In your final little Ace and Sabo fae fic you mention Sabo having an issue with handcuffs. I don't know if you've ever expanded on that but I think its an interesting idea and wanted to ask the reason why he might feel that way.
Thank you! I love your work <3
From your dreams are wondrous strong:
“I am not chasing them all over this island again,” the first guy says. “Cuff them.”
“No, no-- ” Sabo starts scrabbling at the stone arm holding him, trying it climb it to get away from the cuffs. “No, don’t, no--!”
Ace doesn’t have the same issue with handcuffs that Sabo does, but he fights just as hard for the exact same reason. “No! I’ll go quietly! I’m the one you want anyway, don’t put those on him--!”
--
I don't always know why I make the characterization choices that I make; a lot of the time it's instinct or what makes sense and then I have to step back and go, huh, let's figure that out. Most of my characterization is kept consistent throughout my writing, but not always--a lot of the time something specific has to change for a specific story. Mostly, though, I try to figure out a characterization and consistently build from it.
This is one of those exceptions. We don't know much about Sabo's home life as a kid besides it being bad, and we see careless manhandling in the Grey Terminal that one time. We know it was bad enough for him to run, but we also know Sabo is insane and what drives him is not a good benchmark. Point being, do I think they were tying up their willful, violent, disruptive child when company was over? No, I think it was more likely they would have locked him in his room, if that happened. Is it feasible that it could have happened? Entirely.
This is not my default characterization of him and is a more extreme possibility, but it is definitely possible.
You probably wanted a story but you get an essay, #sorrynotsorry, thank you for catering to my blorbo fascinations Nariberry~
So I'm going to use this as an essay to discuss why I love Sabo but why Aven has me by the throat, and as a sidetrack, why contextualizing a character in real life culture makes them stronger and why motivation and behaviour are not the same. Here we go:
Sabo (the way I write him, which I know isn't necessarily canon) is an excellent example of childhood trauma and the feral nature of humanity, and the barer someone is, the more realistic and relatable they can be
Sabo is a liar and Aventurine is not
The similarity between the two is the performative, manuiplative nature. The difference between the two is the context around them and their support structures
So! Here we go!
I enjoy characters who lie. This isn't news. What may be news is the reason. That is, it's not about the lying; it's about presenting a certain view. I've already discussed why Aventurine doesn't really tend to lie, but the short answer is, he doesn't need to. He's careful with presenting facts to present a viewpoint; he absolutely sets us up to misunderstand or draw the wrong conclusion.
I characterize Sabo as a liar. We have no canon evidence he does lie; we have little canon of anything about him, so grain of salt, biased, etc. But the thing is, the difference between the two, is in the raising.
No one taught Sabo not to lie, I bet. As a noble, with his family, we can assume he was probably a) not listened to, b) not taken seriously enough to fact-check, or c) called a liar even when he wasn't. He was never taught consequences for lying, and by the time he was somewhere that could have happened (the Rev Army), all the child soldiers were lying about things like "I'm fine" and "this doesn't hurt." And then on missions, lying is easy because he's gone before consequences would catch up. Sabo has never had consequences for lying, not really. (The exception here is to Ace; I absolutely have written and believe that Ace hates it when Sabo lies to him. To others, that's fine, he'll back Sabo to the hilt, but Sabo's not allowed to lie to him.)
Aven--or rather, Kakavasha--was raised differently. He had an older sister who cared, who tried to raise him right, who did her best by him (we assume--ask me about the sister sometime, I have thoughts). Kakavasha would have had consequences for lying to her. Now this is an interesting part, because the Avgin are based heavily on real-life Romani culture, where lying--or fabulism, really--is part of the culture towards outsiders. We see this often in tribal cultures (versus village cultures; the difference is in having warriors vs having soldiers--happy to discuss at length if you're curious). What's good for the tribe is okay, because outsiders--gadje--aren't tribe.
I like to think that my Sabo, the way I write him, is relatable to most people because the thing about him is that for all his politesse, he's still a bit feral in that way of being driven by emotion, being angry at the status quo, loving with life and his family against all odds, carrying a burden that's too big for him, living with a legacy he had no choice in, in pain and wishing he wasn't--most people can relate to one or more of these. We're all human, and his human nature is right there, under the surface. He's fun to write because he's very transparent, and he knows that, and that's why he lies, to hide it, because most people don't care enough to look deeper. Sabo's also fighting a guerilla war; he survives by being unknown, being unseen.
Aventurine, however, has constantly put himself on display. His image is his weapon. He's smart and slick and he wants you to know it. One of the defining features of being a magician--of manipulating your presentation--is to be the smartest person in the room; the defining feature of being a master manipulator is to make others think you're overestimating yourself and they're smarter.
Sabo doesn't work people, not like Aven does. Sabo has sharpened himself into a weapon. Aventurine is a showman:
Sabo has a bigger cause to fight for: oppression, justice, revolution. He has backup, an army, a home. Aventurine has a mission and he's alone in enemy territory every day. He has no safe place to retreat to, to take a break.
Aventurine is relatable to every smart, lonely person who wants somewhere to belong, who is used to fronting and masking, who knows how to get what they want but isn't sure what that is.
I've been a stage magician for over two decades, Rom culture is a special interest for me, and if you ever want a reading list on social engineering and dark psych, I've got recs. Aventurine hits hard for me; I've never had a blorbo hit like him, and ^^^ is why, haha.
TL;DR: Sabo is relatable in motivation and Aven is relatable in behaviour.
You know what, why not. Write night tonight. Gonna clean out old asks and finish up Sailor Ace. You got a couple hours to throw me writing prompts or essay questions or whatever. I got plenty of gin, let's gooooo
Am I correct in assuming that in the Sailor Ace AU, you-know-what event either doesn't happen or goes VERY differently?
Well, this is still set pre-canon; at this point, this is just before or right about when Luffy is setting off. Ace is already a Commander, so it's in that nebulous area. Either way, with Teach being addressed right now, and the Revolutionary Army getting involved (Sabo and Koala), and with the low key implications of chapter 1 coming back around in the next chapter, just over all there's better communication between all the factions.
That said, the Marines, if not the world, know that Roger was Sailor Moon. Some people know that the Sailor Scouts are hereditary. Since she popped up, anyone willing to put 1 + 1 together knows there's a lineage happening. However, the Sailor Powers don't actually die out and will fall to the nearest acceptable family member, regardless of distance (we see this with Law and Marco, both of whom were really far from the previous holders, for various reasons) so that's not a guarantee that the current Sailor Ace is a direct descendant; she could well be a far-flung Portgas cousin or smth. BUT any Marine in a position to know that is smart enough to keep an eye on her regardless.
What does this all mean? It means, I have no idea. The story wraps up in the next chapter and canon continues on and we don't have to deal with that plot line in this context at all. Does it happen? You decide!
If requests are currently open, is it for art, writing, or both?
I topped out at stick figures; you don't want art from me. I minmaxxed word skills, haha. No promises to execute every prompt but prompts for writing are indeed open. I have a list of characters I like/know enough to write for, but it's outdated so just ask and I'll see what I can do!
Been wanting to make a small comic for @midnightluck's sailor Ace fic "everybody's crazy ('bout a sharp dressed man)" for FOREVER now because its genuinely one of the funniest things I've ever read I adore it so so much
Awwww yeah this is exactly the vibe!!! I'm glad you like the story; that's one of my favorite scenes too. Incredible art; I love the expressions!!! Thank you!!!
He opens his eyes in the predawn dark, lays still on his threadbare mat on the floor, stares at the ceiling, and he hates.
It's a better morning boost than any caffeinated drink and he goes through his litany to focus himself. He's got a handful of minutes before he needs to get up, so he keeps staring up and runs through his plan once more.
It's a simple plan, really; just a straightforward salted mine job. The trick will be to pull it off on the galactic scale he needs, but he's smart and lucky and burning with it, and if there's one thing he's learned on this terrible hellhole of a planet, it's that no one will see him coming.
Kakavasha is an Avgin, back and back, and it seems like that doesn't mean much outside Sigonia IV.
You said,"It's about the prestige. It's about the all-consuming rush of the stage-high mixed with the glee of being the smartest in the room."
Does that make Aventurine an adrenaline junkie?
Oh, one million percent. Absolutely. Anyone who actively chooses to make a living performing in the public eye is a special kind of thrill-chaser, and you cannot convince me Aventurine isn't. He gets adrenaline from the betting, from the artistry of his bets, but yes of course he'd be the first to skydive or swim with sharks or taunt a tiger; that's all just a bet with your life on the line, isn't it? Usually safe, with a small chance of going unpredictably wrong? Not any different than his usual, truly.
Adrenaline forces you into your body, forces you into the moment, forces you to feel the pounding of your blood and the shaking of your hands--it makes you feel present and alive in a way nothing else can. Aventurine must have a complicated relationship with his self and with his body, but adrenaline makes everything clear and makes you know you're human and alive, at least for this moment, and isn't that glorious?
Magician, conman, liar, and other things Aventurine is not.
Something that hit me upside the head yesterday: Aventurine considers himself an artist.
Like, he's gotta. Beyond being a musician, what he does is an art. It is difficult, it takes time and skill, not just anyone can do it, and half of it has to be done in real time. He's an artist, even if no one else would consider him one.
If you ask him what kind, he'll say the art of gambling, but really it's the art of manipulation. Manipulating people, events, chance--setting everything up just so. I mentioned this to a friend who laughed about con artists, but, like no, not even?
The line here, between magician and conman and liar, and what he does, is the line of deception. Let's discuss:
Aventurine may lie--he probably does; Rom are fabulists in an essential way, part of their hospitality, actually--but if he does, we haven't seen him do it. Even in the scene with Sunday, he was very careful with his wording there. You know who's not careful with their words? Liars. Careful is what you see in people making sure they're telling the literal truth. He absolutely sets us up to misunderstand or draw the wrong conclusion, but he doesn't tend to lie that we've seen. I believe he can and he would, and he's happy to let you assume that he is, but he usually doesn't need to, beyond the petty white lies.
Magicians also are out to deceive. They tell you they're going to deceive you, and then they do. It's a very twistily straight-forward kind of deception,g ranted, but it's still about hiding and misrepresenting and distraction. Magic is the art of obscuring hard work, and it's so tempting to cast Aventurine in the mold of a stage magician--and I do believe he knows illusions, I do believe he's studied, we been knew he's got flourishwork down pat--but we've never seen him do anything besides palm-produce and flourishwork. It may only be lack of opportunity, but also I can tell you from a decade+ of personal experience: you can be good at gambling or you can be a magician. You cannot be both or people will assume you're using card/dice control to cheat and refuse to play an "unfair" game. If that sounds frustrating, it's because it's extremely frustrating.
Conman/Con Artist though--here's the fun part. The con stands for confidence, as in someone who gains your confidence. Aventurine...doesn't. He doesn't want you to trust him. He doesn't need you to trust him. Do I believe he's got extensive knowledge of most common cons? Of course. Do I think he could run anything he wanted? Of course he can. Am I currently in the middle of writing up a fic where he runs a salted mine job on a universal scale? Yes, actually how did you know--
Point being, is that these are all both skills and decriptors. You can have the skill without being that, as a profession or as a hobby. Aventurine is a public figure with a log history that anyone can look into--he is very restricted in his ability to lie or con because both of those rely on being able to control to spread of the info. He's learned to use his reputation to handle the manipulation--we spend a lot of Penacony going "I'm doing this and I think he caused it but why?" That's not a con. That's manipulation.
Thank you! I'm doing well, and I hope you are too! Glad people are enjoying my wildly self-indulgent over-analysis of this mess of a man, haha. Let me know if you have anything in particular you'd like to see me analyze!
Do you have any good Aventurine fanfic recs? I will take literally anything I’ve become slightly obsessed with the boy
I'll be honest, I haven't really been reading much for him? I struggle to find interpretations I agree with, for sure, but that may be because I have a very strong characterization of him myself haha. I do reccomend @seitosokusha's works, especially 3 outta 5 ain't bad. If anyone has some good recs, please let us know!
So Let's Discuss the various kinds of self hatred, death wishes, and suicidal tendencies. If this topic bothers you, skip this one.
The short answer is no, and the long answer is it's complicated.
So I am NOT AN EXPERT TAKE THIS WITH SALT.
I am defining "suicidal" as actively seeking death or not taking action to avoid it, and in that case, no. He's not. Aventurine is not out to die. That's not the point of him.
Aventurine is the only Avgin left (probably) but he's certainly the only one on the universal stage. He shoulders the entire weight of his culture. Anything he does, people will look at it and say "I guess that's what Avgin do," so he absolutely cannot be careless, he can't be anything but the best of what the Avgin can be. He can't lose.
(This is extra tragic when you realize he's been a foreigner longer than he'd ever been Avgin, but that kind of heritage doesn't die, even when everyone else does.)
In this way, he cannot be suicidal, because that would tell the universe that all Avgin were self-destructive and prone to giving up, and that's something he cannot and will not allow. Regardless of his own mental state, his own feelings, his own desires, he can't act anything but perfect in public.
Even past that, though--no. I've covered why he bets his life and the fact that he's not betting against anything but himself, but to reiterate: Aventurine is betting that he's prepared enough, smart enough, and lucky enough to deal with anything that could prevent him from winning. This man prepares, he plans, he lays groundwork months in advance. He had a plan for Penacony and called Topaz about it when we were still in Belobog; he's not betting his life on luck, he's betting it on the fact that he's done his best and his best is good enough. (side note: ask me sometime about him being an artist, I have thoughts on the art of manipulation.)
But if he's not after death, then why do it?
This is the dialogue that sold me on him. He's in it for the show. He's a showman, a peacock, a pretty little player that you never see coming but who always wins. It's about the prestige. It's about the all-consuming rush of the stage-high mixed with the glee of being the smartest in the room.
Betting your life is a statement. It's attention-grabbing, and when you put up stakes that high, everyone else has to match them if they want to play. Going all-in means that others have to, too, and they're not as good at it as he is. He's got enough practice to stay calm, done the set up to prep, and then let everyone think it's all luck so they'll play along. This is the embodiment of dragging someone down to your level and then beating them with experience.
The habit also makes him larger than life. This takes him from a guy, a co-worker, a friend, an ally to being Aventurine. This is a reputation, a weapon--one I think is carefully cultivated to capitalize on his natural talents and aim straight towards Oswaldo.
That said, I do not think he's particularly afraid of death? He's not Nihility, but if he bet his life and lost it, then fair enough, he did his best, and there's no situation he's ever bet his life in that didn't end in at least a bit of win--if he loses, if he dies, then he's still gonna get what he wants as he goes.
But also--if you think you've won? If you think you've beaten Aventurine? If he sighs and smiles and says, "you win," and pushes all the stakes over? Then you don't understand what he was playing for. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Do I think he's self-loathing? Oh, absolutely. You can be self-loathing without being self-destructive; you can have self-worth without self-respect. He knows his value, if not his worth. But you can hate yourself if you stand for something you love, and you can live without caring. There's no way this man is not a total hedonist, and you can take pleasure in the small things like hot baths and good food and expensive clothes etc etc without actually liking your life.
Do I think he has a death wish? I think he sees death as inevitable. I think he knows it's somewhere down the road, and I think he's meandering thataway without a worry. Avgins on the whole could not have had long life expectancy, and the Rom way of living, the lungo drom, is about going forward into oblivion because there's no point in anything else. Life may be suffering, but there's beauty in that, you know?
I don't think Aventurine is suicidal. I don't think he values his own life, and I think he isn't scared of death. It'll come for him, as it always does, and he'll treat it like a friend, like his due, and move on to the next step on that endless path.
That said, he would one million percent be the type to challenge death to a friendly game of chance.
Gonna try to do a write night tonight and clear out my inbox/notifs from the past year. If you have Aven prompts or questions, please throw them my way. Will start around 8 hours from now (9pm Eastern)
Gonna try to do a write night tonight and clear out my inbox/notifs from the past year. If you have Aven prompts or questions, please throw them my way. Will start around 8 hours from now (9pm Eastern)
hey, just wanted to check on you! are you okay and alright? :)
Had a bad summer; thank you for checking on me! I needed the time, but I am really hoping to buckle down and catch up on my asks and writing this winter and hopefully turn out some new content. Stay tuned!
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