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werewolves-are-real · 6 months

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Time Travel Temeraire snippet

At first, Laurence assumes he's dead.

It's a natural conclusion. He remembers dying, after all.

He and Tenzing were at a function hosted by Wellesley. They were mostly there to support the dragons. Temeraire had long abandoned them to quarrel with Perscitia in the courtyard, with half a dozen ferals watching like it were a jousting match. Wellesley had laid out his grounds to allow room for dragons and men to mingle, but a good portion of the guests retreated inside to avoid the raised voices of the dragons.

Laurence wonders how Temeraire felt about that, later. About not seeing.

He was stabbed. He barely remembers it – just a quick pulse of pain in his chest, looking down. Red blooming over his coat.

Then he was on the floor. People screamed. Tenzing appeared, grappling with a tall and finely-dressed man; he used a dinner-knife to punch a hole in the stranger's throat, in a fantastic spray of blood, and dropped the body at once to kneel by Laurence's side.

He remembers Wellesley barking orders – bandages, water, a hot knife. Have to cauterize it, he'd shouted. Keep pressure -

But Tenzing never spoke. Just pressed down on Laurence's chest, over the wound, without particular panic. Laurence still remembers the grim resignation on his face; Tenzing knew what was coming. Laurence was glad to have him there when he died.

Then Laurence woke up.

The world sways in a familiar way, a rhythmic motion that Laurence registers on a soul-deep level. He's on a ship. But why? Where is Tenzing, Temeraire? Why would they put him on a ship?

“I think the fever's breaking,” says a voice. A naval doctor, disheveled and salt-stained, with long scars down his bared arms. “Oh, and awake too!”

“Well thank Christ,” says another man. One Laurence recognizes.

It's Captain Gerry Stuart – but he looks different, younger than the last time Laurence saw him, with smooth skin and dark curly hair.

Gerry died two years ago.

“Well, Lieutenant! You gave us a scare – how are you feeling?” Gerry asks.

“It's Admiral,” Laurence corrects rather than all the other things he does not dare ask. He hates the title foisted upon him; but it's at least more comprehensible than Lieutenant, and he clings to that rather than demand where did you come from.

Stuart throws back his head to cackle, though the concern doesn't leave his face. “Still perhaps a bit feverish, I think!”

“That might be the laudanum,” says the doctor, also amused. “Why don't you sleep a bit more, Lieutenant?”

“But where is Temeraire? Or Tenzing?”

“I can only assume you had some very vivid dreams,” Stuart chuckles. “You were babbling and babbling for Temeraire – isn't that a ship?”

“Perhaps the flagship of his fleet,” suggests the doctor, and Stuart laughs again. “Get some rest, Mr. Laurence. Holler if you need me.”

They both exit the sick-berth. Laurence stares blankly at the door.

What?

Laurence pats his chest. No wound. He looks down, startled by the pale thinness of his fingers, his youth-soft skin.

Well; not soft. Callouses cover his hands. But even these patterns are different – hard skin in places where he would hold a sword, or pulls ropes. His hands should be more wrinkled, yes; but these callouses faded years ago.

“Where am I?” he asks when the doctor returns. “And what is the year?”

“The year? 1793. You don't remember?”

1793. Laurence was 19 in 1793. A lieutenant for two years, on the Shorewise.

The doctor narrows his eyes. “What's my name, lad?”

Laurence swallows. His stomach churns; for the life of him he can't remember.

The doctor rushes off to retrieve the captain.

_____________________________

Laurence is diagnosed with brain fever, and partial amnesia. Gerry is horribly guilty about laughing, earlier; Laurence could not care less. He is given strict orders to stay on bed-rest for another week, in hope his strength will recover – and his mind.

Laurence doesn't think he'll have any issues working – he's forgotten many of the people around him, true, but he may never forget the way to run a ship. He's far more concerned with learning what happened.

From all appearances, it is indeed 1793. France is undergoing riots, and declared war against Britain in February. Temeraire has not hatched. Napoleon is probably a corporal or general himself, at this point. If he exists at all. God knows, perhaps Laurence is only mad.

But he doesn't feel mad. His memories are too vivid to be mere fever-dreams. A man cannot dream up twenty years of life!

But neither can a man go back to his youth, and live it all again.

I have a dragon, he thinks of saying. There is no war, because I captured Napoleon – an unknown man who makes himself emperor.

Mad. It sounds mad even to Laurence himself. But to imagine that Temeraire was a fever-ridden dream... Tenzing and Granby and China, all of it...

Laurence doesn't share his turmoil with anyone – not even with Gerry, who checks on him fretfully. After a week the doctor declares him well enough, physically. He's paired always with another lieutenant for the first few days on duty, and his shipmates watch him carefully for signs of permanent debilitation; but aside from a moment or two of hesitance, Laurence competently resumes his duties. The oversight lessens.

Laurence thinks about writing letters.

He thinks about writing to Tharkay's late father, who ought to still be alive, inquiring after his son. He thinks of writing to Prince Mianning, asking about the health of Lung Tien Qian. He thinks of writing to young Midshipman Granby, his unwed brother, his dead father...

Not all of them would reply. But he could ask questions. Could verify the truth of things. Unless this, instead, is the delusion.

Is he in 1793, imagining the future? Is he in the future, imagining the past? Or maybe he is already dead, and this is the reality of hell. He came here burning with fever, and now he burns with fear. Surely that is it's own form of torture.

Laurence is ironically given the task of tutoring the midshipman and lieutenant-hopefuls more than any other duty as the weeks pass; his crewmates still look askance, and the more eager of the midshipman become protective. Laurence remains perfectly capable of command; it is only that he can't help but be absent-minded, sometimes, staring at all the crewmen that pass him like they are nothing but moving paintings. Images of a world that no longer matters.

One evening the midshipmen drag him away to a meal with the other officers. It's a noisy crowd; Laurence would find the friendly bustle comforting in another life.

One of the senior officers, Lieutenant Moore, waves him down as Laurence enters. Evidently they used to be friends, given his notably concerned behavior of late. Laurence can't remember the man, and has a sneaking suspicion he died too soon to make a lasting impression.Moore jostles him when Laurence sits at the long table. “Will! Did you get any letters with the last batch?”

A patrolling gunboat brought a satchel of letters just this morning. “I did not,” Laurence says. He's grateful for the fact. He'd found a few pieces of correspondence in his quarters that he dutifully sent on; he cannot imagine writing a letter now, in this confused state.

“Then you've had no news! Robespierre has gone mad. Madder than before, I suppose.”

“Robespierre?” asks Laurence blankly.

Lieutenant Moore double-takes, as does everyone else around them. “Good lord, Will, please tell me you remember Robespierre?”

Right... Robespierre's reign was brief, but this is when he led France. Some of the things the papers published...

Well, at least Laurence has a well-worn excuse for his ignorance. He plays up his malady: “Yes. I think I recall he was... French?”

Groans of horror mixed with amusement echo around the table. “...Well you aren't wrong,” says Moore, looking pained. “He has styled himself the 'President' of their Assembly, which is some stupid way of being king; the French are all mad about removing and adding words right now. I don't know how they expect anyone to hold a conversation.”

“We should... probably educate Mr. Laurence about the war at some point,” some midshipman mutters. Laurence doesn't recall his name.

Moore sighs again. “Anyway. Robespierre is a tyrant, of course. But he's elected someone else to rule France! Barely more than a boy, too.”

Laurence frowns; he doesn't remember what Moore's talking about. “Why would he do that? Did they capture one of the Bourbons?” Declaring himself regent of a child-prince would at least make sense.

“Well, at least you remember them. No; it is some nobody, a young soldier. Not even French! I cannot fathom it.”

It feels like Laurence has been dunked in ice.

For a moment he can't respond. “What was his name? The soldier.”

“Napoleon Bonaparte. He has been chosen as head of their new heresy, the 'Cult of the Supreme Being,' they're calling it; and now de facto head of the government, too. Must be a priest? I don't know, nothing the French are doing makes sense. I expect his little group will be as short-lived as everything else about these riots.”

But Laurence doesn't think so. “...Excuse me; I'm feeling a bit poorly,” he says, rising on wavering legs.

“Yes, you look it! Go on, we'll tell you about the war later...”

Laurence flees.

#posting bc i have no idea where this is going or if I'll do anything with it #it's just a funny stupid idea #Laurence travelling in time: I have gone mad. I am plagued by visions. God is punishing me for my Sins. This is purgatory.#Why is this happening? What moral course of action can I take under these circumstances?#Napoleon travelling through time: No idea how this happened. Neat. Time to hijack a cult and rule my country even earlier.#basic concept is Laurence has an ongoing existential crisis about his Place In The Universe #but also he is determined to stop Napoleon #who is delighted and fascinated they BOTH came back and sort of indulgently lets him try #basically resulting in Laurence becoming Napoleon's unwilling advisor frantically trying to do damage control in between bouts #of philosophical dread and despair #“Poor Mr Laurence was loyal before the brain fever we swear”#meanwhile Laurence is in France just trying desperately to make Napoleon Stop #etc etc #Temeraire

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pnutsdotorg · 8 months

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SHRIMP EATING FREAK CAUGHT ON FILM

#was rewatching some episodes. and was so delighted by the fact that the first thing he does is go eat the cocktail shrimp #LIKE OF COURSE THIS ASSHOLE WOULD EAT ALL THE SHRIMP. FUCKING TYPICAL!!!#also i realize i have been forgetting some tags for him. i always call him rusty i forget people call him dr. venture #fuck that in particular but alas. i will add rhem anyway #EAT UP VENTURE NATION #vbros #venture bros #rusty venture bros #dr venture #dr venture venture bros #← is that anything? anyway #pnutart #updated picture to fix a mistake. oops. guys pleaseeeee reblog THIS version. amen

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gammija · 1 year

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There's such delicious dramatic irony in Martin saying, "This isn’t about saving the world, it’s all just some power play against [Elias.]" and being right about that! Peter's ultimate goal isn't to save the world, it's to be the one to end it, and, in the short term, to win a bet -

but Martin's also wrong about his own unimportance, because this is perhaps the clearest shot anyone had at stopping the apocalypse. and if Martin had actually killed Jonah here, the Spider would've had a real hard time fixing that gap in their web

@a-mag-a-day

#not impossible #but by just the fact that the web doesn't actually try to cause the apocalypse themselves #id wager that they... cant. t #thats way too direct for the power of manipulation to be able to do #they have to manipulate other powers and people to enact their plans #they can nudge and pull and push but i dont think they wouldve been able to send an effective hello Jon #tma #a mag a day #martin blackwood #martin #tma s4 #the magnus archives #and martin talks about this whole thing later as well of course #also martins interactions with villains keeps being delightful of course #Elias again not actually lying to him #maybe martin wouldve done it anyways... if Jon hadnt been at risk of being affected by the fall-out #or do yall think at this point he was too lonely to care about that #joos yaps #idk if dramatic irony is technically the correct term #but yall get it

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boyfridged · 1 year

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You may have already mentioned this in some of your other metas, and I just missed it, so please ignore this if it's redundant.

Do you think Bruce is projecting onto Jason by pushing him as a Robin? Obviously, Jason wanted to be Robin and was excited about it, and Bruce let Jason do other things, but (if I'm not mistaken) before Tim came into play, solidifying the whole Batman needs a Robin/support to keep him upright, Bruce and Dick becoming Batman and Robin, in the beginning, was also sort of a coping mechanism.

I think there are a few examples of Bruce enabling this kind of mindset. Like in Gotham Knights #43–44 (sorry), every time Barbara brings up Jason's inner turmoil, Bruce refocuses on his ability as a Robin; similarly, when Jason finds out about Two-Face and his dad, he is hurt, and Bruce acknowledges that but then does the same thing, zeroing in on reassuring Jason that he made a mistake but is still a good Robin.

Like, Jason got it from Bruce, but he unintentionally encouraged that kind of thinking.

oh, i definitely think that bruce is projecting on jason and that it profoundly affected jay. and, while every single one of your observations is apt, i would add that what truly made it so tragic is that he projected his own worst traits on jason while being blind to the fact that jay already shared his best qualities.

tldr: bruce projects himself on jason in terms of grief (saying that jason needs vigilantism to work his grief through) and sees his own worst traits in jason (anger) but doesn't see his own best traits in jay (compassion, love, and sensitivity). ironically, jason does end up developing all of the (projected) worst characteristics of bruce (obsessiveness, and relentlessness in pursuit of the respective perceived idea of justice). this happens even though they were barely present in his early storylines, and only ever manifested when jason was scared or lost. later, they truly came to be because of his trauma relating to vigilantism.

and the long, long version, coming with panels and quotes: under the cut.

first i want to say that the following analysis focuses very specifically on bruce's mistakes, but i don't view the overall of jay's upbringing by bruce solely in these terms. from text it is also clear that bruce deeply loves and cares about jay, and that jay enjoys being robin. now that this is clear, let's get to particularities, and start with jay's origin story.

i truly never stop thinking about the significance of bruce meeting jay in the crime alley, the place of his parents' death. there's a lot to be said about it, but here the focus is, of course, on the fact that he sees a little boy, very much similar to himself, angry and hurt, in the same scenery that brought him so much grief. and jay in some ways does appear to be a mirror of bruce's own agonies, as well as a mirror of his own inclination for seeking justice; and somehow, bruce fixates on the first one, while almost completely dismissing the latter.

bruce looks at him and assumes that the remedy to jason's pain and anger is being robin; and he doesn't stop to think about it. (it has to be noted that there's also classism at play, classism that is mostly a result of writers' own beliefs – collins did state in a couple of interviews that that the motivation behind jason's background was to make his introduction into vigilantism seem less offensive, as jason has already been exposed to crime...)

i think, in this context, it's interesting to look at the two-face storyline even closer, and from the start too. in the beginning, bruce talks of jason's 'street' roots and assumes jay would go "down the same criminal road that took his father [willis] to an early death." he also talks of jason making a lot of progress. later, in batman #411, after jason learns that willis has been killed by two-face, bruce comments that jay "has never been like this...listless...almost pouting--"

this all, along with jay's cheerful and diligent behaviour from the previous issue builds an interesting picture for us: because we essentially learn that jay has been overall an unproblematic child. bruce, of course, attributes this "progress" to the training. however, for anyone else, the logical conclusion would be that jay's quick adjustment was simply a matter of finding himself in a safe and stable environment and receiving continuous support and attention from a parental figure. i find it rather questionable that jason's personality softened down because he had something to punch in the cave–– the more intuitive explanation is of course that he was angry and quick to fight when they first met because he couldn't afford anything else and because he was scared. but months later, in a loving home, he can allow himself to drop his guard; and his cocky attitude disappears until much later.

so the rather unsettling picture that we derive is that bruce is training jay to become a vigilante in order to "channel" his (nonvisible at this point) anger into something useful and just. and he clearly links this to his own trauma in batman #416 (that’s already starlin btw), in his conversation with dick, explaining why he took jay in: “he’s so full of anger and frustration… he reminds me of myself, just after my parents were killed.” bruce also mentions that soon after their first meeting, jason helped him and "handled himself well" in the fight, but he doesn't mention that jay has ran away from a crime "school" and intended to stop injustice on his own only because he was ignored.

the theme of bruce comparing jay to himself appears again in detective comics #574 (barr), where it is approached with a much more... critical look, thanks to leslie's presence and her skepticism of bruce's actions. after jason has suffered nearly fatal injuries at the hand of the mad hatter, bruce reminisces on his own trauma and motives. he tells leslie: "i didn't choose jason for my work. he was chosen by it...as i was chosen." leslie replies: "stop that! (...) you do this for yourself... you're still that little boy (...)" then, the conversation steers to the familiar ground and the topic of anger. in bruce's words, again: “i wanted to give jason an outlet for his rage…wanted him to expunge his anger and get on with his life…” and finishes "and instead, i may have killed him."

the recognition that bruce's projection on jason and involving him with his work might have fatal consequences is, as always, fast forgotten once jay wakes up and proclaims that he wants to continue his work as robin.

but to circle back, i think there's something else worth our attention, something deeply ironic, that is showcased in that issue: that bruce has no evidence for jay's "rage." when leslie talks of bruce's past, she recalls his tendencies to get into brutal fights at perceived injustice as early as in school; when bruce talks of jason, two pictures that are juxtaposed, are that of jason fighting as robin and jason... smiling, playing baseball.

so, in the early days of jason's training and work in the field, we see bruce talking of jason's anger a lot; but we barely see it.

that being said, jay is angry sometimes– and i think your observation about how bruce deals with it is incredibly interesting and accurate.

we first see jay truly and devastatingly angry in the two-face storyline. bruce focuses on jay's reaction as robin, which is, in fact, aggressive. but something that he barely addresses is that jason's first reaction is sleeping all day, and not beating anyone to a pulp; in fact, this vengeful instinct seems to arise only when he is put right in front of two-face. and his third instinct, once the rage (very quickly) dies down after the altercation with two-face, is crying, because bruce hid the truth about willis' death from him. jay, while crying, asks bruce: "you have taken me out into combat-- but you spare me this?" in response, bruce lectures jason about how grief inspires revenge, which is, again, deeply ironic, given that jay seeking out revenge seemed to be prompted and enabled solely by the role of robin. moreover, his question suggests that at this point he saw grief ("you spare me this") and fighting as two different things.

the final is, as you said, bruce focusing on making it into a lesson on vigilantism, or, in his own words, "tempering revenge into justice." personally, i think in this way bruce directs jason to bring his grief into the field as a powering force, something that he didn't necessarily have an own incentive to do. the flash of compartmentalisation between his ordinary life and being a sidekick that jay has shown by questioning bruce's decision is lost. emotions are now a robin thing, and they have an (informal) protocol, a moral code. and when jay is confronted with an emotionally exhausting case next – the garzonas case, i believe that the focus on "tempering revenge into justice" is exactly the problem– we don't see jay crying, we see him frantic about finding the solution. this, right there, is bruce's obsessiveness, that in my opinion, was developed in jay specifically as a result of how his engagement with vigilantism combines with his deep sensitivity.

and, needless to say, his sensitivity is all the same as that of bruce – they both can't stand looking at other people hurting, they both wear their hearts on their sleeve, caring way too much – the thing is, bruce never quite acknowledges how they are similar in this matter. instead, he focuses on his sparse bursts of anger, wanting to bring jason closure in his grief the only way he knows it – in a fight for a better world. so, as you said, he focuses on jason's ability as robin.

which just doesn't work for jason. at all. we know it from how his robin run comes to an end: in the first issue of a death in the family (batman #426) alfred informs: “i’ve come upon him, several times, looking at that battered old photograph of his mother and father, crying.” to that, bruce contends: “in other words, i may have started jason as robin before he had a chance to come to grips with his parents deaths.” he also tells jay that the field is not a place for someone who is hurting; a message that is the opposite of what he's been saying for years now, and something that i imagine was difficult for bruce to conceptualise, because then he would have to question his own unhealthy tendencies. it's a bit late to come to this realisation; bruce's self-projection that caused him to worry so much about jay's anger has already turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy that will fully manifest itself in utrh, when jason does the only thing he was taught to do with grief: try to channel it into justice.

#AHHH this took me so long for no reason at all. so sorry anon <3 #anyway. i'm obsessed with your observation regarding bruce's focus on robin in the two-face storyline #i've already briefly considered it but you made me go back and reread it #and i just stared at these panels of jason in bed all day for like good 5 minutes thinking. jesus christ. jesus christ #“you spare me *this*?” <- this line is making me feel SICK TO MY STOMACH.#so maybe bruce is right when he says that he made jason like this in tfz.#and jay is of course even more right when he says that he didn't make him. he raised him #also don't apologise for bringing in gotham knights #i actually talked about it some before because it is a very good illustration of bruce projecting on jay #<- i didn't include it here bc my post was getting insanely long.#anyway back on the topic. i think it's so deeply sad that jay genuinely has no idea #that this is what bruce thinks #i think he would be DEVASTATED if he knew the way bruce fixated on the idea of his anger #hm. normal now.#thank you so much for this ask. you can tell i was delighted to answer it <3 #i actually already had a draft about it when you sent it... but i'm sooo slow with editing my word vomit #outbox #jay.zip #jay.txt #dc #jason todd #core texts

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mokutone · 1 year

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I can just imagine the context behind that gai post, rip anyone who witnessed that.

im fascinated by this ask i have NO idea what ur imagining but it must be quite a vision

#yamswers #tanukibby #i wasnt gonna post these otherwise so ill add the pen and pencil drawings here #for me i imagined all three pieces in conversation with each other #so in svindapus' yamato drawing yamato does the pose in a fairly neutral stance hes just like “ok sure”#then in aldynafox's kakashi wants to get in on the goof and he takes it to a sillyseductive place #and then in mine gai sees kakashi “doing a challenge” (not like that. but. like that) + is like “HAH!!! not without ME my RIVAL!!!!!!!”#and immediately drops to the ground pops his shoulders and rear and is like HAH. get on THIS level!#which is why i posted all the images together. this narrative only exists in my head tho. and now on the tags of this post #fun fact in one of the omakes naruto buys a magazine bc it promises sexy models posing in the sealed insert #and when he cuts open the insert to look at the pictures. its all photos of might gai. oiled...glistening...showing off his muscles......#naruto is disappointed of course but im fucking delighted. i wanna hear more about might gai's modeling career.#maybe in modern konoha hed have a ninja!onlyfans

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theherocomplex · 22 days

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I will probably never get around to writing this, but I have a tiny little fic idea that all the BG3 companions are watching Halsin give Aneurin a pretty little bouquet of wildflowers and vines and sticks, and everyone is like, "That's adorable, but kind of lazy as far as romance goes? I mean, druids and plants, we get it, try harder, you meat shield of an elf" --

-- only for Aneurin to squeal with delight and just start eating the bouquet.

Everyone is somewhere on the horrified to bewildered spectrum, but Astarion faints dead away.

#bee plays bg3 #look both Halsin and Aneurin are druids #of COURSE he brought her edible plants to court her!#he is romantic and practical #Aneurin is delighted by the gesture and by the snack

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densitywell · 9 months

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It is so fun watching Orym awkwardly go through the song and dance of formal military presentation - the speeches in front of cheering crowds, the rewarding of titles and honors far too overwrought for the bloody work they represent (Orym could kill someone in half the time it would take him to say, I am Orym, Savior Blade of the Tempest) - because it's possible there's nothing this guy gives less of a shit about than his own accolades or legacy. Orym just wants to be good, even as he becomes less and less certain what that means, even as he thinks that it would be so much easier to give up on that. He wants to feel like he's done something right, for maybe the first time since Will and Derrig died.

And so he fumbles through the rituals, and holds up his shield for the people of Zephrah to bear witness to, and extracts what really matters from Keyleth (who understands the frivolity of this all better than anybody) referring to him as a Savior Blade of the Tempest; not a fancy name for people to call him, but affirmation that he can save people, someone, anyone, at least this time. At least with the Hells at his side.

#orym of the air ashari #critical role #cr spoilers #cr orym #cr3 #really tho i saw so much talk of orym getting the praise and recognition he deserves meanwhile orym's standing there taking it like ://///#so i was delighted when the savior blade of the tempest title was bookended by keyleth commiserrating and offering him some very good advic #needed that way more than a cool nickname!!#forgot to acknowledge the of course genuine love and camraderie with the people of zephrah in this #but to work that in honestly would require untangling the essential role of patriotism and nationalism in military structures #even if just to say “zephrah is One of The Good Militarized States bc exandria is a world where those exist!” or whatever #crposting

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carnivalcarriondiscarded · 5 months

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what was frank and wally's reaction to poppy waking up in the lights out au :3

i've been imagining that she wakes up While wally is bringing everyone back to the storeroom after a play. i bet there was a long moment of shocked staring before poppy started panicking...

#poppy: ...#wally: ...#poppy: SQUAWK????#wally: *flinching away* oh #and then he has to get her to a) be quiet and b) come with him to find frank #theyre kinda fighting at this moment in the timeline... frank and wally i mean!!!#frank left him for home smh #< that was a Joke.#but lets just say the vibes in the post office were Frigid for a while #they had a Very Big Disagreement and neither is willing to budge on the matter #rambles from the bog #wh lights out au #BUT ANYWAY THIS IS ABOUT POPPY!#frank is likely Very shocked! just like wally was but more Epressive about it!#but hes quickly delighted that he she's awake #it actually affects frank & wallys 'fight' and also frank's mental state in a Big Way! for the Better id say!#she definitely has a positive impact on them both #of course she's having a bad time but yk.#frank sticks like glue to her for a while #both to talk and to just enjoy her presence #he gets her a bunch of stuff from the bodega like a stray cat bringing home all the random shit it can find as presents #meanwhile wally continues to stand off to the side like 🧍#homeboy does Not know what the fuck to do in these kinds of situations #but luckily poppy takes initiative and pays welcome attention to the both of them!

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sometimes-love-is-enough · 1 year

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[image description: six colorful masks in the style of Commedia Dell’arte. The first is red with golden swirls, a red ribbon and spikes reminiscent of a crown, and is labelled ‘IL PRINCIPE’. The second is light blue with a rainbow string, upquirked eyes, and a single tear running down the side of the face, labelled ‘PADRE’. The third, blue and blocky with simple geometric designs, labelled ‘INSEGNANTE’. The fourth, black with a spiked birdlike nose, shading beneath the eye holes, and patchwork violet details, labelled ‘INQUIETO’. The fifth is a yellow halfmask with snakelike decals and a crack that runs across the bottom, lavelled ‘IL SERPENTE’. The final mask is green and grotesque, with a large nose, huge eyes, and a moustache, and spiky wires emerging from the top - labelled ‘IL DUCA’. End image description]

A continuation of the thoughts from my post about AU fanfiction as modern Commedia Dell'arte - here's the sides as vaguely Commedia-esque masks. Presenting: the archetypal cast of Commedia dell'lati!

IL PRINCIPE, the prince, a more thoughtful descendant of the swaggering Il Capitano archetype. He's often seen with his distinctive red sash, and occasionally a bladed weapon. Il Principe is prideful, sometimes to a fault, and deeply romantic.

PADRE, the father, representing family values and an apparent moral compass. Often played as somewhat naive or foolish - sometimes portrayed at hiding something more devious beneath that, depending on the show and situation. He's recognizable by his fondness for wordplay, and his cheerful attitude.

INSEGNANTE, the teacher, the unlistened-to voice of reason, the provider of exposition. His misunderstandings of common metaphorical phrases are frequently the source of comic relief. It's a common plot point for him to be pushed to his limit and snap, revealing genuine emotion behind his mask of impenetrable reason.

INQUIETO, the restless one - the devil's advocate, quick to voice the negatives of a situation and recommend doing something, anything else. Often takes the role of 'jerk with a heart of gold' - frequently is the recipient of misfortune. A key part of his character is his sharp wit and sarcasm against every other member of the cast.

IL SERPENTE, the snake, is cunning and deceptive by nature. He will often emerge onto the stage in the guise of another character, having stolen their mask offstage. The inevitable reveal where he produces his true mask and slots it onto his face is always met with delighted applause. Il Serpente was originally often depicted as the villain of many productions and still sometimes is, although many recent shows have taken to treating him in a much more sympathetic light.

Finally, IL DUCO, the duke - the brother and mirrored counterpart of Il Principe. Some shows choose to tone down his original conception as a graphic and grotesque provider of foul language in order to make him easier to portray, or easier to sympathize with. Other shows turn up the crassness all the way, and make him downright villainous in nature. Il Duco is, chronologically, the most recent addition to the archetypes, but has quickly found his way into being a beloved and fascinating part of many performances.

One of the things separating the more modern Commedia dell'lati from its predecessor, Commedia dell'arte, is its willingness to play with character dynamics. The plots and settings are never certain from one show to the next, and neither are the relationships between the characters. Il Serpente and Inquieto could be in a committed relationship on one stage, and at each other's throats fighting to the death on another - although, it should be noted, the two are never mutually exclusive. Sometimes the morality of characters are black-and-white, sometimes it's all in strokes of grey, but it's all in the name of exploring new aspects of these beloved familiar archetypes.

Everything's fluid when it comes to Commedia dell'lati - but always recognizable, however distant.

#my art #long post #sanders sides #commedia dell'arte #i'm just... VERY delighted by how commedia group dynamics mirror side group dynamics #also apologies if i got any italian stuff wrong! i double-checked as best i could but internet translations ain't perfect #i would have done the other common fanon characters (like Remy and Picani and the rest) but i couldn't think of good enough mask designs #....and of course Character!Thomas isn't common enough in AUs to get a mask of his own #if he ever shows up on stage he's recognizable by the lack of mask or a flower tucked behind the ear

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