#//this is from Oswald's perspective

[theywrites]

A soft gust of wind, clearing a small gap in the clouds from which the weak sunlight extend itself onto the green field, the ___, the silent lake.

A soft gust of wind makes Jack's hair swaying, a small gap clears between the grey clouds. Pale sunlight extends itself onto the (yellow) greening field, the dry fountain, the bows on Lacie's dress and the gold chain that fastens a certain pocket watch in Jack's pocket.

//Autumn (?) Grey, pale, tired weak yellow light, mixed yellow and green fields, naked grey trees, dried brown leaves on the ground - swept by the wind, grass waving as the winds caress the land

[roboraindrop]

I think I'm at the point of Breakdown where I need Warp to come in, pick me up like a football, and carry me to bed ksjdmsjsh

[bubble-you]

true bestiehood would be letting me make them watch mummy on the orient express with them and let me watch their reactions and listen to me talk about it and repeat this until they get the significance of every line

[arabriddler]

Edward’s bitter pill to swallow speech you’ll always be iconic to me even without the fact that it foreshadows future events. I shall share thoughts. Sure, this may help out The Penguin back on his feet, and sure, not having someone you care about means you don’t have to worry about getting blackmailed and the such, but his wisdom is …. Not in the right place. It’s what makes this whole thing great. from Ed’s perspective, he’s comparing himself to Oswald, he’s insisting that they’re parallels but in his case, he had gotten over his grief of losing the only person he cared about, and is offering wisdom/advice. he’s saying “ look at me. I got over my trauma I’m doing great. My trauma made me stronger.” well, he didn’t. In fact, the way Oswald dealt with his grief was healthier, in Edward’s case, he didn’t take time to grief and he dismissed it. He thinks of his feelings as weak and buries them down. That is important in what makes him up as a person later on and shapes his character arc.

Ed’s descent into The Riddler performance, the way he was so easily swayed by Isabella despite her being so suspicious, and the way he handled his feelings with Oswald. Hell, Oswald is like a wrench in his system—he’s emotional. He cries openly. He loves without shame. He’s the most powerful man in the city. It must be driving him nuts!

This whole time the speech was meant to poke at Oswald and show his wrongs, but it comes back to bite Edward, and it takes such a long time for him to learn from it. Oswald was supposed to learn to grow cold and uncaring but he still loved and cared loudly and kept his power. He grew even stronger. For Edward, he was most in his element, or mostly stable, when he was loved and loving. When he cared.

“ it’s better to have loved at all to have not loved at all.” Sure, no strings means you don’t have to worry but where’s the motivation? Where is the driving force? How can you go forward? And they both realize by the end of the show that they work better together. They’re best as a collaborative force. They may have to stop along the way and pick each other up but they’d still rather do that.

It’s not about Oswald learning to not care. It’s about Edward learning to care.

[one-and-a-half-yikes]

Another Day, Another Fanny Chapter...

Well that sure was fucking something huh? I promised I'd at least start talking about IM chapters on here instead of keeping it strictly to the discord server so here I am. Though most of this I already said, I don't mind going over it again, since I feel like I can better organize my thoughts on this.

Also there's no word limit, which is also great.

MY THOUGHTS ON CHAPTER 348: RABBIT REFLECTIONS

So to start, let's rip the bandaid off and just say that everything Fanny said to Vicious in this chapter was bullshit.

At this point in the story with how Fanny has been acting around Cuphead I hope I don't need to specify how Fanny is in love with Cuphead when there's just too much evidence to support it. She kissed him because she wanted to kiss him, not because she was trying to see what kind of lowdown man he was. If Fanny had truly believed that, she would have confronted him about it long ago, but she didn't and we know why. And on some level, I think she knows why, too.

I think it's much easier for a reader to imagine this chapter as a conversation Fanny is having with her conscious. Saying something like this:

Is not her responding to Vicious but to her own thoughts that weigh on her. That kiss has been on her mind for about a week. And her reasoning behind it has changed even moreso. This is her settling on a final conclusion. This is her convincing herself of her own convictions. Of her worldview. That what she did was right, that she didn't ruin something good because it was never good to begin with. So that she doesn't have to confront that ugly realization in the pit of her stomach.

That Cuphead doesn't love her the way she loves him.

That last part specifically. Let's look back at the screenshot yeah?

-"She could almost see Oswald's glare. It was all the same dance. A carousel of pain and betrayal, around and around."

It's a strange thing, isn't it? To bring up Oswald. To equate Oswald to her current situation with Cuphead. Because that is essentially what she's doing, isn't it? It may seem odd, but I do have a reason for why she's thinking that.

Rejection.

Oswald broke up with her and moved on with his life, and Cuphead literally ran from her. Literally the only thing they have in common here, is the fact that they rejected her. But there's another thing too.

"No, she shouldn’t complain. She was lucky she’d found a man with a decent job. Little fights like these weren’t going to end it all for them. Besides, it wasn’t like marriage was about love and all that stardust. She had tried that avenue, and it had ended in heartbreak. Definitely not worth it. Dumb rabbit." (Chapter 74)

The bold is obviously about Oswald. Now compare that to now. Do you see what I mean? She fell in love again, and she got hurt in the process. Nevermind that in both these scenarios the men were also hurt. Especially Cuphead who trusted her and from his perspective, probably assumed she planned on using him for her own needs. Just like Meg. Just like Natasha. And in that way it's very interesting the wording she's using to describe Cuphead, and also Oswald for that matter, rejecting her.

Pain and betrayal. Very edgy, it's giving listening to that one slowed down piano version of Numb that everybody made fandom AMVs to back in the 2000s.

But seriously, why those words? It's a betrayal that Cuphead wasn't interested in the same way she is? Painful sure, that's kind of how rejection works, but betrayal really?

Or.

Is it a betrayal to herself? Thinking of certain aspects of this chapter as Fanny talking to her conscious would definitely lead me to believe that that's partially what it is. She'd already tried the avenue of love twice and it's ended poorly for her, so why did she do it again when she said she wouldn't. Why now, and why with someone like...like him? Like Cuphead? It's absurd in her head. It's something she can't make sense of. Doesn't want to make sense of it either.

So the betrayal could be referring to herself. But, I also think it could be something else, too. But for me to talk about that I have to talk about Oswald and Fanny's relationship because even after a disastrous break up they just can't stay away from each other~

So even though we don't have a lot of context for their relationship, I'm going to go off on a hypothetical that the "betrayal" in regards to Oz is that he offered Fanny (either literally or just like, the idea of the relationship with him gave her that impression) a way out of the dark. From chapter 327 that her home life wasn't great, and she doesn't seem to have any high opinion of her parents at all. Even the mere suggestion of going back home after her break up with Oswald seemed like a worse fate to Fanny than being homeless.

Oswald betrayed her because he was her first love, and also because she was supposed to be living the good life with him. They were supposed to be together forever, but then he broke up with her and next thing Fanny's hearing he's got a successful career and a beautiful wife and kids. She left everything behind for this man only for it to turn out like this. In some ways I can kind of understand what she means. But then she applies this to Cuphead and it's a bit stranger.

Because Cuphead never did anything other than offer her friendship and nothing more. Of course, at the beginning, Cuphead did have a crush on her, but by the end of the Wonderful Winter book he's basically over it. But then I think back to that book specifically, and I think about their interactions throughout and wonder if the betrayal is because Fanny misconstrued everything about their relationship because of how he'd previously acted. Is it the case, that Fanny thought they were both in the same boat, using each other as a form of escapism. She even calls Cuphead out for this at one point and makes an observation about it. Did she think it was the same for him as it was for her? That the feelings were mutual?

And, okay I actually can't blame her for that part. Look, no matter how you slice it, Fanny and Cuphead were just straight up flirting with each other in the early chapters. Not to mention Cuphead asking to take Fanny out to dinner? The Christmas group date? The aftermath?

At the beginning, there may have been mutual feelings of attraction sure but things have changed since then. And even though Cuphead put aside his feelings for her for good, if Fanny had shown any form of reciprocity then maybe things could have changed, but she didn't. But even still it doesn't really explain how Cup could have betrayed her. It stumps me and I've had a good nap to think it through and it's still confusing.

[izunias-meme-hole]

My Top 10 Batman Villains (Revamped)

(Because I currently need to get this off my chest, also a lot of these are just in my opinion)

Honorable Mention: Bane (Various) - Despite being misrepresented as a dumb brute and the fact that one of the best adaptations of him somehow gets his voice and nationality wrong, Bane is a villain with QUITE the deserving reputation. A walking tank with a luchador mask that has the brains to match his brawn.

Number 10. Scarecrow (Nolan Trilogy) - Crane wasn't a big villain in the grand scheme of the trilogy, but my god Cillian Murphy does a great job with the character. Like I wish that his supervillain outfit wasn't just a bag over his face, but Scarecrow manages to be quite the dangerous and cowardly loon with a mask of sanity in Batman Begins, an active member of the underworld in The Dark Knight, and the guy actively sending folks to their deaths in The Dark Knight Rises. Could we have had more of him? Yes. Did he use up his screen time well? Absolutely. Though his fear toxin could've been infinitely wilder.

Number 9. Mr. Freeze (BTAS: Heart of Ice) - I feel like this is a "to the surprise of absolutely nobody" moment, but this show reinvented Mr Freeze as a tragic and vengeful figure, and his debut was a perfect example of that.

Number 8. The Phantasm (BTAS) - The Phantasm is one of the best darker counterparts to Batman a lot of levels.

Number 7. Harley Quinn (BTAS) - The minor side villainess turned breakout character of the show. If anyone has seen B:TAS and then seen the rest of the media she's in, then you know why this is the best version of her. A good amount of things about the character being based around her actress (R.I.P Arleen Sorkin), her interactions with half the cast, Peak HarIvy content, the best representation of how bad her situation with her abusive ex was, and the perfect mixture between being a not-so-great-person and a precious lil' thing who deserves better.

Number 6. Ra's Al Ghul (Various) - Ra's Al Ghul may be a more international threat in comparison to the other antagonists I've listed, but he's undeniably one of Bruce's greatest foes. A very rich and powerful older man whose mission and persistence is similar to that of the caped crusader. Though unlike Batman, Ra's is willing to do more than just kill, he's willing to commit genocide, and he's willing to use other harsh and controlling methods in order to create his ideal world. Ra's is pretty much the the worst elements of Batman shoved into a singular self-righteous figure, and when done well he's easily one of the greats.

Number 5. Two-Face (Various) - Harvey Dent is a man split down the middle, a two-faced dude in more ways than one, and an irredeemably tragic figure no matter the perspective, though funnily enough he's always a victim of chance. He's a victim of the one worst possible outcome that had just as much of an opportunity to be the best possible outcome. It's part of the reason why he makes choices based off a literal coin flip. Chance put Dent in the circumstances to become a villain, and as he surrenders his entire being to chance as Two Face.

Number 4. Oswald "Penguin" Cobblepot (Various) - He's just a pathetic and horrible little man. No I'm serious. Oswald has had various portrayals over the years, but they can all be summed up at "pathetic and horrible little man wanting respect" and its great to see in action because despite the fact that he can be legit menacing and sometimes tragic, Oz is just inherently ridiculous on some level. It's great.

Number 3. Catwoman (Various) - Selina, Selina, Selina... she's cool. Sure she is a classic example of a "femme fatale," but aside from that Selina has always been a thrill seeker in some way or another. Be it as a jewel thief who proudly shows this, or an anti-hero that covers this part of herself with actual justifications, there is always an aspect of Selina that enjoys what she does when she puts that mask on. Mrs Kyle is enjoyable, idk what else to say.

Number 2. The Riddler (Various) - Genuinely impressive intelligence and creativity mixed with an ego as big as 3 Russias and as fragile as a glass bottle. That's what you're always bound to find in Riddler. Be it in the 60's show, BTAS, Batman Forever, The Arkham Series, Gotham, or The Batman, Riddler is a Redditor with the theatrics of a gameshow host and the resources of John Kramer.

Number 1. The Joker (Various) - Come on. We all knew this was gonna happen. The Joker is a crook who fell into a vat of chemicals and got a clownish makeover, who ended up becoming the nemesis of Batman. While the other rouges have their particular danger levels, they all have some type of cause they're fighting for or they're purely out to benefit themselves. Joker just causes chaos, death, and suffering, for the sake of his twisted sense of humor. He is willing to kill and ruin lives in the most creative way possible, so long as he finds it funny. Yet despite how twisted he is, this evil ass clown actually can be funny. Not only that, but he's the most effective contrast to Batman, even more than the other rouges. Batman is a frightening figure with a semi-demonic visage who suffered one bad day in his youth, yet he is a hero dedicated to the cause of justice and protecting the innocent citizens of Gotham City. Joker is a colorful figure with a big 'ol grin on his face and a jovial demeanor, yet he is perfectly okay with causing as much unwarranted harm to others for the sake of artistic chaos. Ultimately, the Clown Prince of Crime is a villain that's managed to last for decades, despite the ever marching clock, for these exact reasons.

[skye707]

After seeing that previous shipping ask, I've just gotta know! What does the Riddler (BTAA or otherwise) think of the pure relationship DRAMA that's going on between the Penguin and Two-Face in the Audio Adventures?

(For those who don't listen to the Audio Adventures, if you view the story from the Penguin's perspective, life's practically a dating sim for him and he's WINNING! Harvey's the most beautiful beau at the ball and Oswald WANTS him. In fact, he melted half of Harvey's face off in an attempt to woo him. Oswald has finally been successful and got Harvey and Associate to combine their criminal enterprises with his so that together they can control some 70% of Gotham's criminal underworld. But just as things were getting REALLY good for Oswald (Harvey made the Penguin the de facto police commissioner), Batman kidnapped Harvey because it's pretty clear that Brucie LOVES Harvey and wants to give him a happy, healthy home! And then of course, just as Bruce was getting Harvey settled in his new home in Wayne Manor, Scarecrow attacked and kidnapped Bruce, of course. Sloppy bitches all around!)

With drama like this, telenovelas are obsolete

[foolishlyzephyrus]

The big difference between Clara and Ruby at least so far is that a lot of people don't seem to get it but Clara was a subversion of a mystery girl because the whole point was the Doctor was wrong to treat her that way and his grief for the Ponds made him see a mystery that wasn't there, they'd have gotten along better sooner if he had treated her like her own person and she was normal, just doing what she did because she was a normal companion defending her friend the Doctor she jumped into his time stream just as Clara Oswald the person who cares for the Doctor it wasn't some big mystery. She was this manic pixie dream girl in the Doctor's eyes (because he needed her to be, to distract from the pain of losing Amy and Rory) but that was never actually who she was. Ruby seems, at least for now, to have this big mystery gimmick but played completely straight. She has a mysterious backstory and snow powers and a song in her DNA. Clara was like a normal person who just happened to be split into different parts of the Doctor's timeline. For all people say Clara was this special mystery girl, she isn't that remarkable in Season 7 when you REALLY think about it.

hello anonymous ask. i appreciate your insight into clara. i will admit i was making a tongue and cheek comparison, drawing on the surface level similarities. i enjoy both characters so it wasn’t meant to be any sort of diss on them, just a passing observation.

while i agree that clara can absolutely be read as a subversion of the manic pixie dream girl trope, i feel like it gets muddled in the weird misogyny of eleven’s era. moffat is a solid writer but series five through seven really suffered with the characterization of certain female characters. characters i adore like amy pond and river song ended up overly sexualized and at times reduced to vessels for the doctor’s growth rather than their own. their stories both relied on something needing to be solved about them from our titular male character, with amy’s crack in her wall and river’s true identity. eleven ends up at the crux of their storylines, actively entrenched in their personal histories and driving their stories rather than being a facet of them. i believe that clara was somewhat affected similarly if not to the same extent. i think the subversion would have played a lot better had there not been the earnestness in the “inherently mysterious sexy characters” reinforced by previous seasons.

eleven was riding the coattails of ten’s “he’s so young and hot and how could women not be interested in him” deal so i won’t place the blame solely on moffat but i also think the fact that romance as a potential aspect of their relationship (one-sided or not) being so strongly implied may have also inhibited the understanding that clara wasn’t playing into the archetype. that particular era of the show was dominated by male writers, so i would not be surprised if that anything to do about the lack of clarity regarding clara’s character.

i think you are absolutely correct, there is nothing special about clara from an objective perspective. however through the narrative framework (i.e. oswin/victorian clara, leaf falling at the right time and place to bring her into existence from the rings of akhaten, etc.) it implies a certain sense of destiny, where one could draw up the mythologizing of her character. since we ultimately are viewing the show part ways through the doctor’s perspective (and subsequently through the lens of his grief as you pointed out), this is kind of where we get the weird overlap. it’s paradoxical in a way where a mystery does in fact exist, yet by the doctor acting on investigating it he is also bringing it to fruition in the first place. like you stated, clara acts reasonably according to her circumstances rather than intentionally generating intrigue.

as mentioned, when clara is treated as a normal person is when she truly thrives with the doctor. my favorite of her moments are when she’s at her most mundane. her run with twelve is super compelling for that exact reason, she is intriguing not because she is some cosmic mystery but because of her similarities to the doctor.

with ruby currently, we don’t know all that much about her. it’s unfortunate how close we are to the end of the season and there still seems to be a gap in the information we know about her whether intentionally or not. because of the lack of exploration of her character, she becomes inherently reduced to the mystery surrounding her. however, in this case, the doctor is less actively involved in solving that mystery, it’s more latent curiosity. as opposed to series 7, i don’t think it’s meant to be the main overarching plot of the season or it is at least is tied into the susan twist plot line rather than just standing alone. she appears on a lot more of an equal footing to the doctor too. ultimately, while the whole mystery surrounding her is more genuine, hers is still unresolved.

my comparison between ruby and clara wasn’t meant to be too serious, just noting on the shared tropes that surround them. because in the end, while they both appear to be seemingly normal people affected by some much deeper mystery, that’s where a lot of the similarities stop. clara’s happenstance as you said vs. ruby’s bordering on supernatural traits. eleven thinks clara is deliberately hiding something while fifteen understands ruby to be just as clueless as he is. more can be said. different stories are being told and equating them was perhaps a little reductive.

i hope this make some sort of sense and isn’t too incoherent. all this to say, i agree with you for the most part and i think regarding clara especially certain outside forces ended up in her characterization rather than just narrative purpose. i hope you don’t think i am attacking you for this or anything, i really enjoyed your thoughts.

[antigonick]

just stumbled into one of your snippets and i'm OBSESSED with your writing style. it is so fluid and punchy and such a delight to read. if you ever feel like answering, how does your writing process works? what are your inspirations, style and tone-wise? and what themes do you enjoy exploring the most?

have a lovely day! 💌

Oh, that's... WELL. That's! The best compliment you could have sent me, thank you so much, I don't know what to say.. I'm actually trying to write a... I'm gonna call it a novel when it's just a mess of fragments right now, but—yeah. Fluid and punchy is exactly what I strive to achieve with the character's voice so this is so nice to hear. WHATEVER. THANK YOU.

Anyway! My writing process is really... steeped in rhythm, I guess? It starts with character writing, which leads me to character voice, which leads me to finding the right "mind" tempo, and from it cascades the headspace I need to write. In that, in the idea of perspective and voice influencing the story first, I'm indebted to Faulkner, to Marlon James, to Woolf's The Waves, to Shirley Jackson—to the perspectivism twists of horror and gothic writing as a general rule. Rereading her, I think Emily Brontë has shaped my metaphorical network very early on, and my handling of violence, especially in dialogue—though more recently, Tamsyn Muir made me tick about dialogue too. Malin Rydén is one of my utmost inspirations, not a little because the main character of my story was first created for his story, but also because he was my gateway into harder, grittier speculative fiction and digital literature, which both inspire me now for the story I'm trying to shape—horror out of the gothic castle and into the terrible anticipation of what comes next, with more politics, with ghosts and body horror twisted to technology. In terms of pure form, I'm extremely impacted by poetry—E. E. Cummings, Alice Oswald, Emily Dickinson—those who deconstruct syntax to wrangle it into breath. He didn't influence me because I discovered him too late, but I feel a kinship to some of the early stylistic experimentations of Frank Bidart too. Hanif Abdurraqib, whose first name I gave to one of my main characters too because his voice is incredible: it moves. Charles Olson's Projective Verse gestures at what I feel when I write, you know? "ONE PERCEPTION MUST IMMEDIATELY AND DIRECTLY LEAD TO A FURTHER PERCEPTION (…). Always one perception must must must MOVE, INSTANTER, ON ANOTHER! (…)" and then "Breath allows all the speech-force of language back in." Even silence can be your story-weapon.

I'm interested in... blowing apart labels, dichotomies, I think, making them harder to grapple with—right and wrong, love and hate, personal and universal; transgressions, fluidity; how language fails, how language betrays; the way human connection can both fuck you and raise you up, in its constant failure and constant trying, in the violence of intimacy, in the tension between hardness and vulnerability—more than anything, I'm interested in the way individual desires clash with collective needs or personal ideals, in the lies and justifications you can find for yourself, in what it means for you when you come to dismantle them (or refuse to). I love palimpsest, stories retold again and again, and/or I love difficult, ugly settings, speculative and dystopia topics, I want the story to be political in itself, even when it's not politicking; and I LOVE mindfucks: using our terribly faulty, terribly subjective perception / perspective / memory / dreams / FEARS / intellect to tell a story that is both fascinating because it's unique, and trapped by it. Can't escape yourself. What are you gonna do with yourself (against yourself, for yourself) now?

Formally, I try to use that in writing: trapping the reader in one voice that swallows them really, ideally that jostles them a little, that blurs the boundary between them and the character: extreme immersion. I like to try and convey emotion / impression and even action as it is experienced, rather than explaining it clearly. In that phenomenology has influenced me, I guess? Deleuze, Guattari, Merleau-Ponty, and poetry again, I guess. Archibald McLeish says "a poem should not mean / but be...", and that's what I try to do with the character I choose, and then I let them be, and they drive both the story and the writing that should echo it—form and content cycling each other like mirrors.

Goddamnit, that got so long. Anyway. THANK YOU for being interested, I'm really touched.

[bri-in-ur-attic]

Someday, Our Fascinations Will Align

—-

Do you remember the moment you fell in love? The moment when you were the only two people in the world. That splendid, magical moment when all your sadness was forgotten.

—-

I dedicate this to @engardeitsme <333 we share an unhealthy amount of love for the B.R.B, she also did an amazing fan casting of these idiots which is how i envisioned the brotherhood and is also writing a fic series of the battle maniac!! 100% recommend it

Heads up: kidnapping but (Name) vibes w it, typical black rabbit brotherhood violence, perspective changes, this is a long fic like over 7k so prepare yourselves

pairing is battle maniac x fem!reader , but there are implications of P x reader

longest fic I’ve ever written and its for a bunch of assholes that were punching bags for P *sigh*

------------------

“Hopping around Elysion Boulevard doing God knows what and in the end, getting yourself hurt! Like seriously you’re running my medic supplies dry!” 

“Quit your yammering the black market will provide you more.” 

Most people shrivel at just the mention of the Black Rabbit Brotherhood, yet here you were scolding the one who was infamous for putting unfortunate souls in the Liar's Coffin 

It was a simple negotiation really, in exchange for your medical knowledge and treating their wounds, considering they live life on the edge, you were sworn with protection from the Brotherhood without paying the dumb fee.

And by negotiation it went more like you were kidnapped against your own will after the brotherhood tried to rob you but deemed you more useful by keeping you by their side

For a bunch of criminals, you could tell they care for each other’s well being and soon enough, they grew accustomed to you. The brotherhood was amused by your gutsy attitude and feistiness as if you weren’t surrounded by dangerous criminals, amusement turned into respect which then turned into kindling a fondness towards you 

The Eldest, Cyrus would tease about small you were compared to him and often annoy you by holding things above your head

Buckethead was the one abusing the microphone constantly, for an oddball, he had quite an elegant name, Oswald. You liked to call him Oz for short to which he had taken a liking to, it sounds similar to odd funnily 

The baby of the group was Bonnie being merely 16 years old, at first you had no idea that there was a sister in the Black Rabbit Brotherhood as the name speaks for itself let alone one being this young. She was quite touchy by wrapping her arms around you and constantly wanting your attention by whining about the tiniest scratches she gets and wanting immediate medical attention 

And finally, the one who was currently at your mercy was the battle maniac of the group, if you were being honest all siblings were battle maniacs but whatever

You would always butt heads with him at any chance you got as he always gave the best responses to your remarks, he was simply fun to argue with

“For God’s sake go easy on tightening those bandages, my arm's ‘bout to bust!” 

“Awww is poor bunny about to cry cuz he can’t handle a bit of pressure?”

“Shut up, just do your damn job.” 

“Shame that these bandages and medicines are wasted on you.” With a huff, you finish wrapping his arm  

“Oh and it’s not a waste to use 'em on Bonnie’s paper cuts?” 

“Any injury no matter how miniscule it might seem isn’t worth not treating, one cut can turn into a nasty infection.”

Finishing wrapping the bandages you pat on his shoulder firmly

“Done, Rojo.” he winces

The brother with the red scarf hadn’t revealed his name and identity to you while the others have unconcealed themselves to you, he was a tough nut to crack compared to the others. Heck you found the Eldest to be more approachable than him 

And so you nick-named him Rojo (Ro-ho) because of his red scarf 

”Stop calling me that.”

”Oh? You don’t like Rojo? Then what would you like me to call you? How does Bun-Bun sound?”

”Call me that and you’ll be fed to those monstrous freaks.”

After washing your hands, you grab a rack with a sigh

”Look, I gotta call you something, Rojo is the best I could think of unless you spare me the trouble and give me your damn name.”

His masked face directs to you, seemingly in deep thought and then looks down on the floor 

”Elyas.” he let out begrudgingly 

”Elyas ..” you repeated in a soft tone testing how his name rolled off your tongue 

”That wasn’t so hard now was it Elyas ?” With a cheeky grin you walk out of the room 

Elyas watches your figure get out of his range of sight and takes off his rabbit mask running his hand through his dark waves 

“That woman is gonna be the death of me..”

——

It had been about a month of being ‘held hostage’ by the Black Rabbit Brotherhood, overtime they let you have more freedom such as wandering through the Malum district as long as one of them was accompanying you, quite restrictive freedom but you have no combat abilities so this didn't bother you all that much as the brothers and sister pretty much acted as bodyguards

Now that the Malum District officially had a doctor, the Brotherhood originally wanted to charge those who seeked you for medical attention but you gave them an earful before they could

Today you were meeting with the Robinson family and the one escorting you was Elyas , who recently trusted you with his name

The walk was quiet and a bit tense, if in different circumstances it would look as if the the two of you were on a awkward first date due to the close proximity and stiffness 

Up ahead seeing the Robinson’s small run-down house up ahead, Elyas leaned his back against the neighboring houses 

“Hurry up, make it no longer than 10 minutes.”

”Oh what a pity, I was hoping to bake a pie with the Robinsons today.” you say sarcastically and knock on the Robinson’s door 

Civilians nearby peeped their heads out, seeing the poor doctor being held captive by the ruthless Black Rabbit Brotherhood, the residents viewed you highly for aiding the District with daily check-ups 

“That poor girl, God knows what those ruffians make her go through..” one of the civilians say

Seeing the Battle Maniac glance up in their directions, the neighbors duck their heads away 

You knock on the door and call out for the Robinsons

“Mrs. Robinson? It’s me, (Name).”

And it didn’t take long for the aged woman to open the door, her gaunt features welcome you

“Oh Doctor (Name), it is very good to see you, please come in.”

Closing the door after you come in, Mrs. Robinson leads you to her husband, who looked in better condition than the last time you saw him, the Robinson children also greet you while the oldest nods his head with a small smile 

“The echinacea tea did wonders to me. I can't thank you enough Miss (Name).”Mr. Robinson says with weak smile

“It was my pleasure, I’m glad you have been making progress to a full recovery. I was going to check on your health but it seems your immune system is doing all the work and my visitation is unnecessary.”

“Oh hush dear you are always welcome in our humble abode, you have always been very kind to us, do please stay for a little longer will you?” Mrs. Robinson directed her hand towards the living room  

“Ah I wish I could, but I’m afraid my time here is limited for I have an invisible lengthy chain on my ankle.”

“That hooligan from the brotherhood is it? Honestly I send my condolences to you for dealing with those bad men.”

“I can hold my own against them. They cannot be tamed, but they can be reasoned with.”

“I see, well good luck out there dearie, please take care of yourself too.” 

“Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, best of wishes to you and your family.” With a small bow you make your way to the door

“E-excuse me, Miss (Name)?”

The eldest of the Robinson children was Finlay, though he was barely a child as he was in his young adulthood 

Now having your attention, Finlay grasps his hands together 

“If you don’t mind, may we talk for a bit?”

“Hm, I suppose I have a few minutes to spare but do make it quick, the rabbit who’s acting as my esquire isn’t known for having patience.”

With a deep breath, the fair-headed boy looks at you with a deep gaze that is laced with worry

“I hate to see you go off with the evil brotherhood, surely there must be something we can do to help you.”

With a sad smile, you shake your head

“I very much appreciate your concern Finn, but I accepted my fate and I swear on my life that I am ok. Besides, who will provide you all with check-ups if I escape this dreaded town?”

Finlay’s expression hardens “Then you don’t have to escape, hide in our home and we can take care of you just like how you’ve taken care of us.”

“Finn..please don’t risk your family’s lives and your own for me.”

“But I would risk my life for you! Because I-”

“Alright, time's up!” 

The door violently burst open revealing Elyas 

Upon seeing you and Finlay, something in Elyas cracked as he approaches Finlay in a threatening way and grabs him by the collar of his shirt 

“So you’ve been extending the doctor’s session eh? I'm afraid you're gonna have a fee for that, blondie.”

“S-sir please I’m sorry! W-we don’t have anything to give you! We're barely getting by after this month's fee!”

You immediately grab Elyas’ arm and attempt to pull him away from Finlay 

“Cut it out! I was about to leave anyway!”

“This piss-haired rat got greedy and reached over the time limit, now he has to pay the price.”

You get between the boys and with all your might push Elyas’ chest away from Finlay, while doing so, Elyas’ puppet string accidentally pricks your cheek but the minor injury barely bothered you

“Stop! It was only for a few minutes, let it go!” 

Elyas looked at you and you hear the crinkling of his gloves due to his fists clenching 

“Fine.”

Letting out a sigh of relief you look back at Finlay who still looked like he had the heavens scared out of him

“You will no longer visit this house.”

You look back at Elyas with wide eyes and before you can protest he grabs your arm and pulls you out of the Robinson's household 

“Wait a minute!..Elyas!”

With a panicked look, you look back to the house and see a distraught Finlay reaching his hand out 

“Please just stop for a moment!”

Ripping your arm from Elyas’ iron grip you rub the area and glare at him

“What has gotten into you? I know you’re a jackass but you really have crossed the line this time!”

“That beggar boy was the one crossing the line by wasting our time.”

With a sigh, you stay silent briefly

“You know.. you were a hypocrite when you called him greedy when all you and your siblings do is suck up all my time like a bunch of mosquitos.”

Now it was Elyas’ turn to stay silent, he turns to you and looks down at the small gash on your cheek

He approaches you slowly and grabs a hold of his red scarf, ripping it. He then daps the blood off that was on the plump of your cheek 

You felt almost every negative emotion under the sun towards Elyas, fear, anger, frustration and even amusement 

This was the first he made you flustered, you’ve been in close positions with Elyas before but it was when he needed treatment. Now he was willing to be this close to you to do a quite sensual gesture  

“What are you doing?…”

Elyas lets a scoff ”You said it yourself, any injury no matter how miniscule it might seem isn’t worth not treating, one cut can turn into a nasty infection.”

“Oh..” 

With a small hum, Elyas continues to treat the cut on your cheek ”Sorry.” His apology was quick and blunt but there was a hint of sincerity in it 

”It’s.. whatever I’ll treat it myself when we get back.” 

Backing away from you, Elyas’ hand hovers over your cheek and feel his finger brushing over your injury 

You look up to meet his eyes that were concealed behind his rabbit mask, sometimes you wonder how these guys could see through those atrocious masks 

Desperately wanting to see what he was thinking, you gaze into the eyeholes of Elyas’ mask, to see what the hues of his eyes were and if they even held light

You wanted to see his humanity

Immediately he withdraws his hand away from you and makes a quick turn to continue his way 

“Let’s go.” 

Recovering from what just occurred, you slowly make your way behind Elyas

”I’m still gonna visit the Robinsons.” 

“You won’t be a mile radius near that shithole when I’m around.”

”So what you’re saying is as long as you're not breathing down on my neck I can visit them?”

”What I’m saying is if I see you interact with that scrawny piece of shit, no treatment will ever be able to cure what I’ll do to him.” 

It felt like Cyrus slammed his greatsword on him when Elyas realized what he had just said, visibly stiffening but regained composure  

Then it hit you, Elyas was jealous 

This new found discovery both appalled and terrified you 

He was the equivalent of a school boy who was crushing that just happened to have violent tendencies towards his rivals, it seems you won’t be visiting the Robinsons for a while for Finlay’s sake

You couldn’t but help feel bad for the poor boy, his feelings towards you was obvious but you never really saw him that way, sure you thought he was adorable and very kind but he just was never really your type unfortunately 

But Elyas?..

The both of you didn’t quite have a pleasant start and to this day you had lingering feelings of resentment towards him and his siblings

Despite that, your fondness for them grew more than your grudge 

After all they guaranteed you safety when you weren’t even sure if Hotel Krat could be a place to seek refuge and for better or for worse there was never a dull day with the brotherhood. You weren't just surviving, you were living

And the somewhat intimate moment you just shared with Elyas and how he and his siblings aid each other is enough for you to believe that the brotherhood has a soul that was tainted due to the result of evolving in a harsh environment 

Hiding your smile, you follow Elyas towards the Red Lobster 

Oswald and Bonnie were present, hanging out and having some downtime

”We’re back, but I’m gonna head back to headquarters real quick, don’t you knuckleheads plan something idiotic when I’m gone.”

Oswald only waves his hand dismissively and Bonnie sticks her tongue out at Elyas 

“How was your trip (Name)?” Bonnie asks in a cheerful tone

”Phew it was quite something, I’ll tell you that.” You place your hands on your hips and bounce on your feet making eye contact with Bonnie with a nervous smile 

“Speaking of trips, I call the shots on taking our doc through Malum next week! I haven’t done errands with her in a long while!”

”Hey! It’s my turn to hang out with (Name)! I thought we were following the pattern!” Bonnie complains and lightly shoves Oswald 

“Since when did we ever agree to that? It’s whoever gets to her first the one going little sis!”

With an audible pout, Bonnie sits back down on her seat

”Not fair! (Name) please tell him off!” Bonnie drags out your name

”No can do Bon, first come first serve.” You say with a cheesy grin

”I’ll beat you to her Oswald! You’ll see!”

”Oh really? Well that’s a shame ���cause I already got to her!”

Oswald dashes from his seat and grabs you by the waist hoisting you over his shoulder 

“Oz! This is very unnecessary!” trying to hide your grin but fail as you grab onto his shoulders 

“Hold on tight doc!~”

Bonnie jumps from her seat and dashes towards Oswald who was now carrying you 

The two siblings laugh hysterically chasing each other while you cling on to dear life to Oswald’s shirt and join in on the laughter

“What did I say about planning something idiotic while I’m gone?”

Elyas voice suddenly echoed throughout the room causing the siblings to stop 

“Ahh lighten up brother, we were just having a little fun!”

”Not much fun anymore when you’re dizzy! Now put me down Oz!”

“Alright alright down you go doc.” 

Setting you down with ease, Oswald then wipes off invisible dust off of you

“There you go all in one piece.” 

“Quit touching her. Now scram, Cyrus asked for you and Bonnie back in headquarters.”

”Huh? What for?”

Elyas simply shrugs

Oswald let out a loud groan ”It better be good, c’mon Bonnie.”

”Watch my cheesecake for me (Name)!” Bonnie then scurries out of the room right behind Oswald 

“Hey, what did Cyrus ask them for?” 

“Nothin’ I was jesting.” 

You shoot Elyas a blank stare 

“Don't give me that look, I don't want to deal with their annoying asses when I play this.” 

Elyas held up a record and walks over to the gramophone 

Once he plays the record, an elegant sound of a violin plays along with an accordion that harmonizes with each other

The gramophone changes the setting of the rundown tavern of the Red Lobster into a more elegant atmosphere, both you and Elyas lean against the bar table. The sound of the singer’s rich voice singing in a language you somewhat understood

“Say Elyas, do you comprehend French?” 

He only shakes his head “I never knew what the hell the guy was saying, I just like how it sounds.”

“From my limited French knowledge, what I’m getting at is that the singer is longing to meet his departed lover..”

Concentrating on the singer’s words you close your eyes 

“You will come back

Someday

Someday…”

Halfway through the song there was a solo 

“And..listen to my heart,

I will wait for you

Even if my heart hurts..

So that you can hear my words

I will wait for you..

I will wait for you..”

The record meets its end as the accordion slows down fading away bringing you back to the dreary tavern 

“Since when did you understand French? "

"I'm not quite fully fluent in it, the Monad Charity House taught some classes."

"You went to that Charity House?"

With a nod of your head you continue, then grabbing the chain of your necklace, you show Elyas your graduation necklace that was hidden under your blouse 

"Yup, I grew up in the Charity house and wanted to become an Alchemist at first but I couldn’t read alchemical equations for the life of me. However I liked science enough to pursue the medical field."

“I see, glad you didn't join those egotistical smartasses.”

”Heh, I suppose so, I didn’t even like them all that much if I’m being honest.” You look at Elyas “Seeing how you and your siblings ar-were Stalkers, were you all in the Charity House as well?” 

Elyas notices your slip up and crosses his arms “Nope, the four of us grew up in the alleys, the Sweepers in our area taught us since we were young.” 

“Oh, it must’ve been rough growing up in such a place.”

“But it’s what made us strong and outlived the other weak fools. We survived this far, and we will continue to do so together as a family.”

Turning your head away from Elyas you chuckle softly

“What’s so funny?” Elyas asked in a condescending tone 

All this time, you believed the Puppet Frenzy and the Petrification disease brought the worst out of humanity, from those who exploited Krat’s vulnerable position and ransacking homes, to survivors who were now in a dog eat world where the strong live and are victorious while the weak can only hope for a quick death 

There were countless times when the Brotherhood made it clear they couldn’t give a rat’s ass about fighting with honor, as former Sweeper Stalkers it was in their psyche to survive and win, simply that. But there were cracks to their rough exterior, their love of family for one another. 

The reason the Black Rabbit Brotherhood lived this long was their camaraderie and sticking together as a family. 

And most recently there was another Achilles heel to their bruteness, you.

The feeble yet firm doctor who doesn’t carry a sword but a stethoscope and briefcase full of instruments to life. Unlike the brotherhood, gentle and merciful 

“It’s just, you four are a group of delinquents with disregard for others, but I find it quite endearing that you all got each others’ backs. You all understood you were stronger together.” 

“Oh? Getting all sappy on us now, are we?”

“Quiet you, I still don’t like how you treat the poor civilians here and would find an escape route at any given chance.” you didn’t quite mean that last part, but you wanted to get a reaction from Elyas to get back at him

And it seems to have worked too well as Elyas stayed silent and motionless with his teasing disappearing in an instant 

“Would you.. actually?..”The tone of his voice almost makes you feel bad, the desperation and worrying riddled in his words

Caught off guard by Elyas’ question you stutter out “Uh-Uhm yeah..I would.”

You side eye Elyas to get a glimpse of him, he faces the floor, silent

“Hey.. I was jesting.” a callback to when Elyas repeated your words 

His head suddenly turns to you, you expected him to implode on you but instead your ears were met with a light chuckle

“God…you really are a pain in the ass.”

Looking towards Elyas you also let out a soft chuckle, then you glance down on his hand that was draped on the table, there was this urge to get close to him, to feel a connection 

You already suspected he has some type of attraction towards you, and may you be damned for reciprocating them 

Slowly, your hand itches closer to Elyas’ hand. Once the tips of your fingers meet, you feel his fingers flinching, taking this as a sign he didn’t want to be touched, you pull your hand back slowly

There was a sudden pressure on your hand and the feeling of leather'

You look down to see Elyas’ hand on yours but he refuses to meet your eyes 

Instead you feel him squeezing lightly

“Hey Elyas you lying asshole! Cyrus said he didn’t fucking ask for us!” Oswald's eccentric accent breaks the peace

Immediately the both of you retract your hands 

“You just lied to steal (Name) away from us didn’t you?” Bonnie jumps down from the level rail and tugs on your arm “C’mon let’s get away from these dumb dumbs!” 

As Bonnie drags you away, Oswald and Cyrus walk up to Elyas

“Ha! If you wanted some alone time with doc, you ‘coulda just said something!” Oswald teases 

“Shut up.”

Cyrus laughs and slams his large hand on Elyas’ back making him let out a groan

——

“Ah good evening Miss (Name)! What can I get for you?” The black market merchant greets you

“Say you wouldn’t happen to have some records on you would you?”

“Is that even a question worth asking? Of course!” He then pulls out a crate full of records 

“Feel free to look through this mess and pick the one you want.”

Kneeling down, you browse through the records looking for a certain one 

“Nope..nope..not this one…found it!”

Pulling out your desired record, you pull it towards your face, admiring the beautiful artwork that decorated it

“Oh? Fascination? Now that’s a classic!” 

“An oldie but a goldie. Here’s the ergo.”

“Thank you very much, oh and you’re aware that it’s the instrumental version right?”

“Quite aware, I weirdly prefer this version.”

“To each their own I guess. Well I hope you enjoy it and have a pleasant night.” The merchant tips his hat

“Thank you, good night to you too.”

You walk back where the gramophone that Elyas played earlier was. Taking out Elyas’ record gently placing it away and slipping in yours 

Resting your head on the table, you close your eyes and let the music immerse you in a different reality

It sounded as if the violin was singing, synchronizing with the backing instruments, perfectly capturing the beautiful feeling of falling in love

“You’re up late.”

Your eyes stay shut briefly and let out a deep exhale

Pushing yourself off the table, you look up to where Elyas was, you could make out his figure but couldn’t see his face where his mask usually was

On closer inspection, you noticed that his shadow lacked the silhouette of the rabbit ears his mask had

“Come now, don't be shy, I won’t run if your face is ugly.”

This might just be the first time you’ll see Elyas without his mask, the anticipation was killing you

Realizing Elyas hasn’t yet moved from his spot, you had an idea 

You turned around with your back now facing him 

“Come down when you’re ready, I’ll wait all night, I certainly won’t mind listening to this for hours.”

Then you hear Elyas’ footsteps descending down the stairs, with each step he takes it makes your heart beat faster

Just what could he look like? Masculine, feminine or a mix of both? But you have a hard time imagining a feminine face for Elyas

A gloveless hand rests your waist, while another grabs your hand, twirling you around and you meet face to face with the face you longed to see

Messy raven hair was the first sight in your field of vision 

Elyas perhaps has the most beautiful blue eyes you’ve ever seen, it wasn’t the type of blue that pierced into your soul, rather it was a calming blue, his eyes reminded you of the romantic evening nights that was once common in Krat’s skies. Elyas had quite a pale complexion, making the dark circles under his eyes more prominent. The bridge of his nose had a scar kissed on it, his appearance was almost exactly how you expected him to be, rugged but quite pleasing on the eyes, dare you say it, handsome. 

What somewhat surprised you was how young Elyas looked, he looked like a man barely in his early 20’s. At the prime of young adulthood, around the same age as you.

You’ve seen how the other members of the black rabbit brotherhood looked like, they all possessed unruly jet black hair and a birthmark somewhere etched on their faces. Elyas had a few beauty marks patched on his face, from under his cheek, chin, even one near his nose. You’re enticed to caress the moles and the scars on his face

“With the way you’re eyeing me, I can’t tell if you’re eating me up or about to run off with your tail between your legs.” 

Ignoring his teasing, you continue to gaze at him

“It’s just, you’re so beautiful…”

Elyas’ eyes widen, his face reddening and he lets out a small chortle

“You’re quite the beauty yourself, doctor.”

Bashfully, you lower your head, and lightly smack Elyas’ chest

“Hey, don’t you get shy on me now.” gripping your chin to lift your face up

Wordlessly, Elyas then guides you to the center of the floor, hand firmly on your waist still 

You stare at the decomposing wooden floor of the Red Lobster, in this moment, you momentarily forget about the dire situation around you, the disease, the frenzy, none of it mattered in this one moment. You look up to the source of your escape from reality, he looks down at you with the same amount of longing 

Everytime Elyas’ foot moves forward, yours moves back, when he leads you toward the left you follow his footing, coordinating with his movements causing the both of you to form a slow dance 

Your hand rests on his shoulder while the other is held by Elyas’, now lacking the gloves

His hands were rough, almost having a sandpaper-like feeling, years of brawling in the rigorous culture of the alleys left him with textured palms

Elyas’ gaze turns into an ambivalent expression, him two months ago would laugh at his current self for being vulnerable and soft towards the flimsy doctor. For years Elyas’ heart conditioned itself to lock itself away from tender emotions such as love, it only had room for his family, but somehow you happened to make your way into his heart and heal what the world had done to him. What one hell of a doctor you were. 

Elyas never was bothered by the fact he’s put a few people six feet underground in the past, leaving his hands stained with blood. Guilt now had a hold on him. Not for the ones slain by him, but for now tainting you, a doctor who dedicated her life to saving lives now associating herself with death himself.  

As soon as the music reached its’ climax, Elyas grabs your waist and lifts you up in the air, spinning you around and gently setting you back down leaving you in a brief daze 

As the music reaches the end, Elyas dips you down 

Slowly bring you back up, his hands still hold you, as if he wished for this moment to never end

Meeting Elyas’ eyes, your hand that was on his shoulder moves up to to cup his face and he closes his eyes, indulging in your warmth 

Soft and docile, you felt exactly how Elyas imagined

Would…your lips feel the same?

Opening his eyes, Elyas keeps them lidded as he glances down at your lips

Understanding what he was asking of you, you give him the most love-struck grin and close your eyes, leaning forward 

Like magnets, your lips pull in towards Elyas’

Bliss would be an blatant understatement, nothing could ever comprehend the overabundance of emotions you were feeling, both negative and positive 

Each movement of your lips with Elyas’ sent adrenaline of excitement and a sense of freedom, sharing saliva with a parlous man like Elyas would be considered unorthodox, but who is left in Krat to judge you?

—-

As time went on, more and more residents succumbed to the Petrification disease and more mutated monsters infested the district, ever since the Alchemists promised a so-called cure to the disease, Krat’s problems seemed to have worsened, those damned Alchemists had done something horrific to those refugees in the Cathedral.

You knew those Alchemists were suspicious from the start, this only worsens your disdain towards them

Much to your dismay the brotherhood refused to let you out in the district anymore, leaving whatever surviving residents to tend to themselves 

You couldn’t help but feel hopeless couped up in headquarters, surely there were those who have yet to succumbed to the Petrification disease that is need of medical care

Cleaning and organizing your medical tools, you hear Elyas approaching near you, he takes off his mask

Your relationship with Elyas reached a new degree, it has no label yet but the feelings are there and real. And so you just let it happen and see how it goes from there

“That frown has been common on your face these days.” Elyas says as he grabs and raises your chin, 

With a tight smile, you grab his hand on your chin and intertwine them with yours

“You know why I’ve been getting frown wrinkles.”

His eyebrows furrow “And you know why we don’t want you going out there, the world is going to hell, it’s too dangerous.”

You sigh and break eye contact, but keep your hands connected 

Stroking your cheek, Elyas leans closer to your face “You worry too much, let’s just look after each other now eh?” 

Calloused hands grab your cheek to direct your face towards him, Elyas leans forward to capture your lips in a soft kiss to which you return 

The newfound connection you’ve made with Elyas is yet to be revealed to his siblings, but you assume at this point they’ve connected the dots by now with how insistent Elyas is to be close in your presence and they bite their tongues to avoid his retribution 

Pulling away, Elyas hovers over your face 

“There’s an intruder in the District, stay in headquarters until we deal with this pest.”

Your eyebrows downturn “Intruder? Is it another Stalker?”

”Not sure, but he does wield a weapon and has competent skills with it.” Elyas stares off in space deep in thought “So stay put, will you?” Looking at you with a hardened but pleading look

With a sigh you nod 

“Thank you.” With one more quick kiss, Elyas slowly parts from you and heads out the door, “We won’t take long.” 

As you watch him leave, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread, no one outside Malum has ever made it far into the District due to the immense number of carcass monsters increasing 

But it gave you a sense of hope?

Who would be bold enough to infiltrate the den of the notorious Black Rabbit Brotherhood unless they had a motive to put them in their place. For the longest time, you thought humanity lost its willpower and strength, God knows what’s happening to the world outside of Krat. Despite your affections for the Brotherhood, you can’t help but respect the one who has the guts to face them. And it’ll be a shame if Krat’s last spark of hope gets snuffed out.

With a determined look, you go against Elyas’ wish. Grabbing a cloak and a small messenger bag, you make your way up to the roof

—-

The Malum District was the embodiment of misery and despair, P never thought that he'd ever miss the Puppets that he once loathed and wished to eradicate 

Any sight of puppets would be a welcoming sight compared to these monstrous sights 

As he makes his way through the streets, P notices writing on the walls

‘The Angel of Malum, Doctor (Name) where are you? Please we need you!’

‘Damn the Brotherhood for taking away our Angel!’ 

‘Prayers for the Angel of Malum, our beacon of hope’

This (Name) person must’ve be an important figure in the Malum with how many memorials he’s seen for this doctor 

While observing the walls, there was a sudden groan heard from one of the houses

Raising his weapon, P stalks closer to the source of the sound

Heading inside, a gold-haired man was the first thing he sees, tainted with the blue of the disease 

“W-who are you?.. (Name)..?”

The slouching human lifts his head up looking up at P, his deathly pale blue face had a look of hope that fell immediately 

“Oh… you’re not her…they’re still holding her captive... If she’s even alive...”

”Who?” P asks

”She was our angel (Name)…she gave comfort and aided to those in need of care…until the brotherhood took her away…” The blonde man lets out a violent cough ”Mister…you must save her if she's still alive and well…those awful Black Rabbit Brotherhood caged her up in their hideout…my final wish is for her to be liberated…”

Contemplating, P then nods  

“Haha…thank you…oh and if you see (Name) tell her that I, Finlay… love…”

Before the man could finish his sentence, death came for him first, his confession forever lost 

—-

Stepping outside the house, P continues his way

*chirp* “Geez..poor guy, looks like he was the only survivor in his family judging from the other corpses inside the house..”

There was a sudden clamping on his leg

”Ha! It’s funny seeing ‘em all flustered!”

He looks up to see a girl with a rabbit mask

”Hey…the idiot’s actually a looker…” she then jumps back and retreats 

P struggled to get the trap off his leg, each time he squirms it bites harder into his leg 

“Oh my goodness, I’ll come down and help you!” 

His head suddenly swings up, a woman in a hooded cloak gets down from the roof and rushes towards him

“How in the..how are you not bleeding?” The woman looks at P with confusion and curiosity “Are you… a puppet?”

Staring into the woman’s eyes, P nods his head, the hooded woman then had a look of reluctance before sighing

“Well alright then…let’s get you out of this bear trap.” She then presses on the springs, making the jaws of the trap lower. Feeling the pressure going away from his leg, P closes his eyes and lets out a sigh of relief. Opening his eyes, he looked at the lady who helped him. Up close she was quite pretty

She then offers her hand to him with a gentle smile, “Can you stand? That is quite a nasty trap you fell in.” 

He grabs her smaller palms and with her help gets back up

*chirp* “Excuse me Miss if you don’t mind me asking, but just why are you helping my pal here? Considering people don’t treat puppets too well these days.” 

“What the- did your bottom just talk??” The lady looks around P, looking for where the voice came from

*chirp* “Down here! I’m his guide, Gemini!” P grabs the lamp from his belt and raises Gemini towards the woman 

“Oh.. interesting..” She looks at the lamp with intrigue, looking from the lamp and now to P “Well the reason I came to your aid, I get this feeling that you’re special.” 

She continues, “The moment I heard you made it into Malum pass those awful creatures, something inside me just ruptured, like fireworks.” The lady then looks up at the dreary sky with a bittersweet smile “It was a feeling I hadn’t had in such a long time, hope.” 

She looks back at P, her hopeful smile doesn’t falter. “I have no idea why, but I just have this gut feeling that you’re important, so please beware, the Brotherhood is wanting to put you under the ground.”  Despite finishing her sentence, the kind lady had her lips in a tight line, almost as if she still had something to say

“If you do fight the Brotherhood…please refrain from killing them.”

*chirp* “I hate to be that guy but they're the ones who came after us first! If push comes to shove, we just might have to!”  

A sigh of disappointment escapes from her lips. “Then please spare them for my sake, like some sort of favor.” She then gives a friendly smile “I'm (Name) by the way.” 

“Doctor (Name)?” Hearing the beautiful boy talk for the first time surprises (Name)

“Yes... But not so much anymore, my patients have been limited to the Brotherhood these days.”

*chirp* “Well maybe that’s another darn good reason we need to get rid of them! They’re practically holding you captive!” 

“I-it’s not necessarily like that!” (Name)’s hands rest on her forehead “maybe at first it sorta was but not so much anymore!”

P’s face gave away that he still wasn’t too satisfied with her response

“Come with me.” P says as he raises his hand towards (Name) and she stares at his mechanical arm 

“Such a straightforward boy aren't you?” (Name) giggles but then shakes her head “I care too much for the Brotherhood now, but I believe they need to be humbled from time to time.”

Reaching inside her bag, (Name) pulls out three pulse cells

“Here, a fight is inevitable and you best be prepared, but I once again beg of you to not kill them, maybe a good whooping will do.” 

Graciously accepting the pulse cells, P looks at (Name) and nods 

Holding her hands to her chest (Name) smile gratefully at P “Thank you strong one. Once you liberate this city, I'll deal with the Black Rabbit Brotherhood.”  

(Name) slowly steps away from P and makes her way back up climbing back up to the roof 

As P watches her disappear, he looks at the pulse cells given to him by the first person who’s ever shown him kindness outside the Hotel, 

He firmly grasps the items, humanity is still worth fighting for 

—-

Managing to make it back in headquarters with no one noticing the doctor’s absence,  in the nick of time the Black Rabbit Brotherhood were anticipating the intruder as the Eldest hauls the Liar’s coffin on his broad shoulders

The Rabbits were on the hunt

(Name) peeks out the window upon hearing the loud eruption on the front gate, humanity’s last hope crashes into the Black Rabbit Brotherhood’s lair

The four criminal siblings march toward, the one leading the group looks back at headquarters one last time, inside someone precious to him resides in it

—-

“Bring it on, you ain’t seen nothing like my brother.” 

—-

“The toy is mine! Mine! Root for me brothers!” 

—-

“Argh no! Knock him out bro!”

—-

”C’mon, you played nice with the others! Don’t you wanna play with me, mister puppet?” 

—-

“So this is Geppetto’s puppet huh? Gotta admit: he knows what he’s doing.” 

—-

One by one, you watch as each of the brotherhood get overpowered by the puppet you met earlier, it seems he was keeping up with his promise of not maiming them

Cyrus was holding his ground for longer 

Finally, Elyas jumps down, facing the puppet 

—-

“We don’t get extra points for fighting fair. Survive and win, that simple.”

—-

Elyas lasted longer than his other siblings, but you started to see cracks in his battle stance, he too was no match for Geppetto’s puppet 

—-

“You’re no Bastard, nor Sweeper. Those moves of yours…”

—-

As you watch Elyas retreat away from the battle after a nasty hit, you notice him limping a bit. That set off all the alarms in your head. Grabbing your medical bag, you dash outside to his aid

Pushing the door with all your might, your outburst grabs Elyas’ attention who was on his knee, grabbing on the left of his side 

“(Name)? What are you doing out here?! Get back inside!” You ignore his demands and rush next to him

”Quiet Elyas, you’re injured! Where does it most hurt?”

Reluctantly, Elyas looks down to his side, letting out a groan 

You take off his mask and hood,  revealing his pained expression “Breathing..hurts..”

Looking at his face that was induced with anguish increased your worry tenfold. Both of your hands grab his face in a gentle cradle and slowly Elyas succumbed to your touch, closing his eyes and breathing slowly

You now had a prang of remorse and regret, was it a good idea to help Geppetto’s puppet? You hadn’t meant for the brotherhood to get seriously hurt, at worst you expected bruises and maybe minor cuts but Elyas was showing symptoms of broken ribs 

You turn around and see Oswald and Bonnie who are kneeling with fatigue. Geppetto’s puppet and Cyrus were still battling, you had to stop this madness before it gets worse 

“Rest here.” As you get up, Elyas looks at you like you’ve grown 10 heads, he yells for you to stop, but you ignore them 

—-

Right as P parried the Eldest brother’s blow, he staggers, giving him an open to attack

With a look with intent to kill, he raises his weapon for a deathly blow 

“STOP!” The doctor P met earlier gets between him and the Eldest with arms wide open, immediately he halts

”Please, don’t kill them.. you’ve won, fair and square..” P notices on how much the girl was shaking

On que, the Eldest falls on the ground passing out due to exhaustion

”Brother!” The other siblings run to the Eldest’s collapsed body

—-

As Oswald and Bonnie ran over to Cyrus, they look to you for confirmation 

Immediately you get beside Cyrus and put your ear on his chest, desperate to hear any signs of life 

Thump thump

You let out an exhale that you held in for too long, “He’s gonna be alright..”

Bonnie gasps in relief as Oswald embraces his sister 

Rising from Cyrus’ chest, you feel a hand on your shoulder, Elyas who’s hand was still on his side looks at you with gratitude and enamorment, he then looks at the puppet, face immediately souring 

You grab his arm and shake your head, “Please, just let him go. It’s not worth it.” Elyas looks at you with a strife look before sighing and glancing back at the puppet.

“There’s a passage to the Krat Hotel inside, we better not see your face again, now fuck off.” 

The beautiful puppet gives you one last look before heading inside the headquarters, you give him an assuring smile and watch him leave, perhaps you’ll see him again one day

“What’s the deal with you and Geppetto’s puppet eh?” Elyas asks in a skeptical tone and a raised eyebrow, clearly irritated

Your eyes roll 

—-

It had been about over a week since the Black Brotherhood’s defeat against the puppet, a humiliating defeat, but they all survived in the end

Cyrus had made a full recovery, Bonnie and Oswald had very minor injuries but Elyas was still healing from his broken ribs

The skies of Krat started to heal as well as the gloomy gray clouds started to dissipate, the majestic blue skies was returning along with heaven’s beacon 

Sitting on the roof of headquarters, a bittersweet smile creeps on the doctor’s face, it had been so long since she felt the sun kiss her skin

“Never thought you could ever be more beautiful until now, that sun does you justice, love” Elyas joins his beloved on her leisure on the roof

“Elyas you need to be resting!” she scolds him but he brushes her off

“Oh shut up, can I not gaze at the sun with my lady?” Elyas sits down next to (Name) and she gives in to his wishes. His arm wraps around her waist and pulls her close as she rests her hand on his chest

The pair admire the skies in comfortable silence until (Name) speaks up

“To think I met you in grim circumstances and I embrace you as if I knew you for years, have I gone crazy?”

Elyas snickers “You know you love me, as do I with ardent.” His windows to the world gaze into hers, they were each other���s worlds

“I’ll admit that I can’t help it, I really do love you.”

Elyas leans his forehead on (Name)’s and makes a vow

“(Name), one day, we all will get outta this shithole. And when we do, we can start over, maybe we can live like a real couple. I promise to get you out of here and give you a life you deserve.” Elyas’ words touch deeply in (Name)'s heart, somehow falling for him even more

“And Elyas, I pledge to stay by your side no matter what the world throws at us.”

They lean in for a kiss, it was as tender and passionate as any other they shared 

The world around them was in chaos, but they knew they would be ok as long as they were together.

------------------

A/N: *SCREAMS IN AGONY* that was the longest fic ive ever written phew you deserve the world for reading all that cuz it was like over 7k words , but tbh i have mixed feelings over how i wrote the ending, its kinda shit imo

but once again thank you so much for reading, it actually means sm <3333

my friend who knows French helped with translations on the lyrics to Someday so shout out to him lmao

[infernothechaosgod]

Hey guys so the ask box's getting closed for a while probably like a week or so and so is the whole blog

explanation under

ever since that last ask telling me oswalds married to ortensia and its weird of me to use fanny i've had to deal with stuff like this sometimes popping up in my ask box

its been infersting my ask box at very random mostly bc I think its one person or few people since these asks are diffrently spelled and worded sometimes remembering im here and feeling this need to send me this sometimes, Despite me not posting that much (at least i think its not much) oswald x fanny content in the first place

I haven't been responding to these asks because i think one of the goals of theirs might be making me try to "slip up" by saying something like idk "ortensia sucks" in the fit of #internetRage and making my mutuals who like ortensia upset with me...but that obviously hasn't been working too well lol because

1 this stuff doesnt make me feel the need to respond and doesnt anger me more so sometimes saddnes me but not that much you know?

and 2 i dont think ortensia sucks or anything, shes there, i really like some versions of her i dont use her bc like i said already i dont know how to write her too well and i dont wanna force myself to add a whole character in because like...if idk how to write her how do you expect me to use her? Do you want me to just make her stand next to oswald and thats it? if thats it then I could argue thats far worse than not having her in like from writers perspective way worse

these asks have been attempting to more and more justify their rudness towards me like how above you can see they say its disrespectful to disney (thats a bonus for me mate), that me not using ortensia means im a bad writer and that fanny's been toxic to oswald in the old shorts, all these things make my head turn tbh I think there all very easy to debunk

Also fanny hasn't been used in over 90 years i think the point they were trying to make with that is im not creative/oryginal bc of not wanting to write ortensia bc "i could not think of anything to expand her" but like fanny's got way less screentime than ortensia and has never had a speaking role and I did or at least im attempring to do exactly that with her but they talk about her like i took an already existing freshed out character and used her bc its easier witch really confuses me more than upsets me in any way

Since I dont wanna start drama of any kind but also since these asks have been really getting on my nerves now i've decided to close the ask box and after making this post i'll probably log out for a while probably about a week, i'll return with tcc comic pages and hopefuly will get to open the ask box soon after, im sorry to everyone who wanted to aks me stuff ik there are still some asks in my box I haven't answeared yet that arent this stuff you'll get your answears when I comeback and clean my aks box thecause it looks atrocious right now

So yea see ya in a week yall im sorry for shutting the blog down for so long but I think focusing on my stuff and moving away from all this will do good for me

Please take care - flame ❤️

[unsoundedcomic]

Personally, I don't really find the idea of a fixed future incompatible with free will. The fact that you've already chosen to do something, from a certain perspective, doesn't change that you chose to do it.

Some people will argue that the idea of a god knowing all the outcomes of human choices means humans don't have free will but I've never thought so. You still chose to do whatever you did, as much as anyone is able to choose anything. I know Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK because I have the privilege of living when I do in history, but if I went back in time and watched him do it, knowing it was coming, it doesn't mean he didn't make the choice.

I lean towards believing free will doesn't meaningfully exist because of the consequences of biological, social, and cultural circumstances that absolutely no one gets to choose. We don't get to choose anything that truly shapes us - parents, sex, gender, race, sexuality, health, economic status, nationality, intelligence, mental health, religious worldview. Those variables are all foisted upon us, and they control us to a huge degree. Those who do defy them are often only able to do so due to accidental contrary exposures and influences, many of which they disregard anyway because they don't Like Them. Think about all the things you like and don't like. Was is it a series of choices that made you like them, or do you just like them? Did you make a choice to dislike certain things or was that choice made for you because of something that happened to you? Most meaningful actions are taken towards desired outcomes, but why do you desire them? Why do you want them?

Anyway, none of this matters much. Just helps me have more patience with people.

[mesetacadre]

I sometimes hate the left-wing content creators because the ones who are informative (Hasan, Hakim, etc.) are casually ableist and fatphobic, while the ones who aren't (Maintenance Phase) don't publish content very often. Do you have any suggestions?

This is going to sound a bit harsh but I mean in in the kindest way: my suggestion is to stop trying to look for decent political edutainment. This format of education is only useful for getting people used to some terms and general concepts, that's it. There is a lot of usefulness in agitation and propaganda (in the leninist sense of those words), and while I believe you're looking for propaganda, this medium is just agitation, and a mediocre one at best.

There are many ways to study theory directly beyond just reading it on your own. You can listen to it while doing chores, you can read colectively (I do this every sunday with some mutuals), you can read independently and then discuss it with friends, you can take it as slow as you like, there are plenty of study guides for a bunch of works, especially the more famous ones you'll be starting with. What's important is that you take the ideas directly and ruminate on them on your own, exercise your own reasoning. Because what any of these creators do is take these ideas, sometimes directly, sometimes from other secondary sources, apply their own personal perspective to it, and then feed that to you while giving the impressions of being like a professor or something of the like. And you'd have no clue of what's the actual source material they're explaining and what's their own personal biases. This is inevitable, when I talk to people on here too about these concepts I am also speaking from my own understanding, this is just an unavoidable part of how communication works.

If you're curious, the only political content I do watch is mostly Hakim and Boy Boy, mostly because it's nice to sometimes watch a video without rampant anti-communism and by a decent enough person, not because I consider it part of my serious education. If they mention something I am interested in I add it to my reading list (Hakim does cite a lot of literature which I appreciate a lot). But again, you shouldn't look for any serious education in entertainment mediums.

The absolute best educational video that I've found, if you'd like to see, is this 3 hour two part series by an actual historian going over sources and building up the case that Lee H. Oswald did kill Kennedy, and that he acted alone. This is historical content which has some peculiarities that makes it better suited for these kinds of videos IMO, which political content does not.

[doctormastertardis]

I'm trying to understand the love for Clara Oswald, so I am rewatching her episodes... :) I'm not a hater, after all lol...

I also just want to re-hash my memory on The Great Intelligence, because I HAD this nagging theory about Ruby Sunday and her "snow" ability, which is connected to my theory that Ruby is a human embodiment of the TARDIS, which is also connected to my theory about why the "old Gods" of Classic Who are coming back in relation to The Flesh + Nestene Consciousness, which circles back to my theory on the return of the Toymaker's connection to the Timeless Child Arc (aka origin of the Doctor).

ANYWAY... back to Clara :)

I think the set-up between Clara and Eleven was well-written actually!!! I always did prefer her "incarnation" as Oswin Oswald over her "21st century existence". I even hoped she would ORIGINALLY be a scientist from the far future, and THAT was one of the reasons why I was initially disappointed regarding her character-trajectory.

I can understand "The Hybrid" concept from an interpersonal viewpoint. I can appreciate it as a metaphor for a toxic, co-dependent relationship only IF the audience is willing to shed light on the Doctor's history with his OTHER human companions.

And yes, it is inevitable that the Doctor as a "whole entity" (not necessarily just Twelve) would give back Clara Oswald the Gift of Eternal Life, as she did end up DEAD because of her carelessness and over-confidence due to Twelve enabling her when he tried to bring back Danny from "hell" per Clara's request.

These are a bunch of domino effects that resulted from Clara jumping into his time stream... Perhaps, Twelve's "duty of care" stemmed from the fact that he wouldn't exist without Clara. Literally. She saved him across all his timelines from the Great Intelligence (dun dun dun)-- he'll be back, mark my words. Perhaps, that was a metaphor for co-dependence. I mean, duh, it is!

She saves him from "dying", and he in return stops her from "growing" as a person.

I would have probably been satisfied with Clara if her story had ended when she jumped into the Doctor's time-stream, but alas- we wouldn't have Missy if that was the case. AND WE ALL LOVE MISSY <3

Might I also remark that it is *GOOD* writing that they also included "Me"/Ashildr (code: warrior) in The Hybrid plot, because the Doctor made this Viking girl immortal and "less human", and in a parallel circumstance he did the same for Clara... He quite literally stopped Clara's death, the same way Clara stopped HIS many deaths.

So yeah, ok, Clara didn't deserve her own TARDIS (imo). But seeing as she's "stuck" with Me (who I personally interpret as Clara's very own "dark" Doctor replacement; hence the poetic name "Me"), I think having her own TARDIS is more of a KARMA-- like, a traumatic time-machine that takes you anywhere BUT home?

In hindsight, I was bitter about the fact that Clara Oswald got her own TARDIS because it renders all the other human companions "unimportant"? Now that I'm older, I'm realizing that Clara "mirroring" the Doctor from a perspective of a broken heart (per se) can definitely be narrated from a perspective of:

"WOW THEY REALLY WERE TOXIC FOR EACH OTHER BECAUSE THEY BOTH WANTED TO AVOID THE INEVITABILITY OF DEATH."

If I decode The Hybrid in terms of human relationship, I would say that they stopped each other from GROWING. Because "death" = rebirth. And without death, life becomes stagnant.

[arabriddler]

Batmobile meet cute

Ed’s second run as The Riddler didn’t last long. The goons he hired with the little money he had tipped him off to the GCPD ( he knew he should’ve done this alone, but he saw The Joker and even Condiment King use goons… he’s new to this whole villainy thing.. so he’s learning ). At least he caught the Batman’s attention. ( or rather, Robin beaten him dropped him inside the Batmobile that’ll take him to Arkham. ) Except, There was someone there already. A short plump man dressed neatly even though he was beaten up and shackled. He recognized him, of course he did, he’s been keeping an eye on all the villains in Gotham, trying to figure out how they’d attract the Batman’s attention. This man, The Penguin, was different. He avoided getting caught, flawlessly, and worked in the shadows… Ed saw potential in him. Except… apparently even The Penguin gets caught.

“ First Time at Arkham?” The penguin asked suddenly. Ed looked up at him curiously, “ Second, actually…. What about you?” “ First.” “ you’re calm…”

“ well, I am after all insane. Excuse me for not reacting like a sane person would.”

the penguin didn’t address him again for the rest of the ride, but Ed kept staring at him. There was something… off about him.

After going through Arkham’s regulations, and settling in, Ed kept an eye at The penguin, his interactions and mannerism…. The man was a puzzle, and Ed loved puzzles.

“ you’re not insane.” Ed said as he sat opposite him one day in the food court, “ you don’t belong here. You shouldn’t be here.” the penguin smiled but said nothing else as he continued to eat his jello. Ed sat there the whole lunch period, but the man remained silent.

he kept an eye on him, thinking, trying to crack the code. He needed to gather more information, so one day he snuck into the guards room and looked into the Penguin’s record, which didn’t provide much except this one picture with the falcone staff and in the back was a little Oswald cobblepot beside a blonde woman… bingo. the next day, he approached the penguin again. “ Your mother worked as a maid for Falcone for quite some time…” Ed blabbered, “ after that period there were rumors in the streets about a new gang. The timeline tracks that it was yours. Your statement mentioned that you went mad with grief over losing your mother. You tried to cover all of Gotham with umbrellas, but that the Batman caught you and brought you here.” the penguin didn’t say a thing, he just blinked at him, listening. Ed spread his fingers, “ you didn’t go mad with grief, you pretended to. You’ve done all that fateful planning then suddenly something changed, related to your mother. You needed to come here… but why?”

Lunch period was over by then, the penguin said nothing except stand up and pat Ed’s cheek as he left him there.

He has to figure out this man’s deal.

Ed snuck into the records room again, this time he looked over the inmates records and tried to find if The Penguin is looking for someone here. He noticed, after all, that The Penguin keeps looking at the inmates, searching for someone…

He found it finally, the person Penguin is looking for, The holiday killer, Alberto Falcone. No wonder Penguin can’t find him, the man has his own luxury cell away from everyone else… of course! He’s a falcone after all..

He couldn’t wait to tell penguin about this, but before he could even get out of the records room, Arkham’s guards caught him.

this resulted in putting him in solitary for three days before releasing him. Tired and exhausted, he made way to his room. surprisingly, there was someone in his room ( he didn’t have a roommate, he tends to annoy them too much ). The penguin himself sat on the bed opposite Ed’s waiting for him.

“ Well, Mr Nygma, I believe this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”

( background or Oswald’s perspective on this )

[one-and-a-half-yikes]

Im gonna be honest i think we need to understand how oswald's and fanny's relationship REALLY was, because its clear that they both describe it with still personal very very strong feelings and they do run head first into that Unreliable narrator territory often enough to make me belive theres something big missing a invisible elephant in the room if you will

Fanny says oswald betrayed her

While oswald says she was extremly toxic and wants her away (yet he still pulled all that shit at the dance like bro she was litellary just having fun at an even that you just so happened to be at Then you walked up to her asked her for a dance and acted like she was the devil and started accusing her)

And while both these things could be true in sense we need to know HOW, how was fanny toxic? How did oswald betray her? We have a silloute of a picture but not the frame or the pieces

Also I do seriously wonder how was fanny toxic to oswald? It all was very very long ago and while fanny's personality could be mirroring her now but She didnt have all the experience she has now she had to be diffrent from how she's now

(Also I truly belive oswald definitley fucked up in some way too and we don't know it yet like she had multiple boyfriends but oswald stucks out and not only that but even the thought of him angers her, it could be because if we look at the timeline he could be her first boyfriend or alternativley her ticked out of bad home life like you said but I do think there has to be more to it especialy since again we don't know that much about how he was all that time ago...but we do know fanny likes to ignore neon red flags)

Sorry for the long ask oh my i didnt mean to write it so long I hope you don't mind my mid analisis in your ask box but you did say you wanna talk more about fanny so

ヾ (‘∀ `*)

Honestly I don't mind people hitting my askbox up with analyses or their own takes on certain parts of IM I live for this and I WOULD like to interact with the Inky Mystery fandom more on tumblr cause most of the time I'm hanging out with everyone on discord, but it's nice to talk on here too lol

I'm gonna guess you're asking for my opinion on this?

I don't know if I would describe them as both being unreliable narrators, because from my knowledge Oswald has never divulged to anyone about his relationship with Fanny so we don't really know what his whole perspective on the matter actually is. We don't know if he thinks he was innocent throughout the relationship or if he acknowledges that they were both toxic and bad for each other. What we know is that Oswald was the one who dumped Fanny not the other way around and that means something to me at least.

Fanny on the other hand...I would definitely call her an unreliable narrator when this is how she's describing the breakup:

If you were to only hear from Fanny's side of things you could be convinced that Oz was having an affair with Ortensia on the side during his relationship with Fanny. But this isn't the case, and there's nothing from Fanny's side to provide evidence that this was the case. Not to mention that she's implying that Ortensia seduced Oz into breaking up with her so she could replace her. Calling her an unreliable narrator here doesn't even cut it she's just outright lying about two people who haven't really done her wrong.

But this isn't the first time either. In another chapter she makes a bunch of accusations against Oswald again.

Accusations, that again, are not proven to be true. We got Oswald's perspective during the Far Far West arc and anything pertaining to Fanny never came up. He never talked to anyone about it. He never talked to Cuphead about it. Hell, he didn't even talk to Cuphead at the group date either.

We've only had Oswald make one real accusation against Fanny from when they were together and it was in response to an accusation that Fanny made about him. We have no idea whether Oz is telling the truth or not, but I also have no reason to see why he'd lie. I don't think Fanny is lying to cover up anything, I think she's so bitter about the break up it doesn't occur to her that Oz breaking up with her wasn't to spite her or anything. Yes it hurt and it sucks the way her life turned out after the break, but that's not Oz's fault. He's not responsible for that.

All in all, I think it's good to have an open mind about their relationship, but we also have to look at the facts and the facts show that it's not on equal ground. One person is spreading rumors or fabrications and the other hasn't said a word about the situation to anyone.

Hell, even at the group date situation, Oz approached Fanny to call her out on her behavior but he could have just as easily gone straight to Cuphead and warned him about Fanny and her past. Oswald keeps what happened between them to himself and those he knows best. Fanny has openly talked shit about both Ortensia and Ozzy in front of other people casually without consideration for privacy.

The whole thing regarding why Oswald angers her so much whenever she thinks about him. I have ideas, and I feel like I'm right on the money but I want to wait and see before making a big meta post about their relationship. M shared something juicy on the discord and I am very excited when we get to see it!!!

Also THANK YOU for the ask!! This was nice I'm glad I got to gush about these two some more because I often don't lol