strahd campaign right now, my paladin Ashborne is just beginning-of-RnS Helsknight. I couldn't think of a good character so I just built Helsknight as a fire genasi, except instead of Tanguish he has a shadow god sitting on his shoulder telling him to kill people, and instead of a crippling fear of death its a crippling fear of never being used to his full potential by his god.
........ Anyway.
DnD Paladin Helsknight rambles under the cut!
In my opinion, I kind of have to agree that Helsknight best matches Oath of Devotion. The oaths especially line up almost perfectly with his knightly tenets:
Courage. Never fear to act, though caution is wise. [May you meet every obstacle with courage, for just as all that emits light must endure burning, all the courageous must make a brother of their fears.]
Honesty. Don't lie or cheat. Let your word be your promise. [May your word be binding as chains.]
Compassion. Aid others, protect the weak, and punish those who threaten them. Show mercy to your foes, but temper it with wisdom. [Any sword raised to the innocent or unarmed in cruelty is blackened by its shame.]
Honor. Treat others with fairness, and let your honorable deeds be an example to them. Do as much good as possible while causing the least amount of harm. [May you respect the honor of your fellow helsmet, that none may know you cruel or slave to vice.]
Duty. Be responsible for your actions and their consequences, protect those entrusted to your care, and obey those who have just authority over you. [May you persevere to the end of any enterprise begun, for the folly is theirs that, through unfinished business, never gain wisdom from deeds done.]
There's also stuff that hasn't been breeched in the plot yet that are... Eerily similar to plot points I have planned. Holy Weapon, for example, I think in the Colosseum Helsknight uses a flamed sword, which is functionally the same as enchanting your weapon with holy damage for the coolness factor [Channel Divinity: Sacred Weapon]. And if you outright asked Hels if he was inspiring, he would probably say no. But anyone within 10ft of him probably wouldn't be charmed against him by someone persuasive like the Demon [7th level Aura of Devotion]. Given how handily I think Helsknight fights Welsknight, and how I think he negates Wels's... For the sake of DnDing I'm going to say fey energy and persuasiveness, Purity of Spirit is a good match.
[Don't have a lot to say about the Lvl20 Holy Nimbus, because tbh that's one of the weakest level 20 paladin boons I think there is. Flat 10 radiant damage every round for enemies within 30ft of you is handy, but the saving throws only have advantage if the spellcasters are fiends and undead, and there are many, many big angry critters in DnD that are neither of those two monster types.]
I do think a Helsknight with access to the spell Flamestrike would be absolutely terrifying though lol.
On a more vibes level, when I started the story, I thought Helsknight was a lot closer to Oath of Conquest, with how he treated Welsknight specifically [which is, incidentally, why my CoS paladin Ashborne is Oath of Conquest]. The tenets don't match Helsknight's too terribly well [they're mostly to the effect of "kill all your enemies so dead that everyone is too terrified to stand against you."] However the Channel Divinities of Conquering Presence [everyone you can see is terrified of you now] and Guided Strike [I'm so pissed at you specifically that I will kill you supernaturally easily] align well with angry chapters 1-8 Helsknight. And one could argue every time he's angry, Tanguish is cowering under the Aura of Conquest [anything scared of you is now too scared to move and takes psychic damage.] And I think in text Helsknight does Scornful Rebuke on the regular [anytime something hits you, they are psychically punished for their audacity up to your Charisma modifier.]
[Level 20 Invincible Conquerer basically turns you into a barbarian paladin, which is badass. Helsknight can't do that, but that's so so cool.]
For the spells, Armor of Agythis as Helsknight's thorns armor is compelling to me, and Command, Hold Person and Fear are just things Helsknight can do to people when he's angry enough [also Compelled Dual, but all paladins get that].
If anything, I feel like Helsknight started RnS as Oath of Conquest, and then when he became friends with Tanguish, switched immediately to Oath of Devotion.
[Meanwhile if I had to make Tanguish a paladin, I think he would be Oath of Redemption, but I'll save that rant for some other time.]
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taking the fall (6)
warnings: arguing, animal abuse/neglect mention, guilt
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Bewilderingly, Roman was now in the possession of a sword.
He’d been dumbfounded when the demand had been accepted, so certain in requesting it that he’d finally found a hole in the too-good-to-be-true arrangement that Logan had been presenting.
It didn’t count as an actual deal, he had told himself. Obviously, the human wouldn’t actually give his captive a hand-crafted weapon, which meant he wasn’t planning on fulfilling his end of the deal.
Thus, Roman was under no obligation to stick to the terms, and could make his grand escape without besmirching his honor!
Just over a week later, there was a sword hilt in his hand and a considerable amount of screaming in his head.
Had he really just signed himself up for a heaping helping of Stockholm Syndrome, all for the sake of a sword?
… Admittedly, it was a really nice sword.
“How’s the balance?” asked Logan, who was doing that thing where he studiously avoided looking at Roman while also clearly wanting to look at Roman. “I’ve made display weapons for background scenery, but never anything functional, so I had less experience than I would have liked.”
Dazedly, Roman gripped the hilt with both hands and swung the blade through the air, finding that it was both light and maneuverable.
“I imagine you’ll be better able to test it out once you’ve recovered enough to stand,” Logan said. “In the meantime…,”
Roman tensed up as Logan briefly ducked away, already anticipating some horrifying trial he’d have to endure in exchange for the weapon. He should have asked for a printer, instead. No human knew how to even fix those, let alone build one.
In the next moment, the human had returned with a small cutting board, which he set next to Roman very slowly and carefully.
There was a cucumber on the board.
“You’ve lost me,” Roman announced, because even he couldn’t make himself believe that Logan was going to use a vegetable to beat him to death or something.
“While conducting my online research, I found that those creating unusual bladed weapons typically show off the sharpness of the blade by easily slicing very thin wedges of items such as this one,” Logan explained, eyes glittering with excitement. “I also assumed you’d want to test the sword on something other than air.”
Okay, so perhaps Roman had lightly misjudged the kind of nerd Logan was, what with all the crafting and complex physics calculations and exactly none of the expected scalpels and/or test tubes. Despite himself, it was becoming more and more believable that this encounter wouldn’t end with him as a lab rat.
Unable to resist the urge to slash at something, he turned as best he could without agitating his leg, hefted the blade up into the air, and brought it down upon the unfortunate vegetable at full force.
The sword impacted the cutting board with a thunk, having sliced the cucumber into two smaller pieces. Roman whistled, releasing the hilt to shake his hands out. “That is sharp.”
“Of course.” Logan hummed thoughtfully. “I was concerned that you might not have the angle required, but I suppose your superior upper body strength compensated for that quite nicely.”
Roman was torn between irritation that the nerd was still extrapolating far more than he should be about borrowerkind and gratification that at least someone was paying attention to his finely-honed physique. Unfortunately, he was coming to realize that it was actually fairly difficult to maintain frustration with someone who had just given him a sick sword.
“Well, I suppose even someone as gargantuan as you would have to notice muscles of this quality,” he boasted, flexing in example. “But don’t write that down anywhere.”
“I already agreed not to take any notes,” Logan responded with a mild frown, though his attention had been pointedly shifted to his desk workstation. “You seem very concerned about the possibility of your existence being recorded. Have you had negative encounters with humans in the past?”
“No, I haven’t. Not personally.” Borrowers who had ‘negative encounters’ with humans didn’t typically live to tell the tale, and those that did were forever changed. Roman lowered his arms slowly, disheartened by the grim reminder.
Logan had begun absently turning a half-completed miniature lamp over in his hands, brow furrowed with clear discontent at the brief answer.
Well. It wasn’t like the human hadn’t already figured out he lived in the walls.
“I’ve watched plenty of humans over the years,” Roman elaborated, staring down at his clenched fists. “I’ve seen the way they treat small creatures, or oddities, or things that can make them money. That’s telling enough.”
“...All of them?” Logan asked.
“Enough of them,” Roman bit out in response, and then remembered just who he was talking to. He glanced up with no little apprehension, and his hand slid back over to the hilt of his sword.
Logan wasn’t even looking at him, his expression creased in a way that seemed more contemplative than angry. Roman attempted to shake off the abrupt dread, with slight success.
So far, the human had done nothing but respect his wishes, he reminded himself. No matter how Roman had snapped or sassed over the past couple of days, there hadn’t been any change in the care Logan had provided. He still received the same amount of food at the same times, and his leg was still treated with the same precise, gentle care.
He still wouldn’t be giving away any secrets, of course, and he wouldn’t get lured into a false sense of security by something as simple as basic decency.
But Logan hadn’t yet done anything to earn his ire, regardless of the bad memories his questions had brought up.
Roman floundered for a change of subject, and his gaze landed on the tiny piece of furniture still delicately clasped between Logan’s fingers. “Why do you make those miniature sets, anyhow?”
Logan’s head jolted slightly, his gaze flickering over briefly in surprise at the abrupt question. “It’s– my job. It started as a hobby, but I have several different regular clients now that I make to-scale models for.”
“And this one is for a play, right?” he asked, trying and failing not to sound too interested.
“It is.” Logan nodded slowly, and his glance this time was more considering. “Why did you venture inside it?”
Against his will, Roman could feel his cheeks heat up slightly. “Well– That is– I happen to also be a… supporter of the arts. I had to make sure it was up to standard, naturally.”
“Naturally,” Logan echoed with a slight twitch of the lips. “And did you find it lacking?”
“Of course not!” Roman replied, affronted. “It was a remarkably well-done construction, and I found myself truly impressed by the level of detail I could see everywhere I looked. I’ve been in dollhouses before, you know, and none of them could begin to compare. There was nothing lacking about the experience.”
He paused, contemplatively. “Apart from the resulting broken leg, I suppose.”
Logan wore a pleased little smile, entirely distracted from their earlier conversation. Point to Roman.
“That’s excellent to hear. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist at times, so it’s reassuring to get a second opinion before I drop it off,” Logan said, picking up some small pliers to carefully bend a piece of wire into place on the lamp.
“You haven’t dropped it off yet?” Roman couldn’t help the slight excitement in his tone.
“I was planning to take it this afternoon, actually,” Logan replied, and hesitated as Roman drooped. “I don’t suppose you’d want to explore it further before I leave?”
“Yes! I mean. Sure, that would be alright, I suppose.”
–
There was something enchanting about watching someone walk through a set that he had created with his own two hands.
Or, more accurately, roll through.
Concerned that crutches wouldn’t be maneuverable enough– and often needed specific sizing anyhow– Logan had taken apart a few old prototypes to put together a small knee walker scooter, one that Roman had taken to like a duck to water.
He was rolling through the bottom level now, investigating the kitchen scenery and finding that all of it could be interacted with, though of course it wasn’t functional to the point of having running water.
Though that did sound like a fun project… Perhaps something he could include in a suite for Roman to reside in while he recovered.
Unless that would give off the wrong message entirely. His visitor claimed to be familiar with dollhouses, after all. The last thing Logan wanted was for Roman to think he was being treated like a pet or toy instead of a person and a guest.
He’d let the matter lie, but their earlier discussion still lingered in the back of his mind.
He hadn’t understood why Roman had been so vehemently against receiving care at first, so visibly terrified of him underneath all his posturing. A phobia, he’d thought, or some recent traumatic and unsettling experience.
As it turned out, understanding the logistics of Roman’s existence wasn’t the same thing as understanding the reasoning behind his actions, or his thought process. It certainly wasn’t the same thing as living that existence.
Roman’s terror was far from baseless. Logan had been a fool for dismissing it as such.
Logan winced just remembering the research he’d done on the pet trade, both exotic and domestic, for a college paper. From ‘easy’ pets that survived in barely tenable conditions for a fraction of their normal lifespan, to ‘cute’ ones that were shown off like prizes and then abandoned once they grew larger or more difficult, living breathing beings were commodified because they were small and powerless to fight back.
Roman had witnessed such abuses directly, animals his size unintentionally terrified by unknowing children, tormented by troubled teenagers, or neglected by ignorant adults. Sure, he had a voice to protest, but he had no way of knowing if his words would be respected or even listened to.
The moment he’d been seen, he must have been assuming the worst case scenario, because it was both entirely possible and completely out of his control.
No wonder he’d been terrified.
“Hellooo, you still up there, Specs?” Roman’s voice jarred him from his thoughts.
He adjusted his glasses hurriedly, and leaned forward slightly in his seat to see Roman better. “My apologies, I didn’t hear you. Yes?”
Roman tilted his head slightly, dubious, but let the excuse go. “I was simply requesting a lift to the second floor, seeing as stairwells and wheels don’t typically mix well.”
Logan barely avoided gaping. “You want— I agreed not to touch you?”
“Right, right, but I’m allowing it this one time in a show of good faith,” Roman announced grandly. “And also because my leg hurts.”
“I— if you’re certain,” Logan replied, feeling a cold sweat break out along the back of his neck.
He couldn’t imagine why Roman was doing this— he could see the tension that was lining the tiny man’s shoulders— but he wouldn’t deny him.
After a moment to assess the situation, he finally lowered his hand into the room and curved it into a sharp angle, a silent offering.
Roman took a deep breath, seeming to steel himself, and then pushed himself up off of the scooter and twisted to seat himself on Logan’s hand, leg held deliberately aloft all the while.
“Ready?” Logan asked, trying not to get distracted by the astonishing sensation of carrying an entire person in one palm.
“Most certainly!” Roman answered, his fingers digging into Logan’s skin like a panicked cat’s claws as soon as he started moving.
Withdrawing as smoothly as possible, Logan carefully moved his cupped hand to rest against the front of his shoulder for a moment, wary of his tiny passenger losing his balance.
It was much easier to use his other hand to pull the scooter out as well, and he swiftly resettled it on the top floor.
“There,” he said, and leaned forward to reduce the amount of empty air he’d be moving Roman across.
Roman’s grip had eased slightly, though what Logan could feel of a tiny heartbeat suggested he still felt some level of panic. It was entirely rational; when Logan himself imagined being held over a proportional drop like this by someone else’s strength, he felt a bit of vertigo at the very idea.
He half-expected Roman to scramble off of his hand the moment it was over solid ground again, but his movements as he slid off and hefted his injured leg back onto the scooter were almost sedate, if a bit stiff.
“Thanks for the lift,” he said, only sounding the slightest bit breathless.
Logan simply nodded a few times, his own heart rate still a bit spiked from the stress. After a moment or two of watching Roman poke his nose into every nook and cranny of the upper balcony, the sensation eased.
Perhaps he hadn’t messed up too badly, if Roman was willing to put this much trust in him.
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Ok ok ok so this is something I have pondered for a bit now that I have re-entered the Remadora fandom again for the first time for probably almost 15 years. As you seem to be the de facto keeper of some of the deepest headcanons of this niche topic, I am curious what your take is.
Question: How many people do you think know, at least initially/when it happened, knew Remus left?
Hear me out here. Ok so the book isn’t remotely clear how long he was gone because we only get an update in like Feb/March when Ron returns but the Pottermore bio that he was actually gone for like 3 days, which is still absolutely a dick move, but significantly different than being gone for *months.*
Now, most fics I’ve read at any point have included him *saying* in some form that he’s leaving, either in the form of a letter of sorts, or I do really like TauraNorma’s whole scene in Flying Colours in which it’s an in-person conversation, but beyond dissociated from reality on his part.
But, if I were in her position, I don’t know how much I’d divulge to others? It would certainly be a difficult position. If she did stay with her parents for that period, or after, (I do love Remus saying she’d safe at her parents’ house as if they didn’t literally just get tortured. Bro. Really?) she *does* have some plausible deniability of “he had to go to some Order business” to them to have some shield for her own embarrassment.
Maybe to Molly and Arthur as a “hey if my husband lands at your house or something, wanna shoot me a message?” but past that I’m not 100% sure how I land with others knowing. It seems very possible to me that when Ron is with Billy and Fleur, Ron, while listening to Potterwatch or something, offhandedly asks them if he ever went back to Tonks and them being like sorry wat. And Ron having the unfortunate task of regaling what happened at Grimmauld Place in August. I could definitely see it spreading from there and more of their acquaintances finding out from that discussion but obviously Tonks is like 8 months pregnant and they’ve been living together seemingly the entire time.
Ok I’m sorry this ended up shockingly long. I may not have been entirely sober when furiously typing it out the first time.
Ahhhh what a compelling ask, @millennihilism!
I'm honored you consider me the de facto keeper of the HCs on this, but I'll also be the first to say that there are a LOT of differing opinions on this one because of the lack of canon data.
You're correct that Pottermore says that Remus was only gone about 3 days. We have no idea what circumstances he left Tonks in. Letter? In person? Dashing away in the night without a word? Who knows.
From a close reading of DH, there's no indication of how long Remus was gone. You could say 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months, 8 months ... technically all canon compliant if you're not using Pottermore as a source.
That being said, my personal HC is no more than a week, and again, I know that many people would disagree with this assessment of Remus's absence, but I believe it's a shorter absence for many reasons, including an answer to your question of how many people knew that he left her.
Remus is a dick, but he's not *THAT* much of a dick. He's a coward, but he's not *THAT* much of a coward. Remus does have a good bit of kindness in him, and he's brave enough to do the right thing when push comes to shove. Harry literally shoved him. I think that put Remus squarely in his place and shamed him enough to return to Tonks.
Remus's support system is down to almost nothing. He presumably has the following people outside of Tonks: Molly and Arthur, Bill and Fleur. That's it. He thought he had the trio, but that wasn't true, given Harry rebuking him.
We know from Remus that he's been tailed by a Death Eater for three days before he came to Grimmauld Place. If he's been tailed by a Death Eater, where could he have been? Certainly not the Burrow, where they'd find him. Certainly not Shell Cottage, as it's under the Fidelius Charm, presumably. So that gives us an idea that if he was tailed by a Death Eater for three days (curiously, the amount of time Pottermore tells us he was gone for), and just now got to GP to talk to the trio, he's been on the go for three days by the time he gets to the trio.
Because there is nowhere to go for Remus, that puts him in an awkward position. I don't think that anyone outside the Tonkses knew he left her. I think that Remus left, and Tonks vacillated between being sure he was coming back and being really terrified and scared that something would happen to him. Oh, and anger. Lots of righteous anger. I can imagine she told her parents by way of explaining that she was living with them now. It's possible she told him he was on a mission, but they didn't believe her.
Because of the 3 day ordeal of being tailed by a Death Eater, this is why I do NOT think that Remus went to the Burrow or Shell Cottage before he came to GP, or after, for that matter. While we know that Remus knows about Shell Cottage - when he announces Teddy's birth in the spring - we don't know when that information was given to him. I don't think Lupin could've been gone for months and months because we do know that Ron was at Shell Cottage, and he didn't mention Lupin being there. It's possible Lupin went to Shell Cottage for a few weeks, but I'm also not buying that for other reasons.
Bill is the most lenient and understanding of the brothers, but there's a huge difference to me between Ron leaving his friends when times got tough and Lupin leaving his pregnant wife in the middle of a war. Plus, think of Fleur. Do you really think Fleur would be okay with Lupin crashing at her house to avoid his responsibilities? She gushes about how brave her husband is in the hospital wing scene. She'd look at Lupin like the tiniest and most miserable snail in the world if he dared use her home as a hiding place from his wife.
I also don't think that Bill and Fleur would be on Remus's side over Tonks. Bill was two years ahead of Tonks in school. Bill might have kinship with Remus after being attacked by Fenrir Greenback, but that kinship, IMO, is not going to be enough to defend Lupin's actions on leaving his wife. I also believe Lupin knew this, which is why I staunchly believe that Lupin NEVER went to Shell Cottage in his time away from Tonks.
So at the end of the day, who knew that Lupin left Tonks? Initially, likely only the trio and the Tonkses. Remus returns fairly quickly. I can imagine Ron sharing Lupin's arrival at GP to Bill and Fleur, who probably had shock and disappointment at Lupin's actions. But by then Lupin's back home so it's in the past. I assume Molly and Arthur would've been told through the grapevine, possibly Kingsley too, and everyone just keeps it under wraps because it's Remus having a moment of panic.
And for how long was Remus gone? I take the 3 day to a week position because Lupin had no viable places to stay without endangering other people, which seems to be his number one fear. I also take that timeline because he's being tailed and he knows it. He returns to the safest place, his home with Tonks and her parents, where they can be in hiding (forever furious Ted couldn't have stayed with them?? why did he die??? it makes no earthly sense except to give Teddy Lupin his name and have another orphan raised by his grandmother??)
At the end of the day, I will never ever ever ever buy the idea that Remus was gone for a long time. He does the right thing when push comes to shove, and he was shoved by Harry. He is a coward, but when the time is right, he does the brave thing. He also loves Tonks, and Tonks is forgiving and kind. That's why they work.
I hope this answers your questions!!
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Alright, I've got a inquiry. Why doesn't Kizzie just disown her dad? Then legally she's not related to him and should be able to stay in the music business in her town, right? I've read a lot of stories about adults who have disowned their parents so theoretically this could work?
Grudges carry really, really far. I've grown up in a rural area, where grudges carried over for centuries. What your great-great-great uncle did in 1823 mattered so much that you were still tainted by that action. It was even worse if it was someone from your immediate family, like a parent or a sibling.
No matter of disowning this relative or trying to explain that I am NOT the same as my family member and hey, this thing happened in 1744 didn't take the grudge away. These carry (still!) in small areas to such extend that you might have difficulties getting a job (because the said great-great-great uncle screwed something over, or your great-great-grandmother was rumored to bewitch someone's cow so that it died).
Same works the other way around, too! If you great-great-great uncle was someone important and very valued, you're automatically great and valued too. You don't have to do anything to earn this respect; it's automatically given to you in your blood.
For example, the small rural area where I grew up in always celebrated everyone who graduated from a high school. The people in the area collected some money, typically like 100€, to give for the student as their sign of a gratitude. Typically 1 or 2 students graduated each year, some years none did.
This was a long tradition. Everyone had gotten money. But, when I graduated from a high school, I wasn't given money but a cheap utensil set.
It took me like two decades to understand that why I was not given money was because of my father's reputation and our status. While he was a hard working guy, he was also financially abusive, always in dept. The people apparently feared that if I get money, my father will take it, so they bought me utensils. But they bought a cheap set with less value than the 100€ because we were a newcomer family, clearly not to be trusted that well with no roots in the area (we had lived there 9 years by this time but were still "not welcomed" because we didn't originate from the area), and thus, my value as a person in that area was low. I was an outsider getting into a tradition which had been going on for a long time but which clearly belonged only to the people who had lived there for long as a family line.
While Lywood is a big city, the music scene there is like a little world or a village of its own. This is still true in modern days, too. When my friend, who works in an entertainment industry and in the capitol area, started a relationship with a same sex partner, they both hid their relationship for 10 years from work, because they both feared they would lose their jobs. And we're talking about the entertainment industry! Actors, directors, composers, dancers, opera singers, artists etc. who are generally very LGBTQA+ friendly (and this whole country is) - and yet, since in the industry everyone knows everyone, my friend and the partner didn't want to take a risk of their reputation being stained by their personal love life. They honestly openly came out as a couple after 10 years when they got married and my friend had gained enough reputation as a reliable employee and her resume was honorable enough to guarantee her more work in the future. It seemed to pay off as she signed a contract with a company for a permanent position recently, and she doesn't have to jump from a project to another.
These kinds of things are at play with Kizzie's case. Curiously enough, Kizzie seemed have taken a risk and counted it as the least of all evils to ask help from a Death-Head....
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Today in 'Shadows things hundreds of people have decided are true that I really don't understand at all,' we have... [spins wheel]
'Nandor's seasons-long burning desire to become human' - everyone here knows what a cult is, right?
Like at its most cliche, we understand how cult leaders work in fiction, at least? They say 'hey, dude, you seem very lost and in despair. Good thing I know a secret key to Paradise nobody else does, and I alone am equipped to get you there, and also I understand you better than anyone else in the outside world ever will.'
Nandor came to Jan in an existential crisis with no idea of what would help him, and left convinced that becoming human would do the trick. (This is because Jan is good at her evil job.) He dove into that belief because he was diving into a cult and that's what they do. He felt that vampirism was a curse because he was in the middle of a huge emotional crisis, and his new way out of that crisis was telling him vampirism is a bad thing that is causing his problems (instead of loneliness, a poorly fitting job, sudden changes in his close servant-friend, existential stuff humans go through as well...)
When he's out of that crisis, he never mentions becoming human again. He never mentions feeling cursed by vampirism again. In fact: he visits his homeland where everyone else became vampires, and decides that if everyone else is a vampire there's nothing special about being a vampire. (Read: in normal circumstances, with the chance to feed his ego, he feels special being a vampire.) In fact: when given fifty-two wishes that we see him use on his body multiple times, he doesn't use them to be human, or to do any human things.
I can see why, in the throes of S3, you could pin some of his backstory onto the Jan thing and see it as Nandor resenting being turned. Nandor is the one who lost more than he gained being a vampire, in terms of his glory days etc. We know nothing about how it happened or if he wanted it. The first time he tells it, all his wives left him because he suddenly changed into this dangerous unpredictable monster.
But the second time we hear it, in s4, it's implied that when he became a vampire he suddenly abandoned them all? (It's pretty vague tbh.) Also it's made extremely clear he was a terrible husband to start with. If the thing with razing Antipaxos doesn't tell you enough, his behavior in s4 seals it in: the peak of Nandor's human life was as a violent, insecure bully, who took everything he even imagined he wanted and never slowed down enough to understand how empty he felt.
Being a vampire gave Nandor time and space to think about parts of life he'd never have considered when he was alive. The losses he felt allowed him to be more patient and more sober. He enjoys fighting and violence now, but he seems to think about honor and mercy just as much. You could argue that Nandor's main personal arc - his 'I'm okay, you're okay' if you will - is accepting the person he is now over the person he used to be. Think of how much more natural his leadership was this season rallying the vampires in a crisis, instead of the forced protocols and rituals of the earlier seasons.
I don't think that someone with one foot in a world that literally doesn't exist anymore, who has trouble talking to most people outside the house and loves to watch familiars fight to the death, would be happy as a human. I think he'd work a day or get a single summer cold, and beg Laszlo to turn him again, actually.
(I don't think he and Guillermo would have a great relationship if they were both human, either - these are people who bond over knight-vassal courtly love vibes and trying to kill each other. What can life as a mortal couple possibly offer to fulfill them?)
But all of that is speculation. Here's what isn't: Nandor wants to be a human for a single episode of the show. It is not a richly established part of his character. If we're talking pure facts, it's a thing that happened that one time, and has never been spoken of again.
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Hi ! I really really love the way you write, especially dark scenes.
Do you think you can write something about a very matrixed by the Clave Alec sent on a hunt to kill the High Warlock of Brooklyn but falling in love instead ? 💕
hahahahahaha oh gosh let me tell you how excited i am about this prompt because i have a backburner thought about this and hahaha yeah i jumped on this prompt like Nightshade on a moth. thank you and i hope you enjoy
lumine
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Alec dresses with a solemnity that befits his mission, but not his rank. He is a warrior and a diplomat by trade, a leader forged of his own making, but a darkened blade by the Clave’s demand.
There was no real choice —there has never been a choice— in whether or not he takes the missions given him.
What the Clave asks of him, he gives and while he knows all the laws and loopholes of the Accords and can twist them as eloquently as a seelie could twist the truth.
This had no loopholes.
It is a command from his leaders, and he will follow through.
As he always does.
Whether he wants to or not.
Because Alec is a weapon and weapons cannot argue with those who wield them.
His target's address is not a physical thing, nor even actual knowledge, but the remains of a confiscated and fading tracking spell that Idris sent to him.
Alec leaves the institute quietly and unquestioned —long before the nightly patrols have begun to put on their gear— sinking into the growing shadows that he has been born and pledged to hunt within.
The first whisper of wards from his target’s domain brush against him with an almost intelligent spark. Once again, he wonders just what his parents did for the deeds to restore their honor to require this. He wants to know so badly, how upholding the Lightwood name turned to his blade being soaked blood and his soul battered with deaths on orders he’s not allowed to question.
The entire building is warded so thoroughly that it feels almost alive. Alec shouldn’t be able to see the magic without his spiritum rune activated, but somehow, he can. It’s beautiful and Alec feels the tiniest pang of regret before he pushes it aside and leaps up. Somehow the magic doesn’t hinder him, even when it sparks against him, and it is the work of an infant nephilim to make it to the top.
Alec uses the roof to take a rare minute of rest.
He breathes in the cold night air as he checks the tracker.
And then he throws himself off the roof, rolling to soften the sound and settles into the shadow of the balcony he lands on, letting the darkness swallow him back up.
His quiver shimmers into existence against his back and Alec strings his bow as he centers himself.
Alec learned archery to protect from afar, but he was also trained to kill.
There is no room for Alec Lightwood on this mission, for now, he is but an instrument of the Clave.
He is a weapon of his people and nothing less… but also nothing more.
—
Magnus lets his uninvited guest get as far as his roof before he begins to dress himself. It’s an auspicious occasion after all, and he does pride himself on being a good host.
His wards spark about him as his guest moves and Magnus has to admit that there is something truly unique about his unexpected visitor. If not for the strength of Magnus’ wards, he might not have noticed them at all.
As it is, Magnus’ magic has found and clung to his intruder since they first touched Magnus’ wards. Magnus finishes buttoning his cuffs and straightens his vest, and he waits.
He finds that he’s almost charmed by the interruption.
It’s been at least six months — or possibly six years — since the last blatant assassination attempt and this one is already much more promising. The fact that he can literally feel and taste nephilim blood ensures it.
It’s been a long time since the Clave was willing to risk another attempt on him.
He tilts his glass to the ceiling, admiring the blood red hue of it and turns with a smirk on his face, ready to greet his would-be-assassin.
His drink falls as his grip loosens in shock. Glass shatters and liquor and crystal shards cover his shoes as his mouth clenches in a snarl of surprise.
The arrow that pierces his chest leaves no burning pain behind, just a tingling ache. None of his once holy but now twice damned royal blood spills, the only evidence of the wound ever existing is a sizzling hole in his shirt.
His shadowhunter assassin growls, a low rumble in his throat, but before he can notch another arrow, he’s pulled through the glass of the window he shatters and thrown into Magnus’ wall.
Magic presses against him.
Covering every inch of him as Magnus stalks forward. He gives the tiniest twitch of his fingers and his magic, as if apologetic for its misstep, quickly deposits the arrow into his hand.
He rolls it between his fingers, studying it.
Not even during the uprising had a nephilim blade ever truly pierced his skin. He wonders what reward he should give the wielder for this particular wound.
What punishment would be most fitting?
His wards, which have been gently chiming since the beginning, ring with a final, ominous toll as Magnus presses glowing, blue fingers to the intruder's chin and lifts up.
Oh.
Well now. This changes everything.
—
“Well, aren’t you a pretty thing,” Bane murmurs, his fingers a strong pressure on Alec’s jaw as he speaks.
Even with the limited information on Bane that he has access to, there was nothing that could have prepared Alec for Bane’s response to the attempted assassination.
Nor was he expecting Bane to be quite so... magical.
“No?” He asks, because of all the things in his life that he’s been called, pretty hasn’t been one of them.
“You intrude on my domain, ruin one of my favorite outfits and now you lie to me? Truly appalling behavior from one of the Clave’s beloved.” Bane tells him and his thumb presses higher on Alec’s face in what is probably meant to be a threat but feels much more like a caress.
The words themselves make him roll his eyes and a scoff escapes him. He’s not one of the Clave’s beloved and even if he was, his hidden but very real desires mean he never will be.
Alec opens his mouth to object, to ask what is going on, anything to figure out exactly why Bane hasn’t already killed him, and Bane’s other hand comes up. Two neatly painted fingers press to Alec’s lips and tap against them in warning. His words are stifled — not by magic — but by the mere touch of Bane’s smooth calluses against his mouth. It’s a mindless act, to lick his lips and they both stiffen when his tongue flicks against hot skin and magic.
Energy crackles around and over him and Alec bites into his bottom lip, surprised by how it doesn’t hurt — and by how good it feels.
When it’s done, Bane steps back. He looks faintly surprised, but mostly pleased, and Alec wonders at just what he’s learned.
What Alec did that’s betrayed him enough to put that look on his target’s face.
That much glee on Bane’s face can’t mean anything good for Alec, even if Bane looks gorgeous when he smiles. As it is, he can barely resist the urge to lean forward and chase the fleeting warmth of Bane’s touch. It is surprisingly soft, for an enemy. In fact, it’s lot gentler than Alec’s experienced from most of the allies in his life.
“I think we can be a bit more civilized about all of this.” Bane offers and his fingers curl in a flourish and when Alec blinks his eyes open — startled to realize he’d closed them at all — it’s to see two new chairs in the room. Bane sits in one with an odd smirk and points to the empty one.
“To start with, what exactly have I done in the last two decades that warrants a kill order from the Clave? It’s been at least a century since I last earned one of those pesky things.”
Alec swallows, wrong footed by the question. He’s never heard of anyone surviving a kill order by the Clave before, much less thriving and flaunting their existence after one was placed. However, it makes sense, in a strange way, that of all the beings in the world Magnus Bane would be the one to accomplish it.
He hesitates to move, but Bane’s magic doesn't give him a choice and a moment later he’s comfortably seated. Well, as comfortably as one can be when magically bound to a leather chair.
“The Clave—” he starts, because as with most things, this is the fault of the Clave. But he pauses, “the Accords—” because he’s hoping that will somehow be better and finally, he grits his teeth. His eyes close and to his relief his hand is allowed to come up, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know why they want you dead. Probably because you’re a threat.” Alec finally admits. Perhaps it’s magic, or his situation, but the truth flows easily past his lips.
“The Clave doesn’t like threats. It’s been years since the Uprising, and they still haven’t fully regained their strength. New York is one of their strongest Institutes and yet it’s you who holds the power in our local region.”
Bane blinks at him, as if astounded and then laughter rings through the air.
“A political threat. They are doing this because of politics? And they sent you, sweet innocent cherub for the reaping. Darling, I’m not simply the High Warlock of Brooklyn.” And here Bane rises back to his feet, “I’m a king. In some ways, all the important ways even. I’m your king.”
—
Magnus stares at his would-be-murderer and magic coils around him, ready to strike and drag him so close that they can never be parted. The magic of his soul dislikes his restraint and the dominion magic that lends itself to his service wants to claim and take now.
All of Magnus’ magic demands that he takes what is rightly owed to him, to bind the counterpart of his soul to himself.
Magnus wants that as well but knows that he needs to err on the side of caution, as much as he doesn’t wish to.
His own personal magic, however, has other ideas. Which is clear from the protective blue sparks still coming off of his soulmate’s skin, the hole in Magnus’ shirt and the phantom ache of a wound that doesn’t truly exist.
Magnus never expected to meet his soulmate like this — never expected them to truly exist. But his lips curl into a smirk as his magic dances along his boy’s body and he remembers the elegant stance and fearless way he’d tried to kill him.
It’s delightful and new and Magnus knows that when he’s done with this, his shadowhunter will be not a sword at his throat but one at his side.
The Clave has done what Magnus’s own father hasn’t been able to accomplish for centuries, given him his soulmate.
It’s only fair that Magnus pays them back, tenfold for the gift given.
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hi it’s me again! i finished the kennedy book half an hour ago and i am still reeling.
you weren’t kidding about the last chapters. like the farewell party is a bittersweet anecdote, but then the epilogue is just absolutely crushing. what a brutal note to end on. the true endpoint is the paragraph in the acknowledgements where he thanks his coauthor for freeing him from the emotional prison he was in. phrase practically verbatim. like oh my god.
that thing you said about what’s not said really did nail the sort of very careful sidestepping of….giving his opinions, maybe? there is just a very deliberate sort of distance with which he describes any events, and so you really notice the barest hints of something more. (more than anyone can ever know, mr. hill? care to elaborate??? it’s the implication that they kept many secrets together and also his enduring loyalty to her that keeps us from learning hardly any of them.) i was reminded of the perception of the kennedys as american royalty because he really talks about her like she was a queen. jackie kennedy through his lens is beautiful and gracious and willful and truly given the royal treatment.
speaking of the royalty metaphor, aristotle onassis is two steps from being a mustache-twirling villain hoping that our brave knight clint hill dies a watery death under a yacht??? unprompted??? like, man. come on. honestly there’s a fascinating emotional thread in here about how he can only fully express feelings of protectiveness when they’re expressed by the president first.
anyway. this is a long ask. sorry. i feel like i should have something profound to say about the assassination chapters because of how significant the event is in history but i don’t yet. i probably sound unhinged but man. this was real life and this is how he chose to tell this story. what even was that.
THANK YOU.
re: last chapters: i want to look into what happened between him and his coauthor (they're married now!) but i haven't yet. i'm still feeling my feelings about the whole thing. can you imagine not reading the acknowledgements?? the acknowledgements that provide the only ounce of comfort amid the hurt of the last third of the book??
re: "MORE THAN ANYONE CAN EVER KNOW": i purposefully haven't shared that quote because divorced from its context you don't get the impact. to me that says he either totally had a thing with her but won't talk about it because he's an honorable man, in the same way he won't offer any kind of "no yeah the warren report was bullshit and the shots came from two different directions" confirmation, or he wants us to *think* something happened even if it didn't. i mean it's not like it was a secret that JFK and Jackie had affairs with other people. a great many of those people have written memoirs specifically about boning one or more of the Kennedys. so many in fact that it's basically a subgenre.
also there's some irony in the way he depicts Jackie. she didn't like to be written about. at all. ever. and there's more than one instance where he's, you know, an 80 year old man being a bit patronizing (in an otherwise very sensitively and thoughtfully written book), with all the mentions of mischief and little-girlishness. and so i keep thinking about how Jackie would have felt about this particular depiction, which despite the glossy nostalgia over the whole thing and I Love Lucy-esque antics, is a pretty nuanced depiction, at least compared to others i've read. he manages to revere her, nearly worship her, but still portray her vices, not as faults but as even more reasons he loved her. i don't know, man. it just feels weird to stumble upon a true story of what i thought were fictional feelings.
re: "he can only fully express feelings of protectiveness when they’re expressed by the president first": HOLY SHIT YOU'RE RIGHT. i'm still thinking about that scene where he takes the film out of that photographer's camera and JFK is just like, "ummm we can't make it seem like we're denying the press access to us, so we're gonna have to blame you," which prompted Hill to question his professional loyalty to the president against his personal loyalty to Jackie, and also it made me think, what would happen if he had to shoot someone? would he get blamed for that too? was he really only there as a human shield, able to protect but not truly defend?
re: "what even was that": WHAT EVEN WAS THAT.
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what are the plot beats of bonefall tpb? i know youve mentioned its very politically focused, but what does the story really look like (if youve got that hammered out yet)?
It's very similar to Canon TPB in terms of plot beats, it's the least reworked arc because I think it's the one that needs the least amount of fixing. Even as-is I think it's a really good narrative against isolationism that just has some moderate stumbles (namely the introduction of BloodClan as the endgame enemy)
The majority of its problems come from its treatment of disability and its... terribly written romance. Even ships that should check out in theory like FireSand I think are just... frustrating at best.
So anyway I'll walk you through the changed plot beats off the top of my head. I'll also make some off-brand title changes for fun
Book 1: Into the Clans
Fireheart is aware of BloodClan to begin with and knows about their warnings of Clan Cats
Smudge has actually been seeing Spottedleaf in the darkness of the forest, she looks like an apparition of death because of her leaf-blight spots and bone-shaped markings
To begin with, more time is spent on Firepaw's apprenticeship before deposing Brokenstar
We're introduced to Channeling, which is an illegal way to contact a spirit... if they're willing to come when called. Spottedleaf does this to try and talk to her brother.
Redtail is not helpful because he is a jerk. Fireheart learns to not be afraid of death because of Spottedleaf's blithe attitude towards it
I also plan to establish at some point here that Longtail and Sandpaw's dads are Runningwind and Redtail and have Firepaw realize that the death of Redtail has affected them deeply
He considers this because he does not know what it is like to have a single dad let alone two, but if it's like losing a mom that's rough
Spottedleaf, Lionheart, and Rosetail die in the same raid where the Frostfour are snatched
Fireheart joins that patrol to retrieve the Frostfour from ShadowClan. Bluestar is on it, also.
Deerfoot is established as a rebel and Tangleburr as a Brokentail loyalist.
Deerfoot and many others don't like what Brokenstar has done, but he's a popular leader and they need help getting rid of him
Bluestar agrees to send the reinforcement they need. Tigerclaw is upset about this, citing that Clans aren't supposed to meddle in the affairs of others. They should just take the kits back honorably
An explanation of the ancient tradition of kit-stealing is given to Firepaw, which he is horrified by, but then he tunes back in to Bluestar rebuffing Tigerclaw with the Queen's Rights. He bows his head and agrees.
After Brokenstar is dethroned, Fireheart is named, and uses tarspot-blighted sycamore leaves to channel Spottedleaf for the first of many times.
Book 2: Blood and Water
Fire and Ice is basically unchanged, WindClan is retrieved, Silverstream is introduced, Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw apprenticed (though they are not below 6 moons this time), Brokenstar blinded, Cloudkit acquired, etc, but there's minor changes to motivations of scenes.
For example, the scuffle that gets Whiteclaw killed is an example of the Right of Challenge in action... and also Deadfoot and Leopardfur are equally matched the abelism in this fight bothers me.
Customary Deadfoot bonkening. All of his opponents get bonked once.
Graystripe's utter failure to train Brackenpaw is not forgotten, this is remembered. Fireheart is also asked to fill the role of Brackenpaw's mentor during the Warriorship ceremony later
Cloudkit is raised by Fireheart alone, Brindle just suckles him because Fireheart can't make milk.
Brindleface's kits are swapped! Ashkit is born later; the childhood friends of Cloudtail are Elderberry and Ferncloud.
Book 3: Old Secrets
In general THIS is the book where we would get an actual description of Thistle Law and its name
Fireheart also learns about Bluestar's Forget-Me-Nots, her old group of friends, and he starts to piece things together quicker than in canon.
For newcomers: The Forget-Me-Nots were a friend group of Bluestar, Deadfoot, Ashfoot, Barley Sr, Lizardstripe, and Oakheart. Her love of these people is what causes her to lead the way she does, helping all clans in a way unlike any other leader before her.
Similar to canon this is the book where Silverstream dies, Graystripe leaves, Tigerclaw is exiled, and Brokentail is poisoned. Not much else is different.
Book 4: Rising Fire
Runningnose does a little bit of epidemic. As a treat. Kills Cinderfur and Nightstar and installs Tigerstar
This is the book where Longtail starts to rise up as a close ally of Fireheart, more reliably than his younger sister Sandstorm who has more of her own mind.
The apprenticing of Elderpaw and Fernpaw is changed; Dustpelt is too young to have an apprentice and is rewarded for his loyalty by becoming the secondary apprentice of a Clan builder.
Frostfur gets Elderpaw, Darkstripe gets Fernpaw
Dustfern does not happen while Fernpaw is an apprentice, ick. She admires him one-sidedly while he is a young warrior arguing loudly with her awful mentor, though.
Snowkit is given some extra personality as being serious like his mom, and quite religious.
He is also a friend of Tawny and Bramble.
His death after the forest fire by a hawk is unchanged; and the start of Bluestar's cruelty arc.
We get Littlecloud and Whitethroat's thing, Cloudpaw's abduction, the beginning of Bluestar's cruelty arc, the forest fire, RiverClan sheltering them, and the deaths of Snowkit, Yellowfang, and Runningwind largely unchanged.
Book 5: Paths Chosen
Who_Let_The_Dogs_Out.mp4
Bluestar's cruelty arc continues
Ashfur is born in this book
Graystripe refuses to let Leopardstar murder Fireheart and is exiled; his kittens remember this
Cloudtail is made a warrior and Swiftpaw and Brightpaw go play with puppies
IMPORTANT: Brightpaw's "Dishonor Title" is SWIFTHOUND, it has nothing to do with her scarring. Her actions got Swiftpaw killed and that is what is dishonorable about this. Scars are a desirable trait in this rewrite.
It's a dare to StarClan; take her as Swifthound or make her live with this name.
Shuffle: Tigerstar lays claim to his kits after Swiftpaw dies, that was his oldest son and he says that ThunderClan is not capable of protecting his children
Shuffle: Sandstorm is the new mentor of Tawnypaw, Brackenfur is too young.
Firestar is aromantic, no confession scenes. These two actually have kittens together later as a form of honor-siring with coparenting.
They do the dog relay race, Elderpaw replaces Ashpaw because Ashkit is literally baby rn
Longtail replaces Graystripe on this race because Longtail's got zoomies and Graystripe's extra thick; NOT a runner.
Bluestar dies
Also as a side note the redux of Bluestar's Prophecy opens up right here, with Lizardstripe playing as her defense lawyer in StarClan and the trial framing the story. Thistleclaw also LEAVES StarClan in that book in protest to Bluestar being allowed in.
Book 6: Hour of Need (but also it would be funny if this one was called Before The Dawn and then TNP opened up with Dawn lmao)
Tigerstar actually offers BloodClan land in exchange for them helping him. This is important.
Fireheart evolves into Firestar like canon
Sorrelkit's poisoning results in her developing epilepsy after this, which will follow her for the rest of her life.
TigerClan officially forms... though I am thinking of pushing this back to the previous book so it's formed for longer.
The Bonehill is actually a really stupid idea in-universe and cats are working themselves to the BONE HHA to finish this incredibly pointless vanity project
I'm thinking a TigerClan rebel actually fetches Raven, Fire, and Gray to get them to help save the prisoners. Unsure who; maybe Primrosepaw or Reedpaw.
Execution of Stonefur like canon
There are several TigerClan rebels, one of which is Deerfoot, who help the Halfclans escape. Jaggedtooth is another, Primrosepaw, Reedpaw, Pikepaw, and Mosspelt as well.
In escaping, the only cat captured is Deerfoot
He refuses to rat out the other rebels, saving their lives, and is executed for it
Tangleburr is distraught
Later, WindClan is attacked and Gorsepaw dies.
Laterer Tigerstar gets unzipped by Scourge
AND THIS IS THE BIGGEST CHANGE;
Firestar calls to speak to Scourge, to ask what it is he really wants
He essentially learns that Scourge is sick of the dishonor of Clan cats, he was promised forest and he will have it. Diplomacy breaks down and the battle must happen
When Firestar and Scourge fight, Firestar dies once, revives, and beats him by ripping the collar off, but sparing his life.
"A true warrior does not need to kill to win their battles"
Scourge calls for a retreat
The Clans Win; but a lot of cats died on both sides
Longtail, not Graystripe, becomes deputy
Epilogue is ThunderClan, WindClan, and occasionally ShadowClan (but they're difficult) engaging in diplomacy with BloodClan, including trade and foraging rights.
Aaaaaaaand there you have it! Bonefall TPB summarized. If something wasn't mentioned here (like Tawny defecting) you can assume it happened in the book in a similar way.
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Defeating the Big, Bad Wolf
The always amazing corseque has theorized that a boss fight with the mutant dragon/wolf Fen’ Harel is inevitable. The default world state on the Keep has the Inquisitor choosing to stop Solas. In other words, BioWare wants our new protagonist to kill Solas. That’s the plan. That’s what they’ve been leading up to. That’s what they think game players want.
I’m not saying most players don’t want to “scramble the egg” as they put it. There is enough hated for Solas on the fan sites for that to be believable. At the end of the day though, BioWare is supposed to be about choices. We were given a big one at the end of Trespasser and it would suck if BioWare chose not to honor that.
If all choices lead to us having to kill Solas, that isn’t a game I want to play. Not because I personally love Solas (I do) but because I consider it lazy writing to turn such a nuanced character into Thanos or Corypheus. He deserves better if that is what some of us want for him.
I don’t think Weekes is a lazy or boring writer. However, if they were told by others on the team to make it so, that’s how it will go.
How could BioWare give us the “redeemed” ending some of us asked for and still ensure the big boss fight they have been leading up to happens?
One theory is that this is all a distraction. There is a bigger boss out there that we will have to defeat. Maybe. Another option is the old trope “The villain decided he was wrong and died saving the world.” Boring, but also plausible. It’s also possible that Solas dies but is reborn in the Fade as a Wisdom spirit. He won’t remember anything about his past self, but he will at least be at peace.
I have another option. I don’t think we will see it, but I felt I had to throw it out there into the void. I just finished reading Asunder. In it, Wynn gathers a couple of mages and heads out to Adamant to save a Tranquil who has been researching how to reverse the Rite of Tranquility. When they arrive, they discover that the Tranquil managed to reverse the Rite but in doing so became possessed by a powerful demon.
Wynn believes the situation is salvageable. She enacts a ritual that rips a huge hole in the Veil. She and the mages enter the Veil (not physically) with the goal of fighting the demon on its own turf. It takes the mages, Wynn and the spirit of Faith she carries with her to defeat it. Once they do and return to the waking world, the Tranquil is alive and no longer possessed.
What would this mean for a good ending? Solas and the Dread Wolf seem to be separate creatures. In banter, Cole remarks that Solas is in two places at once, meaning the waking world and the Fade. Solas brushes it off by saying that he wanders the Fade a lot and that is probably what Cole is sensing. What if it isn’t? What if Solas is separated from his demon by the Veil?
If so, our protagonist can enter the Fade, do the boss fight most players have been salivating over and instead of killing Solas save him. Free of the Dread Wolf, Solas can become whatever he was before his spirit was twisted into a Pride demon. That might still result in him “dying” a la Wisdom in his personal quest, but maybe he will have enough sense of self left to “push through” and become mortal.
I like this ending for several reasons. One, everyone gets what they want. Two, Solas has a chance to start undoing the damage he caused. A sacrificial act, while dramatic, does not really equal atonement. You can’t atone if you are dead.
As I said, that is a very unlikely scenario. All foreshadowing points to Solas’ death at the end of DAD. It makes me sad because the ending could have been much more interesting.
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An underrated part of the confession scene is Dean saying
“…she’s going to come through that door and she’s going to kill you, and then me”
because like, it’s saying
Dean knows Cas, who is not the true target of Billie's wrath, is going to get in between them to protect Dean and Dean can’t do shit to stop Cas and he knows it, and
Billie wants Dean to suffer for what he’s done to her and he knows that she knows that watching Cas die for his sake is going to destroy him more then actually killing him eventually will
and then of course Cas goes and dies in front and for Dean anyway. And honestly it could be argued Billie does get Dean in the end, Cas dies to take her down and Dean has just…given up by the time he gets impaled in that barn, much like he’s done in the past when Cas has died, it just took longer this time and he hid it better. Tho at least he gets to heaven and isn’t thrown in the Empty like she planned so she didn’t fully “win” there.
But yeah, Dean knows Cas WILL die first because of Dean, he has not hope Cas survives or is spared for the above reasons and it’s tearing him up so bad before Cas just derails him with like, his worst nightmare*
*(That worst nightmare being:
Cas dies in front of him
That Dean has personally corrupted poisoned, and ruined Cas somehow is being proven because Dean taught him to love
Cas confirming he’s choosing to die FOR Dean because Cas loves him therefore:
~*~Everyone Dean loves will choose to leave him eventually forever because he’s poison and ruins them~*~
Soooo yeah. We all rightfully rage against the 15x20 aka Rusty Nail ending as like the worst ending for Dean, that him dying young on a hunt after never finding love or happiness of his own to keep, was an uninspired and a very “Chuck Wins, the brothers can’t escape their Season 1 character archetype” end, but Dean's own personal&emotional&spiritual “death” happened in 15x18, where almost every secret fear Dean's heart is proven “true” only he was still technically alive after)
Wah.
Cas will try to save Dean and Dean will have to watch Cas die (again) before he too will die. :'CCC
And I'm still so angry at that finale to give us a Dean who we have no reason to believe that he even tried to save Cas the moment that Chuck stopped being a problem. He says, shortly before he gets killed on screen, that the way to honor the people they've lost is by living and he doesn't even do that. Like... ugh. (I will never be over that, will I?)
Though I don't think I agree with you regarding Cas' death reinforcing Dean's thoughts that everyone chooses to leave him because he is poison. You can certainly make an argument for that, especially considering how Dean isn't even trying once he gets out of that dungeon. He can keep up the front long enough to survive, but he's on his way out. And I love that angst.
But I feel it would do Cas a disservice, so I don't really want to interpret it that way *lol* (also, I want to undo 15x20 so I don't tend to follow through to the bitter end) I mean disservice in the sense that Cas' heartfelt words would completely miss their mark. Despite the fact that Cas wanted Dean to understand just how much he is loved by him, by Dean embedding that love into a narrative of "I'm poison, everyone is leaving me" it gets twisted - not an emotion that Cas is feeling freely, but a flaw. And also a disservice because it would turn the love confession from a key moment for Cas to a boy melodrama moment for Dean *lol* Like, would he just not try to get Cas back because Cas being stuck in the empty is better than being out and loving Dean?
So yes, if we follow it to the bitter end, which is the mimepire fatality, then yes, I think your interpretation makes a lot of sense.
I just want to live in that moment after 15x18, where there was so much possibility for love to triumph instead of Chuck eventually winning whether he planned it that way or not.
But I'm glad that no matter how we interpret it we are in agreement about 15x20. Burning rage that can only be soothed by being undone in my opinion X3
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