You know what's interesting to me? For all people keep claiming at every juncture that perhaps Bells Hells will come around on the gods and see the harm they do (which, as discussed extensively, is, half the time, simply not intervening) not only have they never done so, but also they never quite cross the line into saying the party should join the Ruby Vanguard or aid them - and indeed, they defend against it - so what does this achieve? It feels like they're asking for a story in which the party stands idly by, which isn't much of a story nor, if I may connect this briefly to the real world, a political stance anyone should be proud of.
That's honestly the frustration with the gods and the "what if the Vanguard has a point" conversations in-game. What do we do then? Do we allow the organization that will murder anyone for pretty much any reason that loosely ties into their goals run rampant? The group that (perhaps unwittingly, but then again, Otohan's blades had that poison) disrupted magic world-wide, and caused people who had the misfortune to live at nexus points to be teleported (most, as commoners, without means of return). While also fomenting worldwide unrest?
Those were the arguments before the trip to Ruidus; with the reveal of the Vanguard's goals to invade Exandria, the situation becomes even more dire. Do you let the Imperium take over the planet?
And do the arguments against the gods even hold up? If Ludinus is so angry at them for the Calamity, what does it say that he destroyed Western Wildemount's first post-Calamity society for entirely selfish means? (What does it say about the validity of vengeance as a motivator?) What does it say that Laudna told Imogen she could always just live in a cottage quietly without issue before the solstice even happened? (Would this still be true if the Imperium controls the world?) What does it say that when faced with a furious, grieving party and the daughter she keeps telling herself was her reason for all of this, Liliana can't provide an answer to the question of what the gods have done other than that their followers will retaliate...for, you know, the Vanguard's endless list of murders. (That is how the Vanguard and Imperium tend to think, huh? "How dare your face get in the way of my boot; how dare you hit me back when I strike you.") She can't even provide a positive answer - why is Predathos better - other than "I feel it", even though Imogen and Fearne know firsthand that Predathos can provide artificial feelings of elation. Given all the harm Ludinus has done in pursuit, why isn't the conclusion "the gods should have crashed Aeor in such a way that the tech was unrecoverable?"
Even as early as the first real discussion on what the party should do, the fandom always stopped short of saying "no, Imogen's right, they should join up with the people who killed half the party," it was always "no, she didn't really mean it, she just was trying to connect with her mother." Well, she's connected with her mother, and at this point the party doesn't even care about the gods particularly (their only divinely-connected party member having died to prevent the Vanguard from killing all of them). So they will stop the Vanguard; as Ashton says, the means are unforgiveable. As Laudna says, it's not safe to bet on Predathos's apathy. As Imogen says, she's done running; the voice that she used to think of as a lifeline belongs to someone she doesn't trust. So I guess my question is: if they're stopping the people who are trying to kill the gods (and defense of the gods isn't remotely their personal motivation)...do you think the next phase of the campaign is Bells Hells personally killing the gods? Reconstructing the Aeor tech and hoping none of their allies notice? How does this end? Does your ideology ever get enacted? Or is this entirely moot and pointless and the story ends with Bells Hells saying "well, I'm really glad we stopped the people who [insert list of Vanguard atrocities from above]; none of us follow the gods or plan to, but honestly, the status quo we return to is preferable to whatever nightmare Ludinus had concocted in his violent quest for power and revenge"?
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@wolfstarmicrofic March 22 – prompt 22: Impervius – word count 909
Impervius - Makes an object waterproof
Sirius wasn’t mad McGonagall had caught him charming her classroom ceiling to start raining and had given him detention. No, Sirius was mad Remus had been assigned to supervise him as he stopped the spell and dried the whole classroom without magic. Lately, Remus had been acting weird towards him, and he thought he knew why. After his friends had found out about the scars he had on his legs thanks to Walburga’s favourite Slicing curse he had been a bit more open about his family. Safely guided by James (and more often than not also safely tucked in James’s arms) he had started to tell the other Marauders bits and pieces about the house he had grown up in. About his parents’ rigid discipline. About the Black family motto, Toujours Pur. About the Sacred Twenty-eight and his parents’ belief that anyone outside of that circle wasn’t worth even existing. He suspected that had caused Remus to mostly avoid eye contact with him, exit a room as soon as it ended up just being the two of them, and almost jumping away whenever they accidentally touched. He supposed it was difficult adjusting to the idea one of your friends had parents who thought you were an abomination, but he had always been careful to make it very clear he didn’t support any of his parents’ beliefs. Even what he couldn’t control, he used to say, had turned out against his family values. His being sorted into Gryffindor was the most obvious and the fact he liked men was the most hilarious since he kept flirting with each one of his friends claiming out loud it was payback for the way he had been raised. He had had to stop that too, since Remus had looked uncomfortable about it.
“You’ve outdone yourself, really,” Remus said, shielding his head from the rain pouring from the ceiling. “I’ve rarely seen McGonagall so angry.”
“I know,” Sirius smirked, before pointing his wand at Remus’s bag. “Impervius! Wouldn’t want your precious books to get soaked, Moony.”
“Thanks,” Remus nodded, leaning on a desk nearby. “You should really stop the spell before it gets worse, though.”
“You know it’s not my fault, right?”
Sirius bit his tongue. He hadn’t meant to say that, he just wanted to get detention over as quickly as possible and maybe slip into James’s bed later on and ask him what he could do to make sure Remus knew he was safe with him, he would always be safe with him.
“I’m pretty sure the classroom being flooded is, Pads.”
“No, I mean… Finite incantatem!” Sirius said. If they were going to have this conversation, at least they wouldn’t be in the pouring rain. “I mean about my parents.”
“What?”
“Their ideas about ‘blood purity’ and all that bullshit. It’s what they think, not me.”
“I know that, Pads.”
Sirius looked at Remus, who was looking back at him with a puzzled expression.
“You don’t… You don’t think I have the same ideas?”
Remus stared at him, eyes wide.
“We’ve been friends for years and I know how horrible your family is. Why would I think that?”
“It’s just…” Sirius hesitated. “You’ve been distant lately and I thought…”
He was expecting Remus to deny it, but instead he looked away from him.
“Yeah, like that,” Sirius sighed. “If it’s not my family, what is it Moony? Did I do something wrong?”
“No, of course not,” Remus was still not looking at him.
“Then what is it?”
“It’s just something about me and it’s nothing, really.”
“It clearly isn’t, you’re not even able to look me in the eye!”
Sirius walked up to Remus, stopping only when he was almost up against him. He hesitated a fraction of second, but Remus was still looking away, so he reached up and put his hand on his cheek, gently but firmly turning his head.
“What is it? Please, Moony, tell me,” he whispered.
He had never looked that close at Remus’s eyes. That warm brown with somehow hues of gold in them. Gorgeous, but Remus was a marvel of a person, in and out, even if he scoffed every time someone mentioned it. Remus blinked, his long eyelashes fluttering for a second, before he suddenly moved forward, crushing their mouths together. It was over in seconds, the feel of Remus’s lips on his, the way his heart skipped a beat, the sound at the back of his throat, before Remus abruptly pulled back.
“Shit, sorry, Sirius, I’m sorry,” he had turned bright red. “I know you don’t…”
“I don’t what?” Sirius said, trying to find words in the sea of no please kiss me again his brain was screaming.
“Me. Don’t like me. Not that way,” Remus grimaced. “James is going to kill me.”
“What does Prongs have to do with this?” Sirius asked, lost.
“Well, I mean… You…” Remus gestured vaguely.
“Me and James?”
“I mean, you’re always in each other’s beds,” Remus said, defensively.
“Yes, to talk and plan, not to make out!” Sirius roared with laughter. “And I’m not his type anyway, you know he likes them mean.”
“I… And what’s your type then?”
Sirius considered it for a minute, still standing so close to Remus, still with his friend a deep shade of red.
“Confused, apparently,” he sighed, before leaning in and kissing Remus again.
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Carter: As Oscar once said: "everything is about sex, except sex, sex is about power."
Wilde: I never said that!
Carter: Yes, you did!
Barnes: Well that sounds like something you would say.
Wilde: Last time you agreed with Carter that "You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear" was something I would say. Your opinion does not count.
Barnes: Wait, you didn't say that?
Carter: Nah. I did got that one wrong it was Campbell actually.
Zolf: *who was listening from the side room and entered invoked by Campbell's name* No it wasn't. Campbell isn't a hack.
Carter: Ohoho, Oscar, he called you a hack? Are you gonna let him?
Wilde: Not he didn't! Because I never wrote that. I never spoke that. And I resent anyone thinking I did.
Barnes: Okay, so who said it?
Carter: I still think it was Oscar.
Wilde: *doing calming breathing exercises*
Barnes: Don't be like that Oscar, Carter is just being himself. In fact, didn't you once said "be yourself, everyone else is already taken"?
Zolf: *who knows that Wilde never said any of this things* *breaks laughing*
Carter: Yeah, it was right after "never love anybody who treats you like you’re ordinary".
Wilde: I hate all of you.
Zolf: Why? Wasn't you the one going "there is only one thing in life worse than being talked about" well we are talking about you.
Wilde: I never... wait... no...I actually did say that one.
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