A Different Kind of Asylum
Pairing: None
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 543
Warnings: Depression, Self-Harm
Summary: Jack sort of hates being God. But there's one past-time that makes it easier for him.
@anyfandomangstbingo square filled: Permanent Scar
@jackklinebingo square filled: Asylum
Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41267823
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Thinking about Gortash being shaped by his time in the House of Hope.
Purposefully mimicking Raphael's accent and manner of speaking, elegant, sophisticated, confident, to disguise his own working class roots and mingle with the Gate's upper class. Matching Raphael's demeanor, his posture, the way he negotiates his deals and flatters his clients. Even the theatrics, to an extent. Raphael is a consummate showman, and from him Gortash learns that presentation is key to manipulating people's perceptions to his own ends.
His views on sex don't differ too much from Harleep's, if Lady Jannath's note is any indication. Sex is just a tool, a commodity, currency that can be used to manipulate people and gain favours. He has no issues with selling his body, as long as the price is right.
As much as he hates the Nubaldin, he also learns from him. Each blow, each cut, each excruciating form of torture gets committed to mind. What worked, what didn't, how did each one feel. It's all knowledge in the end, and if he so wants it, it's his to use.
His own belief and devotion to Bane, God of Tyranny, his desire for absolute order and control, and lawful evil alignment could be linked back. Devil's are famously hierarchical creatures, who believe in order (in opposition to demons who embrace chaos), and the rule of the strong over the weak. Know who is a famous, scheming, sweet-talking tyrant in d&d lore? Old Hoof and Horns himself, Asmodeus, Devil in Chief.
Even his disregard of Karlach's optimism, generosity and good heart. The only truly "good" person young Gortash ever met was Hope, a captive of Raphael tortured for years for refusing to renounce her principles. Her sister Korilla, instead chose to serve Raphael and is thriving, free to come and go as she wishes, granted warlock powers by Raphael, living her best evil life.
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Ok more alnst rambles.
I think my favorite interpretation of both Sua and Ivan's deaths is that their self-sacrifice was less about saving their loved ones than it was that they themselves could not live without Mizi/Till. Like this belief that yes, we're choosing our loved ones over our own lives, but also with the belief that Mizi/Till would be able to live past their (Sua/Ivan) deaths.
But for both Sua and Ivan, they could not find any reason to live if Mizi/Till were to die instead in their rounds. Both are absolutely obsessed with their partners - their entire reason for living revolves around Mizi/Till, bc for both Sua and Ivan, their lives were empty husks until they met them.
Ivan calls Sua out for being a self-sacrificing idiot, calling her selfish bc it'll only leave Mizi traumatized over her death. According to him, her choosing to die was not out of love for Mizi, it was a purely selfish choice bc Sua cannot live without Mizi. But in the end, Ivan is the exact same.
So dying for their loved ones? Easy. But ask them to live with their loved ones' deaths? Over their dead bodies.
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