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scrawnytreedemon · 3 years

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Victor Frankenstein and Frustration: a Not-Essay, because I can’t structure for shit.

Alright, I’ll try to keep it as clean and concise as I can, but at the end of the day this is a sorta-heat-in-the-moment thing I’m writing while all the ideas and motivation are in me yet. I will be jumping around alot of topics, as this covers alot of ground, but I can’t say I’ll do it with grace: for this, I apologise.

I’ve noticed a trend in online lit fandom, not just on Tumblr, to condense Victor’s character to something roughly following “arrogant, ineffectual and selfish weenie who failed horribly at parenting, who ought not to be taken seriously in any significant way, largely in-due to his constant whining“ --In other words, a right twat.

And here’s the thing: largely, I agree.

However, what I take issue with, I suppose, is largely how this is all framed.

See, fandom has a tendency to sort characters into boxes, and then pick favourites or bête noires from that selection; this is helpful for the largely memetic(as in, shareable,) nature of online spaces; but where I think this thinking falls short is that it tends to divide casts into More Good or More Evil, with little room for nuance.

I think you can see where I’m going with this.

Victor Frankenstein, by all accounts, is an incredibly frustrating character to witness; he gets way in over his head, isolates himself from his loved ones, leaving them worried, deems those ambitions failed, hides from them, then when shit starts hitting the fan, he takes initial actions to try and mitigate the consequence, hits a roadblock, either stops their or chooses an even worse option, someone else gets hurt, he whines, rinse and repeat until the final act of the book, as the stakes get higher and higher and his mental state deteriorates more, and more, and more. If you look at this entirely from an outsiders’ perspective, as you, the audience, being subjected to his moaning time and time again, it can wear on you and your sympathies-- Needless to say, I Get It™.

I think, however, it needs be remarked that Victor is also just some guy.

What I feel is often missed, is that even before Victor goes to university, he has just suffered the loss of his mother, with little time to recover, and that all of this is being told in hindsight, on his deathbed.

When Victor took on, all by himself, at twenty-two years old, not even letting anyone else know what he was up to, the monumental task of creating life, and then finding that life horribly botched, he did not have the perspective that what he created was equivalent to a newborn child-- For all he knew, he might have animated an actual demon. It isn’t until two years later, after the death of his little brother at the hands of said demon, the he’s even remotely made aware of this.

Victor had worn himself out over the course of several months, physically and mentally, to this one task. He was not equipped to deal witht he consequences. I do not say this to downplay the weight of his actions, or the horrible mess of events that come afterwards, but to state perspective. Victor does not have the hindsight we have at the time of this act. I cannot stress this enough. As much as I enjoy Deadbeat Dad Vick jokes, I get the feeling many people actually view the story from this lens, and hold Victor up to that standard.

Then there’s the trial of Justine: a horrible, useless, unneeded and avoidable affair that ends in even more senseless death. This is where alot of people’s sympathy for Victor runs out-- For more than understandable reasons. He failed to act accordingly, to share the information he had, deeming it to be either dismissed instantly or for himself to be put under scrutiny; it’s clear he’s passionate about Justine’s innocence, but he cannot push himself past his fear and doubt, and ultimately, it ends in her death.

It is a horrible, horrible moment, and one that cements the tone of the story from there on out.

These are two key events that largely colour this image of Victor so prevelant online; and it certainly doesn’t help, what with fandom being almost aggressively left-leaning at times, that Victor comes from a place of privilege; he is almost tailor-made to push all the buttons of fandom sensitivities.

Let me elaborate.

A key feature of Victor’s character is his complete and utter inability to ask for help; no matter how dire the situation. Victor feels, that, despite and even because of his incompetence, that it is his cross and his cross alone to bear. Any inolvement from others, such as Clerval when he heads to England, is hesitant and highly discouraged, even when he wants nothing more than to partake in the company of his loved ones, after all he’s been through. While it is also heavily coloured by the anguished sentiment that borders on self-absorption so much of the time, I think it is also worthy to examine this too.

Victor’s tendency to indulge in self-pity and self-loathing is nigh, if not entirely, all-consuming; it pervades the narrative to a painful degree, particularly as it comes from his recollections; it is often exhausting to read through, and nigh unbearable if you already hold a disdane from his previous actions; but here’s the thing I think most people miss,

Victor is depressed.

I don’t mean “ooh, he’s so sad, leave him alone 🥺,“ I mean the guy is fucking depressed, stuck in a constant cycle of attempting to make do but failing, hating himself even more, letting it consume him because he at once feels like he deserves to be consumed and it’s the only thing he can do then and there to soothe to pain as shit gets worse and worse.

Victor Frankenstein’s internal monolgue is a prime example of deep-seated, far-gone depression, and I say this because I myself have experienced and do experience this. Depression is fucking soul-sucking, man; it turns you in on yourself, makes you feel entirely undeserving of love and compassion, leaves you feeling like you must, have to, deal with this entirely by yourself because it is your cross to bear.

Depression is so often self-flagellating and pointless, leaving the subject drained and often largely unable to experience the world outside their own miserable little bubble.

Victor is so wrapped up in this soul-sucking guilt, attempting to fight his own ineffectuality and in doing so only furthering his own ineffectuality, refusing to ask for help, that he ends up putting the ones he’s trying to protect in further danger as he tries to scramble a hodge-podge solution to the problem he created and couldn’t have even begun to forsee its consequences at twenty-two years old. It is a painful, painful example of how if only he reached out, if only he told someone, was honest, all of this could have been avoided, or at least mitigated.

And I think that’s the thing with Victor.

He’s a kind of banal evil-- If such continuous stumbling can even be considered so --He is an example of every day self-isolation and refusal to let anyone else in ballooning to such a degree it ends in distaster.

People are far, far more willing to forgive Adam for his transgressions-- And I say this as someone far more sympathetic to his plight, what with the absolute abandonment he faced at the hands of humanity --Despite their far more horrific consequences; in many ways, they’re attributed to Victor’s failing; which isn’t entirely untrue,

But I have to wonder, if alot of this also comes down to the fact that Victor’s wrongdoings are so human; leaving someone in your care behind; not speaking up in cases of injustice; being self-involved; again, the constant whining. In a way, it’s the sentiment that in stories a horrible person is often far more bearable than an annoying one.

That doesn’t even begin to touch on how much of the bemoaning might largely be and often is directly post-hoc regret colouring all his previous actions. This, above all else, is a cautionary tale to a fellow idealist in the hopes that Robert Walton doesn’t Fuck Up the way he did. Victor stresses his regret and his failings and his misery time and time again because he wants to protect Robert from a similar fate; a fate that ultimately ends in his death.

Victor Frankenstein is a study in frustration; in audience frustration, self-frustration, narrative frustration; it seeps into every corner of the story.

I am not trying to defend Victor Frankenstein as a person; he is flawed; and he’s meant to be flawed. Victor, at the end of the day, is a deconstruction of the Byronic hero-- Of Great and Powerful Men on the Fronteers of History™-- And most importantly, I think, a deconstruction he himself undergoes. Victor eventually alerts someone, a Genevan magistrate, is doubted just as he feared, and then runs off to take revenge into his own hands.

It takes the death of Elizabeth Lavenza to do so.

Victor is a flawed, miserable man, but not an evil one. That doesn’t mean he deserved to have his life crumble around him.

He could have done better. Should have done better.

And he knows this.

His entire arc is about how he knows this.

Victor dies knowing this.

Him being unlikable doesn’t make him a bad character. Him being unlikable is part of the character; and in a meaningful way.

God, I don’t know how to end this. I’ll probably come back and edit this many, many times.

I guess I’m just tired of people flattening characters just because they’re not particularly endearing.

#frankenstein #scrawny speaks #scrawny rambles #analysis #victor frankenstein #there's probably even more i want to say and will regret failing to touch on #and believe me i do see the irony in a thinkpiece about victor frankenstein so laser-focusing on him #i really do #but it's kinda all the energy i have for #point is i don't think victor is a particularly good person #or admirable in any way shape or form #but that doesn't mean his character doesn't have worth #and i guess i'm tired about all of this just getting... tossed out the window #fandom is fun but also exhausting #he's a weenie yes but he isn't j us t a weenie can we please acknowledge that?#he's a guy. some fucking guy who fucked up. like alot of fucking guys who fucked up.#i wonder how much of this is also The Protagonist Complex #wherein we insert ourselves and go 'i would have done this better!'#because BELIEVE ME i hope i'd be far more empathetic and far more... Less That #but i don't know and i won't pretend to know #and i do wonder if some of this comes down to people not wanting to sympathise with a Bad Person because then it means they could be Bad #spoiler alert: yes. all of us have the potential to be miserable weenies.#none of us are safe.#i want to stress *potential*#please don't leap down my throat #ughghjg i'll stop. hopefully this was... Okay. i guess.#long post

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animemangasoul · 3 years

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You Are Wanted Obi-Wan Kenobi

Summery: Qui-Gon lives and Mace gets a new Padawan.

In which Qui-Gon repudiates Obi-Wan and Mace isn't about to let the kid leave the order without a fight.

Chapter: 1/10

"No luck?"

Mace sighed.

Walking through the door only to come face to face with his former Padawan sprawled across his couch especially after the trying day he's had only served to make his shoulders tighten further. "What are you doing here Depa?" he asked doing his best to keep the exhaustion out of his voice.

His fellow council member raised a single eyebrow in reply.

Mace sighed again, hand running over his face and pulling at his chin. "No," he finally answered. "No luck." And if voicing his failings didn't already sour his mood, seeing the flash of disappointment in Depa's eyes drove it home.

"There is nothing wrong with Obi-Wan," she huffed. Her annoyance bleeding into the force as she observed him go about preparing his own afternoon meal along with hers now that she'd decided to make herself at home in his apartment.

"I know," he said, bringing out cups and plates while he waited for their dinner to heat up; not even contemplating asking Depa for assistance as he well knew by this point he could never make her set a foot inside the kitchen after that 'incident'. "But with his prior records and Qui-Gon,"--the Chalactan woman snorted in disgust and Mace paused to send her a warning glare. "having repudiated him," he continued doing his best to clam down on his own anger when the words leave his mouth. "Not many are willing to take a second look."

Walking over to sit by the dinner table Depa sighed; the force muted with her sadness. "It's a cruel faith being stripped of your future because one man has decided to upend all traditions because he thinks himself some kind of force whisperer," she dragged the last words out rather mockingly inciting a snort from Mace which then resulted in him trying and failing to give her another stern glare.

Annoyed as he was with the other man, insulting him was not a productive endeavor. Still, he couldn't fault his former Padawan for her bitterness towards his old friend. Qui-Gon certainly did parade around as if he was the only man blessed with the true gift of the force. "Hopefully young Kenobi still has a future as a Jedi," he said, setting down their plates. "I just need to find one Master who is willing to take him on. He only needs a year or two before he is ready for his Trials."

Depa hummed in agreement but the force swivelling around her was still leaking uncertainty if only a little. Clapping his former student on the shoulder, Mace let encouragement wash over her as he sat down. "Do not worry yourself," he said letting go when he the tension finally eased out of her body.

Companiable silence falls between them after that, the worry for Obi-Wan still lingering in the air but for now, both willing to put it aside to share the little time they rarely get to spend together to its fullest. It's only after the table is cleared and Depa has found her way back to his couch that she speaks on the topic again.

"How is he by the way?"

Staring forlorn at the dirty dishes and missing the good old days when he could make little Depa wash up as part of her training while he excused himself for a short nap, Mace shook his head and made his way over to the opposite coach, leaving the dishes for tomorrow. "He's doing well," he said, folding his legs under him. "All things considered. He's healing."

Depa pursed her mouth. "He's the Sith-killer and we can't even give him an automatic knighting because--" She bit her tongue before the words slipped out, but Mace knew very well what she was going to say.

'Because Qui-Gon is still alive.'

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had both survived the battle of Naboo. Survived the Sith. And while Obi-Wan had accomplished a feat no other, saved his master and come out alive; baring the heavy injuries sustained both men, by saving Qui-Gon Jinn the young man had unknowingly sealed his own faith.

Not that Mace wasn't immensely grateful his old friend had gotten away with his life. But--

With Qui-Gon alive, Obi-Wan could not be Knighted without taking the Trials and to everyone's horror the boy's Master was not willing to wait for him to be ready for them.

No, Qui-Gon had made it quite clear how little he thought of his student's well being when he so cruelly disregarded him in front of the Council, repudiated him and thrown him away in hopes of training young Anakin Skywalker. Mace stomach coiled in disgust just thinking of that day. That moment….. With Qui-Gon standing in the middle of the room, an uncertain Anakin next to him and a distinct lack of Obi-Wan by his side. Qui-Gon had declared for all to hear that he would be training Skywalker and if that could only come to be with Kenobi out of the way, so be it.

Obi-Wan hadn't even been there to defend himself. Submerged in a bacta tank as he was, fighting for his very life and---

Clenching his fists, it's all Mace can do to carefully release his anger into the force and close his eyes against the onslaught of memories. Obi-Wan's clear eyes staring up at him from a hospital bed in abject disbelief, having woken up to a broken bond and a hair distinctly lacking a familiar braid.

The fact Qui-Gon hadn't even had the respect, the heart to tell the poor boy face to face. That he had unbraided his hair while Obi-Wan was still….. That he hadn't explained anything. He…. Mace was a Jedi,

"He…. repudiated….me?”

Mace hadn't known what to say. Standing there in the Halls of Healing, staring down at the too sickly, too skinny, too haunted man in the hospital bed. Mace hadn't known what to say.

What could one say in the face of absolute devastation?

So he had just stood there, seconds ticking by, eyes unable to break away from the dull blue-gray ones of young Obi-Wan Kenobi. Unable to speak, unable to console, unable to utter the words he knew would shatter whatever remained of the fragile sense of self-worth the kid had left.

Finally, as the auburn haired man swallowed thickly, looking away, Mace regained his speech.

Sitting down heavily in the chair stationed by the bed, he'd folded his hands under his chin and lowered his voice into an almost gentle hum. "Yes, he did. In front of the council, a couple of weeks ago."

"Oh."

That single word crumbled something in Mace he hadn't known he ever had.

Kenobi looked so small. Thin fingers clutching at the white covers, bottom lip red from being gnawed bloody, hair damp from recently having been brought out of the bacta tank and eyes swimming with such hopelessness it left the Korun man's heart with dull sense of ache he didn't quite know how to deal with.

Mace Windu was a Jedi. Controlling and releasing his emotions into the force was by now a habit as easy to him as breathing.

Nothing got under his skin, nothing pained him for long. He was focused, he was disciplined and by all accounts he was never brought to the edge of absolute fury. But looking into those gray-blue eyes. Seeing young Kenobi trying so hard to keep himself from crying. Watching the young man chest heave in futile attempt not to collapse in on himself. The destruction of a bright light, of a hopeful child ruthlessly turned into a broken young man at the hands of someone who should have known better---

Mace was a Jedi and his emotions did not rule him.

They did not. And yet, and yet….

So he pressed his fingers against his knees, nails biting into the skin beneath his clothes and he looked Obi-Wan Kenobi dead in the eyes and firmly; without pity, laid out the decree of the council. Explained what precarious position the kid found himself in; all the while being oh so careful not to let his voice catch on the lump choking him from within.

Now that Kenobi had been repudiated he was no longer a Padawan and if the council had followed the Jedi Code to the letter, he should have been expelled or relocated to the ServiceCop or the AgroCorp the minute Qui-Gon had disowned him, but this wasn't an ordinary situation and Kenobi, well, Kenobi was anything but an ordinary Jedi.

So, "with your unique circumstances," Mace had said, hand resting by the kid's knee just in case the proximity dispelled the harshness of Obi-Wan's new reality or even brought the kid some semblance of comfort. "the council has concluded that you will be given six weeks to find a new Master to complete your training and 'if' that Master is deemed acceptable by the council." Mace did his best to emphasize the 'if' for it meant any young Knight trying to do Obi-Wan a favor while having nothing of their own to actually teach him were automatically ruled out; force knew the kid had plenty of friends who would step up to the task (just the thought of recently Knighted Quinlan Vos boldly declaring himself Obi-Wan's new Master gave Mace a headache. If the sheer embarrassment didn't kill Kenobi, Quinlan's teachings surely would.) "Then your apprenticeship will be transferred to them until you're deemed ready for your Trails."

Obi-Wan had nodded, fingers tracing unknown patters on the cover. "I assume you have already spoken to a fair number of potential Masters?"

There is a certain ease to his voice, the raspiness behind it the only thing giving away how hard the kid was trying to cover up the burnt edges of his anguish. Even after Mace had seen with his own two eyes how Kenobi; as soon as the visible grief of his former Master's betrayal had run its course, gathered himself up. Taking a deep breath and then as if it was an artform storing away his emotions, carefully and meticulously behind unreadable eyes until a hurt child once again transformed back into a composed young man.

It was…… concerning the ease with which Kenobi could look as if his entire world hadn't just been shattered into pieces.

"I have." he had said in answer; swallowing down the bitterness of his own failure and watching as Obi-Wan's fingers darted across the knuckles of his outstretched hand (that Mace had yet to move) almost as if unconsciously seeking out comfort; only for the young man to then realize what he'd done making him flinch away. Mace nearly scowled in distress 'What had Qui-Gon done to this child?!'. "Unfortunately I have yet to find a Master willing to take on a Padawan your age," he managed to finish.

"Ironic isn't it?" Obi-Wan muttered, self deprecating amusement dancing in his eyes. It took Mace a second to grasp the context behind the words but when he did, a sardonic smirk pulled at his lips.

"Yes," he said. "It is."

For it was. To be rejected for a child too old to become a Padawan, only to turn around and find yourself the one who is now too old to be anyone's Padawan. Ironic indeed.

And so very awful.

They had talked about nothing of note after that. Obi-Wan content in pretending nothing outside the four walls of his room existed and Mace wanting to indulge him, just this once.

Still, even though he regaled the kid with stories, particularly of that one time Master Yoda had kidnapped him to lure five other Masters away from a council meeting, his brain was still running through potentially willing Masters for the child he was so unwilling to give up on just yet.

"I would take him if I could."

Depa's words managed to bring him back to the present with an abruptness he wasn't ready for.

He blinked, once, twice. Then sighed deeply as he closed his eyes. "I know."

Depa shifted across from him. "His time is nearly up."

Mace tensed. "He still has two more weeks left."

Now it's her who uttered "I know."

A suffocating silence once again wrapped itself around them. This one hinging on uncertainty, worry and concern. Emotions that swiftly were released into the force and yet lingered in the room like an unspoken blemish. Finally Depa spoke. Her words nothing but a whisper but holding all the strength of an ocean slamming against the shores of Mace's stability.

"You could take him."

It's not a question, not quite a suggestion either. It's more like…… a promise.

Mace startled, eyes flying open. "What?" He had expected much from her, maybe a suggestion of one of Kenobi's little Knight friends taking him on, which he would have soundly rejected but not this. This was unexpected to say the least.

Depa only shrugged away his incredulity. "You could take him as your Padawan learner. He would only need a year or two at most like you said and Kenobi is mild tempered, level-headed and a quick study, you would get along great." She said it all with such casualness and certainty Mace couldn't help but stare.

Crossing her arms and folding her knees under her in a mirror image of him, Depa lifted a single eyebrow. "You cannot tell me you have not considered this?"

Mace bit back a wince. "Of course I have. Unfortunately that doesn't."

Depa cut him off. "Why not?"

If there was anyone who feared him less than Depa; excluding their green troll of a Grandmaster, Mace had yet to meet them. And now watching as she stared him down, Mace was torn between pride and indignity. "You know why." He gritted out, mindful to keep his voice even. "I'm Master of the Order. I will not have the time to train him properly. My duties are on Coruscant. Young Obi-Wan will need someone to go on missions with him, look out for him and I'm afraid I cannot do that."

If he'd thought his words would discourage his former student, he was wrong. Now she looked even more resolute than before he'd made his argument.

"May I remind you Obi-Wan is Senior Padawan. He does not require someone to hold his hand every step of the way." Here a ghost of a smile grace her lips. "He is only a year or so away from his Trials, Mace. He is supposed to take solo missions by now. You just need to oversee the remaining of his training, help him polish a couple of things and he'll be ready." Her eyes flickered with something too fast to detect. "Please Mace, at least think about it."

He swallowed, throat suddenly dry. "Obi-Wan deserves someone who can devote their time on him," he said yet the idea running through his mind with possibilities.

Kenobi deserved better than what Mace could provide. Especially after Qui-Gon. Especially after the countless setbacks, traumas and horrors the kid had been through. He didn't deserve a Master who wouldn't always be there even if the kid only needed minimal help at this point. "I may not be what he needs?"

Now Depa was glaring at him. "Maybe it's about time people stopped assuming what is best for Obi-Wan and started giving him the chance to choose what he thinks is best for him? And maybe it's about time he received the knowledge that he is actually wanted for once in his life?!" The last words are said with such vehemence Mace is momentarily stunned.

Quickly as the anger came it vanished, leaving behind a sheepish smile and mildly apologetic eyes. But Depa did not take her words back.

Mace couldn't find it in himself to scold her. After all, wasn't that the root of Obi-Wan's issues? How everyone kept assuming what was best for him, never once listening to what he wanted?

Would it be wrong for Mace then to lay his cards on the table. To ask? The kid did not have to accept; although Mace would be disappointed if he didn't. But to ask, he could do that, couldn't he? Let the kid know that he wished to train him, had always seen the potential in him. Might have taken him on from the very beginning if Depa hadn't still been his Padawan. That he would see him to Knighthood if Kenobi let him. What would be the harm in that?

"When he's released from the Halls of Healing where will he go?"

The abrupt change in topic makes the Korun man blink up at his for Padawan in confusion.

"Without a Master," she continued eyes glinting with something. "He will be relocated to the Initiate dorms will he not?"

Mace was already shaking his head before the question had fully left her lips. "No."

"No?"

He nodded. "He will move in with me until a Master chooses to claimed him as a Padawan."

Now the glint in Depa's eyes are all but twinkling like stars but why…..

Mace own eyes widen in realization.

He hadn't thought much of it. Having just assumed Obi-Wan would stay with him until a Master stepped forward to accept him. Hadn't even contemplated putting the traumatized young man with the Initiates. In a way, he had already made his choice days ago, hadn't he? And of course Depa had see right through him to a part he hadn't even been aware off.

If he was a lesser man, Mace might have flushed red with embarrassment having essentially claimed Kenobi as his own Padawan without knowing. But he was Mace Windu, Master of the Order, so all he let himself get away with was a huff and a slight twitch of his mouth. "Looks like my mind has already decided what my head has yet to conclude."

Depa answering smile is teasing. "Seems so."

The relief that hits him at those words is almost staggering. Knocking into his chest and nearly toppling him back against the headrest.

He'd been worried, angry, concerned and at his wits end these past couple of weeks. Knowing he was letting Obi-Wan down every day he was politely rejected by another Master who'd seen Obi-Wan's records, heard of his repudiation and refused to take a chance on him. Knowing Qui-Gon repudiating him had essentially sealed the young man's faith. Feeling disgusted by the false rumours of Kenobi's insubordination, and having to go see him every evening watching the light flicker out of his eyes as each shred of hope he had of being a Knight was torn away from him.

In the end it was all so very simple wasn't it.

The minute the kid had looked at him with those eyes, Mace had known.

He would never let him go without a fight. Not Kenobi. Never Kenobi.

It didn't matter how busy his schedule was he would make time for Obi-Wan if he accepted him. No longer would he stand by and watch those hunched shoulders trailing after the rigged figure of one Qui-Gon Jinn. No longer would he stand by and let the kid be used to wash away someone else's darkness.

Obi-Wan Kenobi would be his Padawan.

Overwhelmed by the sheer sense of calmness that washed over him, Mace momentarily closed his eyes and breathed. Releasing all the emotions clinging to him into the force. Worry, anger, fear, concern, care and most of all pure, unwavering protectiveness.

If he had something to say about it, and he did. Qui-Gon would never step a foot near the kid ever again.

"Do you think he will take to Vaapad as quickly as you did?" He asked as his composure fell into place and his eyes sought out his former student.

The startled laugh that burst out of Depa made a sharp smile twist at the corner of his mouth.

"Maybe Soresu is more is speed," she lightly jabbed back.

Tilting his head; playful for those who knew to spot the miniscule changes in his expression, Mace glared. "Don't you even think about interfering Kenobi's lightsaber studies behind my back."

Depa looked amused. "Wouldn't dream of it." But then the mirth vanished and gave way to contentment. "It would be nice," she said. "Finally having a Padawan sibling."

Mace found himself smiling, gentler this time. "It would."

They share a smile before Depa is on her feet, making her way to the door. "Best to inform Obi-Wan of your decision as soon as possible," she called over her shoulder. "He'll be out of the Halls in three days time."

Mace stared and stared. And then, stared some more.

"This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" he said out loud, not quite believing she managed to manipulate him so thoroughly . "You came here today to coax me into accepting Kenobi as my apprentice."

Depa doesn't look back at him, but she doesn't have to. The Force danced around her with mirth and shades of guilt for having deceived him. The Korun man could only let himself shake his head, heart tugging with pride at how much his little spitfire had grown while also frowning in realization. "Depa." he said firmly, but his former Padawan was already palming open the door.

"Don't be like that Master," she said turning back to give him a final look, the familiar title she only used sparingly coming out of her mouth with overflowing warmth and fondness. "We both know I only guided you to the decision you wanted to make all along."

She was right. Still,

"I don't like to be manipulated Padawan mine."

She only smiled. Mischief in her eyes and a single dimple creasing her left cheek before she was gone, vanishing out the door.

Mace was left sitting alone in his living room. A mirroring smile painting his lips and chest for the first time since Naboo filled with nothing but anticipated flicker of hope.

To go from being repudiated one day to being the Padawan of Mace Windu, Master of the Order few weeks later….. Kenobi would have hell of a time trying to compute the insanity of the news coming his way tomorrow.

Mace hoped Obi-Wan Kenobi he slept well tonight for both their sakes.

The next couple of weeks would be….. Hectic to say the least.

The end

Believe it or not the idea that Depa's preferred form is Soresu is half the reason why I wrote this fic. Just her taking Obi as her unofficial baby brother and helping him on his path to becoming a Master at Soresu makes me all giddy, so here you have it.

Chapter: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

#obi wan kenobi #obi wan fanfic #star wars #star wars fanfic #mace windu #qui gon a+ parenting #seriously if you like him avoid reading this #depa billaba #padawan obi wan #fanfic #fanfiction #star wars fanfic chapter 1 #Mace is best dad #my very first long star wars fic so be kind please #you are wanted obi-wan kenobi

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ffangirlingsince2001 · 3 years

Text

Nothing Alike: IX

Description: Geralt of Rivia has been tasked with taking out a fellow Witcher who has decided to settle down in a town. She has no intention of leaving and Geralt is forced to take matters into his own hands.

Geralt x Reader

Warnings: (future as well as present) violence, angst, smut, fluff, language

MASTERLIST

The journey to the palace should have only taken three days max. And the Geralt should have been free to go about his business. However, the prince had other ideas up his sleeve.

Upon awaking the morning after the incident, he proclaimed with great elation that Y/N would no longer be allowed to ride on a horse.

“If she’s going to act like a dog, she shall be treated like one,” he had proclaimed with great enthusiasm, as if it had taken him all night to think of it.

It probably had.

So, instead of moving at the reasonable pace of horses, they were subjected to the pace of a stubborn, disgruntled girl who wanted nothing more than to throw a tantrum.

A thick iron collar was padlocked to her neck, and her wrists were shackled together. They had considered her ankles as well, but Geralt had claimed it would take them too long if she couldn’t take large strides (not that she was taking them anyway). The collar and the shackles were connected to one another by a long iron chain that led to the prince’s horse, and to keep her compliant, a crossbow was trained on her at all times.

Geralt was forced to ride directly behind her, a silent reminder as to what they could subject him to if he put a hair out of line. He was forced to watch as she dragged her feet, slowing down until the prince gave the chain a tug, sending her to the ground. For a moment, she was being dragged across the floor, shoulder digging into the soft soil. Then she would struggle to stand, a difficult task when your hands were bound, and the horse never stopped moving. Eventually, she would get it, and for a while she would keep up an appropriate pace, but the indignation always returned and the cycled repeated.

When they camped, she was kept away from the fire’s warmth and given only scraps, a desperate attempt to break her spirit. Every night she was led into the prince’s tent, an offer, a bribe that if she were to take, small ounces of luxury would be granted to her. Every night she was tossed back into the cold.

It was those moments when Geralt didn’t mind the pace, because if they were moving slowly it meant that she hadn’t become another piece of land conquered by royalty.

When they did finally reach the palace, it had been a week and a half, and Y/N had been silent for three days (to the great annoyance of the prince who had screamed for an answer). While they had not harmed her, just as his threat had made them promise, she had still been abused. Her cheeks were shallower than they had been when they began. Hair matted; face covered in dirt, arms covered in cuts and bruises from hitting the ground. They burst through the door, the prince dragging her prize behind him as he entered the throne room.

All eyes turned to them, some interested, some full of hatred, all recognizing the woman who was being led forward like a wild animal. The prince pulled her forward, slamming the blunt edge of his sword into the bend of her knees, laughing as she dropped to the floor. He was going to soak in every moment, now that Geralt could no longer threaten him.

“I have returned,” the prince announced, arms outspread as he basked in the gasps of awe and wonder. The uncatchable beast had been caught, brought to her knees before their wealthy feet. The prince turned around to look at his prize, sprawled across the ground, but there was no such luck. She stared ahead, situated on her knees all while retaining a sense of entitlement. He had never seen someone look so regal while being mocked. “Bow before your king,” he growled, but she didn’t move. The only hint that she had heard him was a small moment where her lip twitched into a smirk. Struggling to maintain his composure, he motioned for a guard to step forward. A sharp sole slammed into her back and her forehead hit the marble forehead. When she sat up, emotion unchanged, a trickle of blood was running between her eyes. “I said, bow,” the prince howled, marching forward to do the job himself, but a booming voice stopped him.

“She is not my subject, therefor there is no need to bow,” the king said, standing from his throne, wrinkled finger pointing at his son. The prince looked ready to argue, to tantrum in front of the entire court, but for the first time since Geralt had met the pathetic boy, he held his tongue. “Do you seek trial?” he asked her, but she remained silent. Geralt willed her to speak, but she said nothing, only stared forward, daring them to execute her now.

“She does,” Geralt called, unable to bear the silence any longer. All eyes turned to him, including an extremely interested king’s. “She would like a trial.” Eyes returned to her and there was a small nod. Instantly, whispers filled the room like a tidal wave. “She will speak in front of the king, but the king only.” Another wave of uproar.”

“And I suppose you?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then it is settled. Everyone out.” Protests erupted, but they were followed by quick footsteps exiting the room. Within moments all the remained were the king, Geralt, and Y/N. “You may unchain yourself,” the king murmured, almost with amusement, as he settled himself back into his throne.

Within an instant the cuffs fell to the ground and she stood, eyes dark as she studied the man across the room. Her fists were clenched to her side, but she did not advance as Geralt presumed she wanted to.

“Pull out a chair, sit, we have much to discuss.” Geralt was surprised to see she listened, dragging an ornate chair to the center of the room. “You may sit closer.”

“It is for both our safety that I do not,” she responded, voice harsh and rough from the lack of care.

“Both our safety?”

“If I sit any closer, I will want to harm you, and then your guards will be forced to kill me. Do not consider me rude, just realistic.” The king laughed and nodded in agreement, fingers drumming across the arm of his chair. The two stared at each other across the large expanse of the throne room before the king pulled a scroll from a beaded purse that sat beside him.

“Do you know what this is?”

“My crimes against humanity, I assume.”

“That is correct. Now, I will not insult you by assuming you are not capable of these acts, so you shall not insult me by lying about them.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Let’s begin then. I shall read your crime and you will defend them to the best of your ability. The swindling of towns people across the continent, namely within my own kingdom.”

“It was not a swindle; they were simply overconfident.”

“They knew you were a Witcher than?”

“Absolutely.”

“The murder of five Witchers who attempted to capture you under the order of the crown.”

“They had no intention of capturing, only killing. I was merely defending my right to trial.”

“Six counts of horse thievery, including from my own stables.”

“It was my horse, wrongfully stolen from me in an attempt to disable me.”

“The massacre of one hundred men and women.”

“They were taking part in slave trading; I was merely protecting the freedom of the people.”

“Slave trading!”

“Yes, slave trading. I was being held as well, and I have marks to prove it. Torture, branding, had I not killed them both my liberty and the liberty of a few dozen others would have been taken.” The king paused as he pondered her statement before continuing.

“Evading arrest.” She only smirked at him, a smirk that he returned. “The murder of your mother and father.” Geralt could barely hear what was said after the accusation. She had murdered her own blood, that was a crime he was not acquainted with. He strained over the blood rushing through his ears to hear her defense, but it did nothing to console him.

“They sold me out.”

“That is not a defense.”

“It was not meant to be.”

“You cannot take the law into your own hands.”

“You do.”

“I create the law.”

“So do I.” He stared at her before he began to chuckle, the deep sound quickly turning into a rolling laugh that echoed around the room. She didn’t flinch a muscle, merely watched him as he laughed away her statement. When he had finished, noticing that she was not smiling along he quickly righted himself.

“You are full of insolence.”

“That’s what they tell me.”

“I cannot in good conscience allow you to return to the outside world, but I can offer you a deal.” She raised an eyebrow, a silent gesture for him to continue. “We will either execute you, or you will work for me, and uphold my law.” Geralt’s heart sunk again, an offer she would never take. As she had said repeatedly, no one controlled her, and if that meant death over chains, she would take it.

“Then ready the gallows,” she replied coolly, confirming Geralt’s suspicions.

“You are making a mistake.”

“No, the only mistake made here today was the offer you just made me, as it was both a waste of words and air. Send me your dungeons and tie the noose quick because the only day that I will reside beneath you is the day you walk over my grave.” Geralt wanted to scream, to snarl and spit in her face until she accepted the man’s offer but he remained still, silently seething.

The king laughed once more, but it was not full of humor, it was full of hatred. He had not expected to be refused, and yet she had thrown it back in his face without an ounce of regret.

“Guards,” he called and two entered the room, swords already drawn, expecting the worst. “Escort our prisoner to the dungeons, and the inform the executioner there will be an execution tomorrow at sunrise. Call all to see for this will be their greatest victory.” They dragged her from the room, and even without the chains she did not struggle, merely smiled as they dragged her away, already readying herself for the final moments of her reign.

Taglist: @stuckupstucky @aurora-sweet @holyhumorliteraturelight

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ghostietoasty · 4 years

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Why Sherlock Holmes FGO is Sus: Theories and More

Before I begin, I’d like to give thanks to my wonderful friend for all the points, art, and info searching that have been made to produce this piece, I can’t appreciate you enough for the effort you put in. 🥺🙏💕

Alright now on to it!

INTRODUCTION: Humble Beginnings (Identification of the Abnormal)

If you’ve played the app Fate/Grand Order for a while you’d know about the Heroic Spirit we first encounter in a hole within Camelot’s dessert whilst going to the Atlas Institute. Smart, handsome looking, and sharp enough to discern our True Name, this man of mystery has been seen as an oddball by many long time players of the game. There are many aspects about him that raise doubt about his credibility, is he truly what he wants us to think he is? That servant is Sherlock Holmes (Ruler) and there are many theories about him having some secrets, about him either being a Foreigner class, Beast class, or something else entirely. We are attempting to catalogue all this information in one place for maximum clarity.

SECTION 1: Other Character’s Reaction (First Impression is the Best Impression) *WARNING LOSTBELT 1 AND 2 SPOILERS AHEAD*

From the first encounter in Camelot right until the end of Lostbelt 2, there are many instances of characters reacting to his presence in….interesting ways.

Bedivere, when first coming in contact with Holmes in Camelot says that "I suppose I've never really been good with people like him. He reminds me of Merlin."

It could refer to the mysterious manner in which both Holmes and Merlin conduct themselves, but better to keep in mind that Merlin is a Grand Caster, and that he manifests as a servant due to specific circumstances (he is not dead).

In Camelot, Mash assumes that Holmes must be Caster class and that the original novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle must have been biographies penned by Dr. Watson under a pen name. Holmes corrects her, saying that: "My true identity, my essence, is slightly different from what you may think. And sad, but that is not the purpose of our gathering here today."

This dilemma is also present in the Sherlock Holmes Trial Quest (which mostly tackles the debate of whether he's a fictional character or someone who actually existed). Holmes has a line where he says:

"Ah, yes. I mentioned I was a Caster. Forgive me, I lied."

This is however immediately followed up by:

"A jest. My apologies. I couldn't help myself."

This sort of backpedalling raises a doubt as to whether he was really Caster class before, so the nature of his former class is still a mystery. He later mentions that his Ruler class is the World telling him that not all illusions and dreams need to be laid bare.

When meeting with Salieri in Lostbelt 1, Holmes introduces himself as such:"I'm Sherlock Holmes, Chaldea's administrative advisor. I became a servant through unusual means, just like you."

Salieri was only summonable as a servant because of his reputation caused by the fact that he killed Mozart. He is under the effect of Innocent Monster. It can also be said that Salieri is a lostbelt servant and is significantly more sane than he would have been in a normal summoning, that was the unusual summoning that Holmes was refering to. Does this mean Holmes is not from Proper Human History?

Sigurd (who's under the control of Surtur), while attacking us in Lostbelt 2 says this: "So, a human and two Heroic Spirits. No, wait. Neither of you are pure Heroic Spirits, are you? You've both got something else mixed in. Hehe, hybrids then. Interesting"

This is in reference to Holmes and Mash, who are alongside the master at this moment. Mash is a demiservant (human+servant) hence the "Hybrid" comment makes sense, but Holmes? What is the "something else" mixed in with Holmes?

Later in LB2, Holmes requests the assistance of Scáthach-Skadi in beating Surtur. Skadi says that normally she would never pay mind to what a mere Heroic Spirit had to say but: "...but in your particular case…I sense wisdom in those beautiful eyes. You remind me of Baldr, god of light." Quite a bit later, she also has this to say:"Perhaps those piercing eyes of yours in fact surpass Odin's? Mystic Eyes, perchance? ….No, that's not it. They merely reflect your wisdom born of human history's cumulative accomplishments."

She says that's not it, but the fact that it was the first thing she thought of shouldn't be ignored.

Baldr is the god of light. Holmes' attacks consist of beams of light, and his cane lights up when he's using it in battle.

In Norse legends, Odin is said to have sacrificed one eye to the spring of Mimir in order to get ancient wisdom, the ability to perceive everything in the world.

SECTION 1.5: More Reactions (From JP Only)

Since it is JP only and there is no official translation for NA yet, this information cannot be 100% confirmed in any way. (Most of this is from Reddit translation done by fans). But as these are also important, it's best to put this information separate section.

Moriarty's interlude involves him finding a micro-singularity in London. At some point the transmission between Chaldea and the master gets cut and Moriarty reveals he created this scenario, made the singularity and everything to get one on one time with the master. He tells us not to trust Holmes. When the time comes, we as master should choose Moriarty over Holmes.

It has to be kept in mind that Moriarty is not a good guy, he is a character created entirely to oppose Holmes so it is natural that he doesn't trust him. For all we know, it is just emotional manipulation.

Moriarty's very nature is tied to being the antithesis of Holmes. Holmes might theoretically go against us for the sake of humanity while also trying to keep us safe (the master is in a way, a Watson replacement to him after all) while Moriarty would gladly let humanity burn for the sake of us but also for the sake of being completely opposite to Holmes and keeping his identity as such.

However he does raise valid points, how was Holmes able to rayshift? This part was never explained, and he also mentions that his hypothesis has a fatal contradiction in the fact that Holmes risked his life to save ours. What can be inferred from this is that Holmes is a good man and is on our side, but there is something very weird about him that should not be ignored.

In Lostselt 5 it is mentioned at one point that Zeus called Holmes dangerous, he mustn't look at Zeus or the other gods and that his eyes are enemies of the world.

It has to be mentioned that this is some heavy emphasis on Holmes' eyes (Skadi mentioned Holmes' eyes twice, and she was a god as well). Is it because of the nature of Holmes that he is the one that reveals all truth? Is that in some way detrimental to gods, magic and the world in general?

Recently, from Holmes' skill upgrade interlude there was a section about Holmes saying that he is always an ally of justice and that while he may be on our side, he is still capable of evil but it doesn't change the fact that he is our ally. Even then it seems he has some secrets that can't be understood by himself.

By now with the presence of Dr. Jekyll and Helena and their recounts on what happened, it is confirmed that Holmes was actually "alive"(?)

Some of the adventures penned by Dr. Watson were actually censored versions of the original happenings, which were magical in nature.

Holmes was traumatised(?) by Helena's death back when they were both alive. He swears he would never let that happen again. (remember what happened in lostbelt 2…)

It seems that Holmes himself is not fully sure of what is secret about him. Since he utterly dislikes talking about something without being 100% sure about it (this tendency of his has gotten us in trouble before) plus his general secretive nature, it can be said that this is why he wouldn't talk about that.

SECTION 2: Weird Things That Holmes Does (And Other Questions)

Heroic Spirits are anything but normal, but there are few servants who break the norm even further, and Holmes is one of them.

Holmes is able to Rayshift (presumably) from London, to Camelot, and then to Shinjuku. There are very few servants who are able to manifest themselves.

Musashi also appears here and there, but it's not a deliberate choice on her part. She is not able to predetermine her next destination.

Arthur travels from a parallel world to this world, but this is due to "chasing after a certain powerful antagonist, evil omen" - so he tells.

Beast class has the skill of Independent Manifestation which would allow the servant to manifest anywhere they'd want. Merlin, Tamamo Vitch and Shiki possess it. However, it has to be noted that Holmes' rayshifts have a significant toll on his saint graph, as he is unable to fight or defend himself by the time we meet him in Camelot. While normal Independent Manifestation shouldn't lead to the depletion of the user's saint graph. Holmes' class is unknown at the time of his rayshifting.

At the time of summoning, Heroic Spirits usually reveal their class and True Name (there also are exceptions to the rule). At the time of his summoning, Holmes doesn't reveal his Class: "Are introductions necessary? I am a detective. If you were expecting a hero, my apologies...But if you wanted a detective or an investigator, you drew the right card."

In the case of EOR Servants whose names haven't been found, they reveal their class.

Who summoned Holmes? The only thing we know regarding his presence was that it was first clearly there when he tampered with information in London.

Holmes' illustrator is Yamanaka Kotetsu, who was also the illustrator of the beasts Tiamat and Goetia

The artists who design and illustrate the characters tend to do it in groups of servants who are related to each other in some way (Pako with Arjuna and Karna Chacha and Nobunaga; Miwa Shiro with Brynhildr and Sigurd). It is strange that Kotetsu designed only Holmes, Tiamat and Goetia.

(NEW ADDITION) It should also be noted that as an illustrator Kotetsu has had previous works in a Lovecraftian Guidebook and is also the artist to the Alien God Preistess, somewhat showing how their work leans more to the outerworldly.

SECTION 3: The Design

It is a very commonly noticed fact that Holmes' coat in his third ascension has a very similar shape to that of the Foreigner card artwork.

The pattern work on the coattails of the foreigner art and the inside (blue) part of Holmes' coattails have a very similar, if not exactly same pattern running down the entire length of it. The sphere summoned in Holmes' Noble Phantasm also has the same pattern on its sides and front.

There is a "fog" around Holmes in his third ascension, which is reminescent of the smoke in the card art. (Also can be the London smog).

The glowing section of the abdomen of the being reminds one of the metallic corset that Holmes wears.

There are 4 notches of smoke on either side of the being (total 8), under their cape. If we stretch our interpretation, then it could mean Holmes' arms and the metal arms that he has is also equal to 8.

In that tangent, the shape of the coat is also similar to that of Saver class Buddha, the fantasy trees from Lostbelt 3 and 4, and the Shadows made by the 6th imaginary element.

The Endless Knot / Shrivatsa symbol on his shoulders is one of the many references of his connection to Tibet (faking his death after the Final Problem). It is an important symbol in both Jainism and Buddhism.

Some of its interpretations include:

The eternal continuum of mind.

The union of wisdom and method.

Since the knot has no beginning or end it also symbolizes the wisdom of the Buddha

the endless cycle of suffering or birth, death and rebirth within Tibetan Buddhism.

The cane that Holmes wields has a pattern on its handle in the shape of a Prayer Wheel.

However, we are not able to find the meaning behind the script on the cane. Both of us attempted to translate it but failed. If anyone can translate the meaning it would be greatly appreciated.

The holographic books in the base of the unidentified sphere have a pattern on their front that greatly resembles a lotus.

In Holmes' third ascension, there are a number of magical circuits on his coat.

The circuits are almost only on his left side, with very few circuits on his right side. It's not like it was woven into it, were that the case the circuits would have been all over his coat in a more even distribution. It's almost like an impact radius.

The circuits are very similar to the ones visible on the title screen of the lostbelts, as well as the patterns seen on the fantasy trees.

CONCLUSION SECTION: Something's Up (It's Big Brain Time)

It's clear that something is very strange about Holmes, from his interactions to his design, it's clear that there is too much effort into throwing these hints that it's not just a red herring.

Is he a Foreigner? Beast? Counter Guardian? Some other unknown extra class? It cannot be said at the moment. Holmes' role as a revealer itself is dangerous to mystery and magic, so it can be anything.

It is also not necessarily true that just because Holmes has all these abnormalities, that he will betray us, or is on the side of evil. When has there been a clear cut side of good or evil anyway? It can be argued that we are the villains in some way, as we bring about the end of these timelines to safeguard our own proper human history.

Holmes has always been on the side of humanity and will continue to be, the question is what the reveal will be, why and how. That, only time and future chapters can answer, all we can do is speculate.

#fate #fate grand order #fgo #Sherlock Holmes #lostbelt spoilers #foreigner theories #fuccyoutumblrfuccyoutumblrfuccy #hope yall enjoyed!! feel free to give yalls thoughts!!#and again thank you soso much fremd🥺🥺🥺🙏🙏

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isogenderskitty · 4 years

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One-Shot Fic: Tied Together

Soon to be put on AO3 once my signup goes through but for now it lives here.

Fandom: Ace Attorney Ship: Narumitsu (AKA Wrightworth) Word count: 1,342 Genre: Fluff, getting together, inspired by a conversation on a Narumitsu Discord server. ♥ Warnings: None! Except that I haven’t written anything in approx. 100 years. jkzsdhf Summary: Phoenix isn’t very good at tying his tie neatly. Miles really, really wants to fix it, among other things.

When he gets over the initial shock of his childhood friend suddenly showing up across the courtroom from him, the first thing that Miles Edgeworth notices is inane, illogical, and confusing.

The man cannot tie a tie.

It’s not so bad that it’s not technically tied up, he reasons – a person with slightly lower standards than his own probably wouldn’t even notice – but it is loose and wonky, and could look so much better with a little help from a more deft hand.

It’s not an outright obsession; there are often much more pressing matters at hand, obviously, both professionally and personally. But in tiny moments throughout the years, something living in back of his mind taps him lightly on the shoulder with slowly increasing confidence to say Miles, you really want to reach out and fix that tie.

Every time it comes to him, the thought is accompanied by an increasingly tighter chest, faster pulse, and more detailed visions of what Wright’s face might look like that close. How he might look at him. Whether he would feel the same pounding and rushing and near loss of control that Miles does. What that meant.

He thinks about it during multiple post-trial celebrations, looking across a tightly populated dinner table with the buzz of alcohol consumption in the air, unable to hear anything anyone said for worrying amounts of time, and especially unable to look away from a triumphant and jubilant Wright, smiling enough for all of them.

He thinks about it hundreds, thousands, infinite times while away in Europe for that secret year, wondering if Wright still hadn’t learned how to tie a tie properly. As lonely months pass, that thought becomes less wistful and more riddled with guilt and anxiety.

When he returns home, the first time he sees him is in the Criminal Affairs department, a young girl in robes clutching his hand tightly. He’s never seen Wright look this dishevelled. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days and hasn’t changed out of his suit or showered in just as long. The tie is barely holding on. A selfish and stupid thought flickers through Miles’s mind, for just a moment: is this what happens when I leave?

How absurd, he thinks, shaking his head. Something else must be wrong.

When Wright is disbarred, Miles can’t get hold of him for weeks. He drops everything and rushes over when he finally hears from him. Two surprises meet him at the door, albeit one much bigger than the other; Wright has a daughter now, and there isn’t even a tie in sight to fix.

He finds himself taking a more active role in Phoenix’s life from then on; as a current friend rather than just an old one. Visiting often for game nights, or just to watch TV, or giving financial or personal aid. Some nights just talking, some just listening, most a mixture of both.

After about six months of this new, altered relationship, they develop a silent agreement. If they just so happen to be sitting adjacent on the sofa, and perhaps Trucy has gone to bed or fallen asleep with her head on Phoenix’s lap, and all is still and dark and quiet except for lights and sounds from the television, they enter a different state with a different set of laws.

Heads can lean on shoulders and against the napes of necks. Thumbs can brush softly over knuckles while the other fingers grip each other tight. Feet can gently kick and nudge each other on the floor, that or perhaps the TV eliciting chuckles that can be felt as rumbles against skin or as breaths in hair. Every moment of living in this warm space they create makes Miles’s heart burst aflame and crash violently against his rib cage, screaming to be set free… and yet, mysteriously, he always wants more of that destructive feeling. As years roll by like this, ties are long forgotten.

Until Phoenix gets his badge back.

Miles walks into the defendant lobby a few minutes before the trial is due to start, to wish his dear friend luck. He stops in his tracks when he sees him. Back in that familiar blue suit, but better. So many details that are already driving Miles insane. The hair, the chain, the waistcoat.

The tie. Even this new, more mature, somehow even handsomer version of Phoenix was hopeless.

Before he knows what he’s doing, Miles has already walked over to him and opened his mouth.

“Wright.”

A turn, a beaming smile that threatens to blind him, a slight crack in the voice that is echoed on the surface of Miles’s heart. “Oh, hey Edgeworth!”

“I… just wanted to bid you good luck.” He bows out of habit. Too formal, even for the public eye, he scolds himself as Phoenix’s face falls ever-so-slightly. The last thing he wants right now is for Phoenix to think he’s been demoted to Wright. That being a lawyer again means their previous, stiffer relationship has been reinstated along with his career. He panics slightly, not wanting that idea to take hold.

“Thanks.” It’d sound happy to anyone else, but Miles can hear the undercurrent of worry.

Again his body moves without his mind’s explicit consent and he’s reaching for Phoenix’s tie in the middle of the defendant lobby before he’s registered the impulse to do so. Phoenix squawks and goes stiff as a board and red as an apple but doesn’t quite get as far as moving away. “Edgeworth, what… “

“You never were any good at tying this thing. Hold still.” His own voice sounds much farther away than Phoenix’s. Miles distantly decides that if he’s going to exist in this insane dream state for a moment he might as well embrace it. He commits to memory the heat coming off Phoenix’s skin, the cheap feel of the tie, the way his knuckles brush against his neck and he thinks he feels the hint of a nervous gulp. The air in the room suddenly feels unbearably hot.

After he finishes finally fixing that godforsaken pink tie, he admires his work for a moment, and then dares to look up to Phoenix’s face. The actual proximity of his eyes shocks him mute. He feels a slight tremble in his fingers as he pulls them away from Phoenix’s lapel. The room doesn’t exist.

He spots Phoenix wet his lips quickly with his tongue, and speak:

“I love you.”

It’s not said as if it’s news, or as if it’s a dramatic declaration, just a simple statement. Like it’s a reminder of something he’s already said. In a way, Miles supposes he has, in ways other than with words, countless times. He supposes they both have.

Phoenix looks just as shocked as Miles feels. Miles can’t help but laugh a little, even in his stupor. Phoenix looks even more shaken at that.

Distantly, as if echoed through a valley, they become aware that the bailiff is standing a few paces away, awkwardly trying to get Phoenix to go into the courtroom. Miles steps back, clearing his throat. His finger catches on Phoenix’s newly reattached attorney’s badge for a moment, giving him a burst of pride that is somehow perceptible over the rest of his body screaming bloody murder.

“I-I should go,” Phoenix stammers.

Miles faintly registers just before Phoenix turns away that he shouldn’t leave this conversation at that bombshell; he doesn’t want him to think the feeling isn’t mutual - the one that tears him apart day and night. He takes a deep breath and replies perhaps a little too loud.

“I love you too. Call me after the trial?”

“Way ahead of you,” Phoenix breathes, chest heaving. The beaming smile is back and somehow even brighter. It seems to illuminate the entire courthouse in a radiant golden light. Miles weakly offers up an uncharacteristically erratic wave before Phoenix turns and disappears into the courtroom with a skip in his step. Miles makes a mental note to apologise profusely for the distraction if he loses the case.

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kuiperblog · 3 years

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Feel-good “bad ends”

Movie protagonists are often breaking the rules. This is true even when our protagonists are on the right side of the law: after all, nobody’s perfect. (And if they were, we probably wouldn’t like them as much: after all, it’s hard for a character to have a “growth arc” if they start from a place of perfection. And making occasional mistakes reminds us that, just like us, they’re only human: they’re more relatable.)

But when our protagonists break the rules, it often leads toward one of two different endings: either they get caught and punished for their transgressions (which can make for a feelbad ending), or they get away with it scot-free. Most movies opt for the latter, but it can often feel unsatisfying, because there’s a real sense in which we want to see our protagonists reap the consequences of their actions.

Usually, it’s not a problem for them to suffer the consequences if their transgression is minor. For example, if the main character says something mean to his love interest, he can get a slap in the face -- and having paid for his transgressions, he can then immediately be rewarded with whatever feel-good conclusion the audience is in the mood for.

However, sometimes the protagonist’s transgressions are more dire, and demand more dire consequences. Recently, I’ve found two movies that manage to end with something that is, in an objective sense, a very bad outcome for the main characters, and exactly in proportion to what they deserve for their significant transgressions during the film, yet still allows for a “feel-good” ending. Naming those examples would by itself probably be a spoiler, so...spoilers for an Edgar Wright movie and a Pixar movie (and a Rocky movie) below the fold.

Heist movies are the classic example of a movie formula where the protagonists break a ton of rules and, in the case of a feelgood ending, basically can’t suffer any consequences. Either they get caught and it’s a moral aesop about how crime doesn’t pay, or they get away with it and we’re happy that our characters, who are really quite morally virtuous apart from their tendency to commit acts of robbery, are able to enjoy the spoils they’ve absconded with.

Baby Driver is a movie that I think strikes the perfect balance. In the end, our main character Baby doesn’t get away with his crimes. He’s committed a lot of crimes, and been involved in a lot of robberies. And not the non-violent kind, either!

At the same time, Baby was always “one of the good ones.” He was never the guy who held the gun; he was always the one behind the wheel. In fact, for basically his entire criminal career, he was blackmailed into it. Of course, the lazy method would be for the judge to have pity on him -- he was forced to commit crimes! But that would be ignoring the fact that the entire reason he got blackmailed in the first place is that he happened to steal a car from a criminal kingpin -- Baby was boosting cars well before a villain put a gun to his head and forced him to do it.

But as we see Baby marched to his prison cell, it’s intercut with testimony during his trial. Everything that we could have said in Baby’s defense is articulated by witnesses speaking in his defense:

“He got himself into a bad spot. I was just trying to get him out. I believe the defendant is of good character. He didn't deserve what happened to him.”

“It was the strangest thing. Before he drove off, he threw my purse right at me. Then he actually said ‘I'm sorry.’” (A delightful callback to a comedic moment earlier in the movie: Baby might resort to carjacking when he’s in a pinch, but he is the most polite carjacker you will ever meet. He doesn’t need your valuables; he just needs a getaway vehicle.)

“He made a mistake when he was younger, and it's haunted him ever since. When he tried to get out, he was pressured even harder. It was never his fault. He's got a good heart. Always has. Always will.”

Maybe it’s the fact that Sky Ferreira’s cover of Lionel Richie’s “Easy Like Sunday Morning” is the musical bed for this scene, but there’s something about the scene that feels incredibly cathartic. Baby Driver might be our protagonist, but he’s not innocent in all of this. His actions have consequences, and he gets sentenced to prison time for them.

At the same time, we’re left with the distinct impression that he has a life waiting for him on the outside. At the very least, Deborah is there waiting for him.

We can rest assured that Baby has no desire to return to a life of crime -- he and Deborah will be content with a modest life together. Indeed, a “modest life” is never something that either of them would need to settle for. Having a quiet simple life has been their aspiration for as long as they’ve known each other. Baby ends the movie knowing that he has years of prison time ahead of him, but also knowing that he’s on the start of a path to redemption. It’s enough to put a skip in his step as he walks across the prison yard. (Well, maybe not a literal skip in his step, but at the very least, it’s written on his face: he feels good about the path he’s on.)

Baby Driver came out in 2017, but I’ve already lost count of how many times I’ve watched it. I think the ending is a big part of what keeps me coming back to it. I love this ending -- there’s really nothing like the catharsis of seeing Baby held to account for his actions, while also having his virtues acknowledged. Those virtues might not be enough for him to avoid punishment, but in a way, his virtue its its own reward. It’s a heist movie that ends with the main character getting caught and spending years behind bars, and yet it’s an incredibly feelgood ending that just leaves you satisfied for all the right reasons. (After all, we’ve seen the fate of Baby’s confederates: we know that he could have encountered fates much worse than prison.) There’s really nothing like it.

Well, almost nothing. Last night I finally got around to watching Monsters University.

It’s a fun movie -- the central plot is the classic “underdog sports story.” Mike Wazowski has no talent for scaring -- according to the bigshot jock voiced by Nathan Fillion, the only way someone like Mike could end up working at a place like Monsters Inc is in the mailroom. Of course, because this is a prequel, we know that Mike’s story ends with him and Sulley being best buds together working at the Monsters Inc scream factory, so the odds can’t be that stacked against them, right? After all, the stakes are too high for them to fail: besides the fact that they need to be ready for the events of Monsters Inc, Mike is able to parley for a chance to get into the university’s scare program only because he makes an agreement with the Dean that if he fails, he’ll leave the school. With stakes that high, it seems only inevitable that Mike and Sulley will fulfill the classic underdog trope and lead a team of lovable losers to victory through sheer force of will (and the power of friendship).

Except, as we find out, force of will and the power of friendship aren’t enough to win you the big game when the thing you’re being tested on is talent and athleticism. Mike gets to experience the triumph of victory...but quickly learns that it only happened because Sulley cheated.

Mike and Sulley both bit off more than they could chew, and made a number of poor choices along the way. Sulley, unable to accept loss, cheated to achieve victory. Mike, unable to cope with experiencing loss, breaks into the university’s door department to mope around in the human world -- which is strictly verboten and extremely dangerous.

But...in the course of solving the problem that they’ve created themselves (combining their efforts to escape the human world by using scare techniques the likes of which have never been seen before), we learn that Mike and Sulley do have what it takes. The Dean recognizes it, too. It almost feels like she’s about to offer them leniency. After all, this is a prequel movie: we know that all of this has to end with Mike and Sulley working at Monsters Inc in the scare department, right? That means the Dean has to let them back into the university’s scare program! Surely their acts of daring and bravery show they have what it takes to make it in the Monsters University scare program!

And so it comes as no surprise when, at the end of the third act, the Dean comes out just as they’re about to depart. We see what looks like a smile on her face for the first time in the movie.

Except, of course, it would be crazy if they got off scot-free. Mike broke into the human world, which is about the worst possible thing a monster can do. And if the cheating scandal weren’t enough to sink Sulley, there’s also the fact that he followed Mike into the human world (his intentions were noble as he wanted to save his friend, but still extremely dangerous and just as verboten).

The Dean has nothing but kind things to say to them. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to rescue them from the consequences of their actions.

The two get no leniency. We feel an odd mixture of elation and defeat. On one hand, they got the validation that they craved: the Dean, who thought it was impossible for Mike Wazowski to ever be a scarer, now admits that she may have misjudged him. On the other hand, their lives are ruined. They must now reap what they have sown. What will become of their dreams now? And maybe more importantly, how the heck are we supposed to get from here to the events of the original movie that takes place several years later in the Monsters Inc chronology?

And then, Mike remembers something.

“You know, there is still one way we can work at a scare company. They’re always hiring in the mail room.”

Mike and Sulley start at the absolute bottom rung of the corporate ladder. But there are worse fates than doing blue collar work. After all, the entire theme of the underdog sports story that got us to this point was to show that Mike (and, with Mike’s encouragement, also Sulley) are the kind of monsters who will do whatever it takes to achieve their dreams, simply willing it to happen through sheer enthusiasm and force of will and, of course, the power of friendship. After all, anything can be fun when you’re doing it with your friends. As Sulley says, “This is better than I ever imagined!” They approach the job with an enthusiasm that tells us that they’re on their way up within this company.

The rest of their journey is shown to us in montage:

They’ve got that ambition, baby. This week they’re mopping floors, next week it’s the fries:

Of course, it’s only a matter of time before the company holds “try-outs” for the scare team, and from there, the rest is history. Plus, if the original movie is fresh enough in your mind, you’ll appreciate the easter egg references to the girlfriend that Mike met during this time (and the constant beratement he constantly got over needing to file his paperwork):

Over the course of the movie, they made some good decisions -- mostly the ones relating to the power of friendship and hard work. They also made some bad decisions -- mostly relating to playing fast-and-loose with the rules of their institution. Their college careers come to an unceremonious end.

And yet, even though the movie ends with them getting kicked out of college and spending “the best years of their lives” working blue collar jobs, it feels like an undeniably happy ending for the two of them. They reap exactly what they sow -- for worse, and for better. They don’t get to hide from the consequences of their actions...but that doesn’t mean things have to end on a dour note.

There’s something I really dig about that. It feels exactly like the first Rocky movie: Rocky is an athlete who trained and tried and fought as hard as he could -- and still lost. And yet, though he lost the big boxing match, there’s dignity in his loss. And in the end, he succeeded at the thing that really mattered.

In all three of these movies, it feels as though we as the audience are being set up for a specific happy ending. Of course Baby Driver has to end with the getaway driver getting away. Of course Monsters University has to end with Mike and Sulley graduating from the scare program. Of course Rocky has to end with our main character winning the big climactic boxing match. But in the end, we don’t get these “obvious” endings, because getting them wouldn’t really be a reflection of everything that led up to that point. And yet, we don’t walk away disappointed, because we somehow get something better. These characters may not get the “obvious” reward, the thing that they thought they wanted (and the thing that we, as the audience, thought that we wanted). But they get the things that really matter.

#movies #edgar wright #pixar

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rulesxunbroken · 3 years

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v; the downfall of the good witch (Wandavision divergent)

note*, this is a collaboration between myself and @itsbeenagatha: we felt Agatha needed more depth as to why she was so interested in the hex and Wanda’s magic. We are in no way excusing all the pain she caused Wanda, or any of her misdeeds, we are merely trying to shed a little light on what could push a woman to do such horrible things.

Agatha was a talented witch, but easily distracted. She couldn’t care less about her mother’s ramblings as her magic came so naturally and intuitively. She was able to use it with ease. Her Mother, Evanora, did not take too kindly to this and punished Agatha for her lack of focus and dedication.

With bruises and cuts from her mother’s switch, she would go to Susanna Walcott- another member of the Coven. (Agatha’s best friend and eventual lover) Agatha trusted Susanna with everything as they had grown up together and only became closer over the years. Agatha didn’t seem to mind when Susanna trained and tutored her as the Harkness girl latched onto every word that Susanna said. Evanora wasn’t fond of the idea that Susanna was teaching Agatha, but let it go due to the fact that Agatha was actually participating in her studies now.

Evanora would also hold resentment toward Susanna for ‘stealing’ her daughter away and making her have impure thoughts. Agatha was meant to focus only on her gifts, not indulge in the sins of exploration with another woman- love made witches weak, in Evanora’s mind. Agatha and Suanna had tried to keep their intimacy a secret, but it was eventually revealed to Evanora. When Susanna fell ill with diptheria, there was no common medicine at that time. Susanna’s chances were slim as Agatha had not yet mastered healing and preservation incantations. Her area of expertise lied in transfiguration. Agatha pleaded with her mother, begging her to heal Susanna, but her mother refused to bend nature as it was not wise to upset the elements. As Susanna’s illness was on a rapid course, Agatha became reckless.

Consumed by her fear and Anger, and despite Susanna’s wishes, Agatha stole knowledge and texts of the darkest of magics trying to find anything that may spare Susanna. Evanora soon learned of Agatha’s actions and called her forth for a trial by death as Agatha had broken their most sacred of rules. Agatha pleaded innocent, saying that the rules merely bent to her power, that she was meant to have this knowledge if only Evanora would teach her. That she was not seeking this power for harm, but for goodness. She could be good- Evanora refused to listen and the Coven began their execution. However, a deeper power was unleashed inside of Agatha. A form of magic that Evanora had not yet seen come from her daughter. Agatha was able to defend herself and drain the Coven of their powers. Evanora took the execution into her own hands and attacked her own daughter, but Agatha was too strong, causing Evanora to meet the same fate as her Coven.

Agatha took off, finding Susanna once more. Her lover was on the brink of death- in pain and so sickly looking. She had told Susanna what she had done, confessing her misdeeds to the one she loved and trusted most. Susanna did not approve of Agatha’s actions, but did not love her any less. Agatha sang Susanna to sleep and soon after, the ill witch died in her arms.

***

In her grief, Agatha fled, with no real destination in place. Her magical trail was not easily covered up and she was met by a mysterious creature that had been lured to her by feeding off of her hatred and anger. He introduced himself by the name of Mephisto. He presented her with a book, the Darkhold, and Agatha took it to flip through the pages. He showed her a chapter dedicated to a mythical being known as the Scarlet Witch that was destined to destroy the worlds. However, this being had not been created yet, and he knew not when that being would come into existence. If Agatha promised to help him, he would offer her power and talent that her mother could never teach her.

At the lowest point in her life, Agatha agreed. Mephisto granted Agatha with immortality so that she could easily drift through centuries upon centuries to find the Scarlet Witch. Mephisto promised Agatha that if she drained the Scarlet Witch of their powers, he would bring Susanna back to her. This intrigued and scared Agatha. She saw what draining magic did to her coven and she feared that if she took the power of the Scarlet Witch, that would kill her, too. She asked Mephisto to merely train her instead, that she could learn such power and bring Susanna back herself. He told her that he would need the power of the Scarlet Witch to grant her such a feat.

In 2023, Agatha is now just over 350 years old, she gets her first clue of a power that was so great that it would nearly awaken any magical being within the world. With such a strong power, Agatha could only assume that it was the Scarlet Witch. She found herself in Westview, New Jersey, where the town seemed to be altered. Agatha didn’t understand this power, but she was able to blend in with ease and go undetected. There, she crossed paths with Wanda Maximoff, the source of this spontaneous creation, but Agatha felt she wasn't dangerous. Just misguided as she had been so many centuries ago.

This now put Agatha in a horrible position. She could have the love of her life back, but in order to do so, she would have to drain the power of this seemingly innocent witch. She told Mephisto that there must be another way, but Mephisto twisted Agatha’s view of Wanda, giving her only bits and pieces of the Scarlet Witch’s life to paint her as the villain. That she was with Hydra, that she had killed so many in Lagos. Mephisto convinced Agatha that if she took Wanda’s power, not only would she have Susanna back, she would be doing the world a favor. It is then that Agatha learns that Wanda has an entire town mind controlled, only amplifying what Mephisto had told her.

It was not until Agatha dragged Wanda through her memories did she realize she had been lied to. That Wanda wasn't evil, she just didn't quite know how to handle that power. Agatha felt guilty for manipulating Wanda, for taking her children, but she was too far in. She was too close to having Susanna back. There was a part of her that really came to like Wanda- she hoped by seeing Wanda’s memories, she would be able to learn how to possess this power, rather than take it from Wanda, but there was still a town under siege, and she felt the pressure to put an end to it, because if she didn't, she feared that Mephisto would go back on his deal and Agatha would be left with nothing. She became hungry and greedy for this power. She would not leave without Susanna. Even if that meant eliminating someone who had become a friend under false pretenses.

***

Agatha lost the battle to Wanda and became trapped in the mind of Agnes Bohner (the role she had created to get closer to the Scarlet Witch). This was the cruelest fate Wanda could have given her. She had confined Agatha alone in Westview. Because of this, Agatha was unable to continue what was needed to get Susanna back. Agatha would have rather died. There was so much pain in Agnes’ eyes from Agatha’s failure. She didn’t want to live another century of failing Susanna. If Agatha had just picked up sooner that Mephisto had tricked her, if she had just told Wanda what had happened, it was likely that Wanda would have tried to help her. Wanda would have understood because she created a whole new reality just to have Vision back.

***

Wanda, now in possession of the Darkhold, fled to a secluded cabin to become more knowledgeable in her power. As she flipped through the pages, she could hear her children calling for her.

Mephisto was able to find Wanda, to tell her that he could help her navigate the Darkhold. That Agatha had been too weak to do it for him. He let slip the deal he had with Agatha. Realizing what happened, Wanda went back to Agatha to free her. She took Agatha up on her offer of teaching her magic. Wanda wanted to help Agatha bring Susanna back, but she was weary of bringing back the dead because of what had been caused in Westview. She promised Agatha that they would find another way to not only bring back Susanna, but Tommy and Billy as well.

Mephisto felt betrayed by Agatha when she teamed up with the Scarlet Witch, and by way of torment, he used an apparition of Susanna. Agatha can’t touch her, can’t hear her, and Susanna constantly looked like she did right before she died. Sick and in pain.

Thinking this is just another trick, Agatha didn’t allow this to deter her from helping Wanda find her boys.

When they found the Billy and Tommy, Wanda had been able to find a link in the Darkhold to get Susanna back. This became Wanda and Agatha’s reconciliation. Wanda still wasn’t pleased that Agatha tried to drain her powers and hurt her family, but having the full picture put Agatha’s actions into perspective. Wanda was able to forgive Agatha, because: Family is forever. Wanda understood that Agatha was just trying to bring her own family back.

The cost of bringing Susanna back to their plane of existence was for Agatha to give up her immortality- which was fine with her because all she wanted was to grow old with Susanna. With Agatha’s sacrifice, and Wanda’s help, they were able to bring the woman back.

Due to all they’ve endured together and because they had no one else, Agatha, Wanda, Susanna and the boys became a found family.

Agatha and Susanna could now have a long, happy life together, be honorary aunts to the twins, and live in a beautiful cabin in Sokovia.

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carewyncromwell · 4 years

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“And so...esteemed members of the Wizengamot...based on the overwhelming evidence -- the factually bankrupt, inflammatory anti-Muggle and Muggle-born leaflets sent out by the defendant’s Commission and promoted by the defendant herself; the transcripts of trials overseen by the defendant that spell out blatant corruption and unsanctioned cross-examination techniques, including having Dementors present during all trials and actively refusing to give any defendant proper legal representation; the testimony of over fifty Ministry employees, speaking to the defendant’s close working relationships with known Death Eaters and to her own willingness to overlook Wizarding Law to advance herself and her Commission’s political aims; the countless memos written in the defendant’s own hand condemning nearly a thousand people, including over a hundred children, to unjust captivity; and the defendant’s well-known reputation among her ex-students, her coworkers, and even her own family for enjoying the suffering of others and persecuting fellow wizards and witches not just for their blood, but also for suffering from medical conditions like lycanthropy and blood maledictions -- all of which the defense has offered no suitable defense for, aside from incorrectly asserting that the defendant was ‘simply following orders’ from her superiors...I think there is no question as to her guilt, or to what justice would be appropriate.

Although I -- as a private citizen of the Wizarding World -- agree with Minister Shacklebolt’s measure to remove the Dementors from Azkaban prison...I must acknowledge that if there were ever a case for a criminal from our world deserving the Dementor’s Kiss...it would be Dolores Jane Umbridge. But because we -- unlike the defendant -- have a code of honor before us that we will not break just to achieve a political objective...I believe it’s our solemn duty to ensure this basilisk in human skin never walks free again.”

~Carewyn Cromwell, prosecutor for the trial of Dolores Umbridge // January 1999

Hey guys! So I came across this awesome fashion post and was reminded of dress robes...so here we have a 25-year-old Carewyn Cromwell as the lawyer in charge of prosecuting Dolores Umbridge for her crimes during the Second Wizarding War. She got her hair cut, as you can see! In the 90′s, when the original books are set, there was a lot less of the “big hair” popular during the 80′s, and short, more modest hairstyles became more common. Think of this as a #Future!MC Challenge? 8D

More Future!Carewyn lore under the cut!

The Second Wizarding War was...difficult for Carewyn. Although she had so much baggage with Dumbledore, she agreed to join the Order of the Phoenix, but only on her own terms. Carewyn never attended any of the Order’s meetings in person, preferring to stay in touch solely through her old friends Tonks and Jae, so as to stay at an advantageous position within the Ministry without Fudge suspecting her of associating with known Dumbledore allies like Professor McGonagall or the Weasleys. Even if she wasn’t very active on the battlefield against Voldemort, Carewyn nonetheless provided quite a bit of covert support to them by silently sabotaging Fudge and the Death Eaters at the Ministry. It was a struggle to stay silent and composed in the face of the Death Eaters’ tyrannical takeover of the Ministry and persecution of Muggle-borns and political dissidents, but Carewyn knew she had to strike at the proper moment, if she had any chance of delivering a fatal blow to someone as powerful as Voldemort. This doesn’t mean it wasn’t very, very hard for her not to lash out violently in defense of the people the Muggle-Born Registration Commission hauled into court on trumped-up charges. She was able to smuggle intelligence out to other Order members who helped with rescuing some of those prisoners or protecting wanted fugitives, but Carewyn never forgave herself about the many people she was unable to help.

Meanwhile Carewyn’s brother, Jacob Cromwell -- now a rather prominent Cursebreaker and traveling magical researcher -- helped the Order by hiding Muggle-born fugitives in a secret room he’d constructed in his flat. Even though Ministry officials searched his home multiple times, Jacob’s combination of both magical and Muggle tricks kept the families in his care from being detected every single time.

When the Battle of Hogwarts began, the Minister and his entire support staff left the Ministry to either join their true master Voldemort or (in the case of Percy Weasley) join the Order. Carewyn -- realizing how dangerous it would be to leave the Ministry unprotected when Voldemort and the Death Eaters were still at the height of their magical power -- instead stayed behind, incapacitated the head of the Muggle-born Registration Commission Dolores Umbridge, put her under citizen’s arrest, and took temporary charge over the remainder of the Ministry’s staff. Carewyn sent the majority of them either home to their families or to Hogwarts as reinforcements -- the few employees who chose to stay behind then helped Carewyn with securing the Ministry against a possible assault by the Death Eaters in case they returned and with starting the process of rescuing the Muggle-borns and political enemies imprisoned in Azkaban and its related camps. By the time the Battle of Hogwarts was over, the Death Eaters had lost everything -- their leader, most of their members, and all the power they’d accrued over the Wizarding World.

After the Battle, Carewyn arrived at Hogwarts, seeking out Jacob, who’d gone to fight in her stead, as well as Percy, who at that point would’ve been the legal successor to the role of Minister. While there, she learned of the deaths of Tonks, Lupin, and Fred. The three deaths, on top of the past deaths of other dear friends like Rowan, Cedric, Kyril @kyril-hphm, Moody, and Dobby, were too much for Carewyn to bear. Even now, years later, she resents herself for not having been able to take care of and protect her friends the way she thinks she should have.

Since Percy had resigned as Junior Undersecretary mid-battle, it was decided that an election would have to be held very quickly -- in the meantime, Kingsley Shacklebolt took on the role temporarily, with Carewyn, Arthur Weasley, and Percy serving as support. (Shacklebolt would go on to be nominated and elected Minister for several terms.) Carewyn specifically almost singlehandedly took on the task of bringing everyone who had aligned themselves with the Death Eaters to court to receive proper justice. Fortunately, unlike Barty Crouch, Sr. during the First Wizarding War, Carewyn never railroaded her defendants or lost sight of who she was getting justice for. Every time she faced an accused Death Eater or Voldemort sympathizer, Carewyn felt the presence of her friends in that courtroom with her. And when she looked into her defendants’ eyes and -- through her Legilimency -- saw no sincere love in their minds or souls, the lawyer once called “Cursebreaker Cromwell” became all the more convinced that love was the strongest magic of them all.

Interestingly, although Carewyn prosecuted all three Malfoys, she actually offered relevant evidence and testimony she came across in her own investigations to the defense attorneys assigned to Draco and Narcissa Malfoy. She never let go of her dislike for Lucius Malfoy or his wife, but perhaps because of her sympathy for Draco Malfoy’s position as well as her having met him when he was a kid, Carewyn didn’t express vocal disappointment when the Wizengamot pardoned the Malfoy family after the War. In Draco’s case specifically, Carewyn believed that he, unlike his parents, had the potential to reform himself. She even visited Draco after he was released from custody and -- reminding him of what he’d said to her before they’d parted ways so many years ago -- challenged him to a friendly duel.

Carewyn Cromwell’s name never became world-renown, but the cases she was involved in, both regarding the War and not, became her legacy. Thanks to her efforts, countless Death Eaters were arrested; victims of the Muggle-born Registration Commission received proper compensation and justice; the Statute of Secrecy was relaxed so that Muggle spouses of witches and wizards were allowed to know of their partner’s magical talent before having children with them; and the High Inquisitor position was dismantled so thoroughly that no similar position could ever be created again.

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firebirdsdaughter · 3 years

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Small things that kill me…

… The look on Vergil’s face when Nero gives the ‘Dante’s not going to die up here and neither are you’ speech.

Honestly… Just all of his interactions w/ Nero in that scene.

Vergil’s a fucking dumbass who has no clue how to person at this point, he’s a complete wreck who may or may not have known he had a kid before the whole incident w/ Mundus, but now he’s even less equipped to deal w/ it, he has precious little if any practice not being at the least indifferent at the most hostile…

I think one of Vergil’s big issues is indifference, to the consequences for his actions, especially for others, for what others think, for himself in many ways… While V did develop a bit, enough to realise splitting himself in half caused massive, destructive consequences for countless people. Sure, maybe he couldn’t have predicted (which I don’t think he did) that Urizen would go that bonkers, but setting half a demon loose on the world would generally be a bad idea, to say nothing of ripping someone’s arm off in order to do so (the extreme indifference again, causing him to be unable to properly ask for help—I don’t think he enjoyed or ‘wanted’ to ‘hurt’ Nero, but the consequences never crossed his mind; to him, it was just something he had to do to survive, that was all that mattered). And that’s all a result of what he went through ever since the attack—I have this whole ramble about how I think his and Dante’s fighting styles reflect the (both unhealthy in their own way) way in which they reacted to that traumatic event—but bc he’s been fending for himself since eight, w/ only the Yamato on hand, he’s downright dangerously/extremely self sufficient/obsessed with being completely self reliant. Like the Phantom of the Opera’s ‘the world showed no compassion to me’ except really. His entire life was just about getting through the day, he had it drilled into him by experience that he could only truly trust himself, that he needed to be able to do things entirely on his own—to the point that even after being ripped apart, pretty much literally, by Mundus, he still can’t ask for help. It is a result of his trauma, but it means he has very limited skill in thinking of other people. Like, if we get a future game w/ him as one of the protags, I feel like that would be something he’d absolutely struggle w/, being more aware of others. That it would take him twice as long to react/do things that might take others like Dante or Nero a moment bc he has to actively make himself think about others, forcibly train himself to do that.

Anyway, I’m going off topic. My thought is… Vergil’s definitely not, at first glance, or even second glance, or third, parent material. I love the character, he’s a walking disaster. He’s no good at thinking of others, and is indifferent to what others think of him. I think he still loved Dante in his own, very damaged way, but he’d rallied himself against that feeling for so long, considered it weakness and shut it out, that he likely won’t be able to express it in any understandable way for a long time. And on the inverse, he can’t conceive of, for instance, Dante actually caring about him—like… He doesn’t think he matters to anyone either, puts no emotional value in himself. If that makes any sense? Like… Even when he does encounter compassion, he rejects and suspects it… Dante is a weird case, but I do see Vergil not understanding that he matters to anyone. He’s indifferent to everyone, including himself, and he doesn’t expect any more care or affection from others than he shows—like he’s not one of those jerks who expects people to like him despite being a jerk, he’s just largely given up on relationships (he either thinks they only bring pain, or that, like his softer feelings for Dante, they are weakness).

And I think he went up there to die. Pride and stubbornness prevented him from surrendering, but he had at least some idea of the enormity of the consequences of his actions. At the least, he knew he’d majorly fucked up and caused a lot of pain. I think his intentions were similar to that of Griffon and crew—face Dante one last time, fight all out bc his own pride wouldn’t let him do any less, and leave it up to fate. I don’t think he expected to kill Dante, just that he couldn’t not fight his hardest, out of respect and bc it was his nature. But he had no illusions over his probability of survival. The only reason he did throw the sheath away this time was that it wasn’t a ‘suicidal blaze of glory’ like I think fighting Mundus might’ve been, but more of a trial by combat, to him. Dante, meanwhile, was just assuming/accepting that he was going to have to take his brother out again, and he likely wasn’t planning on ever coming back from that, either (which I don’t think Vergil realised), either by dying in the fight, too, or going into hell on his own.

But then Nero shows up. Now I think V and therefore Vergil were at least aware that Nero and Dante mattered to each other, bc Dante’s the kind and caring one and Nero’s a good kid. Like, I’m sure he was aware of that.

I don’t think he’s surprised Nero interrupted (that form probably was unexpected, but Nero objecting in general or trying to rejoin the fighting wasn’t completely unthinkable) or that Nero was defending Dante.

I think what catches him off guard is the ‘and neither are you.’

He ripped Nero’s arm off and then knowingly deceived him as V, and on top of that, turns out Nero is his son who he pretty much abandoned (like we don’t know the details of when and why Vergil left, or if he knew, but the fact is, he made choices that resulted in him not being there for Nero). And that’s to say nothing of all the hell Urizen caused. Basically, a list of things that would generally result in Nero falling into the same category as everyone else—another burned bridge, another person who hates him, and Vergil is quick to close doors. He expects no consideration from Nero, no more than he’s shown, and V was aware they had horribly hurt Nero (esp since V was weaponising Nero’s issues surrounding that).

But instead of just completely writing Vergil off like Vergil expects, Nero extends this declaration of ‘not dying’ to him as well. Sure, Vergil immediately tries to throw up the usual prideful walls what w/ that ‘if I beat Nero I win by default’ stuff, but then he later tries to get Nero to stand down rather than continuing the fight, saying it has nothing to do w/ him [Nero], and then his reaction to Nero’s ‘it has everything to do w/ me’… He just doesn’t know how to react to Nero? He expects one thing, but Nero just keeps defying his assumptions (which takes some mighty powerful heart and compassion on Nero’s part bc while I do see Vergil as incredibly tragic and don’t think he’s fully ‘responsible’ for Urizen’s actions, Nero doesn’t have a lot of that info, but he’s making the decision that this is fucked up and no family of his is going to kill each other—so anyway while I do love me the angsty drama dads, let me just say I love Nero, too).

It’s with Nero that bits of his awkward, ‘tsundere’ side come out, ever so slightly. He and Dante have trapped themselves in a pattern, Dante bc he’s Tired and has just resigned himself to the necessity of it an wants to get it over w/ and Vergil bc at his core he’s afraid to try anything else bc he sees it as weakness. But I said this before, I think Nero being his son and Nero being… How Nero is, all heart and and good and warm and compassionate, to the point that he’s defying not just the ‘inevitability’ of Vergil and Dante being at odds, but literally fighting to save him, after all he’s done… I think that meant something.

Obviously, it’s not going to be simple or easy, and I do think that, now that he’s been given hope that he can get through to Vergil and not have to kill him (which I think he’d concluded was a sort of mercy kill?), Dante is the best person for Vergil to get used to his emotions etc. w/ bc they have that deep understanding of each other and what happened, esp now, but… I love how Nero cracked his shell there? Like… He’s not really prepared for it, but I think I can see Vergil wanting to at least try to be some kind of parental, esp after he’d recovered a bit more? And I do think he’d also respect if Nero ultimately told him to get lost (although I can seem him, like, watching from afar or something), even now, bc again w/ the whole I think he has no expectations of what others think of him, but… I do see him wanting (and maybe having trouble accepting that he wants it, at first) to be part of Nero’s life in some way? Esp in a vein of… Wanting to preserve Nero’s ‘goodness’ for lack of a deeper word? Bc I can see a slightly more recovered post dmc5 Vergil not wanting his son to fall down the same holes he did. Like, they’ve all gone through trauma, and lost people, but Vergil is now very aware that he ended up hurting and even killing people and very nearly destroying himself and going absolute monster, to the point his twin brother, who understood him on another level, in their own way, resigned to having to kill him to stop it (I genuinely think for all his talk, Dante did see it as a bit of a mercy kill, the only way he could preserve the last shreds of the brother he loved and keep Vergil from actually going Full Urizen [V even existing means that Vergil wasn’t completely gone, but I think he was on thin ice]). Dante’s already dragged into this by the very same events that placed him there, but Nero has a chance not to be, which I think was part of his ‘this has nothing to do w/ you’ thing, and I totally see Vergil following that sentiment and wanting to keep Nero from ever turning out like him.

Vergil’s probably never going to be ‘nice’ or very good at empathy or things like that. It may forever take him more willpower to think about others. He may need to start small (like just Nero and/or Dante). He’ll probably still be insensitive for years to come. He’ll never be able to be as easily open and compassionate as Nero and Dante. And he knows he can’t change the past, can’t undo the Arkham incident, or what he did to Nero, or the fact that his stubbornness, pride, inability to ask for help, obsessive habits, and indifference/inconsideration for consequences had calamitous results. He’s not magically good or saved bc he has a kid, but I think even just knowing about and seeing Nero act the way he did resonated w/ something he thought he’d lost a long time ago. Nero and V’s interactions have a whole new light for him now. I absolutely think if Dante’s willing the twins should stick together bc they balance each other, Dante can watch him, won’t take his shit, and wants to help him be better, but… I think even if that didn’t happen… There’s a chance just knowing Nero exists and is so… Good could enough of a catalyst for Vergil to find a different way to live, even on his own. Like there’s a sense of pride? Not in the vein of taking responsibility for Nero turning out as good as he did, but, like, in the way people sometimes say ‘I’m sorry’ like ‘I’m sorry that you are sad’ as in ‘I am expressing sympathy for your sadness.’ Pride that Nero has achieved this, and is strong in his own right. If that makes sense.

He will always be rather an asshole. But, esp if he has some support for his issues and someone watching him… He can do better. Like… Do better. He’ll always be stiffer and pricklier than everyone else, he’ll probably be more pragmatic, think more w/ logic than w/ heart. Emotions and empathy and compassion will always be hard.

But those interactions (and, honestly, that whole ending, even more honestly, the themes of the whole game), def gave me the impression that he could absolutely do better.

… I just went on a total stream of consciousness ramble, so, uh, virtual treat of your choice if you read all that.

#DMC #today on Fire was looking at gifs and had Feelings #TT^TT #I'm not gonna tag much bc I typed SO MUCH in this post DX #I should really give the fam precious tags I love all three of them so much #Demon Drama Fam

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quietkite · 3 years

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𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐬 | 𝟏

The Wattpad Version ➼ Lovely Little Liars Table of Contents

𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

Trigger Warnings:

Offensive Language, Mention of Death

Draco

He couldn't bear to look.

Lucius Malfoy stood on a podium with restraints on both his arms and legs. A heavy metal brace rested on his neck with a multitude of locks unable to be unlocked with just a simple 'alohomora'.

His mother was next to him with an emotionless look on her face, but she knew how to control her emotions. Her hands were locked with her son's, squeezing it with a mixture of fear, anxiety and comfort.

He couldn't tell if she was giving or wanting the comfort.

Draco could have almost been unrecognisable. His overly light blonde hair was a mess. He wore an oversized light grey shirt with long, pushed up sleeves. He had navy jeans that were ironed but slightly crushed up. He could have been Potter if he wanted to.

There were fifty people in stands looking down from their high spots. Draco stood by his mother on the side of the cold, and open, cobblestone courtyard where his father stood silently on his podium in the middle of it all.

Then out of nowhere, memories flooded his head, bad memories. It worsened by the second and Draco felt that he might have blacked out.

But it was time.

A dementor floated airily toward his father. Draco saw the anguish in his father's eyes. The defeat. The dementor didn't immediately suck out his father's soul like how the process of the dementor's kiss would normally go. His father turned his head to see his wife and son one last time. But the anguish in his father's eyes turned into hatred as he looked at Draco. He was able to get one word out before the dementor took his soul.

"Faggot."

The dementor took less than a minute to take the man's soul as Lucius's soulless body was dragged away after falling forwards with an eerie hollow-sounding thud.

That was when the tears flooded out. Draco didn't know if he was crying over his father's soul being permanently stripped away forever or that his last words were about his complete hatred for him. His mother took her hand from his and rubbed his back trying to soothe him. Draco knew how much this broke his mother too.

When they reached the elevators, Draco had composed himself enough. No matter how much his family was hated now, he couldn't show the pain. The Malfoys shouldn't show any more emotions than they already had shown. Too much emotion that is showcased to the world, meant the more damage that could be done to you from the world.

Narcissa then swiftly apparated them back to the Malfoy Manor silently.

Once there, his mother immediately requested to be alone as she slowly, yet gracefully, walked to her quarters, her black high heels clicking as she walked.

Draco's trials had happened the week before. He was spared for being underage when he took the mark. Someone defended him but they wore their hood hiding their identity. When Lucius's punishment had completely finished Draco had a faint glimpse of his defender's vibrant, emerald green eyes and round looking glasses as the Wizengamot members filed out as his defender attended Lucius's soul detachment. The mysterious person was a bit shorter than average, had tanned skin and wore muggle-looking shoes called running shoes. Draco could have guessed they were no older than seventeen or sixteen.

Although Draco didn't understand how the stranger had to much evidence to prove his innocence.

But alas, the stranger wasn't able to prove him to be completely innocent. He still had the dark mark.

As Draco wasn't going to Azkaban yet, they put him on probation instead.

He couldn't cast any offensive spells and hardly any of the ministry-approved spells were helpful to him. The ministry then made it so if Draco were to leave his home he would only be allowed twelve hours per day.

A loud bang sounded at the door making Draco visibly jump. Quickly running towards the door in case it was the ministry, he opened the door to see a person slightly shorter than him with raven coloured hair styled in a short, black bob, immediately attacking him with a strong bear hug. Not far back was another with long, dark brown hair that had a natural purple tint, smiling.

It was Pansy and Astoria.

Pansy and Astoria could have been counted as two of his actual best friends.

Pansy was his first friend that was a girl ever. They weren't ever going to marry as their families were already close enough to be family. She had admitted to liking him in the sixth year while they were in their seventh. But she got over that quickly. But to him, Pansy was always like his sister. She helped him in his darkest times and vice versa. They were quite close. They loved each other as actual siblings would. He would do anything for her.

Astoria was a bit of a different case. The two were mutual friends at first thanks to one of his other friends being Daphne Greengrass, Astoria's older sister. When Draco was in his seventh year and she was in her fifth, they were told they'd be wed one year after Astoria graduated from Hogwarts. Because Daphne had died a month after the war when her health was terrible from a blood curse which resurfaced in her and a critical hit while fighting in the war it caused the entire Greengrass family go through much grief. They still grieved, because family is one of the hardest lose.

"Dray, darling!",Pansy cried out as Draco hugged her, shocked about her and Astoria's sudden,unexpected arrival.

"W-what are you two doing here?",Draco asked confusedly.

Pansy shot Astoria a look of confusion and worry. Astoria crept up closer towards the doorway.

"Did you not receive the letter?",Pansy replied with a clear sense of agitation and worry lining her voice.

"Maybe it would be better if we talked inside.",Astoria stated, pointing inside the manor.

Draco quickly looked backwards inside his house to see if his mother was still in her room before answering,"Of course, although we ran out of tea and won't be able to get anymore for a while without our house elves for the year."

Pansy gave a firm, but compassionate nod while Astoria gave him another smile.

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"I am so sorry we weren't there for you today, we—",Pansy started before Draco cut her off.

"It's okay. I'm fine now. But what is this about a letter?",Draco asked, quickly changing the subject.

Pansy eyed him, searching for clues to see how Draco wasn't fine at all, before answering Draco's question.

"I was in my Manor reading when an owl flew in with a letter. As you know our owls normally went straight to our parents unless it was a friend our parents approved of. But the stamp was none of the pureblood crests. It...it was from Hogwarts. They requested that we were to come to Hogwarts for a reunion and some news. And this was only sent to those in our year. But I-we, came here to ask if you were coming to the reunion."

Draco was shocked.

A reunion?

How come he was never owled?

"Do you know who else is coming? Slytherins I mean."

"Well, Goyle...he committed suicide after Crabbe died. Theo gave me a maybe though it was pretty unclear, Blaise hasn't answered any of mine or Astoria's owls. But I do know that I'm going, although Astoria is only in her sixth year meaning she can't go. That bitch, Millicent is dead thank Morgana. But I heard a rumour that Tracey was going to come after she was proven innocent by the ministry."

Draco stiffened at the thought of Tracey. None of his friends were ever fond of her and Millicent, for reasons nobody wanted to nor was ready to discuss.

"I will go only since you will be going and because Astoria cannot go with you. When did the letter say the reunion was?"

"In two days time I believe."

"Merlin. Okay, I will have to let mother know then. Have either of you two seen Theo or Blaise since the war?"

"I haven't seen the two but Pansy and I have only owled Theo once if that counts and his response was only one word. But we're not exactly sure if he will go to the reunion. And we haven't heard a word from Blaise since then. He just disappeared off the radar.",Astoria piped up. She was almost always with Pansy and always thought of her as second older sister. Especially since Daphne's death.

"How is your mother doing right now Dray? Je me sens comme un idiote de ne pas demander!"

"She's....fine...",Draco remarked doubtfully, looking backwards at the kilometre long hallway filled with the moving portraits of the past Malfoys.

"She's that bad? Merlin!",Pansy replied a gasp, shaking her head with pity.

Astoria discreetly nudged the young woman as she realised what time it was. At least half an hour had passed.

"Merde. Sorry to cut our time short Dray dear but I promised Astoria we'd go somewhere for a bit as she can't apparate on her own yet. Oh! Mcgonagall also stated that she wanted us there a day earlier. I can apparate us to the train station."

"It's completely fine. I should be available then. I'll have to let mother know now."

Astoria gave Draco a smile as Pansy gave him one last tight, warm hug before Pansy apparated the two young women to wherever they had made plans to go.

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When the two girls were gone Draco let out a heavy sigh.

He trudged to his paren— his mother's room to check on her. Lucius's death took quite a toll on her. He didn't know what could happen to her if he left her alone for only two days.

Draco opened the door as the only sound made was a squeak from the door opening. Narcissa laid in her bed upright with a tiny, dark green book in her hands, silently flipping the page, a small frown etched onto her face.

"Mother..?"

"D-Draco!",Narcissa jumped,"I didn't hear you come in! Did you need something? Is it already supper? I can make you some food if your—"

"No no mother. It's just that Pansy and Astoria came over a small while ago and informed me of something."

"Oh those two darlings, what was it that happened dear?"

"Er— They told me that all of the seventh years from last year were invited to a reunion. I have already confirmed with Pansy on my attendance to the meet. But was part of the ministry's prohibition not giving us our letters? I only just found out about the reunion from Pansy today. But more importantly, will you be okay alone? It should only last two days, but I'll have to leave tomorrow."

"I should be fine by myself Draco. I am not that weak to become dysfunctional over one man's death. Although I will contact my lawyer about the owls. You should go start packing. Your old school trunk is in your sixth closet."

Draco smiled at his mother, who's stance straightened up, as he left the door with a squeak when he closed the door slowly.

Once the door was closed completely, Draco walked quickly to his own room and slammed the door shut as he slid down the door, his long legs sprawled out

He took a long deep breathe as he smiled some tears falling down.

"I wonder if Potter will be there."

Table of Contents

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#angst #blairon #blaise zabini #draco malfoy #drarry #fanfiction #gaylove #gryffindor #harry potter #hermione granger #lgbtq+#love #pansmione #pansy parkinson #ron weasley #slytherin #trauma

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arethereanyoriginalusernames · 3 years

Text

Quick Guide to My Characters

The main cast part six divided by three.

I’d advise checking the previous one of these posts in case you’re wondering why I’m making this. The purpose of the post is pretty self explanatory. Anyway, onto the other side of the main cast!

Ifrit Dawnsview

- Phoenix’s little brother, plus youngest out of the entire main cast (16 years old)

- former prince of Dawnsview, currently trying to help overthrow the kingdom’s corrupt government

- a bookworm and a scientific prodigy (and a wannabe mad scientist)

- intelligent, but also terribly naive. He will sometimes ignore things if they risk disproving him, and he has a “everyone is good deep down” sort of mentality

- has the power of being a heat conductor, and said power tends to make him ill. Before you ask, yes, it’s as useless as it sounds

- has injury/big ol’ scratch over left eye that is usually bandaged to prevent infection, later gets swapped out for magic eye bc why not?

- not good in fights that aren’t 1 on 1 (and isn’t the greatest fighter in general). He does kinda know how to weild a sword, but is mostly good with a crossbow

- “I’m not gay!” (You sure about that?)

- gets possessed plus gains powers from the god of trickery, and since he and the god aren’t compatible, he kinda starts to loose it, but let’s... not continue that running gag from last post

Wasp / “Harpy”

- Former military medic and current medic for the rebels. Also he’s a fairy

- is kinda sus to the rest of the gang (save for Ifrit), since he comes out of nowhere and tends to disappear for long periods of time

- he’s currently dealing with this situation where he’s forced to serve the kingdom of Dawnsview while presenting himself as a girl. After being captured, it was the only way he was allowed to keep his life

- the whole “you must present yourself as female” thing comes from the fact that Wasp is actually trans, and happens to come from a culture that has a different view of gender in general. Basically, the people in charge took him identifying as male as being “dishonest” and “loyal to another kingdom”. So hence why Wasp is also known as “Harpy”, for when he’s serving the crown

- as luck would have it, as “Harpy”, wasp actually ended up kinda raising/looking after Phoenix and Ifrit, and helped them escape the kingdom. He’s still very protective of Ifrit

- Has the ability to create illusions strong enough to be interacted with physically

- can duel weild swords and has physical combat skills.

- actually had his wings torn off when he was captured. The ones he has are just illusions

- unsurprisingly he has ptsd

- is good friends with the grim reaper, who covers for him when he has to help out Ifrit and the others.

Syrellis Cul

- a nightingale shapeshifter (he can turn into a giant bird)

- a former pickpocket who’s estranged from his (large) adoptive family of crow shifters, the Cul Murder / Cul family

- fights with wires (yes), a switchblade, has close combat skills, and will use anything to hand

- is a massive sweetheart, and still has “older brother instincts” (he has quite a few younger siblings and cousins). He’s often empathetic to a fault, and can sometimes be considered “too nice for his own good”

- is almost instinctively distrustful of those who are wealthy and/or have a certain amount of political/social power, due to past experiences of his

- has a massive inferiority complex and is self sacrificial to a fault

- is obvious team mom

- comes into conflict with Nymph a lot, and he will often end up playing devil’s advocate for those Nymph deems as “criminals”, “undeserving of help”, etc

- has an outwardly chill and mostly laid back attitude, although he can be socially awkward

- becomes sort of a pseudo older brother figure to Ifrit

Nymph

- elf (little over 3 feet tall )

- tracker / hunter with a pack of wolves as buddies. Becomes leader in rebel group going against Dawnsview

- was cast out of her tribe and left to die after being charged for a crime she didn’t commit. Said crime was the murder of her 11 brothers, who, alongside Nymph, was attacked. Nymph survived, but her vocal cords were severed. She was unable to defend herself at her own trial

- Mute (obviously). Has several ways of communicating, such as sign language, writing, and using Morse code

- has a strong sense of justice, and will be quick to punish wrong doers. On the other hand, she’s also hesitant to feel any sympathy for even petty criminals. It’s because of this that she’s incredibly distrustful of Chess and Syrellis

- is also distrustful of Wasp for reasons stated in his section. She only really trusts Ifrit, but not that much. She even sees him as dead weight a lot of the time due to his frequent inability to defend himself in combat

- has a “do whatever it takes to survive” mentality which often clashes with that strong sense of justice

- acts super aggressive, and will gladly yeet anyone across a field if they mention her height. In one of her better moods, she’s mostly sarcastic and passive aggressive

- has acrobat skills for days, impressive stamina, can go head to head with wolves in wrestling matches, and you bet she can use that spear of hers. She also has several small knives on her, and is an expert on setting up traps. She can also apparently talk to wolves

- mainly acts as aggressive as she does because, more than anything, she fears being in a situation where she was as helpless as she was after losing her voice.

Chess Shire

- former mercenary, former queen of thieves. She was once the most notorious jewel thief in the world, but abandoned that life after it became boring to her.

- former team mate to Chronos (and possible ex lover). They both totally don’t still have feelings for each other

- fights like a ninja or an assassin. Will sneak up behind people to kill them, or pull some James Bond shit to deal with them. She has a fancy looking antique gun, but she will use anything she can get her hands on.

- has the power of omnipresence. Within a five metre radius all around her, chess can be in multiple places at once. You could be standing in front of her, looking at her, while at the same time, unbeknownst to you, she also has her hands in your jacket pocket, robbing you blind

- she’s actually qualified to be a therapist. She studied psychology extensively to help her in her thieving persuits, and she can still freak people out by being able to predict someone’s next move accurately, and also being able to get someone to unload their personal baggage to her

- has a theatrical flair and enjoys communicating in half truths and riddles for the hell of it

- is an adrenaline junkie who will gladly take up your offer to go bungee jumping off the top of a mountain. Most of what she does is motivated by her thinking that it’ll be fun

- is one of those people that will wear revealing clothing to distract people. Not that she needs to, but she still enjoys doing it bc hey it’s fun to watch people get flustered

- is secretly lonely and her seemingly untouchable outward attitude hides a heart of glass. Chess has never been in a relationship or even a friendship where she felt that she could be honest with someone, or not feel as through she had to put on this big act because of who she was. Well, not since Chronos anyways.....

- Chess is in reality much more patient and empathetic than she lets on. She does care deeply for those around her, and will gladly aid someone in achieving their goals. She’s also not afraid to be the realistic one who calls someone out when their plans or views are not as correct as they think. She’ll also be the first to pull someone aside to talk if they need help, and will be quick to advocate for them if need be.

Hope this helps you guys. And feel free to tell me what characters here seem interesting, or if you have questions about them. Hell, tell me if you dislike them! Feedback helps a lot:)

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turnaboutimagines · 4 years

Note

Ahh hallo! I’m sure you’re very busy with requests and thank you for posting so often!! This is just an idea but maybe a scenario where reader gets upset over an especially emotional case Edgeworth is prosecuting? Like they have an outburst in court and get held in contempt or something and Edgeworth comes to to pay their bail and comfort them after or something!

Oho hallo there! I stuck to the general premise, but instead of it being a case he prosecutes… it’s Turnabout Goodbyes! I really just wanted to write for it, pal. ^^Dialogue from Miles in the court portion is directly from the game!

“The murderer… The criminal in the DL-6 Incident… It was me! Your Honor! I confess my guilt! I am guilty for DL-6, the statute of limitations of which ends today!“

Your blood runs cold as you watch him confess based on memories from a self-admitted recurring nightmare. He presses on with determination, yet even from where you’re seated in the gallery you can see how painful this is for him—how heavy of a burden this has been for him to carry all these years. You feel like you’re trapped in one right then. There’s just no way… no way he could’ve killed his own father.

The people around you are muttering around you, already accepting his guilt at face value. Everyone in the gallery is turning against him once again, despite of the ‘Not Guilty’ verdict that had just been handed down. The court is quickly spiraling into chaos.

“The culprit… is me!”

You refuse to believe it. You look to Phoenix, expecting an objection from him at this point. Expecting anything. However, he just stands there, taking this development in the trial as best as he can, you don’t miss the look of determination in his eyes.

It’s not enough for you, though.

“O-OBJECTION!” You see red as you slam your hands down on the wooden bannister (you’d always wanted to do that). The gallery erupts as everyone’s eyes are on you, but you don’t register any of it in your seething as you go on autopilot. “Miles has to be innocent! There’s no way he’s remembering this correctly, he was just a child when this happened! That shouldn’t be admissible in court…!”

The judge slams down his gavel as he makes direct eye contact with you. “Order! Order! Outbursts will not be tol—”

“This should not be tolerated! I don’t care if it happened yesterday, this is just—just… it’s objectionable!”

“That’s quite enough! If you have any further outbursts I will have to hold you—”

“Do it! Hold me in contempt of court! The fact that you’re actually hearing a confession based on nightmares tells me all I need to know about the quality of this court and your ability as a judge! Because no self-respecting judge would allow this to continue.”

“Why, I never! Guard! Please escort the observer out of the courtroom! They are to be held in contempt of court and must leave.”

You don’t wait for the guard to approach you, you walk down of your own volition and allow them to escort you out without further issue. You’ve said your piece.

“With that outburst over… I must say, this is certainly unexpected—”

You hear nothing else as the bailiff opens the doors and nods his head for you to follow. You catch one last glimpse of Miles, gripping his arm tightly in pain as he keeps his gaze focused ahead—away from you.

The doors shut and so does your knowledge of what goes on behind them.

You’re stuck in one of the far back holding cells, which means that you don’t have a good view of who comes and goes further up the hall and in all the other holding cells that aren’t immediately adjacent to yours. You’d tried to find a good angle, hoping to perhaps see your friend as he’s brought back in

Where you’d remained lost in your thoughts for the remainder of the night, unable to sleep a wink.

As much as you didn’t regret defending Miles, you have to admit that you do regret not knowing the outcome of what happened yet. Nobody came to visit you yesterday, so you can only assume that the trial continued until after visiting hours were over…

Phoenix had yet to lose a case and you truly believe that Miles is innocent, but still you can’t help but worry yourself into being sick. Miles is very… important to you. Even if you haven’t always seen eye to eye, you’d managed to lodge yourself like a thorn in his side as a friend for the past year (even if he may not use that term, you know he views you as such). And you’d developed some additional feelings for him, too, but you kept that to yourself.

You can’t stop thinking about how guilty he looked throughout his confession and you hoped that he was free of that now...

The sound of a guard approaching your cell snaps you from your stupor and you’re quick to hop up, expecting them to be bringing you your bland breakfast. Instead, the man who stops in front of your cell isn’t holding anything, save for his keys. He seems to read the confusion on your face as he gives you a reassuring smile.

“Your bail’s been posted,” he tells you as he unlocks the door.

“…I-It has?”

Given the extent of your outburst, your bail wasn’t exactly cheap. You don’t even want to think about the fine you’re going to be slapped with come your hearing. So, the fact that someone paid it... there’s only one person who comes to mind as he slides it open.

“Yup! You’re free to go, the poster’s waiting up front to take you home, too.”

Your heart picks up a bit at that and you leave the cell with no further hesitation, hoping that your gut instinct is right. Even if you’re a bit nervous to face him after creating such a scene. And sure enough, after passing through the security checkpoint and entering the lobby... Miles Edgeworth is standing there, arms crossed and looking utterly lost in his thoughts.

However, when he sees you his expression relaxes and... he smiles? It’s incredibly subtle, but it’s genuine and it’s undeniably there. The sight of it is enough to make any words you wanted to say die in your throat. It takes you a few moments to find them again.

“Th-Thank you, Miles. I’ll be sure to repay you when I can.” You place a hand on his shoulder and offer him a nervous smile of your own, hoping that he wouldn’t be too harsh on you. “But how are you doing? I...I’m just glad to see you walking free, I was really worried after... you know.”

He spares a mildly confused glance at your hand before looking back to you, brow furrowing with confusion.

“Yes, I am... fine, I simply have a great deal to think over, having just been released, myself.” His expression falters for a moment into something stormy and troubled, there and gone in the blink of an eye. “But there’s no need for repayment. And I fully intend to pay all of your fines as well.”

Didn’t he already do the same for Maya? That feels like a lot of money to spend purely on helping with contempt of court charges.

“...But why would you...?”

He grimaces at your question and you’re confused for a few moments until he clears his throat and places one hand on your shoulder, emulating your gesture and body language.

“Whooooooooooooop! Th-Thank you!”

There’s some snickering from the officers who were not so subtly observing your reunion and Miles is quick to hang his head in embarrassment as his hand falls back to his sides, all while blushing the color of his signature suit. All you can do is stare at him, feeling like that came entirely out of left field.

“That... that still makes me feel incredibly foolish. Perhaps I just need to practice it more...?” he mutters more to himself than to you.

You have to bite down on your bottom lip to prevent yourself from laughing along with them, but only because he's too cute. This isn’t a side you’d seen of him before... and you have a feeling that whatever happened in that courtroom is responsible for it. You’re going to have to get all the details from Phoenix later...

“What was that all about?”

“Ngh... I’m... practicing saying ‘thank you’ properly. I... appreciate that you believed in me to such an extent, even when I did not believe in myself. I owe a great deal to you and the others... it’s really the least I can do.”

It’s so... genuine. Any of your lingering anxieties shatter in that moment and a broad grin of your own breaks across your face as you take a step closer, grabbing his hand and gently tugging on it to lead him out the door. “What about driving me home?”

Somehow, his cheeks seem to grow even more red at the contact, but you’re rewarded with another small smile as he gladly follows your lead. “Right, yes, that too, of course.”

Really, he just wants to get out of the detention center as soon as possible after his little display of gratitude and you can’t exactly blame him. You don’t let go of his hand until you’ve reached his red sports car, his fingers linger for a moment—brushing against yours as you pull away. He doesn’t look at you or comment on it, but you get the distinct impression that... he enjoyed the contact?

The thought is enough to make you blush as you wordlessly get into the passenger seat and buckle your seatbelt... only to be thrown for yet another loop when he puts on some upbeat Korean trot music on. The silence between you is surprisingly comfortable as you listen to the music on the drive back to your place.

You’re realizing that he’s full of surprises... and you can’t help but love him more and more with each one.

#miles edgeworth x reader #miles edgeworth imagine #miles edgeworth #ace attorney x reader #ace attorney imagines #ace attorney #x reader #self insert #reader insert #scenarios #one shot #my writing #fluff #timeline: turnabout goodbyes #touch starved miles.......... is good..........#Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death. does happen after this but don't think about it!!! don't worry about it!!!!#Anonymous #et queue justice?

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melanch0lyism · 5 years

Text

Here it is bois- Jagged Little Pill full plot synopsis

So, a lot of people in the JLP tag have been asking for a detailed synopsis of the show. I’m here to deliver! This goes out to @sunveiins and @lovebug1313 who I think were the first couple of people to start asking and wanted to be tagged to know when this was posted. Hope this helps for anyone who can’t get out to see the show!! (Also sorry this was delivered a bit later than promised I’m the worst sksdfn)

Warnings: Drug addiction, sexual assault, heavy topics like that and obviously spoilers if you want to go see the show for yourself

ACT 1:

-Mary Jane Healy is a mother obsessed with being seen as perfect, the best at everything, and with her family’s squeaky clean image. Literally all her energy is invested into making sure nobody knows that a single thing is wrong in her life.

-The show opens at Christmastime, and she is writing her annual family Christmas letter (the purpose of which is basically to brag about how great the Healys are doing and how she’s winning at life).

-She writes about how her husband Steve got yet another promotion at work. Her daughter Frankie is in high school, as artistic and expressive as ever. (“In fact, right now, she’s upstairs with her best friend Joann working on a little craft project. *Lights on Frankie and Jo upstairs literally making out* “We always emphasize the importance of female friendships.”) And her golden boy, her perfect oldest son Nick, has just been accepted early to Harvard. (Right Through You)

-A celebratory breakfast for Nick reveals that the family is actually falling apart. Steve works so much that his marriage to MJ is now distant, hostile, and non-intimate. MJ is pressuring Nick to be perfect and keep up the family’s image. She’s constantly arguing with Frankie, who is adopted and feels the fact that she is black is being erased by her family in this white trash Connecticut town. (All I Really Want)

-Nick’s friends at school congratulate him and encourage him to come to a party that night to celebrate. Frankie and Jo complain about their complicated relationships with their mothers (Jo’s mom does not accept that she’s gay). (Hand in my Pocket)

-MJ has a prescription for opiates as she had been in a car crash earlier that year. When they are unable to refill the prescription, she gets in touch with a dealer. (Smiling) WARNING THIS SONG WILL BREAK YOU EMOTIONALLY :)

-In class, a student named Phoenix (a good boy 12/10, the only man in the show apart from Steve who deserves rights) defends Frankie’s writing as the rest of the class ridicules it. The two start talking and developing feelings for one another, and they plan to meet up that night at the same party Nick had been invited to. (Ironic)

-Steve calls MJ to say he has to work late again. They get in an argument. Steve loves MJ and wants to work on things between them, but MJ is having none of it. (So Unsexy) Nick consoles an upset MJ who tells him that he’s “the only thing she’s done right.” She asks him to hang out with her, but he says tells her he was planning to go to the party. Nick sings about the pressure he feels from his mom to never screw anything up. (Perfect)

-Frankie and Nick roll up to the party. (Lancer’s Party [So Pure]) Frankie finds Phoenix and the two bond over their complicated home lives. Jo, who was dragged to a church function by her mother instead of being able to go to the party, joins the song. (That I Would Be Good)

-Bella, a friend of Nick’s, had gotten drunk at the party. The next morning the students are circulating pictures of her passed out with her shirt pulled up and talking shit about her. Frankie and Jo go to check on her and make sure she’s ok (despite the fact that they literally do not know her). Bella tells them that another friend of Nick’s named Andrew had raped her the night before while she had been drunk, but that no one will believe her. Frankie and Jo assure her that they believe her.

-Frankie goes home to confront Nick, who she knew had been with Bella and Andrew at the party. Nick brushes it off, citing Bella having been drunk and being known for her tendency to be dramatic. Their argument is overheard by MJ and Steve. Frankie tells Nick that as the only witness, he has to go to the police. MJ and Steve insist that he do nothing, as he had been drinking at the party as well and there could be consequences if that gets out. Also- insert subtext that MJ went through something similar to Bella in her college days. (Wake Up)

-MJ goes to church for the first time in years to pray for help with her addiction, her marriage, and her children. (Forgiven) (No one asked but this is my favorite song in the show, such a powerful moment. Idk if they do this still but at the ART they made it snow onstage, which really added to the sense of isolation the characters were feeling. One of the like 5 points in the show where I bawled my eyes out.)

ACT 2:

-Steve finally convinces MJ to go to marriage counselling with him, where she insists the problem is entirely his. (Not the Doctor) Big argument. Steve is frustrated that they haven’t had sex in almost a year while MJ says they shouldn’t need to since she knows from looking at his internet history that he watches weird porn every day. She feels unheard and unappreciated for all she does. He tells her she doesn’t have to do so much and starts singing a love song to her that gets hijacked by Phoenix and Frankie singing to each other. By the end of the song, the two end up in bed together. (Head Over Feet)

-Jo walks in on Phoenix and Frankie. While storming out of the house she runs into Steve and MJ and tells them what Frankie is doing upstairs. Phoenix gets the fuck out of there, so Frankie's alone to deal with her parents. She gets very upset that her parents aren’t ok with her choosing to have sex while they don’t care about what happened to Bella. She runs away from home, telling them some piece of paper doesn’t make her their daughter. That turns into yet another big fight between Steve and MJ.

-Frankie takes a train alone to NY. (Unprodigal Daughter) She tells Phoenix over the phone that she loves him, and is pissed that he isn’t ready to say it back.

-Students at the school discus how outrageous they think Bella’s accusation is. Bella comes to the Healys’ house to talk to Nick, but only MJ is there. MJ tells Bella that the same thing happened to her in college (likely the first time she had said it out loud). After Bella leaves, Nick, feeling the guilt of being the only person with the power make people believe Bella, tells MJ the full extent of what happened the night of the party. He had been in the room when Andrew assaulted Bella, but had been drunk and in shock and did nothing to stop him. (Predator) Nick tells MJ that he wants to go to the police and help Bella bring Andrew to justice. She tells him what’s done is done, and the only thing telling the truth would accomplish is ruining his own life. Nick accuses her of only caring because harm to his reputation is harm to hers.

-Jo comes to New York to pick up Frankie (who ran out of money and became desperate) and ends whatever undefined relationship/FWB situation they had going on. (You Oughta Know) (Holy shit. This one song alone deserves a tony. I cannot stress this enough- Lauren Patten is a GODDESS. I’ve never seen a standing ovation in the middle of a show before this.)

-MJ has overdosed on her painkillers and ends up in the hospital. (Uninvited) Steve arrives at the hospital and the fact that he didn’t know she was struggling rUINS HIM. (Mary Jane) They finally agree to actually put work into fixing their marriage.

Steve, through tears: “I never meant to make you feel like work was more important than you or the kids. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed, I’m sorry. I’ve made so many mistakes. I’m such a mess.” MJ: “I’m detoxing from opiates. I win.”

MJ admits to Nick that she was wrong, and tells him to go to the police- Bella’s story is more important than their family’s reputation. Nick had already told the police what had happened.

-Everybody attends a rally Frankie throws for Bella, believing her now that Nick had come forward. There’s an important moment between Nick and Bella where he apologizes and she's mad that he gets to be the hero, that her saying it had happened wasn’t enough. (No) (Side note: in the ART version I don’t think Nick had a line in this song, letting Bella speak, and he just held up a sign that said “silence is violence” which was so much better.)

-The time has come for MJ’s next Christmas letter. She decides it will be the last one she writes and is honest for the first time about what had happened in the past year.

She writes about how she is in awe of Frankie, who spent the past year fighting for justice for Bella. MJ publicly admits her own past of sexual assault. She mentions that Andrew is being taken to trial and will not defend himself- he wants Bella’s to be the only story told. MJ and Frankie reconcile. (Thank U)

Instead of discussing Steve’s work again, she talks about how they are both in therapy individually and as a couple. He took up guitar lessons, but only knows how to play one Alanis Morissette record.

She opens up about her overdose and her experience in treatment.

Frankie dares her to send out the letter, and she does. “Merry fucking Christmas!” (Wow MJ Healy telling all her friends she has flaws? We love character development)

-Everyone reflects on what they learned (very cliché but it works). Frankie and Jo rekindle their friendship. Jo has a new girlfriend. Frankie and Phoenix decided to be friends. (You Learn)

#jagged little pill

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jasper-system · 4 years

Text

The Trial

Looking through my notebooks I found an old story idea I had started writing but never finished. It’s about Grand Admiral Thrawn from the Star Wars EU (not SW Rebels cartoon) being found after his supposed death (in this scenario he did not die but had faked his death) and is being put on trial for war crimes. Sort of similar to the Nuremberg trials after WW2. I’m not going to finish it, so here’s my notes for it.

Story title: The Trial

Part 1 - Prosecution

- Thrawn being found by Chiss and given to New Republic/Galactic Alliance.

- The judge, prosecuting and defense lawyers - why they chosen, possible ramifications.

- Fallout from Thrawn’s discovery and the trial, ie. the Noghri want to kill him, and the Empire demanding he be turned over to them.

- Thrawn’s officers do not want to make him look bad.

- Similar cases, precedents, other high ranking Imperials.

Part 2 - Defense

- Fall out from prosecution.

- Thrawn’s people on trial supporting him.

- Empire of the Hand.

- closing - but Not the verdict. (my idea was that it would be a sorta cliff hanger ending, leaving it for the reader decide what the verdict would/should be)

- Attempts on Thrawns life and attacks on the defense lawyer.

Overall

- the pro and anti Thrawn groups as well as any neutral groups.

- ramifications of the trial.

- where do the Jedi stand?

- justice - Leia and the government and the jedi.

- politics - Empire, Chiss, and the New Republic/Galactic Alliance

Here is what I had written for it - remember incomplete first draft.

The Chiss had found him. They had refused to release the details and Karrde had been unable to learn much. The Chiss had confirmed his identity as Thrawn and Saba Sebatyne had confirmed that this alien was not a clone.

The Galactic Alliance had been fierce in getting the aliens to release him to their custody, the process had dragged for months with Thrawn being held in a detention facility on Csilla. Luke had no doubt that the Chiss had been questioning him there. It had all lead to now, Luke thought watching the guards escort the Chiss into the room. Thrawn, the military genius who had come so close to bringing the Republic down, was being brought to justice. He was being tried before the entire senate and it was being broadcast on the holonet.

The former Imperial Grand Admiral was being charged with crimes against sentient beings.

The judge was an Ithorian named Zintag.

- - -

“Rightness or Wrongness is not objective. It is subjective,” Luke said.

- - -

Cal Omas had assured them that the trial would be fair, Leia had had her doubts, believing it to be little more than a charade. Representatives from systems that had been affected by the Empire wanted revenge and this was their chance. Luke watched closely as the prosecuting lawyer started his questioning of the blue alien. The prosecuting lawyer was Bern Jar’osk, a brown furred Bothan.

Thrawn’s lawyer was the Human Albert Grantham, from Coruscant. He had experience representing Imperial soldiers and officers being charged with war crimes.

Grantham had argued against Jar’osk being in the trial. The Bothan’s family had suffered during the upheaval over the Caamas situation. Though Thrawn himself had not been involved, it was an open secret that the Empire was ultimately responsible. Bern Jar’osk was old enough to remember those times and his family would have made sure he was aware of any losses they had suffered. A large group had gathered outside demanding the Chiss’s immediate execution. Security was doing their best to keep the demonstrators at a distance from the court room.

Bern Jar’osk opened with general questions about how what he had done before entering Imperial service. Thrawn’s answers were clear and concise. He had served in the Chiss Expansionary Defence Force before being exiled.

The Chiss ambassador who was closely observing the proceedings objected to some of the lawyer’s questions as potentially compromising the security of the Chiss.

- - -

Kyp Durron approached Luke. “That group outside has grown. Security is having a tough time keeping it under control.”

“It will only get worse as the trial continues,” Luke said. “Too many people want revenge, there is a lot of emotion going with this trial.”

- - -

Jeers from the Sullustans, Thrawn’s response was not to their liking. Luke turned his attention back to the proceedings.

“You, from the very beginning, together with those who were associated with you, intended to overthrow the New Republic?” Jar’osk asked.

“I wanted to establish a central government united under a single ruler, my intention was not to overthrow but to conquer,” Thrawn replied calmly. He did not react to the murmurs that swept across the court room.

Bern Jar’osk asked the question that was foremost in peoples’ minds. “How did you survive?” Thrawn gave a wan smile, “you’re referring to the Noghri assassination attempt. I knew that Leia Organa Solo had discovered what had been done to Honoghr and that she would expose it. The Noghri would attempt to kill me and would likely succeed. A clone of myself was placed on the Chimaera and I returned to the Unknown regions. It was the clone that died, not me.”

“You knew of the damage done to the planet Honoghr and did not attempt to repair it. Why?” Jar’osk demanded.

Unfazed by the Bothan, Thrawn replied, “the damage was too extensive to easily repair and the Empire did not have the resources to allocate to the task. In addition to this I needed their service. If I had of revealed the truth their service would have been less than wholehearted and there was the possibility they would have left the Empire entirely.”

- - -

Luke awoke with his heart pounding, and his mind racing. He reached out with the Force searching for what had awoken him. On the bedside table his comlink chirped,

“Master Skywalker we have apprehended two Noghri who were attempting to reach to the prisoner.”

“I’ll be there shortly, thank you.”

Noghri. This could cause the Alliance some problems.

With the assassination attempt Luke had two Jedi stationed to guard Thrawn.

- - -

Leia strode into the Council chamber.

“The Empire is demanding that Thrawn be turned over to them.” she said.

“Why?” Luke asked. They had been content for him to remain in the custody of the Galactic Alliance.

“They say the Alliance cannot protect him. There is talk that the Noghri have unofficial sanction by some members of the Council.”

The Empire was demanding that the alien Grand Admiral be turned over to them.

- - -

(Tasked by Navy command with the duty of pacifying the Pakuuni system, an area plagued with Rebel Alliance and pirate activity, Thrawn conducted the campaign with typical style, decisively crushing the Alliance forces in the system and overseeing the construction of NL-1 to ensure continued Pakuuni obedience.)

- - -

The trial reopened with testimony from those who had served with the alien Grand Admiral. X had served in the command room of the Chimaera when the ship was Thrawn’s flagship.

“I overheard conversations between Captain Pallaeon and Admiral Thrawn. They often discussed plans for the downfall of the Rebell- I mean the Republic.”

Bern Jar’osk teeth showed in a canine smile of triumph, “and in their discussions did they show in any concern as to the fate of the people they would be conquering?”

“No. They were strictly military and professional in their discussions.”

The Bothan lawyer continued to question the officer on the minutiae of their discussions.

- - -

Thrawn’s lawyer Albert Grantham was doing his best to minimise the damage the prosecution was doing. To Luke it seemed futile, the sentence would be guilty regardless of what Grantham did. Too many lives had been lost in the war against the Empire. The peace treaty had done much to allay the hatred but few of those responsible had been brought to justice.

- - -

Jar’osk held up a datapad, “Here I quote Admiral Ackbar's analysis of New Republic military losses: "The New Republic sustained considerable losses in the Thrawn campaign: ten percent of our forces killed, thirty percent wounded—but those are just averages. On the worlds Thrawn actually hit, the devastation was significant.". He paused and looked around the room before facing Thrawn. “Because of your actions, and the doings of other warlords, the New Republic was weakened, many valuable resources were lost, so our ability to defend our worlds and people against the Yuuzhan Vong was diminished.”

Thrawn: “If it weren’t for myself and these warlords the Republic would not have held together as long as it has. It would have torn itself apart from infighting early on. It needs an enemy to unite them. There are so many different species, different ideals that without a common enemy the Republic would have broken apart into individual sectors.”

- - -

Kyp Durron was waiting for him outside. “Have you heard the latest news?”

Luke raised an eyebrow, “no. What is it?”

Kyp started down the corridor, Luke kept pace beside him.

“Groups have sprung up all over in support of him. Pro-Imperial groups have started gathering outside the Senate demanding his release.”

Luke exhaled slowly, reaching out to the Force. “there’s more, what is it?”

Kyp hesitated, “you’ll hear it from Leia soon.”

Luke gave him a steady look.

“Alright. There is talk of stopping the live broadcast of Thrawn’s trial.”

Luke started to walk faster, “where is Leia?”

“Waiting for you in your quarters.”

They didn’t speak until they reached Luke’s quarters. Kyp left him to speak with Leia in private.

His twin was worried. He could feel it emanating off her in a steady wave.

“Kyp told me. They are not seriously considering stopping the broadcast are they?”

She nodded, “yes. Though nothing is finalised yet, thankfully the Ithorians are not dictating to Zintag which way the trail should end.”

“The people would be up in arms if we stopped the broadcast. The

- - -

“The attack upon the Coral Vanda was in your mind necessary. Did you give them, a chance to surrender to turn X over?” Grantham asked.

“Yes it was necessary. The loss at Sluis Van meant we had to look elsewhere for capital warships. The Katana Fleet set us back on schedule. To get it we needed X. The Coral Vanda was given multiple chances to turn him over to us. That they chose to gamble with their lives was not what we wanted.”

- - -

“You did not attempt to oppose the galaxy for your own lust for power then, but instead to save the galaxy?” Grantham asked.

Thrawn thought for a moment before replying, “there is a difference between destiny and fate. Destiny is a predetermined course of events that is unalterable. Fate is a predetermined course of events that can be changed. The answer to your question is that I believe it was destiny that the galaxy was not wholly consumed by the Yuuzhan Vong, but I believe it was my fate that I was to oppose them, but due to the actions of Leia Organa Solo and others this did not happen.”

“You were following what you believed was your fate, what was intended for you?” Grantham asked confused by the answer.

“I knew the Yuuzhan Vong were coming and I believed if the galaxy was united under one government it would have withstood the Yuuzhan Vong assault. From this it seemed logical to me that I should lead the defence of the galaxy against the Yuuzhan Vong”

“Why you and not someone else, Senator Garm bel Iblis, for example.?”

“No one but myself has the ability to

- - -

Luke stood facing Thrawn, “what do you intend to do then?”

“The only thing left is to stand by that for which I am responsible and, if necessary, die with dignity.”

- - -

Zintag called the court to order. The room was silent waiting to hear the verdict..

Finish

#star wars expanded universe #star wars eu #incomplete story #fan fiction #star wars fanfiction #first draft #writeblr #grand admiral thrawn #star wars

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loridrabbles · 4 years

Text

Imprisoned | Dogma x Reader (Part 22)

Dogma awoke to two guards standing over him, a pair of shackles in hand, but no muzzle. They stood, unmoving, waiting for him to wake up to the demands they spat at him. Unbeknownst to him, they were the same two guards who discovered that he and (y/n) had had a child, Frigate and Hubris.

"Your retrial is today." One spoke while the other put him in chains. "It starts in an hour. We're taking you to get cleaned up, then we will escort you to the court room where you will meet with your defendants."

"It's today?" He asked. He hadn't expected it to come so soon, though throughout the months, had lost track of the days, even though the prisoners were alerted as to when sunrise came and went. There were days where he didn't notice, but he slept through the day after taking a mid morning nap and wouldn't wake until the next morning. Was it depression? Stress? Emotional exhaustion? Or maybe just plain old physical exhaustion.

"That's what I just said isn't it?" Hubris responded. "Let's get going. We don't have all day."

The guards escorted him up and out of the depths of the prison, to a wing that looked like a medical facility. He assumed it was the same place (y/n) was taken when she was cleaned up for her trial. They reached a door and Frigate fumbled with the key card to get in. While Hubris berated his partner, Dogma examined his surroundings. His assumptions were made true when he spotted dried stains between the tiles on the floor. Not very much, but it was old and brown, unmistakably blood. He didn't have a very close relationship with Kix, but he missed him regardless.

(Y/n)'s heart pounded as she entered the court room. She passed by so many unfamiliar faces and felt trapped under their gaze. She spotted Rex giving her a hopeful smile as she walked to the stand. Kix accompanied him. His wheelchair was nowhere in sight, but he still depended on a set of crutches. (Y/n) sat next to them having decided the night before that it would be too nerve racking for her to testify. The court was quiet, everyone's head's snapped to a door as it opened. Two guards entered followed by Dogma. (Y/n)'s heart jumped to her throat and tears pricked her eyes as she gasped quietly. She felt Rex place a hand on her shoulder and Dogma smiled at her and he took his place at the stand.

"All rise." The magistrate spoke to the crowd as the judge entered the room. "Department one of the court is now in session. Judge Abedion presiding."

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Calling the case of the Republic versus CT-4573. Are both sides ready?" The judge asked. His voice was kind, but authoritative and commanded the room. Both parties indicated they were ready to begin. "Now, Mr... Dogma, is it? I have been examining your case since it was submitted months ago and I already have in mind what I believe to be the proper outcome, but I will still humor a case and an argument from both parties. I'm curious to see what your attorneys have to say. Miss Amidala."

"Thank you your honor. My client will in fact today be found not guilty for the crime he is accused of. The Republic accused him of killing a Jedi general without permission from a superior. However, the law states that an able soldier may continue a superior's plan of action if that superior becomes unable to carry out stated action. His Captain, Captain Rex, had the authority to execute the Jedi general Pong Krell, and upon attempt to exert that authority, was rendered unable to do so. Rightfully, Dogma took his place, and executed the General himself."

"Is it not true that, immediately before the execution of the General, your client was imprisoned by the Captain himself."

"Yes, your honor."

"And why is that?" The judge questioned.

"He had drawn his weapon on him."

"Any why would an able soldier, draw his weapon on his superior?"

"He was defending the General, your honor. It wasn't until the moments leading up to the execution that it was brought to my client's attention that the general was a traitor." Padmé spoke smoothly and with confidence. (Y/n) nervously shifted in her chair.

"I believe in a statement received from CT-7567 that what you are saying is true, however, when was it stated that CT-4573 was a soldier granted capability to take place in executions?"

"Hours before the execution, General Pong Krell himself made Dogma the executioner for two other troopers." Padmé responded.

"So, it sounds to me that there was no reason Dogma was not permitted to execute the general. Would you agree?"

"Yes, your honor."

"Now a question I have for you is, who is to decide whether or not the General was worthy of execution?"

The conversation between the judge, Padmé, and the prosecutors went on for hours. Tension was high and half the court room was on the edge of their seats, the other half biting their nails. The trial was emotionally exhausting and (y/n) could feel herself about to break. One minute, the judge would seem to be in Dogma's favor, and the next he would be almost insulting him. The judge stood.

"I believe I have all the information I need to make a decision. The jury will now retire to deliberate." The judge slammed down the gavel and left the stand followed by the jury.

The court was filled with chatter as Dogma was escorted out of the court while the parties deliberated in the back rooms. (Y/n) sighed and put her head in her hands, leaning on the ledge in front of her. She felt Rex give her a reassuring rub on her back. Barely an hour passed before the jury returned, which according to Padmé was a bad sign.

"This court is now in session." The judge said, banging the gavel as Dogma took his place at the stand. "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

"We have, your honor." Nearly the entire courtroom stood in anticipation of the verdict.

"Members of the jury in the case of CT-4573 V. The Republic what say you?"

"Your honor, the members of the jury find the defendant guilty."

(Y/n)'s heart sank and she wanted to cry. Her breath shook and tears stung her eyes. Her head spun and she felt like vomiting and wished this day had never come. The court around her chattered in disapproval.

"CT-4573 the jury finds you guilty of one count of second degree murder and treason." The judge spoke. "However, I disagree with their ruling and overrule their decision." The people in the court gasped and began talking louder, quieting down upon hearing the gavel and the judge declaring order. "Sir, I do not find that the jury has reasonable enough evidence to declare you guilty of these crimes. No one in this room, but the two men sitting behind you know what happened during that campaign, at least not the full truth. None of us will ever know. I believe the decision you made may have been the right one." The judge leaned on his elbows with is hands folded in front of him, a slight smirk on his face. "I find you not guilty of these crimes. But, now we have another issue to address. Unfortunately, as a clone, you are property of the Republic, and I cannot let you go as a free man. It is now the 23rd of the standard month, by the 1st of the next I am sending you back to the 501st."

"Yes, sir." Dogma spoke.

"But we have yet another issue to address. I understand you have a child now. Am I correct?" The judge asked with a soft smile.

"Yes, sir." Dogma answered.

"How old?"

"11 weeks, sir."

"You love her?" The judged asked. Dogma could barely speak as tears stung his eyes. He nodded.

"So much, sir."

"I understand. I'm a father myself, and I, in my right mind, cannot separate you from yours. You'll need each other moving forward. I'd like to work something out for you. I've reviewed the tapes of how you and your partner were treated in the prison and it's unnerving. That should never have happened and I'd like to make it up to you. You will be living at the base, whichever one your battalion is assigned to, however you will be permitted to move to and from on certain days when permitted by your general. Does that sound ok?"

"Yes, sir." Dogma tried to smile holding back tears. "Thank you, sir."

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" The judge smiled.

"May I have permission to marry her?" He choked out.

"Is that your girl behind you?" The judge asked, nodding towards (y/n) who's face was wet with tears.

"Yes, sir."

"Yeah, you can." He smiled, giving him a curt nod before standing. "This court is adjourned."

The judge left the room as Dogma was escorted out. (Y/n) stood and rushed to Padmé.

"What happens now."

"He'll be processed and released. He can go home with you until the first of next month." She smiled as she was pulled into a tight hug. "He'll be released in an hour or so. Let's go wait for him outside the booking office."

"Yes!" (Y/n) said, grabbing Padmé and Anakin's hands, dragging them out of the court. They waited impatiently outside the office. The cool spring air at night was soothing and dried the tears off (Y/n)'s face, but more were sure to come. The three of them chatted for a while and Kix and Rex joined them as they waited. Finally, the door opened and out walked Dogma. He was given brown pants and a white t shirt, civilian clothes, for his trip home.

"(Y/n)!" He said as she ran towards him, jumping into his arms. He picked her up, hugging her so tightly she could've broken. He set her down and stood back, holding her face in his hands. "I love you so much." He said as he pulled her into a kiss.

"I love you too." She leaned her head against his chest. "Let's go home. Saiorse is waiting."

"Oh, Saiorse. I can't wait to see her."

#the clone wars #clone trooper dogma #clone trooper dogma x reader #dogma x reader #dogma #imprisoned #imprisoned part 22

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