Ahahaha okay so for this person who has only met these people these post, basically, I didn't think (or realize?) the text was out of character for Maximian, exactly
To be fair, I don't know if this is what the author was thinking either! But that's the fun of fiction, you get to bring your own interpretations. :D
My read on his characterization is definitely skewed by historical!Maximian (and Gibbon!Maximian, which is not exactly the same, as discussed). For example, getting into an undignified wrestling match over the purple cloak in real life was a bid for power, the red velvet jacket not so much. (Unless it was exclusive Roma Eterna (Inc.) branded swag, which, lol. :'D) So historical!Maximian may have been more power-hungry, fair.
But even AU!Maximian did not want to retire in the first place, and then was desperate to stay involved in power politics, which leads me to not see him as the kind of person who would be nostalgic for the days when he didn't have power.
Now, I foresee Selena (or maybe even you!) pointing out that Fritz and FW both longed for quiet retirement in days when they had power, and Fritz even when he was engaged in an all-out struggle to hang on to power at all costs, and that they were not alone among power-hungry men in this. And I concede this point! If all you had on Fritz was the kind of sparse documentation that we have on Maximian (either historical or AU), you would never see him as the kind of person who would say that Rheinsberg was the only happy time of his life, and yet he did.
So this email may be entirely what AU!Maximian was secretly thinking after all! And the author, if they were to see this, might be thinking, "WTF do you mean, OOC? People are complex, Mildred!" :D
But the Maximian in my head, which, okay, is being influenced by Gibbon, is not the kind of guy who is going to miss a time when he didn't have power. And I would point out that Fritz a) had hobbies that he could have enjoyed in retirement, b) never said, "Remember when Dad was king and I was a nobody? Those were the days." :P It was, "Remember when I had time for all my hobbies? Those were the days."
And if Maximian had those kind of hobbies, well, AU!Diocletian could have said something like "Come on, now you'll have time for X!", which is what you would have said to Fritz if you were trying to talk him into retiring. Yes, all right, that's an argument from silence, and also partly an argument from Gibbon, who heavily implies that Maximian did not have hobbies, but still, AU!Maximian strikes me as a type, one of those men who don't know what to do with themselves outside of work and don't long survive retirement (for different reasons than historical!Maximian didn't long survive retirement, lol).
As for why I think AU!Maximian would never send that email even if it was exactly what he was thinking--yes, admitting he missed Diocletian would be *communicating*, but that I think he might eventually come around to. For me, it's more because talking about wanting to retire might set in motion a chain of events that would lead to him losing a chance at power. And my read was that he would *never* initiate that.
TLDR: When I said "OOC" and "Maximian would NEVER!", I meant I read the email as partly what he was actually thinking but would never admit (so your read, basically), and partly what he was not thinking.
I think in the world of the AU he DID miss Diocletan
Oh, sure! Like I said, I think he did! And they 100% have to have had some kind of personal relationship for sending this email to make sense at all. (Plus, of course, his outrage at Galerius does mean he has a vested interest in who Diocletian's been sleeping with.)
But I'm not sure he misses him in a way that would lead him to write, "I thought we were going to retire together" as opposed to "I miss doing the CEO thing with you, come ON!"
But, like I said, I could come around to the idea that the prospect of hanging out with Diocletian is how AU!Maximian got talked into retiring in the first place, and that getting mad at Diocletian is why he unretired! It's fun that there are so many possible interpretations. :)
I mean, it's still possible the author is going to come along and tell us that Maximian totally sent that email and meant every word, the girls hacking was in relation to something else!
Anyway, the reason I have a tab open to that line is so I can *imagine* Maximian saying that to Diocletian with all the <3s that entails, and for that I am forever grateful to the author. And also, I have such a big grin on my face right now from this whole fic and this whole discussion, you have no idea. :D :D :D
(Also still laughing to myself and going, "No one is that impressed with the cabbages, Diocletian!")
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Re: Diocletian/Maximian fandom primer
Date: 2023-01-01 01:56 pm (UTC)To be fair, I don't know if this is what the author was thinking either! But that's the fun of fiction, you get to bring your own interpretations. :D
My read on his characterization is definitely skewed by historical!Maximian (and Gibbon!Maximian, which is not exactly the same, as discussed). For example, getting into an undignified wrestling match over the purple cloak in real life was a bid for power, the red velvet jacket not so much. (Unless it was exclusive Roma Eterna (Inc.) branded swag, which, lol. :'D) So historical!Maximian may have been more power-hungry, fair.
But even AU!Maximian did not want to retire in the first place, and then was desperate to stay involved in power politics, which leads me to not see him as the kind of person who would be nostalgic for the days when he didn't have power.
Now, I foresee Selena (or maybe even you!) pointing out that Fritz and FW both longed for quiet retirement in days when they had power, and Fritz even when he was engaged in an all-out struggle to hang on to power at all costs, and that they were not alone among power-hungry men in this. And I concede this point! If all you had on Fritz was the kind of sparse documentation that we have on Maximian (either historical or AU), you would never see him as the kind of person who would say that Rheinsberg was the only happy time of his life, and yet he did.
So this email may be entirely what AU!Maximian was secretly thinking after all! And the author, if they were to see this, might be thinking, "WTF do you mean, OOC? People are complex, Mildred!" :D
But the Maximian in my head, which, okay, is being influenced by Gibbon, is not the kind of guy who is going to miss a time when he didn't have power. And I would point out that Fritz a) had hobbies that he could have enjoyed in retirement, b) never said, "Remember when Dad was king and I was a nobody? Those were the days." :P It was, "Remember when I had time for all my hobbies? Those were the days."
And if Maximian had those kind of hobbies, well, AU!Diocletian could have said something like "Come on, now you'll have time for X!", which is what you would have said to Fritz if you were trying to talk him into retiring. Yes, all right, that's an argument from silence, and also partly an argument from Gibbon, who heavily implies that Maximian did not have hobbies, but still, AU!Maximian strikes me as a type, one of those men who don't know what to do with themselves outside of work and don't long survive retirement (for different reasons than historical!Maximian didn't long survive retirement, lol).
As for why I think AU!Maximian would never send that email even if it was exactly what he was thinking--yes, admitting he missed Diocletian would be *communicating*, but that I think he might eventually come around to. For me, it's more because talking about wanting to retire might set in motion a chain of events that would lead to him losing a chance at power. And my read was that he would *never* initiate that.
TLDR: When I said "OOC" and "Maximian would NEVER!", I meant I read the email as partly what he was actually thinking but would never admit (so your read, basically), and partly what he was not thinking.
I think in the world of the AU he DID miss Diocletan
Oh, sure! Like I said, I think he did! And they 100% have to have had some kind of personal relationship for sending this email to make sense at all. (Plus, of course, his outrage at Galerius does mean he has a vested interest in who Diocletian's been sleeping with.)
But I'm not sure he misses him in a way that would lead him to write, "I thought we were going to retire together" as opposed to "I miss doing the CEO thing with you, come ON!"
But, like I said, I could come around to the idea that the prospect of hanging out with Diocletian is how AU!Maximian got talked into retiring in the first place, and that getting mad at Diocletian is why he unretired! It's fun that there are so many possible interpretations. :)
I mean, it's still possible the author is going to come along and tell us that Maximian totally sent that email and meant every word, the girls hacking was in relation to something else!
Anyway, the reason I have a tab open to that line is so I can *imagine* Maximian saying that to Diocletian with all the <3s that entails, and for that I am forever grateful to the author. And also, I have such a big grin on my face right now from this whole fic and this whole discussion, you have no idea. :D :D :D
(Also still laughing to myself and going, "No one is that impressed with the cabbages, Diocletian!")