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carveredlunds · 2 years

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“We’re in harmony”: A meta on Amara and the “Chuck Won Theory”

So, the Chuck Won Theory has gripped my brain again with a ferocity that’s arguably unwarranted for a show that ended almost two years ago at the time of writing. And something that a friend and I were discussing last night is a very simple but absolutely essential part of the theory that I think has been overlooked so far: Amara’s role in all of this.

It’s not totally clear what happened to Amara. In Unity, she’s apparently “consumed” by Chuck, but we’re not even sure what that means. Whatever it means -- if she’s conscious inside him, or if she’s asleep, or if she’s dead -- she clearly didn’t sign up for it. Let’s break down that scene quickly.

So, Chuck is on full Big Bad Manipulation mode (and it’s very hot) and he tells Amara that Sam and Dean plan to kill them both:

CHUCK: Sam and Dean, they're using Jack to destroy us.

AMARA: No, but... but Dean can't hurt me.

CHUCK: No, but he can lie to you. He could send you into the meat grinder with a wink and a smile.

In my opinion, it’s a bit odd that Amara really believes Dean can’t hurt her. There was no real mention of their bond from season 11 in season 15, except when it’s being joked about, but Amara clearly feels betrayed by the idea of Dean, especially, killing her. Chuck is absolutely counting on that, and using that to convince her to go along with his plan. He uses his and Amara’s godlike Otherness to his own advantage, separating them from humans, from Sam and Dean in particular, reminding her that all they need is each other.

CHUCK: I spent so long searching for happiness, contentedness. In creation... or the Winchesters. But the only ones who will ever really get us... is us. You and me. Back together?

It’s interesting that Chuck says this, because it’s completely the opposite to what he says in season 11, when he talks about needing more than just them. He said to Metatron in Don’t Call Me Shurley that he wanted to show Amara that there was “more than just them”. He makes that impassioned speech in We Happy Few about life “waiting to be born”, claiming that he was tapping into something outside of them, Life Itself. Amara never understood that, until the finale of season 11, when she saw the beauty in Chuck’s creation. (Now, interestingly, the roles are flipped. Now, in season 15, Chuck hates his creation, the way his sister did, and Amara loves it. Now Amara is the one pleading on behalf of humanity, and Chuck is the one destroying it.)

Also, this is a real call-back to their final scene together in season 11, when Amara admits to Chuck that all she wants is them to be a family, to be together again. Whatever happened between seasons 11 and 15 don’t matter anymore, Chuck is harkening back to their reunion in Alpha and Omega. What he’s saying here is very similar to what Amara herself said in that episode:

AMARA: Brother, I... In the beginning it was just you and me, and we were family. I loved you, and I thought -- I knew... that you loved me.

CHUCK: I did. I do.

And now, in season 15, he is drawing on that familial bond, that love, again. They might be celestial Darkness and Light incarnate, but they’re a family and they love each other. It’s almost as if Chuck is hypnotising Amara, in the Bunker. He’s speaking softly, gently, staring into her eyes with a small smile. She’s all teary-eyed and fragile, taken in by his promise of unity (hey! That’s the name of the episode!) and balance.

AMARA: Balance.

CHUCK: Yes. Think of it. Us starting fresh. Creating something new, something beautiful... peaceful... together. And we can finally forget about all this pain. No baggage. Only balance.

So, what does she do? She takes his hand, crying. We can see it so clearly in these gifs (from this gifset of mine):

To me, she looks nervous, but his expression is saying “trust me, I got you.” It’s an exact replica of the scene in the season 11 finale, where Chuck held out his hand for Amara to take, and they literally healed the world together:

So, what exactly happened after Amara took her brother’s hand in season 15? Well, one thing is certain: She didn’t agree to be absorbed into him in a puff of black smoke. Her expression says as much. As soon as she takes his hand, she dissolves into her Darkness form, and begins to disappear into him, as if he’s hoovering her up.

Look at that expression! That is not the expression of a woman who expected or wanted this to happen. This isn’t “balance”. This is Chuck inhaling her. It’s not even as if he takes on any of her traits afterwards. He’s still exactly himself -- he sounds like himself, he acts like the narcissistic jerk we’ve come to know and love in season 15. In fact, after this, Amara is never seen again. Chuck himself describes this as an “understanding”, but it sure doesn’t look like that to me. He dismisses Castiel’s disgust by saying Amara’s “in here somewhere”, but he says that so flippantly that it’s as if he doesn’t care. Where’s his sister, his celestial equal, his counterpart? Somewhere “inside” him. Okay.

So, Chuck was clearly lying when he said this was going to be balance. It’s not. It’s him (to use Castiel’s term) “consuming” his sister. He manipulated her by promising balance, and then sucked her up. Whether she’s a conscious prisoner inside him or asleep or dead, we never find out. We never get proof that she’s even present, outside of Chuck’s one black eye. Is that Amara, or is that just her Darkness power inside him? We don’t know.

Okay, with that refresher out of the way, now we move onto the whole “Jack stealing Chuck’s powers” thing. If we take that at face value and say sure, Jack took Chuck’s “God-ness” away from him, then surely that’s all Jack took. Amara isn’t God, Amara is the Darkness. So, when Jack stripped Chuck of his “God-ness” and his power, surely Amara should have come right back into being? If she was held prisoner by Chuck (which seems likely, honestly -- she’s the only being besides Jack strong enough to stop Chuck) then surely, when Chuck lost his God powers, Amara should have been freed and returned.

But that’s not what happened. Instead we see what appears to be Chuck’s powers flowing from him to Jack. We see what looks like God’s energy or essence or whatever going from Chuck to Jack, and Chuck being left powerless. However, things aren’t always what they appear with God. This is the being of unbelievable and limitless power, who was able to transport Sam and Dean from St Mary’s Convent to an airplane in Sympathy For the Devil without doing anything visible. This is the being who was able to sing and play the guitar in Don’t Call Me Shurley while people rose from the dead. Heck, in Unity, the same episode where he sucks up Amara, he says himself that he’s omniscient.

Importantly, we see several instances of Chuck actively using his powers to trick people, to make things appear not as they are. He uses his powers to “turn off” the Samulet until the end of Don’t Call Me Shurley, despite the fact that, by its very nature, it is supposed to glow hot in his presence (the following gif is from this gifset of mine):

He also sent Kevin to Hell, but made it very much look like he went to Heaven:

There are probably other examples of him using his immense powers to make things not as they appear, but you get the idea. So we’re supposed to believe that an omniscient and omnipotent deity was simply... just not aware of Jack becoming an energy storage unit, or whatever he became? We’re supposed to buy that Chuck had no idea what the Winchesters were planning? He needed to be told by Michael? Seriously?

Not only are we supposed to buy that, but we’re told by Jack at the end of Inherit the Earth that Amara is “with [him]” and that they’re “in harmony”. Gee, that sounds familiar to what Chuck said about balance, doesn’t it? Apparently, according to Jack, “harmony” means “I get to walk and talk and you get to live inside my chest cavity, silent, unable to speak or have a form of your own.”

That doesn’t sound like “harmony” to me. That sounds like prison. As I’ve already said, if it was just God’s power that transferred from Chuck to Jack, then surely Amara would have reappeared. But she didn’t.

Also, Amara is apparently totally fine with her brother being depowered. If we accept that Jack sapped Chuck of his powers, why Amara doesn’t stop him? She just lets her brother get depowered and left in the dirt? Whatever their differences, that’s her brother. She doesn’t try to stop Jack, or fight back, or do anything? She’s apparently totally fine with “moving house” from Chuck’s body to her nephew’s. Unless she didn’t have a say in the move. Unless she’s a prisoner inside God.

Also also, Jack is apparently fine with carrying the Darkness around inside him? Not only is that his aunt (ew) but he’s new to his Godly powers. He’s suddenly okay with “being in the rain” or whatever he says? He’s fine with the omniscience and the omnipotence and every single other thing that comes with literally being God, as well as the fact that he’s got the Darkness somehow existing inside his vessel. That’s a lot to take onboard in one go. Unless you’ve had millennia upon millennia of practise. Unless you’re not “Jack” at all.

As others have pointed out (here and here and probably elsewhere!), Alex Calvert’s acting choices in his final scene are very interesting. He stands like Chuck, he smiles like Chuck, he shrugs like Chuck. He’s even wearing white, just like Chuck was in Swan Song, the first “planned ending” of the show.

So, what do we have?

We have what appears to be the coercion of Amara by Chuck, ending with her being absorbed into him as possibly a prisoner.

We have an all-powerful deity who has a history of using his powers to make things appear not what they seem.

We have Jack acting like Chuck right after apparently “inheriting” his powers.

We have Amara never making a reappearance.

We have Jack using very similar language to Chuck to describe Amara (“in harmony” is awfully like being “balanced”!)

All this to say that Amara not making a reappearance is key to the “Chuck Won” Theory. If Chuck didn’t win and make it look like his God powers had transferred, along with Amara, to Jack, then we have to accept that Amara was fine with her brother being left for dead as a human, Amara was fine with being transferred from her brother’s body to her nephew’s, Amara was fine with not having a physical form of her own, and Jack just happened to speak of Amara in a similar way as Chuck did.

And if Chuck did win? If he’s now inhabiting Jack? That accounts for all of Jack’s mannerisms, sure, but it also accounts for Amara’s lack of appearance after the Bunker scene in Unity (as she’s still imprisoned inside God) and it explains why Jack uses similar language to talk about her.

#spn #spn meta #metanatural #chuck won #chuck won theory #chuck shurley #amara #sophie speaks #sophie talks about spn

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star-veil · 4 years

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Hey 😊 Hope you're doing okay in these troubling times. I saw your inbox is open for witcher requests. How about a soft Jaskier x wolf pack where Eskel feels really self conscious about the scars on his face and Jaskier, Geralt and Lambert show him just how much they love him regardless? Can be fluffy or smutty (or both, whichever you're more comfortable writing). I'm just a sucker for soft Eskel ♥️

Ugh Eskel deserves so much love <3 Thank you for this prompt! CW for self-loathing and consciousness about one’s scars Contains some spoilers for tw1 regarding Deidre and Eskel’s story

He ran a calloused palm down the side of his face until it obscured the jagged river of scars that cut from just above his eyebrow to his chin. It wasn’t like he was the only Witcher with scars. Geralt had his- unmistakable over his left eye and cutting over his forehead, and of course Lambert had his set of scars crossing his right eye not unlike Eskel’s. But Lambert’s, Geralt’s were from monsters. Part of the job. Come winter Geralt and Lambert would show off new scars in the hot springs, bragging about their latest kill. Eskel’s scar held no such pride.

After all, he could never be as good a father as Geralt. When Geralt brought Ciri to Kaer Morhen, Eskel couldn’t help a heavy pang of guilt thinking of his own abandoned Child Surprise. The girl he tried so hard to avoid, who he wanted so badly not to ever have to take responsibility for. Was this scar destiny’s way of punishing him for ignoring her for so long? He never knew what became of Deidre after that terrible night. So filled with blood, with terrible memories. She had tried to reach out to him, just once, but he had been too filled with bitterness and pain to requite. He burned her letter without opening the seal. He felt that fire severed the last bond that tied him to Deidre, but he’d always wear the scar to remind him.

It should have been a clean cut. But combined with his Child Surprise’s frightened and shaky hand, and Lambert’s shitty stitching, it came out ragged and more akin to a disfigurement than a battle scar. Lambert didn’t really apologize- he didn’t do apologizing- but when Vesemir pulled out the stitches the youngest wolf winced and told him (with the tension of lies in his voice) that it didn’t look half bad.

Eskel took one look in a mirror and decided it looked full bad.

He spent the rest of his life shying away from mirrored surfaces, withstanding shocked and disgusted looks from whores and contractors alike, and having to deal with the unspoken pity of his brothers when they came home every winter. Eventually, though, they seemed to forget. As if that scar had always been there. It felt nice, not to be looked at with horror.

There was one time, though, that Lambert came to him after a night of light drinking and stood before him with a pained look as if he was being slowly gutted. Being emotionally vulnerable was always hard for the little wolf.

“Just so you know,” Lambert forced out. “I think it looks badass.”

Eskel blinked at him. “What does?”

“Your-” he gestured at Eskel’s face. “My ugly fucking stitching, it looks cool. Like a burn scar. I dunno, just thought you should know. Isn’t as bad as you think.”

“Thank you, Lambert, but I don’t-”

“Shut up, man. Don’t make this weird,” Lambert said, as if Eskel was the one making this weird. “You’re always touchin’ your face when you’re anxious and I don’t think you know how it really looks. Intimidating, like you could kill a man just by staring at him too hard. Looks like a battle scar.”

Eskel flushed bright red. He wasn’t lying. His voice was loose, truthful. “I appreciate that.” He murmured, and Lambert scowled.

“Don’t think I’m getting soft on you, bastard. I’m still kicking your ass in training tomorrow.”

“Wouldn’t expect any less, Lamb.”

He still thought he was a monster.

Until Jaskier came along.

Jaskier laid eyes on him and Eskel readied himself for shock. For revolt. For the stench of fear and sick that wafted off of everyone around him but went unspoken and unsaid. Jaskier, instead, smelled sweet as honeysuckle and smiled at him so bright he could outshine the sun.

By then, he had worked out his feelings with Lambert and Geralt. The three of them cared for each other more than just companions, more than just fellow wolves. The word love was scary and difficult to say, but they all thought it. They all meant it.

Jaskier came late to the relationship but attached himself to the three of them nonetheless and absolutely showered them in love. Eskel was not exempt.

The bard cornered Eskel in the courtyard while he was taking a break from practicing on his own. Jaskier sat himself down beside the wolf, took his face in his deft hands, and stared at him.

“Jaskier?” Eskel asked softly, wishing to pull away and out of his gaze. He didn’t want to be so seen.

“Eskel.” His little bird responded brightly, still examining Eskel’s face in awe.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re a work of art.”

Oh, okay, Eskel was going to melt.

“C’mon, Jask, speak plainly.” He chided softly, looking away from Jaskier’s soft blue eyes.

“Okay. You’re pretty.” He said simply, diving forward to kiss the tip of the wolf’s nose. “You’re pretty here,” he kissed his left cheek. “And here,” his forehead. “Here,” over one eye. “And here.” Upon his scar.

“It’s not pretty, sweetheart. It’s... violent.” He tried to brush off his little bird’s love-laden compliments.

“Nonsense. I love every bit of you, scarred, not scarred...” Jaskier leaned even closer and he could feel his warm breath against his cheek. “You’re very strong to wear your scar so bravely. My pretty boy.”

Yeah, Eskel was lovestruck.

Geralt didn’t use words often. That was okay. Eskel liked the silence.

The white wolf had Eskel’s head in his lap as he read and he was thumbing through his hair, scratching gently as his scalp and quirking his lips in a smile whenever Eskel would emit a low purr.

He worked his fingers over the nape of Eskel’s neck, where he made the loudest rumbling noises, and then over his shoulder-blades where he worked out tight knots and tension from hunting and fighting all year.

“Turn over, dear heart.” Geralt prompted. “I want to see your face.”

Eskel complied. He blinked a little as he stared up at Geralt, smiling all soft and sweet- and it reminded Eskel of the first time they’d kissed. Geralt had the best smile.

Geralt’s thumb brushed over Eskel’s scar unexpectedly and he startled, freezing up and turning his head away.

“I’m sorry.” Geralt said instantly, taking his hand away and setting it on his lap instead. “Do you need me to stop?”

Eskel didn’t want that. He’d been startled, is all. He craved that kind of tender touch.

“No, do it again, but slow.”

And he did. He traced up and down Eskel’s scar, over his eyebrow and then back down to his chin. Eskel purred. Geralt mapped out every blemish and torn pieces of skin as fragile as glass, like he were brushing his fingers over a priceless statue. Worshipped his flawed features like he were beautiful. And maybe, Eskel thought as he closed his eyes and let himself sink into the contentedness of being loved, maybe if his lovers saw him this way... maybe his scar wasn’t so bad after all.

#the witcher #eskel #geralt of rivia #jaskier #lambert #eskel witcher #eskel the witcher #gereskel #jeskel #jaskel #lambskel #esklamb?#eskel x geralt #eskel x jaskier #eskel x lambert #the wolf pack #wolf pack x jaskier #fluff #the witcher fanfiction

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