asgardeventide | Seven ★ Video

[It's assumed that Draco is around somewhere despite not being on camera immediately, judging by the fact that when the feed starts travelers are greeted with a nice view of a bedroom wall absolutely covered in diagrams, charts, graphs, drawings and notes. Literally every square inch of the wall above the bed is covered in paper marked with random colored pens. It's assumed the rest of the room is set the same way. In the background, anyone listening can hear a coffee maker brewing a new pot.

War's never been one of Draco's favorite things, but the battles in Asgard have made him think of his home world and the situation he's in. He hates thinking about it, but he's started dissecting everything he knows…hence some of the charts that are overlaying some older charts. When Draco begins to speak, he's still out of the line of vision, if only because he can't exactly face the city just yet.]

…I know this man at home who's trying to, more or less, recreate the entire world. A perfect world where everyone's exactly the same and everyone who's considered less than worthy is punished severely if they're not outright killed immediately. [This is bad. This is a bad idea to be bringing this up, but Draco's full of bad ideas and bad decisions lately.] Actually, his favorite method is to torture them severely before sparing them and then murdering them with a flick of the wrist.

But the thing is, despite the fact he's more or less a slit-nosed homicidal freak, he has a large following. Many follow him out of fear, but there are just as many who follow out of loyalty. There are many people who actually, genuinely believe our world will be better if we follow his plan for destruction and reconstruction. It's messy and violent, and yet they go along with it anyway. Funny how that works, isn't it? One has to wonder why. [It's probably for the best that Voldemort's not around to hear that one of his servants is basically disregarding everything he's been taught. But after his last conversation with Jade? Maybe he really doesn't have to be constantly fearing for his life...maybe just every other day.

Let's get to the point, shall we? His hand appears in the frame of video and he's pinning a fresh piece of paper to the wall above the bed. He soon takes out a pen and in a neat, elegant scrawl writes something on the top of the page.

The art of persuasion and manipulation

His hand hovers in midair for a moment before he withdraws it.]

What is the fine line between persuading people and manipulating them? And, as a bonus question, what is the fine line between safety and fear? Sometimes I have to wonder if the rulers of this world aren't any different, what with having to do their bidding without even asking us. And yet we do it anyway because we're told it's better this way. [He knows it's a stretch, but it's still a valid point in his opinion.] As you can see, I've plenty of room on the paper so give me something worth writing.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It isn't, ultimately. It was more of a warning.

[Lower ranked angels get worse jobs and are more likely to end up killed but it's not generally a huge deal. It's more knowing that you're a step away from much more dire consequences that's the stressful part of it.]

A threat, then. [All right, that's understandable.]

Yes, essentially. Such threats are how individuals were kept under control; rarely did it progress to anything more severe, but the threat was enough.

I don't suppose there was a way to turn the threats back on the people making them, was there?

Not at all.

[The archangels were ultimately in charge, and they were far too powerful to challenge even one on one, and a dissenter was all alone against the rest of the Host.]

The only way out was to rebel and leave, and that was a death sentence if you were ever caught afterward.

Sounds like they covered all of their bases...I'm sort of impressed.

Don't be. Everything about it was cowardly.

[He doesn't quite manage to keep his neutral tone for that, instead sounding just a bit scathing.]

Exactly, that's what makes it impressive. The fact that it is so low and cowardly, and yet it was clearly effective.

Preying on weakness and fear is easy, and it is difficult for those who are afraid to take action. It's effective, but a common tactic.

Regardless, the system doesn't exist anymore.

It's just that because it's so easy, one has to wonder why people don't pick up on it much sooner to stop it. Those who are brave enough, that is.

So what new system is in place now?

Because knowing it's wrong won't help if those that know and try to take action are quickly silenced.

It is still transitional. The previous establishment was overthrown only within the last year.

Just last year?

Yes. There was a civil war.

[He looks, for a moment, just faintly accomplished.]

My army won.

[They'd paid a terrible price--he himself had, especially--but at least there's a chance, now, for something better.]

Well congratulations. [He may be a little bitter because he keeps hearing about these wars ending, but his war's still going.] Hopefully the price you paid is something you can regain.

It isn't. But it is still worth it.

[He does notice that bitterness, though, and takes a guess at what it's about.]

All wars end, eventually, even if another often takes it's place.

Eventually may be too late, considering.

It always is, for some people.

[Those that die never see the end of it, after all.]

What do you reckon of the war here then?

I don't trust that it is what the gods claim it is for. Yourself?

Of course it's not. You'd have to be absolutely naive to believe so. The problem, however, is that I haven't worked out what it really is for.

Many here are naive.

I'm not certain, either. I would presume they want something different than they claim to be achieving by winning.

But what could they be gaining by stripping us of our powers and instilling theirs upon us? If they wanted to win a war faster, they should have left well enough alone.

They claim our powers are incompatible with this world, though I don't believe that. If it is true, however, it would explain it easily, though I think it's more likely they simply didn't want to be overpowered. Many of us are more than a match for gods at full strength.

I don't believe it has anything to do with incompatibility. And I think there's a way around having heads explode. I'm working on it, actually.

Is that so? How?

[Video]

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