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admrlthundrbolt · 6 months

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I Put A Spell On You (Tzekel-Kan x Chubby Reader)

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When Cortes's daughter follows Tulio and Miguel to El Dorado, how will it change their fate? Can Tzekel-Kan hold his ground in the presence of a goddess?

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Hey guys, I know it's been a while. But I would like to point my finger at the Red Web podcast. They recently posted an episode about the legend of El Dorado, which caused me to rewatch The Road to El Dorado. Thus this was spawned. I hope you enjoy.

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Tulio slammed his head against the post and held it there. His headache had caught up to his actions.

“Psst.”

He tilted his head, but only heard Miguel's pacing. So he brought his head back and started towards the post again,

“Pssssst! “

This time his friend stopped him and pointed up. Where they could see a heavier set sailor with their hands pressed against the bars of the brig. Their body were hard to make out, the baggy tunic and large hat covering most of their features.

“Would you like a hand out?”

“Yes.” The duo yelled.

The mysterious figure shushed them and looked around. Then turned back and said. “I can help you, but not directly. For a price that is.”

The friends looked at each other and seemed to have a silent conversation. With a nod Miguel looked up. “What are your terms?”

“I want off this ship. I was forced onto this crew and want to be free.”

They went back to internally chatting. Another nod was had, it appeared they were in the same boat. So why not team up.

“OK, now get us out of here.” Tulio said impatiently.

They tossed an apple between the bars. “This is the key to escaping.” Walking away they gave no explanation.

Staring at each other in bewilderment, they almost missed the beat of hooves coming their way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was hard to believe that a horse had helped them escape. Though they were curious where the stranger had went off to as well. Getting the last of the provisions onto the rowboat, they were surprised to see a figure. Realizing it was their “savior", Tulio's temper flared.

“What was all that about?!”

“What are you talking about?” They adjusted their bag and moved towards the boat.

He stepped in front of them. “Leaving us there after making a deal. Then you reappear out of nowhere.” His hands were flailing around wildly as he spoke.

“Did Altivo not being you the keys? “ As if to cement their point the horse sauntered up to the stranger and nusseled their shoulder. “You’ve never let me down, have you, old friend. Goodbye.“ They gave the horse a few pats, then went to help Miguel with the boat.

Tulio pouted over the fact that the apple was the only reason they got the keys. Miguel however was impressed at how the stranger handled the situation. As they lowered the row boat, Altivo had a fit. They tried to talk him down, but he only got louder. Then realizing his mistake, Miguel brought out the Apple, which Tulip tossed. Then it landed in the ocean and was followed by Altivo. Prompting everyone, but Tulio to attempt a rescue.

As the rescue pair reached the horse, Tulio navigated the boat over. It was a struggle, but the trio managed the feat. Only to lose most of their supplies in the process. This led into a string of bad luck.

The stranger was finally revealed, as a woman.

“Why wouldn't you bring that up!” Tulio had only known this person for an afternoon and couldn't remember being more exasperated.

“You never ask, so I thought there was no reason to say.” With a shrug of the shoulders you wrang out her hair. “ Besides, I didn't lie about being there against my will. “

“If that’s true, then she does have a point.” Miguel said, attempting to be the voice of reason.

“Oh shut up. You’d side with the pretty girl anyways.“

Miguel didn't answering, not wanting to admit that his partner was right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The journey was dull in some moments, but treacherous in others. With most of their provisions gone, they had a hard time not succumbing to hunger. Until birds started dropping things in their boat. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, no offense Altivo. They happily used anything they brought.

Though when they learnt the actual reason for the blessings Tulip had a few choice words to give (Y/N).

“You’ve been feeding them behind our backs!”

“It's just a bit of dried corn. I saved it for Altivo originally. Then an opportunity presented itself.”

Miguel, ever the peace keeper, said between them. “While it may have been a good idea to discuss what we did with the remaining supplies. It did help us in the long run.” He look at the two, only to see they had went to opposite ends of the boat. Shaking his head, he knew this was far from over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the two men lamented about their regrets, you couldn't help but feel downtrend too. “I regret not escaping my father sooner.”

This cause the duo to look up a bit. You hadn’t mentioned anything of your past, other than knowing Altivo. Miguel was the one to say something. “Is he the reason you were on the ship.”

“Yes, though he was the reason we were all on the ship.” You said, facing away from them. When you turned to contiue, you suddenly perked up. “Land!”

The rest of the passengers turned and realised they had reached shore. Leaping from the boat everyone kissed the dry, warm sand. Until Miguel reached a skull, everyone recoiled and second guessed staying.

Until Miguel brought out an oddly familiar map and exclaim that they were near El Dorado. The pair argued while (Y/N) and Altivo explored the beach. The boys continued, so you decided to be the mediator.

“Let's just see where this leads. Even if we wanted to leave, we would need to gather supplies. So why not take the long way.” You gave a small smile and went back to petting Altivo.

Tulio conceded and Miguel started blazing a trail.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The journey was as long as the one by boat. With many ups and downs, they seemed to be following the map. Or at least stumbling across the markers.

They had met many creatures along the way, they were unnaturally drawn to (Y/N). The main one being a friendly armadillo, which Altivo was not happy about. The thing followed you like a puppy. Having to fight for your attention was not at the top of the horses to do list. He already had to compete with two idiotic humans.

After countless perils, they found themselves tumbling down a cliff. As they came to Tulio was already complaining about a rock being the true El Dorado. The boys then began to argue.

(Y/N) turned your head towards the odd sound of heavy breathing and some sort of slapping. Poking your head around the slab, you saw a woman, running and glancing back. The woman darted around the slab and was surprised at the strangers.

A large group of armed men then came and surrounded the group. Seeing that the woman was the target, (Y/N) put the stranger between herself and the stone.

Chel was shocked that the first thought this other woman was protecting her. She looked between the horsemen and guards. Seeing an opportunity, she tossed the statue piece at them. This caused an impromptu game of hot potato.

Tulio attempted to explain, only to be socked in the head. They were then lead to a waterfall and loaded into boats.

The new woman stuck close to (Y/N) and the small group of animals.

After the boat landed the respective members went to alert their leaders. A tribe member to the chief and Acolyte to Tzekel-Kan.

The group stepped out of the boat and were overwhelmed by the sights around them. Tulio and Miguel couldn't believe their eyes. A whole city made of gold. Where as (Y/N) was unsure of how to feel about the wandering eyes on them. You wished that your disguise had survived the boat ride, Altivo was just more important. But you held your head high and kept a soft, reassuring hand on the other woman.

As the chief made his way to the group he was surprised. This group of strangers did seem different, but god like. He would keep that to himself for now.

The priest was only a moment behind, but what greeted him was heavenly. Two gods and a godess, including their majestic stead. His eyes lingered on the woman for longer than he would like to admit. Your ethereal appearance was almost to much for him to tear his gaze from. He greeted them boasterously, putting as much measured bravado as he could manage.

The chief welcomed the gods to the city. Not wanting to make the wrong move, the boys went along with it and you stayed silent.

The priest wanted a show of their godly power. Which started a tiff between the duo. Knowing that this could go on endlessly (Y/N) intervened. “Enough!”

Everyone turned as a nearby volcano sucked smoke back within itself. Cheers cascaded through out the crowd and all bowed.

They were then lead to their new home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the leader turned to the group the boys tried to look unbothered by the many steps. While you glanced around in a calculated manner. With a hand on the horses mane and the armadillo in the crook of your other arm you followed behind everyone.

Gesturing at the large palace, both of the important men offered a tribute. The duo put on an air of authority and agreed.

As the men left you couldn't help but shake your head. “You are both idiots. This is going to get us all killed.”

Miguel scoffed and said. “What are you talking about, they adore us.” He draped his arm around you should and sandwiched you between Tulio and himself. “Just listen to how good this sound. Miguel, (Y/N), and Tulio; mighty and powerful gods. “ Both men were beaming at the statement.

“Hello.”

The sudden intrusion caused everyone to tense. Facing the side entrance, they were surprised to see the woman they ran into earlier. While the boys tried to intimidate her, (Y/N) walked over and checked her over.

Chel knew that this was all a lie. Though since she met this woman, she could believe you were a goddess. Maybe a small part of her subconscious mind did believe it. “She's right, they will kill you. But if you had, I don’t know, an adviser. You would have a much easier time. Just a thought.”

The duo then began to discuss it, but you immediately nodded. “The choice is trust her or be completely in the dark. I say we take those odds.”

After everyone reluctantly agreed, everyone began getting ready for the feast.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chel, who had introduced herself, while leading you to an adjacent room. It contained a large pool in the center and random seating scattered about. She gestures to the pool and walked over to a carved out shelf, filled with various containers.

You gave the pool a long stare, but decided that not following their new adviser suggestion would be in poor taste. So disrobing quickly, you waded your way into the pool. Expecting the water to be frigid, you were pleasantly surprised by the warmth it held.

Relaxing against the wall of the pool, you noticed movement in the main chamber. The boys had changed and were already heading to the party. “Shouldn’t I be joining them?”

Chel laughed and shook her head. “A goddess is never late, everyone else is early.” She came over with a couple of bottles and sat behind the other woman. “Wet your hair.”

Doing as instructed, you relax further, as something was lathered into your hair. They enjoyed the peace that the bathing chamber gave. Chel pampered her savior and have you time to dry as she retrieved suitable clothing.

Waiting on one of the benches, you couldn't help but reflect on your current situation. Finally free of you r father and on a grand adventure. On the other hand you did have to keep up a lie, so as not to be killed. Though in retrospect your past and present were more similar than you would like to admit.

Chel came back and carried an ornate dress. It was closed to her own outfit, but a strapless one piece. It also had much more vivid colors, all details laid in gold. It was definitely different from your usual baggy afairs, but you supposed adhering to the local culture was a good thing. As you companion put the last touches on you, taking a deep breath, you made your way down the steps.

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He despise celebrations such as these, but if it involved the gods, he felt obligated to join. He was considering making an exit, until the goddess made an appearance. You were glorious. Your gown was flowing and visage glowing. Tezel-kan wasn’t sure he had seen a more beautiful being.

As you made your way down the stairs, he couldn't help but sneer. The crowd met you. What did they think they were doing. You was leagues above them. You deserved to be with someone of a higher status. A priest perhaps. The thought made him giddy.

Heading over, his chest puffed out in assurance. He was sure to enjoy his company. But a frown mared features as he noticed the servant girl was hanging onto you. Though his features softened when he noticed the nurturing guidance his goddess gave the lowly other.

Finally reaching you, he gave a bow. “My Goddess, if you would allow it, I would love to accompany you this evening.” He met your gaze and extended a hand.

You gave the priest a discrete once over, prompted by Chel's hand squeezing your arm. But decided to disregard it. These people viewed you with the gods, so ignoring one of them would surely be frowned upon. Least of all the head priest. Nodding, you allowed him to guide you to a quieter area of the celebration. Honestly it was a relief, all the noise was becoming a bit much. When he spoke again you had to keep yourself from getting startled.

He enjoyed theses moments alone with his goddess. “How are you enjoying yourself in the city so far. My Goddess.” It was otherworldly to be with you. This close he could smell just what bathing oils you used. He was so focused on enjoying your scent, he almost missed your answer.

Smiling politely you said. “It's been pleasant. Chel has been helpful in adjusting ourselves.”

He had to keep his face from twisting into a scowl. The last thing he wanted you to speak highly of was that thief. But he could play the cordial ambassador. “It is so kind of you to take pity on such an unfortunate soul. I’m sure with your guidance she will blossom into a wonderful person.” He lays a reassuring hand on your arm.

Glancing at his hand, your heart rate raised. Living most of your life in hiding as a man and the rest locked away. It was flustering to have the attention of a handsome man. Still he believed you to be a goddess, his reality of you was warped. On top of that, it seemed he was talking down about your new ally. And that wouldn't do.

“That may very well be true. But I think your men could use a bit of ‘guidance' in not chasing unarmed girls with weapons. Now if you'll excuse me. “

As you walked away Tzekel-Kan had to keep himself from following you. Who knew a woman challenging him could be so endearing. The fire blazing in your eyes could light a thousand suns. He retired to his quarters, that beautiful expression haunting his dreams.

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Waking the next morning was an experience. You were far from a hangover, unlike the boys, but waking up in a moving bed was bizarre. You woke the other two and pointed out your situation. They bounced ideas off each other until the platform was lowered. As you exited all eyes were on your group.

Chel tossed flower petals around and gave the trio a warning. Then Tzekel-Kan gave a morbid speech that ended with revealing a sickly man. You ran forward and caught him. Lowering him into your lap, you were relieved to hear Miguel and Tulio dissolve the tension. With the man's life spared, you insisted on helping take him home to rest.

While most watched you in awe for your compassion, Tzekel-Kan was seething. Not only did the tribute displeasure you, the other two gods dismissed him so flippantly. Though he too was moved by your caring nature. He couldn't help but imagine what a wonderful mother you would make. He would have to tuck that thought away for later though. Right now he needed to get on your good side.

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Helping return the man to his home, you saw to it that he was accommodated to. Leaving you realized that you had no plans for the day. Looking around you noticing no people in sight. It was odd, but a break from the hustle and bustle of being a goddess was nice. A stroll seemed the most relaxing, so off you went.

The peace didn’t last long though. The armadillo ran up to you, being chased by a group of very large brightly color birds. You scooped up your small companion and looked at the birds in awe. They had to be the largest animals you had ever seen. Sticking a hand out you waited with baited breath. The smallest of the group lowered it’s head and lightly nipped at your finger tips. Jolting in surprise you splayed your fingers apart and let it explore your hand. Seeing that their friend was getting all the attention. The others joined in on checking out the new person. As they nosed around your person, you remembered that there was still a bit of grain in your pocket. Presenting it to the creatures, you were rewarded with enthusiastic pecking. You smiled at being able to offer your new friends something.

A sudden movement caught you eye. Someone that was large, with a spotted pelt, started behind a nearby corner. Squinting in the general direction, you shrugged . If they wanted to talk, they could approach you. On the other hand, with your status, you weren’t sure how many people would be comfortable with that.

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Acolyte was nervous as he went up the stairs of the temple. He had been spotted rather quickly. A fact he knows Tzekel-Kan would not be happy with. Stealing himself he called out. “I’m back, sir.”

“Yes, I noticed.” He stepped from behind Acolyte and frowned. “Judging by how quickly you returned, I can on guess that you were unsuccessful in finding her.

The underling gulped. “No, she was easy to find. “

The other man’s expression brightened. “Then your quick return must be great news.

Steepling his fingers, he took a moment to think of the best way to answer. “ Not quite. She helped the man home and started to wander. Until she saw a small creature being chased by a flock of large birds. So she cradled the small animal while feeding the birds. But then she spotted me, which I knew staying would only be suspicious. So I came to tell you where she was and what information I could gather. “ He spilt out the gathered intelligence as quickly as he could. Hoping that Tzekel-Kan might not catch the part about getting caught. Though the look on his face said otherwise.

Rubbing his temple, he tried to relieve the headache that was starting to take over. “What should I expect. Sending an imbecile to complete a simple task.” With that he quickly walked out of the temple. It seemed like he was going to have to approach his goddess directly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were enjoying cooling your feet in a small pond, when someone cleared their throat. Turning you notice the man that had started to occupy your mind, Tzekel-Kan.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

“Go ahead. “

He sat beside you and joined in dipping his feet in the pond. “I’ve come to apologize for upsetting you. It was never my intention.”

“Ok.”

He wasn’t expecting that. Maybe if he turned up the charm. “ I would never wish to offend a beauty such as yourself. “

You have him a sharp look. “And I wish to never see a living being slaughtered in front of me again. ”

His brow furrowed. “Do the gods not wish to receive worthy sacrifices?”

You wanted so badly to drop the act, but knowing what the result could be, you held your tongue. “It is not what I wish. From the reaction, it seemed like most were also against it. “

He scramble for words. “But this is the way it’s always been. How could the gods not want that? “

Bringing your feet out, you stood and turned from him. “Perhaps it time to live in the future, instead of suffering in the past.” With that you left him speechless, once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day was much livelier. Miguel had convinced everyone that being out and about wasn’t against the gods will. So being approached was a constant. It was nice to see so many happy faces though.

It was especially nice to see Altivo getting pampered. The horse had much the same life you had, when it came to the tyrant lording over you both.

In all it was a pleasent, if not busy, day. Settling into your sleeping quarters that evening, you didn't expect someone to call out to you. Heading for the door, you were confused by who was waiting for you. A man in a familiar spotted pelt was standing in the doorway.

“Um, Tzekel-Kan would like to request your company this evening. Goddess.” He ended with a nervous bow.

Crossing your arms you considered the offer. “Is there any reason he chose night? “

This seemed to fluster the man even more. “He had many duties today and only became free this evening. Goddess.”

Knowing that it may be to much effort to refuse you agreed. But on the stipulation he would take you now. Being made an early riser, you preferred to bed down earlier than most.

He nodded and quickly lead you to the priest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tzekel-Kan had been preparing for you all afternoon. Acolyte had done the cleaning, while he put everything in the perfect place. The temple had never looked better. Though he had personally cleaned his quarters, should anything lead there.

Now he paced and anxiously awaited your arrival. He had given what you said a lot of thought. He spent the rest of the previous day frustrated. This was how the Gods were taught to them. He had always dreamt of living to appease the Gods. But he had displeased the loveliest of them. Waking the next morning, he had an idea. Maybe if he showed you what was taught, then you would understand. And if the text was incorrect, then you could guide them back on the path of righteousness.

He grinned at that thought. That could mean countless nights of pouring over many tomes. Who knows just how long it could take.

Hearing steps aproaching, he stopped pacing. Leaning against a near by wall, he tried to seem aloof. As you strode in, he couldn't help but take your stunning form. He may not like Chel, but he knew she had gotten you to show off your voluptuous figure. The way the flowing garments hug your body made him envious of them. Your wide birthing hips were particularly tantalizing on display. He could drink up the sight of you for all of eternity. He would worship you passionately to his last breath. If only he could convince you of the truth behind his thoughts.

Tonight would be the first step to that.

“Good evening My Goddess. I am so glad you accepted my invitation.” He swept his hand over to a plush seating area in the corner. “If you’d be so so kind to join me, there is something I wish to show you. “

And so you did join him. He showed you all he had to offer in way of writings about the gods. Page upon page of stories. It was all so intriguing. There were so many legends. Many centuries of catalogs. You absorbed all of it.

He was elated at your amazement of the information his people had of the Gods. It was truly an honor to share this with you. The way your eyes shown with each new story was addictive. He could imagine regaling you with tales for his life. Even the thought of telling children, your children, if he could ever be so lucky.

Though the tone ssuddenly shifted as he brought out the book of the Jaguar. “It is actually the year of the Jaguar, My Goddess.” His skillful fingers flipped through the pages. Landing on a particular etched picture of an imposing anything armored figure.

A shudder traveled down your spine. “I don’t want to read this one.”

“Nonsense, this text is of the most importance right now. “

You placed a hand on his arm. This caused him to look at you. He was surprised at the vulnerable expression It held. He shut the book and took your hand in his own. You looked away for a moment, then faced him with a new resolve.

“It reminds me of my father. I despise him. He is nothing but a plague on this world. Something that erodes all good and leaves only a path of destruction in his wake. I would rather die than go back in his care.” Your eyes held a far off glassy look to them. Reliving all of the past torment you had gone through.

Tzekel-Kan acted without thought and brought you into an embrace. He stayed silent and gave you a physical answer. Words would have been useless anyway.

And that was where you spent your night. Embraced in each other's arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As you walk to your home the next morning, you couldn't wipe the smile from your face. Maybe all the heartache you had been through was worth it. If you were to spend it in a place like this, with people this wonderful.

But that feeling fell away as the boys met you at the entrace.

“Where do you think you've been young lady? “ Tulio's tone was much to authoritarian for your taste.

“I just stay somewhere else last night.” You tried to not let any annoyance slip through.

“Oh so you weren't with a certain priest, that follows you around like a puppy. “ Miguel add his two cents, though with a bit less accusation in his voice.

“What if I was? It’s not like it interferes with your plan of robbing these people.” You looked between the duo, a glare set on your face.

Tulio pointed an indignant finger at you. “ Hey! You’ve gone along with this plan. Don’t pretend like you aren’t a part of it. “

Taking the few steps that separated you, your chest met as you hissed in his face. “The only plan i’ve been apart of is not getting us killed. You two on the other hand want to take advantage of the only people who have given us a fair chance at a good life. I didn’t get us all away from Cortez just to become like him.” You were breathless by the end of your speech. Turning away to cool down and not say anything you may really regret.

Miguel however had to pry. “ What does Cortez have to do with this?”

With a expression of disheartened fury you said. “Cortez is my father.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You couldn't stand to stay another moment. Walking as quickly as you could, without seeming suspicious, you left. Heading to the secluded pond you spent time with Tzekel-Kan, you didn't notice a figure follow.

Sitting at the edge of the pool, you angrily wiped your eyes. Frustrated tears gathered and you rubbed them away before they could fall.

“Pardon Goddess.” A kind, compassionate voice called out.

Startled, you turned and saw the Chief. He was waving a hand and gestured next to you. You shrugged and curled in on yourself. Sitting beside you he gave you a few moments to compose yourself.

Hearing your breathing calm he said. “You know, Tzekel-Kan and I haven't always seen eye to eye. But the last few days, i’ve never seen him smile so much.”

This comment caused you to perk up. “ Really? “

With a knowing smile he nodded. “Yes. He always seemed to be angry. Like the world was against him and he needed to make it pay. You though, you bring out the good in him. I honestly haven't seen him this happy since we were children. “

“He makes me happy too. I’ve never felt so wanted and protected.” You almost teared up at how true that really was. “Tulio and Miguel aren’t happy about it. We haven't known each other for very long, but we’ve been through a lot together. If it wasn’t for them I would still be a slave to my father. “ You gave a hard sniffle and sunk further into yourself.

He laid a reassuring hand on your back. “If they truly care for you, then your happiness is included. No matter the decision, you are welcome to stay or go. All people are welcome to our city.”

“You’re to good to us.”

“Compassion should never turn it’s back on those in need. No matter their past.” He patted your back and stood.

Your eyes widen as you realized what could be hiding behind his kind words.

~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning was full of tension. Tulio was heading out with Chel and a boat full of gold. While Miguel, Altivo, and yourself were staying behind. It hurt to see how broken apart your group had become, but it seemed to be what everyone had settled on. Even with Miguel staying, you still said little to each other.

You hugged Chel as she went to board the ship and glanced at Tulio. There was so much left unsaid, but never the right time to say it. Sending a sad nod his way you turned to go to Tzekel-Kan. He placed an arm around your waist. He may not have liked the two others you came with. However they were the reason he had met you. So he could let them slide just a bit.

Watching the split between the boys tugged at your heart. Until you noticed the smoke in the distance. Eyes wide you rushed to their side. “He’s coming!”

Rolling his eyes at your dramatics Tulio said. “ No, i’m leaving. “

“Not you. Cortez. He must have tracked us in some way. But how could he… “ The map flashed in your mind. “I knew that map looked familiar. Did you win it from one of his crewman?”

MigueI's eyes darted as he thought, then widened in shock. “Yes.”

Grabbing both of their arms you looked at both of them with pleasing eyes. “ We have to save them. “

The duo stared at each other, then nodded. They went to the boat, but stopped you when you went to follow. “If this doesn't work, then you need to help them. You should know Cortez better than anyone.” You had never seen such a serious expression on Miguel's face.

Nodding you went over to Tzekel-Kan and drug him to the Chief. “My father is coming. The boys are coming up with a plan, but they’re going to need all the support they can get.”

~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The last minute plan wasn't perfect, but it would have to work. Tulio and Chel would guide the boat into the cave pillars. While everyone else would knock over nearby structures. The force between the water and boat should seal the entrance.

The Chief and Miguel set to gathering peop!e and materials. Tzekel-Kan pulled you towards the temple to prepare a powerful weapon. He put the ingredients in and was surprised when the incantation didn't work. Anxiety squeezed at your chest. In desperation, you sliced you palm and held it over the vat. He looked at you in astonishment and a flash of understanding was in his gaze.

A large statue at the far side of the room leaped from the wall. You were startled, until you realized that Tzekel-Kan's movements matched the stone beast.

Sprinting back to the entrance, of the city. They had already began their plan. But the sails weren’t coming down. In a panic, Miguel road Altivo and released it. Leaving behind any chance of staying in El Dorado.

You wanted to cheer as the sail caught the wind, but you noticed the left tower wasn’t falling forward. You desperately tugged Tzekel-Kan over to the stable tower. “Push!”

He quickly realized the problem and helped you shove at it. With the assistance of the stone Jaguar, you managed to level the pillar.

With a great cheer echoing through the city, you turned to him. Heart racing you brought his face to yours in a jovial kiss. He promptly reciprocate, hand tangling around you and holding you flush to him.

A second cheer rang out and you realized that all of the city had witnessed your intimate moment. Embarrassment colored your cheeks, Tzekel-Kan raised a hand and whooped out an enthusiastic yell.

Looking over the crowd, your eyes caught the Chief’s. He gave you an amused nod and smiled. You returned the smile and kissed Tzekel-Kan again. Breaking apart you let out your own exclamation. Then interlocked your hand with his, raising it.

You hoped that the friends, who had just risked themselves for this city, were ok. Still you can’t help but feel like everything was going to work itself out for the better.

#chubby reader #road to el dorado #tzekel kan #miguel and tulio #chel #altivo #herman cortez #implied abuse #adventure #romance #pining

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kakarorin · 4 months

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Defending "The Road to El Dorado" from a couple racist claims, or how I, being so cheeky, like to call it: Covering myself in sugar in order to attract some nasty little bugs🐞

For some reason, 2024 seems to be the year when I can't tolerate "The Road to El Dorado is packed with racism" discourse anymore. A couple days ago, I stumbled across a very colourful gifset which encapsulated perfectly all the objectively wrong arguments (save for half... one... one and a half... It depends) I've ever seen people give out to explain why they don't like the movie (@/neechees: If by some unlikely chance you're reading this, I wish we could have talked about it calmly. I'm a very open-minded person, unlike you seem to be). I've seen them SO many times that I think I hit my limit. Long story short, I got defensive, which I regret, shame on me, told the op they were wrong, as they are, op responded, and I got blocked before I could respond back. I honestly don't know why they blocked me after responding. I don't know if they sensed I know much more about the Aztec Conquest than they do, but well... Occam's razor.

After I calmed down, tried to reach to them because I genuinely wanted to talk about it, and failed, I decided I was going to break their post down as minutely as I could, even if just to get it off my shoulders and toss it into the void, and polished what I told one of the people who reblogged op's post saying they were right into this lengthy post. Purely because I love debating about movies I love. And boy, do I LOVE this movie.

Before starting, I'm letting you know that, as far as I know, I'm 100% white. And I'm also from Spain (Europe. Clarifying this for the Americans), which understandably gives me the advantage of having lived (and living) through the subtle remnants of the wretched Spanish Black Legend. Yet none of these two things stopped me from looking up historical papers, podcasts and documentaries (further than YouTube's video essays, I mean) so I could understand that this sort of... slander was indeed, part of that concept. I don't see how being of a particular race or ethnicity gives you the right to speak about recorded history as objective facts without doing your research and applying your critical thinking to it, either. Does op think that just because they're Native-American, as they say (just in case, can't believe anything you read on the internet these days), a person who has spent hours, days, months educating themselves about Hernán Cortés, poor Malinche and the Aztec Conquest from serious sources can't have more knowledge than them? Smh, op, smh. It does give you right over feelings, and obviously, your own experiences, though. Hope you still understand that factual knowledge is an entirely different thing.

That being said, at the end of the day, save for the very easy-to-check historical facts (which I will provide sources for if asked, although I believe you can very easily research it yourself), this is my opinion about why "The Road to El Dorado" is regarded as much more racist than it actually is. If you want to give me yours or respond to it, please, by all means, do it. Respectfully and with clear and valid reasons, of course. Otherwise, I'll have to ignore you. Understand that what you read below is the limit of my thinking and reading. Enjoy, or hate. Call me a racist. Send a WHITE meme my way. Up to you.

I'd link you to the post, but I don't feel like it. They blocked me, after all. You can search my blog for it. It's tagged as "neechees". And be sure to read their tags on the post as well, for context. Anyway, here go their "objective truths". Debunking time starts... now:

(EDIT: This is filled with edits. See how my opinion can change and I can clarify or rectify? Anyway, stating the obvious, but I believe Spanish colonization is bad. In any part of the world. I won't give you a single good aspect of it, except for that at least it was based on a different mindset than British colonization. Maybe there are fairly good aspects. After all, they say Romans gave us Spaniards roads and sewage systems. We'd have to take a look at an alternative reality where it didn't happen to make an objective claim. But, believe me, if it had been for me, I'd have pushed Cortés off the ship a good bunch of nautical miles before he reached what is now known as Veracruz, whatever good things he ended up doing. Bear that in mind.)

1. The cultures are mashed up in one city, that is true. But there is no explicit racist (implying prejudice, discrimination or antagonism, as I understand racism, or as racism is actually defined) motive behind it. I don't think it's done out of unthoughtfulness, either. I'm pretty sure it's just done to leave the place ambiguous, because (tell you more later), with Cortés involved and what went down with him historically, that place is much more meant to be Tenochtitlán than the legendary city of El Dorado. They didn't want to make that so explicit because this is a retelling, after all (tell you more later). I honestly don't see how anyone could think that the resulting city and culture are portrayed in a negative way. Sometimes, I'm not even sure these people were paying attention when watching the movie (if they ever did). In fact, if it weren't for the title of their post, I wouldn't even understand the point in this.

2. Oh boy, this is exactly what triggered me to say something instead of just putting it on my blog silently. This is how I know the op has ZERO knowledge about the historical event behind it, because they wouldn't say this is right if they did. There is no such thing as a (EDIT:) sufficiently collective "Spanish lie that Native-American (NA) people believed they were gods" (NEVER listen to a Spaniard who claims this. EDIT: Like López de Gómara. They're delulu), this has never had any kind of historical relevance (in the outcome and influence of history, I mean), and the NA people in the movie are not worshipping the white guys because they're white. The whole plot, arriving in a city and being mistaken for a god because your arrival coincided with an ancient premonition in such a precise way that it is fascinating, is exactly what happened to Cortés when he reached the capital of the Aztec Empire, Tenochtitlán. He was believed to be the reincarnation of Quetzalcóatl, and that's why he could enter the city peacefully and live in it for a short amount of time. The concept of the movie seems to be "What if this, instead of happening to a conquistador (in which is implicit the catholic element) who quickly said he was no god when he realised what was happening (because of the sin of idolatry), happened instead to two atheist looters who are ultimately good-hearted (NOT colonizers, because they didn't try to claim the land or control it) who weren't stopped by the fear to sin and took advantage of the situation?" That's it. The premonition happened to fall on a white man hundreds of years ago (who also came from the east, same place Quetzalcóatl left to and said he'd return from) and so does in the movie story because it mirrors real history, and, again, I fail to see the negative portrayal in all of this because it's certainly NOT because they're white. I think the op also took it salty that I said they had zero knowledge about "the very people they're trying to defend", which I still believe, but this is complex and I'll only explain this if asked. What I meant by that, on the surface, is that NA people also enslaved NA people. I seriously hope op doesn't think NA slavery is more acceptable if it comes from other NA people than white people. Who knows, at this point.

3. This is essentially right. It's the only thing I think is mostly right, actually. It's no problem for me, though. I love Chel, she's beautiful and aesthetically pleasing to me. But I can understand why it may put someone off. All good. However, I still wanna say that the Aila test is just a way of assessing indigenous women representation as positive and negative, and not the work in itself as problematic if it doesn't pass it. The Lord of the Rings doesn't pass the Bechdel test and I have never seen anyone calling it problematic because of that, nor do I need positive representation (I'm a woman. Sort of. It fluctuates) on it to enjoy it. Although I figure I'd feel the same if I were NA, I can't and won't speak for one. So I still give you that.

4.1. This is wrong in three ways. First, Tzekel-kan is not "demonized as evil". He is evil. He's not evil because he's NA, he is evil because he killed, he lied, and he abused his power. There are NA people in the movie who are kind and good (everyone but him, I believe), and then there's him. In every race and ethnicity, there are good, neutral and bad people. And people who are sometimes good, and sometimes bad. If all the NA people were painted in a morally white and good way, that special treatment would come off as positive discrimination to me. Why can't he be a sociopathic genocider AND indigenous at the same time without being considered as racist? Does that mean all indigenous people have to be/are morally white? If all the other NA characters were demonized, I'd understand it, but it's the opposite. Also, Tzekel-kan is loosely based off Moctezuma, the (redundant) emperor of an Empire who enslaved other NA people. And, surprise, just like Cortés, I don't think the guy was evil. I think this is probably another reason why they didn't want to make clear the specific culture. I could see the racism if they had tried to directly compare Tzekel-kan with Moctezuma, I would perfectly be able to see the claim that Moctezuma was a sociopathic genocider, and I'd recognise that as racist. But in this case, it's just loose inspiration. Not a parody.

4.2. There was NO genocide in the Spanish NA colonies. There was NO legal slavery, save for a few unfortunate loopholes (tell you more later). (EDIT: careful, I'm NOT defending his monumental fuck-ups or justifying him in any way, just so you know. In my opinion, he was a fair lot more bad than good, but not 100% bad. If you get me) Hernán Cortés did a lot of undeniably wrong things, but he did good things too. I don't think you can say he was a good person, no person who'd say that would be a friend of mine, but I don't think he was a 100% evil person. Just a person, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Still, when he was bad, he was bad. And what op said about that they didn't care enough about him to write his name properly, BOY how that ticked me off. People, for all you hold dear, you have to CARE to know about such important historical figures in order to understand the history behind them and the outcomes of their actions. Especially within such a sensitive topic. It's when stories like this are ignored or forgotten, that history tends to repeat itself. The fact that I care to spell Hernán Cortés well has not the respectful positive connotation they think, either. And despite what you may believe, we Spaniards do NOT think he did everything right and much less that he was a hero. I think some Mexicans think we all do, but I don't know why. Only the most idiotic "fachas" (ultraright people) do.

4.3. One, he was not enslaved (tell you more later). Two, well, since he tried to mass-murder the inhabitants of the city, I... I do reckon putting him away was a good ending. Jesus, he tried to purge the city of citizens HE deemed unworthy in the name of a divine power (=on a religious basis) with the clear intention to wipe them out. It's clearly stated more than once throughout the movie. If you didn't know, by objective definition, the name of that starts with 'G' and ends with 'ENOCIDE'. And when that failed, he actively tried to drive the colonizers to them. Only because of that, he was technically much more of a genocider than the historical Cortés ever was. Are his actions really justified just because he's indigenous? Doesn't he deserve a punishment just because of it? I see "slavery" (if it were. Since enslaving NA in Spanish colonies was illegal at the time, I'd say he was kidnapped, in the strict sense of the word. Bit funny to word it like that) as a punishment more than fitting for his crimes. I think you all should drill this into your head: ANY abusive leader involved in (I can't believe I'm going to say this, but socially unacceptable) murder deserves to be punished in some way independently of his race, ethnicity or religion. This is something I believe firmly, so you have very little room to debate with me on this one. Do try, if you want.

By the way, I LOVE Tzekel-kan to death. Just the way he is. A charismatic, fanatical, sociopathic fictional high priest who tried to cleanse his city in the name of his gods through murder and human sacrifice, a practice that the other NA inhabitants very obviously did NOT enjoy (well, that definitely rings a historical bell). If you hadn't noticed, or perhaps thought it was impossible, let me tell you this: you can actually love evil characters without justifying their actions. It's legal. 100%. Unlike slavery in NA Spanish colonies at the time.

5. I don't see exactly how spirituality is portrayed as evil. More specifically, I don't see how the movie's actual magic is considered Aztec spirituality. Not a fan nor a hater of Hazbin Hotel, but I've seen one of the demon characters around Twitter using literal voodoo in a very unthoughtfully wrong way. That's a big no-no, in my opinion. And I see a clear difference with this because there is nothing in the stone jaguar magic that single-handedly resembles what Aztec religion actually was. I'm not saying this can't be done in a wrong way with indigenous NA spirituality, nor that they didn't take elements from it (they did), I just think that with all the context behind the movie, here it's just magic that serves a plot function. Aesthetic Aztec/Maya patterns appear here and there, arguably because those are the "places" where it's geographically based (and because Tzekel-kan is loosely based off Moctezuma, who was the religious spiritual leader who received the Quetzalcóatl premonition), but at the end of the day, I don't think it's much more than the fantasy you typically find in a kids' movie. No specific religion was portrayed as evil, no specific gods were portrayed as evil, the magic in itself wasn't portrayed as evil. In the movie, it was black magic because Tzekel-kan, who was evil, used it for evil. Who says that a giant stone cat can ONLY serve evil purposes? I'd use it for good, personally. Maybe transportation. Maybe architecture. Decoration. Festivities. (CW: 26-year-old making a boomer joke) Maybe to instill cordial fear among my neighbours.

EDIT: I've been thinking about this these days and I realised that in the specific stone jaguar "spell", Tzekel-kan needs to toss his poor aide into the mix for it to "activate". That is much more evil than neutral, so maybe I can kind of see this point now. And human sacrifice was part of some of these religions, after all, so maybe it does point towards Aztec spirituality. Still, as it didn't come off as evil to me until I've THOROUGHLY thought about it, I feel like questioning things. Does the "spell" need a human body, or an animal body would have served? The "recipe" doesn't state anything. It's Tzekel-kan who pushes him in. Do ALL the "spells" need a body to "activate"? Maybe not. I feel like maybe I can give you a part of this argument. But still... Hmm. I don't know. We were stuck with an evil religious high priest, but that doesn't necessarily mean ONLY he could use magic. Nor that ALL the magic was evil. But yeah, alright. I can sort of see this now... a bit.

6. I can give you this... for the most part. Knowing it mirrors history, and that historically, it was white men who rid the NA people enslaved by the Aztec Empire (which I believe is what the people of El Dorado ended up portraying, somehow oppressed by Tzekel-kan's sacrifices) of the Aztec Empire (even if woefully just to take their place), I'm not sure it's so simple. I still don't fully see it as plain white saviour narrative with that background info. In any case, I think my mind can be changed about this with the right argumentation. Surely not by a person who has no knowledge about history. Sorry, op.

7.1. For my next trick, I'll blow your mind: Cortés was no big bad evil genocider. He wasn't a golden-hearted saint or saviour either. Frankly, I believe most people think he was similar to Christopher Columbus (of whom I don't know as much, but sounds pretty 100% evil to me with what I have) by default. I'm also very certain they watched the movie and took that version of him as a faithful representation, but in reality he was very different. He was short, he was slender, he was way more charismatic, way less solemn and serious, and he had the reputation of a womanizer. He committed atrocities, like torturing and murdering the last Huey Tlatoani for rumours (Jesus, the Cholula massacre), but he also treated most indigenous people with respect (when he wasn't pathologically obsessed with gold), he talked with Moctezuma as if he were his kin, he always tried to negotiate before grabbing his arms, he listened to and followed the advice of an indigenous woman (Malinche). And once he had done the deed, his reputation was sunk, he was stripped of most of his titles and compensation for what he had done (karma? Possibly), and he had practically no say in the new territories. He went there for the gold above all, and all the crimes he committed were in its name. But unlike Miguel and Tulio (this is the reason why they're not colonizers, only looters), he ALSO wanted to seize control of the land for the Spanish Empire. As an anti-colonialist Spaniard, I can't help boiling up in anger every time I see someone call Miguel and Tulio colonizers. They are NOT coloziners, just like we are NOT colonizers. Our country was, hundreds of years ago. The people who claimed that land as theirs and believed that gave them the right to exploit it for centuries were. And believe me, if we're still here and have descended from humble families for more than 5 centuries, none of our ancestors saw a single piece of gold.

7.2. This is part of a broader topic but Cortés acted in the name of the Spanish Empire, who, thanks to Queen Isabella the Catholic and the laws she passed, considered NA people as citizens of the Crown and therefore could not be enslaved (legally), not to mention genocided. Physically genocided, I mean, because the cultural genocide is undeniable. And still, while so many parts of so many different cultures disappeared, some things like the Maya and Nahua languages were kept. Even if little, that means something. I find some comfort in that, especially when you take a look at what happened to indigenous people in British colonies. In relation to this, there's this something that's been haunting Spain since a thousand years ago that gains relevance when talking about this, called the Spanish Black Legend. Basically anti-Spain propaganda coming from other European countries demonizing everything the country had done/does. It started out of rivalry and envy. Nowadays, it's hard to say. This is why Hernán Cortés is always seen as an evil genocider, but not other colonizers like Julius Caesar from the Roman Empire. It also makes my blood curdle because it sticks with us in the most annoying ways possible. While American people tend to think Spain is part of Latin America, European people tend to think we're dumb, don't know other languages apart from Spanish and only like partying, and our collective international sentiment, especially facing other Europeans, is often shame. Ashamed to say you're from Spain, because there's only so many "España mucho fiesta and siesta" a sane person can take from people who only come to your country to raise the living costs, drink, sunbathe and throw themselves off balconies to jump in hotel pools. Look "balconing" up. God I HATE British people. In any case, to wrap this up, this Black Legend is also why everyone believes the Spanish colonization was the same as the British colonization. By norm, the British predated, but the Spanish generated (in America, because the Spanish DID enslave African people), despite all the horrible things it did. Because it did them.

Lastly, and just because it was also part of op's response, I want to say that I have no opinion about what negative impact this movie could have in terms of being a version of the Colombian legend of El Dorado. I don't know anything about that. I don't understand it, either. If someone wants to explain to me in which specific ways making a movie like this about it could be harmful to anyone (not the legend in itself, I think you can see I know as much), please tell me so I can think critically about it and contrast it. But please, specify the harm and consequences so I can understand them.

Jesus, I'm tired, but I want to say you CAN dislike the movie. I don't give two floating specks of dust whether you do or don't. What I do care about is that most arguments people use to say so are wrong, or rather, lack historical knowledge to support them. Or rather, there is historical knowledge which flat-out cancels them out. There IS negative portrayal on the basis of unthoughtfulness (like Chel and the Aila test), but NEVER in a mean way. On the whole, it's not the unsalvageable blatantly racist skeleton that has to be kept in the closet under lock and key that some people think it is. And, by the way, I'm very curious about why I have yet to see the same discourse about Inca portrayal in "The Emperor's New Groove". Feel free to toss it my way in case it exists and it's just I haven't seen it yet.

If you've reached this point, congratulations. Here's a disturbing little fact about me as a reward: this whole fixation that I have started because in 2020 I had a dream about this Hernán Cortés and Tzekel-kan having sex.

#the road to el dorado #dreamworks #el dorado #racism #chel #tzekel kan #tzekel-kan #miguel and tulio #hernán cortés #neechees #tagging you as well in hopes to reach you. kinda growing fond of you #you go after my little meow meow who did nothing wrong #viva españa hostia #viva vigo. cagon tal #franco franco que tiene el culo blanco

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