#easthies

And you know what else? Easthies is still human, and despite his terrible actions, there is still possibility for redemption. But it doesn’t excuse what he’s done. He needs to acknowledge he’s committed atrocities, otherwise it’s not truly a redemption arc. It’s possible that Shirahama will “redeem” his character, but she might not. I am absolutely on board with whichever choice she makes because Easthies is a complex character with so many paths to take.

This is the wonderful part about writing fanfiction. Sure, I can pretend Easthies isn’t that bad, but it’s so much more fun to lean into that intentional depiction of him being a downright villain. I LOVE exploring his backstory and all that juicy trauma. The *why* of his actions. As someone who has a lot of religious trauma, some of it is strangely relatable. There is so much cognitive dissonance that has to happen to get to this point. Deep down, Easthies is scared. Deeply fearful of the immense power witches possess and how easily it can be abused. He takes his position in the Knights Moralis extremely seriously for a reason. He’s willing to commit heinous acts without question over and over again to uphold his ideals. This makes for an absolutely fascinating character imo. This is why he’s one of my favourite characters in the manga — because he’s an undeniable villain, but there’s a clear reason. He believes in what he’s doing and he will defend it to the very end.

So, yeah, I love Easthies as a character because he *is* a villain and he also is drop-dead gorgeous. I’m having the time of my life putting that man in situations and exploring what makes him tic. He deserves to go through it. And then I’m gonna redeem him. But it’s not going to be easy because he is stubborn to the core and, deep inside, he’s a scared little man who doesn’t want to face the fact that life simply isn’t black and white.

Do I think that this is the perfect recipe to portray him as autistic and also a trans woman? Hell yes. But as someone who practically worships the Pact and has its rules ingrained into his very soul, it’s not going to be easy. It shouldn’t be. As a member of the Knights, he wouldn’t even have a concept of being trans because transformation magic is outlawed. He’s terrified of it. Won’t let himself even think about it. He’s not gonna have an inkling of an understanding of transness or be able to admit any of that to himself until he faces the fact that he is a shit person doing shit things that have hurt so, so many people. This is the power of religious brainwashing. It’s so painful to witness and deeply cathartic for me to explore as a writer because I *get* it. The extent of internalised homophobia and transphobia and self-loathing is indescribable, truly. There is a set of rules that you have been told since birth “these are the only Good things, and everything else is Bad.”