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chaotic-super · 1 year

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For Her Sake - Chapter 17

Read For Her Sake on AO3 here!

Kara is a little overwhelmed with the speed at which she’s being thrown into her new job but overall, she’s fairly certain that she’s coping to a decent degree which means she’s not going to be fired after only one shift.

She’s being shown around the place and given the chance to try every part of the job as the chance arises so she can get a true feel for what it’s going to be like but even so, she’s spending a lot of her time behind the bar where she’s the most comfortable and the most experienced. There are no complaints though, it’s all coming back to her even after spending a few years behind a desk and running around after a needy billionaire.

“Kara?”

Kara looks up when she hears her name called, finishing drying the glass she’s working on before sliding it on the shelf, her head turned towards the person grabbing her attention. “Yeah?”

“How is everything going?” Sam checks in on her, her hand resting on her back momentarily.

“Good, good. Just getting into the groove of things back here.” Kara shrugs with a smile. “It’s like riding a bike.”

Sam smiles back at her. “I’m glad to hear that but would you be awfully upset if I made you come and help out in the kitchen? We’re going to get even busier soon and the other guys have the bar covered.”

“Not at all, lead the way.”

Sam takes Kara into the kitchen where half a dozen people are already working their asses off cooking all different kinds of foods and the smell of it makes Kara’s mouth water. It all smells really good.

“Oh golly, it smells amazing back here.” Kara murmurs, taking a nice deep inhale as Sam grabs herself and Kara aprons and hats.

“I know right? Now, I’m not going to throw you in right in the deep end because that would just be cruel so how about we leave anything that takes fire or heat and show you how to prepare some desserts?”

That makes Kara smile bigger than she has all day. She gets to learn something new, be trusted in the kitchen and handle her favourite thing in the world, dessert. “That sounds great.”

“Awesome.” Sam grins back at her. “I take it you don’t mind handling ice cream?”

“The only downside is that all of it won’t be in my mouth.”

“Well, I can’t expect you to be able to know how to make any desserts you haven’t had the opportunity to try yourself, could I? How else are you meant to know how they are supposed to look and taste?”

Kara’s eyes go wide and her voice dreamy. “I think I might be in love with you.”

“Save those words for Lena, we’ve got work to do,” Sam says and promptly strides off to get the ingredients she needs to show Kara what to do and leaves Kara stuttering and blushing behind her, something she takes note of and inwardly cackles to herself.

Sam takes Kara out for lunch halfway through the day by cooking them both the most delicious pasta dish Kara’s ever had the luxury of tasting and then directing her out of the door so they can go and find a bench in the park not far from Reign.

“Seriously Kara, it’s fine. I’m the boss and if I say you get to take an extra few minutes to have lunch with me, then it’s fine.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want the others to think I’m getting special treatment and hate me for it, I want my time at Reign to be good not filled with drama and pettiness.”

“I’m sure, besides, I take every new starter out for lunch. Or rather, usually, it’s just lunch in my office while we talk shop but I think this is close enough to pass. Nobody will question anything and if you’re so worried about having a long break, you can work over for fifteen minutes to help clean up.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Kara offers out a hand for Sam to shake and her chin practically brushes the floor when it gets slapped out of the air.

“Don’t be weird. Sit down and eat.” Sam hands her a box and a fork. Kara opens her mouth to argue but Sam holds up a finger when it looks like she’s about to and cuts her off. “Babababa, no words, just eat.”

“But— “

“Babababa, no words.”

Kara is smart enough to shut her mouth after that and start digging into her food, immediately silenced by the incredible taste. Sam let her try a spoonful when she was making it so she’s already aware of how good it is but somehow the knowledge that she’s got a whole container of it to herself just makes it all that much greater. “Oh my god, this is so good.”

Sam nods her agreement. “It is. When I first opened Reign, I had this great chef working for me, his name was John and he was the greatest chef I’ve ever met. He made a bunch of recipes that I have to say do compete with my own. He retired last year but insisted we keep the recipes anyway despite the fact he made a lot of them up and some were his family recipes. We still keep in touch and he still comes into the restaurant every few months to supposedly make sure we’re putting his recipes to good use but I think he just misses me really.”

Kara raises her eyebrows at her, her face disbelieving.

“What, you don’t think someone could miss me?”

“No, I think you’re plenty missable. I’d just say that he probably only shows up every few months because that’s all he can handle.”

“You little bitch.” Sam gasps, her face morphed into one of pure shock. “I definitely regret hiring you, you’re going to give me as much trouble as Lena does. Speaking of the other little bitch, she’s been texting me all morning to ask me if it would be weird to text you and ask how it’s going so I’d appreciate it if you would text her first and end the suffering of the poor soul.”

Kara snorts. “Sure. I promised I’d keep her updated anyway, she’s such a sweetheart for caring.”

This time Sam snorts. “Yeah, she’s definitely a sweetheart alright. She’s got some major heart eyes going on.” Kara misses the joke completely, now focused on moving her thumbs as quickly as she can across her screen so she can get back to her food because her tastebuds are already missing it and her heart is crying out for more and weeping in despair every time the wind blows and cools it a little more so it’s no longer piping hot.

“Did she tell you she took care of Lori for me the other day? She’s so amazing.” Kara gushes around a mouthful as soon as she finishes up her text. “I think it’s cute she gets worried about something simple like texting, I always welcome texts from her.”

Sam’s eyebrows almost merge in with her hairline. “She looked after Lori?”

“Yeah. My sister and I are moving at the minute so when we had to look for a new apartment and then go and view a place, Lena offered to look after Lori for us so we could do so easier. She took her to the park and fed the ducks peas. Lori hasn’t stopped talking about it since.”

“She never mentioned that,” Sam says, her voice soft. “She used to look after Ruby for me when she had to but it always made her a nervous wreck so I tried not to ask her if I could find someone else to do it.”

Kara’s eyes widen. “Oh no. I shouldn’t have accepted her offer.” Her hands fly up to her face. “She must have just offered to be nice and I took advantage of that. I need to apologize to her. I bet that’s why she got me the books and flowers; she was going to tell me and that was to sweeten me up but she backed out because she’s such a good person she didn’t want to upset me. Sam, I think I’m an awful person.”

By the time Kara has gotten through her mini-rant that borders on a panic-induced breakdown, she looks up to see Sam sitting next to her giggling.

“What’s so funny?”

“You and Lena.” She answers simply.

Kara frowns. “I don’t understand.”

Sam sighs. “Kara, with all due respect, you’re as big of an idiot as Lena is. She doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to do so if she offered to take care of Lori, she wanted to and if she got you flowers, she wanted to. People that get other people flowers are usually trying to send a message. As Lena’s best friend, I can’t tell you exactly what that means but you’re a smart girl.”

Kara is confused for a minute and isn’t sure how to respond to Sam but after the brief silence that follows Sam’s explanation, it finally clicks. “Oh. Oh.”

“Yep.”

“I should call her later, huh?”

“That would be beneficial for my text inbox. I never get a break anymore, she’s very good at overthinking things so just a heads up, you’ve got to be able to look after her just as much as she’s willing to look after you.”

Kara taps Sam on the shoulder lightly. “What makes you think that I share those feelings.”

“I can see it written across your face.”

“It’s really that obvious?” Kara asks, her voice shaky with nerves. She thought she was doing pretty well at hiding it.

A nod confirms her fears. “Yes but if it makes you feel better, the only reason it’s obvious to me is because I know about Lena’s feelings because she’s my best friend and I can read her so I had to scope you out to see if you feel the same. It’s easy to find something you’re looking for, you know?”

“Maybe. I guess so.” Kara says, fiddling with the edge of the container, now completely empty, something that upsets Kara greatly.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so sad to find out the woman you like actually likes you back?”

Kara looks down, finding her words in a momentary deep breath as she closes her eyes. “I’m happy she likes me back but my life is crazy right now and while I do really like her, reallylike her I mean, I have to prioritize my daughter. I’m starting a new job; Alex is just settling into hers and we’re moving apartments. It’s a lot of change in schedules and routines and that’s tough for a four-year-old to deal with. She’s my world and I’m not at a point where I can risk disrupting anything else in her life. If it was just me, I’d happily take the leap but she’s my daughter, I just…can’t.”

Sam’s hand lands on Kara’s knee. “I hear you. You’re not at a point where a relationship is good for you or your family. That’s ok. You don’t have to be in a relationship you don’t want to be in.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to be in a relationship with her.”

“You just want to do what’s right for your daughter. That’s perfectly fine and Lena will understand that. I just think it would do both of you well to have this conversation between the two of you. She’s not going to hold anything against you, it’s not her style and I think you’ll find that she appreciated the honesty.”

Kara’s lips twist. “I don’t want to upset her.”

“The only way you’ll truly upset her is by allowing her to continue essentially dating you without dating you and leading her on. You guys are having dinner and sleepovers. You can still do all of that but until you state that you’re doing those things as friends, she’s going to have hope there’s something more and that’s just as unhealthy as getting into a relationship when you’re not ready to be in one.”

“I hear you.” Kara looks her dead in the eyes to convey just how sincere she is. “’ll talk to her the next time I see her in person. I think that’s a conversation to be had face to face.”

Sam squeezes her knee. “Good call. Thank you.”

“No, thank you. I think I needed to have this talk with someone. I just wasn’t expecting it to be with my new boss in the middle of a workday.”

Sam stands up, offering a hand to help Kara up too. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t expecting it either but Lena’s my family and I have to look out for her. Usually, I’d just threaten you but unfortunately, I kind of like you so that’s not happening. It’s a shame really, I’d love to scare you a little bit but you’re too nice and you kind of have a good head on your shoulders.”

Kara has to disagree with the last part of that because she did not have a good head on her shoulders when she did what she did that led to her meeting Lena but she’s not about to expose herself to Sam like that. That would end with Sam dragging her to the lake on the other side of the park and holding her under until the bubbles stop.

“Thanks.”

“Alright, let’s get back before people start questioning whether or not you got the job by canoodling with the boss.”

Blue eyes roll without her even thinking about it and it earns Kara a little shove.

“I’m going to teach you how to use the oven when we get back.”

“You better make sure there’s a first aid kit lying around then.”

“There is and I’ve made sure there’s a fresh page waiting in the accident logbook too just in case. You did great this morning and there’s no reason for us to drag our feet on getting you thrown into the mux in the kitchen. You’re better than you think.”

Kara smiles, her head ducking. “I think I’ll keep this job; it’s going to give my ego a good boost.”

“I can always make you mop the floors for eight hours straight.”

“After working for Cat Grant, that sounds like a joy.”

“Fuck, breaking you is going to be hard.”

Kara laughs and it makes Sam break out into a chuckle too. She’s going to really like this job, she can tell.

Kara grabs her bag as soon as she’s finished cleaning up. Sam did try to tell her that she didn’t really have to stay the extra few minutes but she’s not one to go back on her word and since she and Sam did take a long lunch, it’s only fair. She’s a team player and she’s not one to leave the team picking up the slack so she can goof off.

She’s gotten along with everyone so far and it turns out that the potty-mouthed chefs in the kitchen loved her attempts at swearing because having a small child has definitely changed her. She used to swear a little but never excessively but once Lori was born, every swear got adapted and it’s quite funny watching a woman drop ice cream down herself with a cry of “Barnacles!”.

It turns out that the accident book only got one new addition too so Kara’s taking that as a win. She’s only got a minor burn on her pinky where she accidentally set a towel on fire moving a pan but she’s not going to do it again because she’s already been made fun of for it enough that she’s never going to forget it again. None of it felt malicious though and that’s all that matters. One day down and she’s already in a better environment than before.

She’s all prepared to get the bus home but when she steps out of Reign, she sees Winn waiting there with his hands in his pockets. “Hey, Danvers!”

Her eyes light up and her hands fly up in a double wave. “Schott, Schott, Schott!”

He pulls her into a tight embrace and sways her slightly. “In my quest for knowledge of your first day at your new job, I came to the understanding that it is easier to extract information when in a private vehicle rather than a land submarine.”

“You’re nosy so you came to pick me up.” Kara shakes her head. “Also, I told you to stop calling buses land submarines, it’s weird and unnecessary.”

“No can do, buckaroo. I parked up the street, come hither and tell me all about your first day, I want all the deets.”

“You’re so annoying. I have half a mind to just leave you here and get the bus home anyway.”

Winn pouts. “I waited fifteen extra minutes for you because you were late out and you want to leave me here? The tragedy.”

“I hate you.”

“Love you too, now spill.”

Kara gives in and starts walking him through her day, purposefully not adding any details about what she and Sam talked about. The next person she talks to about that is Lena and Lena alone.

The week flies by faster than Kara could ever have expected it and with each day that passes, she finds that she loves her new job and is improving more and more every day. There’s only been one day this week she hasn’t spent at least six of the eight hours of her shift in the kitchen and that’s because two of the bartenders were sick so she had to focus on helping out there rather than the kitchen.

She doesn’t mind a bit though because everyone has been so nice to her, all of her new coworkers have been great to her and she’s loving every minute of it, even the dullest of jobs and nastiest of customers don’t hold a candle to some of the things she put up with over the years when working at CatCo and not all of it was Cat’s fault, even though a lot of it was.

The place was rife with self-absorbed assholes willing to hurt whoever it takes to get their name on a byline and earn the most money so being somewhere where none of that is evident is like a breath of fresh air.

She’s just finished her last shift of the week and she’s got a couple of days off now to hang out with Lori, something she’s thrilled about because while the job is great, her feet are killing her from being standing up all day so at night the most she’s doing is chilling with Lori on the couch playing games, reading or watching movies and that’s all well and good but her daughter loves to run around and play and she’d like to be able to do that with her.

Alex has been nothing but supportive and has been asking her to tell her all about her day every night over dinner and it’s been nothing short of lovely being able to talk about her work without it becoming a bitchfest and having to listen to Alex telling her she deserves better.

People always say that kids are smarter than we give them credit for and Kara has never been surer that it’s true. Lori can tell she’s already happier and where she would give her lots and lots of cuddles before to “make Mama feel better” she’s now giving them to her to “feel as happy as Mama.” It’s delightful and it makes her heart ache at the same time knowing that Lori knew she was miserable before.

She’s also been messaging Lena throughout the week too and it’s been a bittersweet experience. Now that she’s got it confirmed that Lena likes her too, she’s thrilled because who wouldn’t be excited when finding out their crush is also crushing on them? The bitter part comes from having the knowledge that they both like each other but they can’t do anything about it in the way she wants.

She’s got plans for a game night tomorrow though and while it’s technically Winn’s turn to host, Kara invited Sam to come and she’s bringing her daughter too so Lena suggested her place because there’s more room for everyone and there’s no way they would all fit into Winn’s tiny apartment.

They aren’t heading over to her place until six though so they have the full day to do whatever they want to do as a family before they hang out as a group.

Lori is already asleep and Alex is dozing on the couch beside her as she reads one of the books Lena bought her and with every page turn, she feels her gratitude amplifying. Lena has gifted her an escape she’s been craving for a long time but barely even had the time to process her need for. Reading has always been a key part of her life and yet she can count the number of books she’s read in the last year on one hand so having this opportunity to relax and let herself get swept away in someone else’s life and leave her worries behind for a couple of hours is everything she’s needed and more.

She’s so enthralled by the book that she gets through the majority of it in one sitting and she’s only stirred out of her own little bubble by Alex stretching, her legs making their way into her lap as she turns over. Kara adjusts herself and Alex’s legs a little so she’s more comfortable but settles back into her book because while it’s late, the soft comfort of the quiet and the physical grounding provided by her sister is everything she needs to round out a good week. The first of what she hopes to be many.

Kara ends up waking up to the smell of the fabulous new book smell she wants to make a candle out of. Her book is on her face, her nose making a very good bookmark, and Alex’s legs are no longer across her body.

She must have either fallen to one side in the night or Alex lay her down as much as she could because her legs are propped up on the couch beside her and she’s at a bit of a strange angle, her back pressed into the corner of the couch and her neck stretched back into an awkward position, the weight of the book not helping her avoid neck pain in the slightest.

Her neck cracks as she lifts her head up, her thumbs tucking into the pages of the book so she doesn’t lose her page though she’ll probably have to skip back a couple of pages when she goes to carry on reading because there’s not a chance in hell she’ll actually remember what she was reading last night right before she fell asleep.

Slipping a receipt into the book as her bookmark, she looks over at the kitchen and sees Alex filling up two mugs with coffee and a cup with milk for Lori.

“G’mornin’,” She mumbles, her brain still trying to fight its way into the waking world. “Coffee?”

“Good morning, sunshine.” Alex brings her the mug of coffee she just poured her. “The coffee is nice and hot, feel free to have another ten minutes to sleep if you want to while it cools down.”

“Why? What have you done?” Kara questions, clarity finding her as she shakes away the last clutches of sleep.

Alex shoves the mug into her hands, “Why don’t you believe that sometimes I want to do nice things for my baby sister without it being because I’ve done something?”

“Because never once have you done something nice for me without it being because you’ve either done something wrong or you want something so, which is it?” Kara is happy to have the coffee but Alex is definitely freaking her out.

“That’s so not true.”

“Yes, it is.”

Alex shakes her head again. “I completely disagree, anyway, you’re eating into your sleep time, I’m going to go and check on Lori now, she was just stirring when I just started the coffee so you know we don’t have long now before we’ve got to entertain her. “

“I’m good. I’m just gonna sit here and drink my coffee while Auntie Alex does the work because she’s done something wrong.”

Alex folds her arms and clicks her tongue. “Not true but since I’m a good sister I’m going to go and do it anyway. Chillax, sis.”

She strolls away confidently while Kara stares at her back and mouths in confusion, “Chillax?”

They decide to take Lori down to the pier for the day and then she’ll undoubtedly be tired by the time they get to game night and will hopefully fall asleep early. Fingers crossed anyway. Kara and Alex take it in turns showering before they head out and Kara gives Lori a bath but other than that, Alex handles all Lori’s care and it takes a while for Kara to get it out of her what she’s done but she does learn that Alex’s ironing skills leave a lot to be desired and she now has one less shirt.

She isn’t really mad about it though, Alex isn’t usually the one to do the laundry because she’s so bad at it but since she started her new job, Alex wanted to do something nice for her and it didn’t pan out. She’ll let this one slide.

They take the bus to the pier, two actually, but it’s not a painful ride with books to read to pass the time. Kara keeps an eye on Alex as they walk to the bus stop and then again when they get off the bus at the pier and they start to walk. She’s not had the opportunity to check in with Alex fully about her recovery in a while other than the generic questions which get brushed off with moderate ease and she’s not had much of a chance to watch her closely as she walks either so today is her chance to assess for herself how Alex’s recovery is going.

Kara makes a point to let Alex walk ahead of her and simply meanders on behind her and Lori, who is holding her aunt’s hand and bouncing around excitedly as they walk along the wooden planks towards the end of the pier where they can look out over the glossy waves of the sea.

There are a few things she’s noticing, the most important being that she’s walking much better than she was before. She really worried her before and yet here she is walking again and doing a great job of it.

Her gait is a little stilted, one leg straightening more than the other when she steps forward and she favours one leg over the other but she’s not panting or getting out of breath and she’s not so much as glancing at any of the benches they pass because she’s not feeling the need to sit down and have a rest.

Alex must be taking her doctor’s advice seriously and resting as much as possible and sitting down at work wherever she can but Lena is, no doubt, a large part of that because she’s very obviously a big fan of looking out for the people she cares about.

Ugh, Lena. Kara still has to talk to her and she’s not certain she’s going to have adequate time alone with her to talk today and even If she does find the time, she doesn’t want her to be left alone after being rejected but she also doesn’t want her to have to pretend she’s ok if she’s not. Maybe she should work out a time with Sam so she can be there for her afterwards.

That makes her feel big-headed though, like she’s expecting Lena to be heartbroken over her. No, that’s not possible, Lena will be fine. She’ll find time today and if she can’t she’ll ask her to meet for lunch sometime in the week.

Alex looks back and cocks an eyebrow at her. “Did I pass your test, Doctor Danvers?”

“What? I have no idea what you mean.” Kara lies, upping her pace so they can walk side by side, each of them taking one of Lori’s hands and periodically swinging her and making her fall into fits of giggles that definitely add a few years onto their lives.

“I have no idea what you mean.” Alex mocks her, her voice going all high and squeaky before she goes back to her normal tone. “Such a liar. You were watching me.”

“I know, I just wanted to make sure you’re really getting better. I know I haven’t really had as much time to check on you but I should have made time, I’m sorry. I let myself get caught up in everything and I’ve not been here for you as much as I should have been.”

Alex waves her off. “You’ve been thinking about this a lot more than I have because I never once felt like you’ve been absent in any way, Kara. You’ve been here for us both as much as you can and I’ve got no complaints other than the creepy way you just watched me walk. I’d prefer if you didn’t do that, it’s weird.”

“How else am I supposed to check your progress?”

“Ugh, I don’t know…ask?”

“You always lie and say you’re fine.”

“I usually am.”

Kara points at her. She’s got her ‘a-ha’ moment. “Usually.”

Alex pays her no mind. “I stand by what I said and while it is usually alright, the times it’s not, are times when I get to prove to myself that I’m still strong.”

“The strongest.” Kara mumbles. “I’m sorry, I know I’m interfering when you don’t need me to, I’m just worried about you.”

Alex’s head tilts to one side. “Why now? Why are you worried now?”

“I don’t know, I might know when we can afford therapy but until then you just get to deal with my weird mood swings and overwhelming need to check on the people I love.“

Alex snorts. “It doesn’t take a therapist to know that you have attachment and abandonment issues, sis. Want to use Google to fix them?”

“Sure but if it tries to tell me I have cancer, I’m giving up.”

“Deal, now look at the ocean, maybe run Lori up this pier to get her energy out and if that doesn’t work then you can play fetch with her.”

“She’s not a dog.”

“I never said she would be the one fetching anything.”

“Have I ever told you just how much I dislike you at times?”

A hand on her shoulder sends her almost toppling right over as she is on the receiving end of a harsh shove and then Alex is running with Lori in tow, the pair laughing hysterically. Kara’s heart is fuller than it has been since before the accident. There’s a lot of room to grow but for now, this works.

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yellowspiralbound · 1 year

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The Witcher & why fanon and canon are not as separate as they are in other medias

Okay so I just answered and reblogged this poll about what parts of the Witcher you interact with (fanon vs canon) and it made me realize that a lot of fans might not be aware of the fact that fanon and canon are not neatly seperated when it comes to the Witcher. It’s kind of a clusterfuck actually. So allow me to attempt to explain it. Before the post, let me make sure everyone understands that I am referencing the translations of the books. I have not read them in the original Polish. If anyone has and some of what I say is inaccurate, please let me know. Extremely long post ahead.

First, we have to accept the fact that we are working with not one but three different canons. The books are, of course, the original canon. It is what everything else stems from. The games are often considered a follow up but are not necessarily canon to the books and were not intended to be. The original Witcher game was never intended to be a sequel to the books - that’s why Yennefer and Ciri are basically never mentioned. However, as the second and third game developed, the creators shifted gears and focused on creating a cohesive story set after the events of the books, Now, many if not most fans forget this. Then there is the show canon, which draws from the books but is largely it’s own thing.

So what is the “real” canon? For some, the answer is anything written by Sapkowski...but there are stories set on the Continent and written by Sapkowski that are, by and large, considered superfluous to canon such as the Something Ends, Something Begins short story which Sapkowski wrote as a wedding gift for some friends. Beyond that, there is debate as to whether Sapkowski’s final depiction of Geralt is well...Geralt. While many book fans tend to believe that the Geralt met by Nimue at the end of Season if Storms is an illusion, I have spoken with many who believe it to be the real Geralt. So which is it? Sapkowski certainly hasn’t said as far as I am aware, so good luck figuring it out. And if Sapkowski’s work is the be all end all of canon...what are the games?

Are they a form of fanon that Sapkowski has given his blessing to? Nope. Sapkoski hates video games. Like there are decisions he made in Season of Storms (published after the first two Witcher games) that I’m fairly certain he made specifically to fuck with the game producers (like Dandelion being a blonde for example). Everything I’ve ever learned about the man suggests he would do this. And yet Season of Storms also hands the game producers their golden goose: a Sapkowski-written ending where Geralt doesn’t die, where he continues to travel and hunt monsters. Which is exactly what Geralt did in the games. And after that Sapkowksi actually met with some of the producers for the third game, something I don’t believe he did for the first two (feel free to correct me if he did). So did Sapkowski take inspiration from the games for this ending? It’s possible. I personally don’t think it likely but we know it’s possible because of a certain character in Season of Storms: Brehen.

Brehen, for those of you who may not remember/know, is a Cat witcher that Geralt meets at the very end of Season of Storms. Now this is important, Geralt’s meeting with Brehen is the first time ever that Sapkowski insinuates there are different schools of Witchers. And you might be thinking “What about the medallions of different animals that Bonhart had?” It isn’t ever really implied they’re from different schools. Coen, who has a griffon, is shown with the wolves all the same during Blood of Elves. Of course, the game producers had already decided to take the different medallions as representations of schools but It is only when Brehen begins to use the word “us” that there is a confirmed implication of schools by Sapkowski. Is this proof that Sapkowski used the games as inspiration for Season of Storms? Not at all. What it is, is solid evidence that both the game producers and Sapkowski had been influenced by a third party: the pre-CDPR comic run.

Now, this is where things get interesting. The pre-CDPR comic run is not that well known outside of Poland (and perhaps even in Poland, I am not sure). I discovered their existence on the Witcher subreddit and promptly read the fan translations of them that you can find online. Only one of the six comics released between 1993 and 1995 is an original story. This comic, Zdrada or Betrayal, is where the story of the Cat and Wolf tournament often is from. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go read basically any fanfiction with Aiden in it. It will more than likely be brought up. This comic is the first instance of a school system like the one we have now. Now, this comic was based on an idea by Sapkowski. He gave the author of the comic run, Maciej Parowski, a basic idea and Parowski expanded upon it. To what extent Parowski expanded the idea isn’t really known. The schools could be entirely his own invention, but it is more likely that Sapkowski suggested them. It is extremely likely, however, that Parowski’s characterization of the Cats as a school influenced Sapkowski - especially considering the 18 year gap between the publication of Zdrada and the publication of Season of Storms. So when did Parowski’s fanon interpretation of Sapkowski’s outline become canon? Did it become canon? I personally consider it canon but not everyone does.

Essentially what it boils down to is that there is a high chance that Parowski’s fanon directly influenced both Season of Storms and the Witcher games. And yes you can argue that Parowski’s work isn’t fanon because it was based on an idea by Sapkowksi but...that’s what all fanworks are - stories based on the original ideas of the author. The same can be argued about the show. Large parts of the show are Lauren Hissrich’s fanon interpretation of Sapkowski’s work yet it is a canon in its own right.

In conclusion, Sapkowski never avoided fanwork like say, Neil Gaiman. In fact, he actively encouraged it in the case of Parowski and Hissrich. Whether or not he ever encouraged the game producers in any capacity is...highly debatable. There’s some serious tension there guys. I personally think that he did with his choice in how to end Season of Storms but that’s just me. From what I know of Sapkowski, the man is, quite frankly, far too proud to ever admit to being wrong about video games and the producers so draw your own conclusions on that one.

But yeah, fanon has had a serious influence on canon in the case of the Witcher and there are so many different canons that separating the two entirely is more or less impossible. And I haven’t even talked about the pre-CDPR TTRPG, the CDPR TTRPG, the mobile gwent game, or the CDPR comic run, all of which fall into the liminal space of “not fanon but not canon either.”

Please feel free to correct me if any of this is wrong or if you have read the original Polish copies of the books and some stuff I’ve talked about is translation error. Also if anyone has a translation of the pre-CDPR TTRPG stuff please contact me. I would do unreasonable things for a translation of them and would be eternally in your debt.

#the witcher #the witcher books #the witcher games #the witcher comics #the witcher ttrpg #canon vs fanon #and the way those two intertwine when it comes to the witcher #i could probably talk about this for a lot longer #but i am tired #spiral's thoughts #media analysis #the witcher spoilers #the witcher book spoilers

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ksascriptt · 3 months

Text

“Settle Down,,

Character: Brant “Goody” Goodleaf x F!Reader/Afab!Reader

Warnings: Smut mdni !! lil bit of fluff, sexual behavior, swearing, if u squint a hand kink, fingering, goody has bde, slight size kink?? p in v, porn w some plot, I tried to limit anything that wouldn’t include certain readers! Goody’s in love 🩷🩷, no aftercare shown but it’s implied :), no beta we die like McDreamy

Word count: 1,102

Summary: You and Goody watch a movie at your condo, which is long forgotten.

A/N: I’m sorry bro he is just such a fuckin munch 🩷

———————————————————

Sitting on the dark grey couch in your condo, you gave the man next to you a mildly annoyed glare. Not so much mildly annoyed as desperate, but annoyed nonetheless. Brant, or Goody as he was typically called, had a reputation for being possibly the most chill guy in the world. His demeanor never broke, especially not when you wanted it to, or when he was pulling shit like this.

The two of you had made the executive decision to watch a movie at your place, and on the surface, it was a pretty good idea. As getting 45 minutes into a 2 hour long movie proved, it was not a good idea. Goody had spent the better part of the night with one arm around you, his other hand in his lap. As you contorted to get comfortable on the couch with him, his hands had started to wander, naturally. On your waist, your thighs, one resting on your hip.

You loved Goody, you really did, but he made it unbearable to just sit alone with. He got so handsy when it was just the two of you. Laying across his lap, there was one hand on your thigh, inching higher. “Goods, just watch the movie,” you said with a pointed look. Neither one of you was paying too much attention to the film on the TV, but you made the attempt to at least try.

Goody was bored out of his mind. That was the fact he wasn’t sure he could make clearer. He was desperate to haul you to the bedroom and have a much better time there than he was now. But, seeing your miniscule expressions as his warm hands creeped closer to where you needed it, made it almost worth it. Your words were strained as you spoke, and Goody knew exactly why. “You know I can’t.” A toothy grin fell upon his face, hand massaging your upper thigh.

Sitting up from your sprawled position, you reached for the TV remote to press pause on the discarded movie. His eyes met yours as he helped you swing a leg over his, straddling his lap. Your hands met at the back of his neck just as his large hands found your hips, thumbs starting to pull down your waistband. “God, you’re unbelievable, Brant,” you spoke with a grin, leaning in to kiss him harshly. The light scratch of his beard was welcomed as your fingers found their way into his dark hair. “Settle down.” Brant was a calm person for the most part, but god if you didn’t have his mind wheeling around. If nothing else, the feeling of his erection pressed against your ass would. Of course, he had gotten you worked up enough, he was fairly confident in his chances. The smirk on his lips was covered by yours, the harsh kiss met with all teeth and tongue, his hands moving your hips back and forth on his lap. “Oh fuck, Goody..”

One of his hands gripped the bottom of your shirt, gently pulling it up and over your head. He couldn’t take his eyes off you, everything about you just drawing him in. “Shit, honey,” his soft spoken words were accompanied with a light chuckle as he pulled your (his) sweatpants down, letting them fall to the ground. You helped him pull his t-shirt off, heavily kissing him in between. His long fingers moved to your clothed clit, his pinky moving your dampened underwear to the side. The light, breathy moans escaping your lips had him grinning like a dumbass the entire time, brown eyes roaming your body. As you undid his belt buckle and jeans, he found it the perfect time to slip a finger inside of you, the sharp inhale punctuating the curl of his digit. Your head fell on his shoulder, moving your hips against his hand. The pad of his thumb rubbed small circles on your clit, a second finger pushing in. It had been a while, admittedly, so the stretch of Goody’s thick fingers had your insides feeling like you would pop. “Goody, please.. I-“ Curling his fingers just right, the man held a steady hand on your hip, gliding you through your climax. “Holy fuck,” you breathed, hips falling from their movements. “Settle down, sweetheart.” Pressing a few kisses to your neck, the man let you pull down his jeans and boxers just enough to let his cock spring free. Precum dribbled from the red tip, your hand coming to softly stroke it. Goody’s head fell back on the couch at the feeling, inhaling deeply. Your hand barely fit around his dick, a fact that had your boyfriends balls tightening. He grabbed your wrist softly, pulling your hand away. “You’re ready?” He asked in confirmation, using one hand to help lift your hips up, the other ready to push his cock in. Your mind was hazy at the feeling, nodding quickly to his question. Looking up at you with a smile, he finally pushed in with a groan. The stretch was intense, the initial pain replaced with a feeling of pleasure.

He had both hands on your hips now, slowly easing you down onto his thick cock, not quite bottoming out. Goody held you there for a second, the gasp you let out making him grin and raise his eyebrows. "You like that, sweetheart?" he asked, out of breath. Lowering you down, he chuckled as your head fell into the crook of his neck. He gave you a short moment to adjust before he pressed a chaste kiss to your cheek, starting to slowly drag your wet cunt up and down his girth. His eyebrows furrowed together at the feeling of you clenching around him, a few stray hairs sticking to his sweaty forehead. "God, this pussy is unreal.." the words were quiet, soft under his heavy breaths. The sounds of your moans, your cunt repeatedly bouncing on his cock, both of you harshly breathing, all filled the lowly-lit room, soaked up by no one except you two. Goody couldn't get enough, feeling you clenching around him as you neared another orgasm. "Oh shit, goddamnit.." your exclamations were followed by your climax, Goody following not long after. He clenched his eyes shut as he shot ropes of hot, thick cum deep inside of you. Your mouth fell open as you tried to catch your breath, removing one hand from the mans back to cup his bearded jaw for a kiss. "Holy shit, that was.." you were at a loss for words, staring into his dark brown eyes.

"Settle down."

#new scene #Shoresy #brant goodleaf #brant 'goody' goodleaf #brant goodleaf x reader #goody x reader #brant goodleaf smut #brant goodleaf x reader smut #goody x reader smut #hes so fine bruh.

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tadpolesonalgae · 1 year

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Omg ICBMTHY is so so good! I binged it this morning and i am already obsessed!! 😍😍

Also can we talk about how awful all of the IC is in this? Like not one of them has tried to talk to her, to try to understand her? Do you people not care?! She’s clearly suffering in silence, just because her pain is not as obvious a her sister’s it doesn’t mean it’s not there!!! Ugh, they make me so mad.

Also Eris. I love his character so so much but i have to admit he was a bit o a d*ck to our dear Reader with tho whole swan thing. I hope he sees that and apologizes or something and they actually become really good friends. Like he could teach her about how things works in Prythian and how to have some self-worth and dignity.

And Azriel omg just this bat needs a good slap. I honestly would rather the Reader end up with Eris or Helion. This Azriel is so mean and toxic. Like babe, if you want to end up with her you have a WHOLE lot to make up for.

And i really hope the Reader leave the Night Court. Just like flees in the night and makes them al regret being such d*cks to her. Like she could go to the exiles with Lucien, to Autumn with Eris or Day with Helion. I mean i would even be happy if she went to Spring tbh.

Anyway sorry for the rambling but i needed to get it all out. Your writing is amazing and I cannot wait to see what happens now and to read everything else you have!!

Lots of love 💕

Warnings below: mentions of ableism + human experimentation

This sort of stuff (regarding how obvious someone’s problems are) really interests me in a fantasy setting? I mean, the whole idea of mental disorders is a pretty recent realisation? I’m fairly certain that doctors/surgeons would sometimes operate on disabled people because they thought they couldn’t feel pain and were sub-human which is pretty horrific to think about :/

What I’m saying is I wonder how advanced their medical knowledge is? If technical terms exist??? Is the concept of mental health well-known???? Fun stuff 🥳

I mean, Feyre’s trauma manifested both physically and mentally; Nesta’s seemed much more internal though as a consequence it did have an impact on her physical health also, while reader so far has managed to keep to herself and aside from that one burst with Feyre, she hasn’t really shown many obvious signs to pick up on?

The Eris scene makes me laugh 🤩

He definitely should apologise, but… well, he’s Eris. Outlook not too good 🤔

WOW

You know it’s getting bad when you want reader to run away to the Spring Court 😭

Jokes aside, there is a fun little trip coming up (I would guess maybe two chapters away but I’m not sure? I want to keep the story entertaining but I also don’t want to rush any of the developments :/)

And please don’t apologise for rambling, I absolutely love reading your thoughts! It’s so fun to interact with these sorts of asks and seeing your reactions 🧡💛

#anons <3 #CBMTHY

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m1xieup · 1 year

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Hey, i wanted to say that i follow your thoughts and theories about Nevermore for a week now and i have the feeling that your questions are quite perceptive !

SPOIL FAST PASS EP 80 (i think)

[[MORE]]

On the topic of Will, i cannot forget the conversation between Lenore and Annabel in 🌟 the closet 🌟 and more precisly the part about currency. Every time i see a character now it just pops in my head : What do they trade ? What do they expect to receive ? What are their character mental traits for them to think like that ? Why ?

I exposed this because it would be so cool to hear your thought on Will and Montrashor !

Spoilers for Nevermore (specifically 76+), read at your own risk!!!

Hi! Let me say first of all I’m flattered, and I’m glad you’ve been enjoying my thoughts/theories! Now this is quite the interesting question and one I need to give some thought, so I'm sorry it took so long! I hope you enjoy my interpretation though! (strap in though this is long)

What does “Currency” stand for?

What this character wants to receive/how they desire to be treated/ what they desire to be given (and by whom)

What they prioritize when it comes to gain → what do they risk/give things up for (what do they give up?)

Questions to be answered

What do they trade (what is their currency?)

What do they expect to receive (also for consideration; what are they willing to give in order to receive this)?

What are their character/mental traits for them to think like that? Why? (How could their personalities/experiences influence their currency and actions [their motivation]?)

Will

Ok Will. I’ll start with him as he’ll most likely be a focal character for the next few

episodes, and we’ll probably learn more about him. A quick reminder! I am not an expert and these theories/opinions are all based on my personal reading. Now, to the best of my understanding Will’s primary ‘currencies’ are security, and companionship. Will is indecisive, and a bit of a pushover. While his actions could be described as cowardly, I think that is simplifying it to a certain accent. He seems to face significant distress at the thought of Monty not being around to tell him what to do, and implies that he needs someone to control/decide what he does. I personally think this comes from indecisiveness, fear, and low self-esteem. Will consistently gravitates towards strong personalities-- people who will tell him exactly what to do so he can’t mess up, and so he can’t make the “wrong” decision. So what he desires from a relationship is security. A person to provide a sense of safety and comfort. He staunchly believes that Monty has a plan, and has complete faith in him. Now when understanding the meaning of ‘currency’ in this context it’s important to understand that this is what someone wants/needs, and is specifically a tool for manipulation. Will also seems to put a lot of stock in the fact that he and Monty are friends, and that they are companions. Will has been shown to be largely ignored/lonely outside of Montresor, and if my reading of him is correct, he is not someone used to kindness. He seems to be a fairly isolated person, so it seems that Will, in addition to security in the face of his fears and low self-esteem, desires friendship greatly. He states that Montresor is his friend so of course he’ll help Will when he needs it. Not only is he very loyal, in a desire to protect the security and companionship he gets, but he is willing to excuse a lot of mistreatment- both towards himself and others. Because if his friend is threatened, his stability is threatened. This obviously makes Will a very dependent person, which does align with his spectre.

Will’s spectre is interesting to analyze for a couple reasons assuming spectres represent the person in some way. Will is a doppelganger, which already means his entire thing is that he becomes like someone else. This implies that Will may not have a very stable identity, and possibly may act very differently depending on who it is he’s following. Secondly he does not have a face, just a circle of drama-style masks around his head. These masks display his emotions, and even become disorderly when he is drunk. These masks most likely indicate a facade, or the fact Will may be hiding some of his true emotions. His limbs are also surrounded by ribbons. Now, this may not be intentional, but we also know that ribbons are important symbols in Nevermore. They indicate restraint, entanglement, and expectations. They also could function somewhat as strings, so it’s possible they could also indicate manipulation and control. Another interesting detail is that Will is a neutral type spectre- the only other neutral spectre we’ve seen is Pluto, which makes him stand out. If it’s true that spectres correlate with either the circumstances of one’s death, or what they were feeling, this puts Will in a fairly unique place. I feel like his spectre also stands out due to its abilities: duplication. mimicry, and entanglement. Mimicry may be a representation of how he models himself after those that admires.

Now that I’ve discussed what I think his currency is, as well as talked a little about my thoughts on Will’s spectre, I figured I could talk a little more about what I think could lead him to act this way. Now in my explanation of why I chose ‘security and companionship’ I did already talk about my thoughts a little, but I figured I’d talk a little more before moving on to Monty. So I already mentioned that I believe that Will has fairly low self-esteem, and this makes him seek out someone to take the responsibility for his actions, give him validation, and treat him the way he feels he should be treated. Will, at least during the Mystery Manor Arc, blamed himself for the treatment he received from Monty. Now his friendship with Monty involving some part seeking validations may seem counterintuitive, as Monty rarely offers Will any validation, but this may be because he blames Will for it. Will, already thinking he is stupid, and generally negatively of himself, believes this. He constantly asks Monty for validation, and Monty keeps him around with the promise of his friendship and the eventual benefits that would come with that. Will believes in Monty, desperately, I mean he has to. He is so paralyzed by fear about making his own decisions, that Monty seems like a safe-haven. Will seems to be deeply lonely, and may even feel ignored or shunned by his peers. He’s sweet, and yet his peers just do not seem to care-- he’s a background character in his own story! Now this may just be a byproduct of him literally being a side character, but I believe that in episode 80 it was shown that even when the story is being told by him, he’s still treated this way. This would most likely make Will feel deeply lonely. So he seeks companionship, and is willing to give pretty much anything for it. This combined with his dependance, and willingness to put up with mistreatment, makes him the perfect target for Monty. Monty is shown time and time again to be a manipulator, and Will is both willing to be hurt and hurt others for the things Monty will offer him (even if he doesn’t actually end up receiving it). Now what could have made Will into this sort of person outside of just his personality? Sadly, we don’t really know (though we could be finding out soon), but we can theorize! My guess is that growing up Will had an extremely close bond; one upon which he was dependant, one that would have normalized the hostility he faces from Monty, and one that might have made Will into the person he is right now. It’s possible (depending on how closely they follow the source material, which I definitely have thoughts about but I’m waiting to learn more about him) that Will might have lost his parents at a young age, and this might have also influenced him greatly. In summary, Will may not be used to kindness, or to friendships that don’t expect him to fulfill this kind of role. It may be that this is simply what Will is used to and expects, which is sad! I definitely think that Will, alongside Morella, is the most likely to switch sides. In fact I think he’ll have to (see my episode 80 theories). Now I hope this has thoroughly explained my perspective on your questions!

Montresor

Ok, so part of the reason this analysis took so long was that I was having a lot of trouble with Monty. I just couldn’t seem to figure him out- I’d think one thing then think of something that contradicts it a minute later. So after much thought I’ve come to the conclusion that Montresor’s currency may be respect. Now I originally wrote this off as impossible, as in his relationship with Lenore he’s interested specifically because she does not show him respect- in fact she antagonizes him. However, he also states that a large portion of his interest in her is ‘taming’ her (yuck). This may mean that what he desires from this relationship is respect, it's the respect she’ll give him once he breaks her. Monty specifically has a very dog-eat-dog world view, and thinks there are two types of people; winners and losers. He says he himself is a winner, and that the losers are just there to populate their games. Monty may actually be a dark foil to Annabel. Monty views life as a game, and one that is inherently competitive. He also treats others as pawns like Annabel, manipulating and using them to his advantage. He was also the one to first peg Lenore as a true threat in episode 32, where he made Annabel and Lenore compete over Morella. He knew to look out for Lenore, and I think part of what draws him to her is part of what draws Annabel to Lenore- she doesn’t play by the rules of the game. She is a challenge to Montresor, and one he is determined to beat. Another thing I noticed is that while Monty may be reckless, he’s not stupid. He most definitely does have a plan. He is able to compete with big players like Annabel, Lenore, and Prospero and you’ve got to have some sort of strategic ability to do so. He also is very good at picking people. Specifically people that help serve his larger goal- in fact I wouldn’t be surprised if he even has a goal outside of getting that second chance at a life. Monty is a manipulator at his core, and that is part of why it was so hard to understand his currency (I’m still not 100% on the one I chose). Monty often uses different tactics with different people, and acts according to the bounds of that relationship. However, I do feel that what Monty wants ultimately is respect. Annabel gets the best responses from him when challenging his reputation (possibly lowering the respect he receives from others) and when she respects him. He reacts negatively when she disrespects or tells him what to do (such as in the hallway). There is also his track record with insults. He hates them, and takes them extremely personally. He is also very vindictive, and it seems the easiest way to get on his bad side is to disrespect/insult him. He also is one to hold a grudge it seems based on his comments on ‘keeping a ledger’ in the Mystery Manor arc. However, yet again this circles back to Lenore. Why does he keep interacting with her, and is fascinated by her, if he hates disrespect? He wants to prove her wrong. He knows both Annabel and Lenore look down on him, but Lenore does so openly and he is allowed to take out his frustrations on her because she is on the opposite team. Lenore’s respect means more because he had to earn it. In my opinion Montresor suffers from the ever-so-common in toxic men cocktail of an inflated yet fragile ego, ruthless world view, and a deeply buried kernel of self-hatred. Montresor isn’t just fun to hate because he’s evil- but because there is an element of realism to his characterization.

Now we get on to the ‘why are they like this’ portion of the analysis (I would analyze Monty’s spectre but it has less to do with this than Will’s and I’ve already been working on this a few days and I’m tired). The reason I feel Monty wants respect (as well as control) so badly in his relationships, is that there was a period of time where he did not get it. Monty was a cowboy in the wild west, and as much as the image of a cowboy may be glorious, it really was just another working-class job with a ton of physical labor. In fact during the time period (we think) Monty was alive, he’d be in the same category as coal-miners. He would have moved a lot, and had to do some very dangerous jobs. He also would have been fairly poor, as stated before, being a cowboy was not particularly lucrative. He also would have to have regularly come into contact with rich ranchers, who may not have been particularly respectful. This may contribute to why Monty acts with such particular vitriol towards Duke, who epitomizes the idea of east coast/foreigner who disrespects him and his background (particularly by calling him a ‘stupid, backwoods hick’) This most likely was a sore spot for Monty during his life- also side note I noticed that people tend to act in accordance to their lives and experiences in them despite not remembering them fully, which is interesting. The point is that as a cowboy Monty would not have gotten the respect he felt he deserved, and that may have influenced what he looks for in relationships aka his ‘currency’. The reason he wants to gain Lenore’s respect and ‘tame’ her is in order to prove himself. Montresor has been underestimated by almost everyone he’s come into contact with. They assume, due to his personality and hot-headed nature, that he is much less intelligent than he is. I think this even applies to the audience- I mean I underestimated him at first! It’s easy to see that Annabel is intelligent; she is cold, calculated, and a strategist at heart. But Monty? No. The thing is I think this was a common theme in his relationships in life, and he resents people underestimating him due to his background. So, he seeks to earn and take respect from the people he thinks are a threat/look down on him. He also has a very ruthless view of the world, one that usually comes from a harsh life, and seeing as we knew he was a cowboy it's very possible that he had a couple bad experiences that made him think this way. It could also be that someone taught him this was true (such as a mentor, or a combination of the two- someone he cared about betrayed him while expressing this sentiment). This could just be how he is, but I find this unlikely. Something caused him to think in this manner. I personally think that the betrayal angle is very interesting, and plausible. So, we know that Monty believes there are two types of people: winners and losers. He thinks of himself, Lenore, and most likely Annabel as winners. He thinks of both Ada and Will as losers most likely- useful to further his chances. He uses them to advance his plans, but I’m not sure he really cares (I do think it's possible he does care and just doesn’t show it, but based on his behavior… it's not likely.) about them. He keeps them around him for their skills, and possibly to boost his ego, but would sacrifice them in a heartbeat. They give him respect, but it's not the same because he didn't have to earn it. They have a blind faith in him. He wants to prove those he thinks sees themself as above him wrong, and he wants their respect more than anything. This makes Monty a very compelling villain, and a fun character to analyze! His unique combination of a high/fragile ego, and possibly some self hatred in there, makes him hard to predict, and even harder to control.

#nevermore #nevermore webcomic #nevermore webtoon #nevermore spoilers #nevermore theory #montresor nevermore #will nevermore

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thedailybullshit · 2 years

Text

So I started Ragnarok last night; here are my thoughts:

I love love LOVE how much closer Kratos & Atreus are instantly shown to be. There’s a huge contrast between their distance in the last game & their easy familiarity in this one.

I’m calling it now but the sled dogs (wolves) are gonna be Skol & Hati.

RIGHT into it w/ Freya to let us know this has been happening for years. I thought it would be the most obvious that bc Kratos killed her son, Freya’s gonna try to kill Atreus. I wasn’t sure she would do that tho, but immediately in her 1st attack she punches Atreus in the face, throws him off the sled, & I think she tried to stab him? It was going really fast so I couldn’t tell but it looked like she tried? So now I’m even less sure. Combat btw is fast paced & engaging.

We didn’t need to start w/ the dog (wolf) dying but okay. Love Kratos trying to help Atreus through his grief in his own way, even if it doesn’t come out quite right.

Also fairly certain that Fenrir was buried instead of burned so they can bring him back intact later on, if that is supposed to be the real Fenrir. Either w/ time travel junk like Jorm or Hel’s death magic.

FAYE?!??! O my god?!??! I’m in love?!?!? Her constantly teasing Kratos IMMEDIATELY after we meet her is just shehfjddjdjdzk?!!?! “Grumbles” duuuude “Am I meant to decipher your grunting?” no I’m definitely in love. It’s so clear that Atreus’s nature as Loki is all her (emphasized by her wearing yellow) & I love it. Also love the callback to the first hunt in the last game when Kratos tells Faye “This is your hunt.” Also can I point out that Kratos saw Faye - same height as him at 7 foot something - perform the same godlike feats of strength as him w/ the same ease & instead of thinking, “Hey I don’t think this woman’s mortal,” thought instead, “Damn, Scandinavian women are built differently.” BRO SHE LIFTED A TREE & then spooky shit happens.

OH SO WE’RE IMMEDIATELY ADDRESSING KRATOS DEAD ON THE WALL, OKAY

“Why won’t this bear fucking die?”

“HOLY SHIT IT’S ATREUS NO”

“Oh he can heal, it’s okay. Also HE CAN SHAPESHIFT THE LOKI POWERS ARE COMING IN YES”

“Kratos was seconds away from killing his other child.”

Speaking of which, Atreus has gotta find out at some point in the game that Kratos had a whole other family. Idk if it’ll come from Kratos but there’s a huge possibility that it won’t. Clearly the Aesir know the gist but if they know he killed his family then Atreus could find out this terrible info from a terrible source at a terrible time.

Speaking of the Aesir, I somehow missed Thor’s height. I thought Tyr was tall but holy shit, Thor’s gotta be like 9 feet. Love everything about this version btw; design, voice, characterization are all on point.

Odin was a bit underwhelming, he kinda looked like a Pope, but I think that’s the point. Odin in Norse myths has a habit of going out in disguise to get people off their guard so it makes sense that this Odin wouldn’t be an imposing figure. Few outside the Aesir would get to see that.

Atreus is looking for Tyr & pretty close to finding him too, nice. Not so nice that Odin & Thor know about it.

HOLY SHIT THE SCRIPTED DEATH THAT TOOK YOU TO A MENU & THE RESURRECTION?!?! What a mindfuck. I’m not ready for the rest of this game.

I don’t think Atreus declined Odin’s invitation to Asgard. Not a good thing given Thor saying that Odin’s got plans for him, those plans likely being execution bc Ragnarok doesn’t happen w/out Loki. What else are you hiding Boy?

Atreus taught Kratos how to read runes & I just think that’s sweet.

Kratos & Mimir really are just coparenting huh.

I thought that what turned out to be called a stalker was gonna be a full on character, not just a regular baddie. Little disappointed. She looked cool tho.

God I missed the dwarves. Sindri tryna act like he hasn’t been helping Atreus, then cowering from Kratos when the truth comes out & Atreus having to get between them (fairly certain that Kratos was partially fucking w/ him tho). & Brok saying to Atreus “What’s that doing in my workshop?” & KRATOS NOT GETTING THE JOKE “That is my son.” THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THESE 5 ARE GOLD & I’M SO GLAD KRATOS ATREUS & MIMIR ARE BEING PUT UP W/ THEM.

We’re less than 2 hours into the game & most of the stuff in the trailers has been shown or referenced already. So as stated above, I’m not ready for the rest of this game.

#I’m thoroughly enjoying myself so far if you couldn’t tell #ragnarok spoilers #god of war ragnarok #god of war 5 #kratos #atreus #god of war freya #god of war faye #god of war thor #god of war odin #god of war mimir #god of war sindri #god of war brok #god of war

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lexosaurus · 2 years

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Hey Lexx, how goes it?

I'm curious, you've been in the Phandom a long time, right? You may or may not know to much on this, but outta curiousity I noticed just little to no mention in regards to a pilot episode for Danny Phantom.

Is there any information or does anyone know anything in regards to this? Or like it's just never been shown and no one anything?

Thank you kindly and have a wonderful day/night!

If I’m not mistaken, wasn’t Mystery Meat both the pilot and the aired episode 1?

I’ve heard rumors that there was a “true pilot” episode but Butch nor anyone else working at the time has never mentioned it. Considering at one point Butch was so desperate for dp lore views that he made up a whole character (flynn) and claimed he’d been hinted at the entire show, so a lost pilot episode is definitely something he would have mentioned by now if it existed. So yeah I’m fairly certain those rumors are just 1. internet myths, and 2. incorrect childhood memories!

@ecto-american you can probably weigh in here.

#danny phantom #ask

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m1st1x · 1 year

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RUIN Theory! - Escape Plans

Spoilers for all of the RUIN dlc. Buckle up, I’m about to make a controversial theory that no one here will be happy about. …yay. You might’ve heard someone else mention the idea, but I am ready to try and sell it to you.

Ok, I want you to hear me out. What if Security Breach never happened? The idea was first planted into my head by Matpat during on of the GTLive play throughs of RUIN, and since then, a few connections have been made. I just want to share what I think could make this theory make sense.

So first, I decided to look at the Glamrock’s shattered and ruined designs to compare, and I noticed a few little details. One is that Freddy still has the present. Now this could be because he’s the prototype, but I’m not going to immediately write it off because of that. Another thing that everyone noticed is Roxy’s face—it’s completely different, and it has those ports which I assumed are how the eyes attach (but even then, how would they rotate properly? It doesn’t really make sense). Thirdly, Monty didn’t have a sternum piece before RUIN. In Security Breach, there’s just a hole there. And, his tail wires are longer in RUIN, not to mention the fact that they’re bound with cable ties. Given how he acts, I don’t think he would have the insight to install one himself. He also wouldn’t be able to reach back there to tie all of those messy wires up, especially not with how good it looks. So unless someone came down there to fix some of them, I can’t see how they would end up like that. Chica doesn’t seem to have any discrepancies though—there’s nothing that was lost that she now has from what I can see. (Side note: I noticed Monty has a gold tooth, which reminded me of Foxy, specifically the Golden AR plush whose description was “I guess he replaced more than his teeth.” It just struck me as odd.)

Then I looked at and thought about the comic pages. They’re all in fairly random places, but the page with the Burntrap ending is down in one of the rooms with the burners. That’s odd, right? How would Gregory have gotten down there to drop it off? How would he have known about both Burntrap and the Blob? And why is that ending not shown as comic pages in Security Breach? (Who collected those pages and put them together?)

Then I had an idea. People pretty much agree that Vanessa is Vanny, and the theory that Gregory is GGY, or Dr. Rabbit, is out there even if we don’t have too much information to back it. This would mean both are under Glitchtrap’s control, or are at least on his side. What if Gregory (or the Crying Child, if you’ll accept that theory) drew those while being stuck in the Pizzaplex? Like the kind parts of him broke through, whether that be because of a spirit or not, and he sort of fantasized. I know it sounds like a stretch, but hold on. Kids fantasize, especially kids that are being abused. They make up scenarios where they do things that they aren’t able to do, and sometimes the ideas are put onto paper. I mean Gregory has got to have seen all the animatronics while he’s there, and he’s probably got the processing power to figure out how the animatronics would break when faced with certain factors, even if he wasn’t completely right or knowing of how they all looked underneath their suit. He’d also probably be pretty angry at the whole place, except maybe that one character that he really liked for whatever reason—Freddy. He would even know about the animatronic in the basement, which explains why he said that it was trapped down there for a long time and why he knew about the MXES security program. He could’ve even been partially behind it. He’s also probably seen the Blob and Burntrap during his time there, and I’d imagine he hates Burntrap more than most. He knows what he’s done, who he was made by, and/or what he was made for. He’d probably have some beef, so it would make sense why that ending would look better than the others. It’s the one he wants to happen the most. All the animatronics are shattered, the building collapses, and Burntrap dies.

I can hear the questions—but what about the bad endings? Why would Gregory fantasize about those? You have to remember, he’s not stupid (and is he’s a robot, he would be more logical anyways). He would know that Vanny would be sent to find him if he just ran, maybe it even happened once or twice already, and he would know the map of the building, so he’d know the best door to leave from. The Burntrap ending is the only one where we don’t see them actually leave, so they might’ve not even made it in that scenario. It is only that—a scenario. A stupid idea, but it could happen. And even if that isn’t the case, our minds go down bad paths all the time, even if we don’t want them to.

Maybe one of those comics was a plan to try and escape, but something else ultimately ended up happening. Vanessa is with him in the cutout/Brazil ending, so they could’ve escaped together. Maybe with the help of Helpy. It would probably be the most similar to the Princess Quest ending then, with Gregory helping Vanessa snap out of it. This theory would even make sense for why he dropped the elevator (you know, if he was the one who dropped it). “We can’t risk being followed,” he says. That could be talking about him, Vanessa, and/or Charlie/Elizabeth if they’re in the same body, and I understand why he would do anything—even sacrifice a friend—to not go back. To not be found again. The missing posters could’ve been put up by the one controlling (or trying to control) them, which would force them to stay in hiding, leaving Cassie wondering where he went. I’m not sure how they became friends in the first place, but my best guess is that Cassie visited the Plex often, Roxy says that he came for her birthday twice, and they met at some point.

For the Glamrock Freddy backpack near the MXES machine, I believe it’s Gregory’s. He might’ve dropped it on his haste to get out of there, or couldn’t come back to get it when the plan was in motion. And something I did find odd during the normal ending is that the speaker seems to cut out. It has a ringing sound to cut in, and that same noise occurs before Gregory says “it’s not your fault,” and drops the elevator. A popular theory is that it was that animatronic in the basement the whole time, which although I’m not completely with, I feel like it could have some plausibility.

EDIT: there’s “He was our superstar” in yellow graffiti in the beginning, which I feel could either be referencing Gregory, Glamrock Freddy, or even Glamrock Bonnie.

EDIT II: when you’re in the daycare attendant’s room in AR, you can see Roxy, Chica, and Monty in a playhouse, with Roxy being front and center. Sun and Moon sit on a table on opposite sides, kind of overlooking the scene. Moon looks a bit ostracized though, and Freddy is absent from what I’ve seen. The glitch Eclipse/Sun is on the ceiling. Could this be a notion to Freddy being not very liked by the other animatronics, or him not being under the glitch’s hold? It might explain why the prototype doesn’t even show up in AR mode.

EDIT III: I forgot to even mention Gregory’s attitude in the games. He HATES the animatronics, and I feel there’s less fear than there should be. He’s definitely scared for his life, but that isn’t really shown in his actions. He shatters all three without remorse, only caring about Freddy. Meanwhile, Cassie is nice and sympathetic towards them.

EDIT IV: I just realized that the backpack is next to a hole in the wall that Gregory could’ve definitely fit in.

EDIT V: Monty’s endo coloring. In the shattered design, his endo is all this dark grey color, but in the RUIN design, parts of it—namely his jaw and chest—are tan colored. It isn’t the right color for rust, and there aren’t any parts that color in the other animatronics. (You can see the jaw hinge in shattered Monty. It’s definitely that grey, not bronze.)

#fnaf security breach #fnaf ruin #fnaf #theory #five nights at freddy's security breach #five nights at freddy's #security breach ruin #security breach #ruin dlc #fnaf gregory #fnaf vanny #vanny #gtlive #game theory

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kazimirpetrov · 1 year

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[cismale and he/him] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [KAZIMIR “KAZ” PETROV]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [NICHOLAS GALITZINE]. You must be the [TWENTY EIGHT] year old [WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER]. Word is you’re [KIND] but can also be a bit [CYNICAL] and your favorite song is [MY TEARS RICOCHET BY TAYLOR SWIFT]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [OCEAN CREST APARTMENTS]. I’m sure you’ll love it!

@aurorabayaesthetic

trigger warnings: car accident, death, cheating

BASIC INFO.

name: kazimir petrov. nicknames: kaz, kazya. age: twenty eight. pronouns + gender: he/him, cis male. birth date: july 7th, 1995. birthplace: london, england. orientation: pansexual. occupation: wedding photographer. length of time in aurora bay: from ages 14-18 before moving away for college. he moved back six months ago.

QUICK FACTS.

despite living in america for half his life, he still has a noticeable english accent.

moved back to aurora bay six months ago to be closer to his father, who had a health scare.

went to nyu and got his degree in photography, then decided to stay in new york because he fell in love with the city.

the only person who calls him kazimir is his father, he's strictly kaz to everyone else.

recently got a dog named kevin who is now practically his son.

has not been back to london since he moved to america.

plays three instruments - guitar, piano and drums.

has a secret songwriting notebook that he's never shown anyone.

BIOGRAPHY.

kaz had what some would call the perfect childhood. he grew up in a house that, though small, was always full of life and laughter. his parents adored him as much as they adored each other and gave him the best life they possibly could. kaz always considered his parents to be his best friends; he could talk to them about anything. he knew this wasn't exactly normal, especially when he was approaching his teenage years. all of his classmates seemed to hate their parents or were constantly complaining about them, something kaz never understood.

unfortunately, kaz soon learned that perfection couldn't last forever. one day, when he was thirteen years old, he said goodbye to his mother as she left to go to the grocery store. he had no idea that would be the last time he saw her. as she was driving back home, a distracted driver ran a red light and crashed into her car, killing her almost instantly. everything changed after that.

if you were to ask kaz what the days, even weeks, after his mom died were like, he wouldn't be able to tell you. everything from that time is a blur, even all these years later. the next thing he remembers with striking clarity is the day his dad sat him down and told him the two of them would be moving to a town in america called aurora bay. a fresh start, his father called it.

kaz thought he'd be sad leaving the place he'd called home for his entire life up to that point but he was actually a bit relieved. everything reminded him of his mother. her favorite mug in the sink (it was one of those shitty "art projects" he made when he was small but she acted like it was the best thing she'd ever gotten) or her reading glasses on the coffee table, the last book she was reading still open to the page she left off on even after all those weeks. even driving past the grocery store she'd been to that day made his chest ache.

they settled into their new home fairly quickly, the distance from london doing both of them some good. kaz even found himself smiling on occasion, something he was almost afraid he'd forgotten how to do. his father seemed to be doing better as well, though he still got that haunted look on his face when he heard a certain song on the radio.

by age sixteen, kaz had finally started to adjust to this new life of his. he actually found himself looking forward to going to school and even managed to make a few new friends, though he found himself not opening up to them as easily as he once might have. still, it felt like things were finally looking up after such a dark period.

that's when he met her... the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. his crush on her was immediate and all consuming and he found himself thinking about her all the time, his stomach doing that fluttering thing he'd always read about in books. after months of pining after her, his friends convinced him to ask her on a date. so, with shaking hands and sweat beaded on his brow, he did just that. to his utter surprise, she said yes and after just a few dates, they were suddenly boyfriend and girlfriend, a first for kaz.

their relationship burned bright and fast but fizzled out just as quickly. they'd only been together for about three months when he discovered she'd been seeing someone else behind his back nearly the entire time they'd been together. suddenly, their entire time together felt like nothing but a lie.

kaz stayed mostly single for the rest of the year, going on the occasional date only to hook up at the end of the night and go their separate ways. that was fine for kaz in the moment, but he couldn't wait to go to college and meet new and exciting people. maybe even someone he could fall in love with.

kaz's parents showed him that true love exists. his dad would still take out their wedding album and spend hours going through every single picture, tears splashing onto the plastic sheeting as he touched his late wife's smiling face, forever frozen in that moment.

his entire life, kaz wanted to find someone like his parents found each other. someone he loved with his entire being, who felt like his missing puzzle piece. someone he could imagine spending forever with.

in his second year of college, he thought he found that person. only for them to cheat on him. twice (that he knows of). well, they hadn't even been together that long so it was fine, kaz reasoned. he'd get over it and find someone else.

throughout college and the few years after graduating, kaz had several relationships that always started out great but ended in heartbreak. at this point, he was starting to think he was the problem. was there something wrong with him? maybe he was just unlovable.

when he was twenty four, he met the one. (spoiler alert: he wasn't the one.) the love of his life. someone that would never hurt him or break his heart. things got serious quickly. within six months of dating, kaz was moving into his boyfriend's apartment and they were spending nearly all of their time together.

at this point, kaz had started his career as a wedding photographer, his goal in life to capture love like in the photographs his father cherished so much. he was on a work trip one weekend, set to photograph a wedding that got canceled at the last minute. slightly disappointed but eager to get back home, kaz decided to surprise his boyfriend by going back home early. he let himself into their apartment and dropped his luggage by the front door before heading towards their bedroom.

all that nervous excitement left his body the moment he saw what was on the other side of the door. he couldn't believe this was happening to him again, especially coming from the one person he truly believed loved him. after kicking the other guy out while he was still struggling to pull his pants back up, kaz immediately packed up the rest of his things, ignoring his now exs' pleas of forgiveness the entire time. this was his last straw.

kaz decided that love just wasn't for him. he'd foolishly thought he could find something like his parents had, but he guessed that kind of love didn't come around very often. his father and even his friends tried to tell him it could still happen someday; kaz eventually tuned them out. he'd learn to be content being single, it seemed easier than ever opening up his heart to someone again.

it maybe seemed ironic, someone with that viewpoint having a career centered around weddings but kaz still believed in love. he just didn't believe in it for him and he was learning to be okay with that.

when he got the call that his father was in the hospital, he was afraid the worst time of his entire life was repeating itself. thankfully, his father ended up being okay but the scare was enough for kaz to move back to aurora bay to be closer to him.

the first few days back felt odd, everything somehow seemed different but also exactly the same. he was enjoying being with his father again; the years since he left for college had created some inevitable distance between them that kaz wanted to close. he found work fairly easily with the town being such a popular tourist destination.

now, six months after moving back, kaz feels like he's right where he's supposed to be. hopefully it stays that way.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

PLATONIC.

best friend / ride or die / friends from high school / new friends since he moved back / neighbors at ocean crest

ROMANTIC.

high school hookups / friends with benefits / flirtationship / tinder or grindr match / one night stand

ANTAGONISTIC.

his high school ex that cheated on him / frenemies

#aurorabay.intro #tw: car accident #tw: death #tw: cheating #not me practically writing a novel for his bio

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chidoroki · 1 year

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Hell’s Paradise EP3

aka: emotional ties

The Iwagakure chief is insane.. and so if everyone else in this village if they allow kids to watch this man get impaled/attacked several times.

The OP is such a bop and I’ll never get over it.

“You expect me to do this with my hands tied? That’s ridiculous.” For real.. though Gabimaru proved last ep that he’s quite capable of killing with his hands tied anyway, so I doubt it’ll hold him back at all.

They only gave them food to last three days? No way they’ll finish the mission in that time.

Oh my god?? Who the hell sent that cannon ball right to his head?

That was enough to dislocate his neck but hey, no worries since he still managed to get up from that large hit.. Gabimaru is invincible.

“We can tie their hands again on the trio back.” True, it’s not like the shogun is gonna know they were untied or not while on the island.

“I don’t want to kill anyone ‘cause my wife wouldn’t like it.” He is so precious.

Sagiri really made Gabimaru bind his hands again while this other lunatic comes charging in at him to land a hard hit on his head, but he still broke four weapons while he was preoccupied while tying his hands together.. he’s incredible.

Aw man, they left out most of the fight but Gabimaru defeated him nonetheless.

“If the criminal we’re responsible for died, them we simply take his head back.” At least we don’t have to worry about any lone asaemon messing with us then.

OH! This Kisho executioner shares the same va as Kazutora (TR). I’m surprised I vaguely recognized that voice as familiar somehow considering he wasn’t shown much in the recent second season.

Hold up, Chobei getting attacked on the boat? That’s unexpected, but ironic as he’s getting choked out like he did to that one dude last ep.

Damn Shion, enjoying your time with your criminal huh? Though I’m fairly certain she’s trying to take advantage somehow, possibly thinking she has the upper hand since he’s blind, but I don’t think he’ll fall for such a trick. Maybe. I dunno.

Oh boy, Aizen has to monitor that giant guy? Good luck with that.

OKAY OR MAYBE NOT! He’s already dead?? Having that big guy on the loose is not gonna be good.

Ah, there ya go Chobei, I knew you’d break free.

Pfft oh yup, Shion totally knew about that chick’s tricks and killed her on the spot.

Hold up, what happen to Yuzuriha though? Ain’t no way she’s dead, there are scenes from trailers we haven’t seen of her in yet.

“Rumor has it this job will determine the next head of the clan.” Oh so the asaemon definitely have something to gain from this mission as well.

Gabimaru chill out! Why are we attacking Sagiri so suddenly?

Yo our man ain’t half bad with a sword.

Hmmm they’re both pretty hesitant to kill each other though.

“I experienced emotions after meeting my wife.” And thank god for her being such a pure soul.

Damn, his eyes just became lifeless and he broke her sword. Gabimaru getting serious.

Oof, he managed to get Sagiri pinned. This Iwagakure chief really messed up his mind when he was younger.

Again, thank god for his wife!!

“If I’m this weak, I’ll never see my wife again.” Aww honey no! Don’t think that!

Aw, that shot of the two of them with Yui’s spirit was real sweet.

Oh damn, Tamiya chopping off his hand instantly, but ultimately a smart move since these human-faced bugs apparently transform stuff to flowers.

Good lord! That creature is huge!

And Gabimaru & Sagiri are about to face.. some fish man with six arms?

#hell's paradise #episode reaction

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construingseacats · 10 months

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Umireread: Turn of the Golden Witch - Chapter 6: The Witch's Move

Sat, Oct 4 1986 - 1:00PM

The following contains spoilers for the entirety of Umineko. Please do not read if you are yet to finish it.

Interesting symbolism here, which you can take in multiple ways - is Beatrice the storm that is ruining the rose garden? The typhoon of misery encircling the family gathering? Or perhaps the thorns that adorn the Ushiromiya are so malevolent that it is karmic retribution for their prickly ways? Whatever the case, Yasu does seem to have a side of tenderness that causes her to pity the family - regardless of the angle that this pity is approached from.

Understandably, this scene is incredibly dense when it comes to deeper meanings. Episode 2 is focusing extensively on the dynamic of Yasu’s inner roster, so there’s a lot to unpack between their interactions.

The narrative comments that it’s as if Beatrice can read Kanon’s mind; which, of course, is fairly easy, since most people are equipped with the ability to read their own mind. The ensuing arguments between the two encapsulate the self doubt that is at play here, with Beatrice being fully on board with the plan for the Epitaph murders while Kanon does not believe in such a path forward - and of course, there’s the ever present sense that this will release them from being furniture. After all, the only way to stop being tainted by a body incapable of love is to have it lost entirely, blown to smithereens in such a way that no-one could ever reconstruct the mangled parts you once had. For those left behind, and those of the future, to assume you were “normal”; to assume you were human.

And of course, the aspect of Beatrice beats out that of Kanon, dictating how Yasu progresses from this point forward.

Glad to see Maria getting comfy. Always worth taking a moment to appreciate these moments of respite. I’m sure you can make a comment about the TV being fantasy for Maria to lose herself in - which, of course, is valid - but there’s still a truth that a small child has wrapped themselves up in a comfortable blanket and is having a lovely time; and those are the sorts of truths we should be making the most of.

Amusing way to lampshade the current scenario - after all, it is indeed the Turn of the Golden Witch, and Battler is waiting for her to make her move.

Ah, so now we’re addressing Beatrice’s arrival. I’m… not entirely sold on how they’ve handled this? I suppose we’re still easing into the concept of the Meta Layer over the gameboard, but these segments feel at their strongest when it’s as if they’ve paused what they were watching to commentate on what just happened. Waiting so long before returning here to talk about the developments feels less… engaging? I know it’s a problem that gets ironed out later, but I feel like we could have benefitted from jumping into this a little more readily.

Well, Battler gets it in one, I suppose - but as we’ve alluded to already, Umineko is all about unlearning this response as the “right” one. A witch did it with magic, after all. It’ll be a long road for Battler to learn this, but a well earned one as a result.

Funny how they play with Yasu’s age - Kanon at 16, Shannon at 18, Beatrice at a bit over 20. I suppose the world is your oyster when you’re a late bloomer for puberty.

There’s something to be said for how one of Umineko’s core strengths is the way it addresses and causes you to reevaluate axiomatic thinking. All of the adults are so self centred that they’ve implicitly assumed that this new arrival must be there for money or recognition - why else would they have shown up? It has to be something to do with what they’re concerned with. But by all accepting this incorrect fact as a truth, they’re building on a foundation of incorrect axioms, ensuring their doom.

Little bit on the nose there.

Once again, whenever Umineko tells you something is “certain”, revisit the statement under a microscope. Check your axioms. Don’t be like the adults.

Another interesting scene - you can easily strip back the fantasy here, and this is just Rosa freaking out at the murder plan that she’s been drafted into. A perfectly understandable reaction, of course. It’s not like the family are all psychopaths who are willing to become cold blooded killers at the drop of a hat (well, maybe Kyrie and Rudolf are). It’s good to make sure we get to humanise them for the roles they’re forced to play.

Oh yeah, Rosa must be DOUBLY freaked out given her past with Kuwadorian Beatrice. It’s not just what she’s been roped into, but the fact that the person who has roped her into it appears to be the same person she once killed. I’m surprised she’s still standing with the trauma this must be evoking in her.

Well, if Episode 1 is anything to go by, Maria’s definitely took “keep your promises” to heart. I’m not sure I’d trust Rosa to be as honest and forthcoming, however.

I wonder if Maria having two “halves” is why she projects the same read onto Rosa? Using what she knows and understands to reason out that “normal Rosa loves me and bad Rosa shows up sometimes”.

End of chapter, progressing swiftly on.

#umireread #umineko #umineko spoilers

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elliewiltarwyn · 1 year

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FFXIV Write 2023 | Prompt #28: Blunt

feels slightly forced this time, but also i like lyse

-1075 words

----

“Ow – shite! Gah! Is that supposed to—”

“No. Nope. I’m sorry, Ellie, but that was about as wrong as you could possibly do it.”

“…figures.” Ellie grimaces as she shakes life back into her arm, which is difficult given how jarred it feels after that failure of a punch. The striking dummy doesn’t even have an inkling of damage upon it; it stands free of scuffs and marks as if it’s newly built still.

“It’s alright! I probably should have actually shown you the proper form before just asking you to demonstrate what you know.”

“That is why I came to you,” Ellie mutters, now resorting to massaging her hand to try and squeeze sensation back into it. “Because… I don’t know shite about how to properly throw a punch.”

Lyse puts her hands on her hips and smirks strangely up at Ellie. “Curious that you’d want to start all over from the beginning, then. You saved the whole universe with a scythe in hand, after all. I’ll be blunt: if you really want to learn pugilism instead, you’re literally going to have to relearn how to fight from the ground up. We can’t shortcut all the progress that needs to be done by just handing you a soul crystal.”

“…I know. That’s still preferable.”

Lyse doesn’t look wholly convinced, but Ellie can’t really blame her. She hasn’t been able to vocalize to anyone else what it was like facing Zenos at the edge of creation, scythe-to-scythe… and reaper avatar versus avatar. She hasn’t been able to properly explain why, even after learning how to allow her avatar to possess her very flesh, it chilled her to the very bone to watch the monstrous way Zenos transformed as he absorbed the strength of his own. The maniacal grin on his face as he made it clear who was in control of his deadly reaper powers.

She definitely hasn’t been able to properly put into words how deathly afraid she is of subjugating her own avatar in the same way.

…plus, she was fairly certain the final punch she had thrown, the one that finally downed him for good, had broken her fingers, and she would very much like to know how to avoid that; not even necessarily to avoid the physical pain as much as the embarrassment.

“I mean, I’ll be thrilled to teach you, of course,” Lyse says, flashing a grin up at Ellie. “I just want to make sure you understand what you’re in for.”

“I know it’s going to be hard.” Ellie smirked right back. “But have you ever known me to back down from a challenge?”

“Mm, I suppose not,” Lyse murmurs slyly. “And I’ve known you for quite some time.”

That’s an understatement, honestly; it’s even longer than Mia and Lily. Ellie still remembers, clear as day, the moment she met the strange masked pugilist and her erudite thaumaturge partner at the Lifemend Stump in the Black Shroud. Still can’t quite believe how far she has come since that initial encounter. Still can’t believe how much further I can keep going.

“Alright, well, consider your request accepted.” Lyse beams and punches a fist into her other palm. “By the time I’m done with you, your fists will be able to break through solid armor, see if they won’t!”

“That- that sounds painful.”

“For them.” Lyse grins toothily in a way that makes Ellie’s chest pang with nostalgia. Gods, I’ve missed her. “You’d be surprised how much damage you can deal with a blunt fist, even compared to your giant scythes and greatswords.”

“Somehow, that only makes me more nervous.”

“Oh, I mean, you should be, probably.” Lyse’s grin turns mischievous. “Just because you’re a dear friend doesn’t mean I’m not gonna put you through the wringer. But it’ll be worth it in the end.” Ellie’s heart beats faster, and she knows she hasn’t succeeded in keeping the sudden onset of nerves from displaying on her face; perhaps that’s why Lyse suddenly, confidently strides towards her—and the striking dummy. “Here, let me show you the proper form. When you’ve thrown your first proper punch, maybe you’ll see the potential I do.”

Ellie’s eyebrow shoots up, but she moves back towards the dummy next to Lyse as she sinks, only slightly, into a hunched stance, her fists raised before her shoulders. She smiles up at Ellie. “So, despite appearances, a punch actually begins from the lower body; it’s as much about making sure your legs and hips can generate and transfer power to your upper body as it is about the actual closed fist. You also very much do not want to make your fist incorrectly; the placement of your thumb sounds inconsequential, but it’s actually crucially important to ensuring you don’t just break your hand.”

“Huh.” That’s definitely something she would have liked to have known before punching Zenos out.

Ellie follows her lead, planting her feet firmly on the ground, her left leg forward and her knees bent slightly, and curls her fingers into a fist the same way. She exhales slowly as Lyse looks her over and gently adjusts her limbs, her fists, her shoulders. She chuckles ruefully to herself, remembering a time when she would have loved Lyse’s hands on her like this and would have read far too much into it.

“Alright. Now, pivot your back foot and turn your knee inward to begin with, twist your hips, and let that power flow into your hand as you throw the punch. Follow through – you don’t want to just stop where your target’s body is. And then once you’ve extended as far as you can, immediately snap it back to your body.” Lyse pats Ellie’s shoulder, then takes a step back. “Let’s see what you got.”

Ellie sets herself, breathes deeply, follows the sequence of events in her mind, and throws.

Completely unlike her first attempt, the dummy actually noticeably bends backwards with a crack and rocks back and forth as Ellie pulls her hand back. Her knuckles don’t even smart. Her jaw practically drops, and her eyes widen as she looks down at her knuckles – not even a hint of bruising. She raises her gaze up to Lyse’s face, who’s grinning in triumph. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”

“… Very satisfying.” Ellie grins back. “Teach me your ways, O punching master.”

Lyse laughs and warmly clasps Ellie by the wrist. “I’ll do my best, old friend.”

#ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2023 #my fanfiction #ffxiv fanfiction #i've been trying to figure out how ellie would learn how to punch #because i don't think she would give hamon or eric or widargelt the time of day especially post-EW #lyse though? she'll figure out an excuse to hang out with lyse. (because she's big dumb and gay) >.>

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annaraebananawriter · 2 years

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Shiny Pink Scales

Hello there everyone! Yet another oneshot for you--I actually posted this one yesterday/the day before but I just ever got around to posting it on here until now. But here we are!

Also, just a heads up: I will be taking a break of writing for the first week or two of October. Sicktember has really taken a toll on me, in a good way, but I just do need the break. But after that, I’ll be back to normal.

Maybe even normal enough to do a Halloween special oneshot featuring my favorite boyos of both fandoms I’m in (i.e. two separate oneshots)??? We shall see. :)

With that, Happy reading!

Fandom: DSMP

Characters: Wilbur, Ranboo, Tommy, Philza, and Technoblade

Warnings: Mentions of a plane crash, implied animal abuse/overworking, implied mismanagement of a show, captivity of a teenager, and I think that’s it. Let me know!

Summary: “ Wilbur finds himself attending a new show in town, one that promises "something never before seen", with his dad and best friend Tommy. He also meets a guy who works at the show, who seems a little too nervous. They make their bets over what will be shown, and Tommy suggests a mermaid. Wilbur doesn't know what it's going to be, but is fairly certain it can't be a mermaid. Mermaids just don't exist, right? (Twinsduo-centric (technically), Modern AU; Technoblade is younger than Wilbur; Technoblade is also a mermaid/merman)”

Word Count: 3953

~oOo~

It was hot.

Wiping the sweat off of his brow, Wilbur sighs. This outdoor aquarium show thing his dad dragged him to was boring. Not for his dad, of course, as he went from tank to tank with a smile on his face, a polaroid camera around his neck like some typical Dad, which his dad definitely wasn’t. Mum was off doing some stuff for herself—and honestly? He’d give anything to be with her right now. Anything was better than this.

The only reason they were here in the first place was that an old friend of Dad’s stopped by the town, for some reason or the other—well, he guesses the reason was this. They would’ve needed to clear this with the mayor, as this was a big show and took up most of the high school field. Dad had said he noticed the friend around the store one day while grocery shopping and stopped to chat with them, and they mentioned this show they were bringing to town within the next month. They said it was something never before done; very expensive, but very well worth seeing the smile on people’s faces as they brought wonders to those that maybe couldn’t go and see them themselves often.

“And I even got something nobody’s ever seen before,” they had said with a grin the likes of which Dad had said he’d never seen before. Part happy, part something else. Something…darker, Dad reckoned. “You wouldn’t want to miss it.”

Unnerved, Dad had said something about the encounter that just struck him as odd. And after years of volunteering and working in places where he was faced with the ugliest parts of humanity often enough to recognize hints of it in those he had known his whole life, Dad always went with whatever his gut was telling him. In this case, it was telling him that the ‘never before seen attraction’ was in danger, and that was reason enough to go and check it out.

He had brought the idea up at the dinner table.

“I think whatever it is,” Dad had said, brow creased, “it needs our help.”

At this time, they hadn’t known what the show exactly was. They knew it was something like a circus or a fair, where there would be tents and games and shows, but they didn’t know what the subject was. Based on what little knowledge they had, they just assumed it was another circus/fair with people showcasing different talents—maybe someone in the show needed their help? They were injured or something, perhaps? That’s what they rolled with, anyway.

Mum had swallowed her bite of food and nodded, mirroring the concern. “Okay. You’re going then, aren’t you?” And as if struck by lightning, she perked up. “Oh, you should take Wilbur! He would love that. Wouldn’t you, Wilbur?”

Wilbur, unfortunately, had been distracted by his friends on his phone and was only half listening, something he now very much regretted. “Hm…yeah, sure, whatever.”

And now, here he is, in the middle of a hot summer in an aquatic fair type show he would’ve never chosen to go to if he had actually been paying attention to that fateful dinner conversation.

But he supposes it isn’t all bad. There were lots of fish here, some types he’d ever seen before and probably never will again. There were even a couple of dolphins in one tank and a shark in another. The whole town seems to be here, too, busy as can be with adults and kids alike. Everyone is taking pictures and talking and laughing and genuinely seems to be having a really good time. Dad got struck by the wonder of it too, seemingly forgetting what he came here for in the first place, wandering away from Wilbur to take pictures of some fish. He finds himself just wandering back and forth between the tanks, not taking any photos, and he does admit to finding some of it cool, but he mostly thought about how they even set this up.

It was a bit confusing as to how exactly this show even got around, because apparently, it’s already been around the country and gotten some pretty good reviews and made the news one time, and the size of these tanks was big. These animals needed water to survive, so it would be a struggle to move them around constantly, especially in summer. It was concerning as to how they were transporting themselves around, but then again, he wasn’t the person managing all of this.

He's just a viewer. What does he know?

Fed up with the heat, Wilbur buys a bottle of water from some guy standing next to the show. Gulping half of it down in one go, he wipes his mouth, curiously looking up at the tent. “What do you think is going to be shown in there later?” he asks the guy, nodding to the tent as if they weren’t right next to it.

The tent was meant for the big showing of the never-before-seen thing, and that didn’t happen until noon, which was—he glances at his phone to check—still an hour away. Many people stop to stare at it, whispering theories, but so far no one has a concrete answer on what it is. This mystery was probably the main reason anyone was staying here in this heat, he reckoned.

The guy jolts, as if he wasn’t expecting anyone to actually talk to him. He glances at the tent and shrugs. “I don’t know.”

Wilbur looks back at him, eyeing the box around his next full of water bottles. “Don’t you work here? How do you not know if you work here?”

“Honestly, I just took this job to have something interesting to say when I go back to school. I’m tired of just saying ‘nothing’ when the teacher asks what we did for the summer while the rest of my class says things like ‘I went to Australia’, ‘I visited my cousin in Japan’, and ‘I met Taylor Swift’.” The guy says, and Wilbur gets the feeling he looks bored under his mask and glasses. And really, can he blame him? It sounds like something he’d do if given the chance.

Wilbur shrugs. “That’s fair. Have any guesses?”

This time, the guy shifts on his feet. “Well…I maybe do have an idea.”

“What is it?”

The guy shifts again, visibly nervous. “Well, you see—”

“I reckon it’s a mermaid.”

They both turn to the new voice in the conversation, and Tommy walks up to them with a grin plastered across his face. He’s holding a book too, and Wilbur can just make out the top of a girl’s head and the bottom of her, a tail where legs usually go. His friend falls into place next to him and holds the book up for them to see. “I’ve been researching everything about them ever since I heard this show was in town.”

Wilbur snorts.

Now, he loves Tommy, loves him like a brother—and no, despite the town's claims that they were related, they weren’t actually related. Not at all. They were next-door neighbours, yes, and so they visited each other constantly, but they weren’t related. They were, however, really good friends and jokingly referred to themselves as brothers to strangers. Which, really, was probably how the rumor they were related began. And Tommy is wild most of the time, just a kid with too much energy all of the time, and as such, he came up with some pretty ridiculous ideas.

But mermaids? Really?

“Mermaids aren’t real, Tommy,” Wilbur says, rolling his eyes. “And even if they were, I doubt they’d really be in a show in the middle of fucking England.”

He doesn’t believe in mermaids. Who really did? Kids, yeah, but that was a given, and he’s never met many adults who believed mermaids actually existed.

Tommy frowns at him. “Stop being boring, Wilbur.” He turns to the other guy and starts explaining his theory anyway. “Mermaids are a myth, and they are something no one has ever seen before. If the person running this show really wants to impress people, this—” Tommy shakes the book, tapping on its cover. “—this would be the way to go.”

The guy grabs the book and flips through it, and Wilbur really believes he’s going to burst out laughing and call Tommy crazy, but he doesn’t. He actually nods, serious as can be. “This makes sense.” He hands the book back, removing the box from around his neck. “That also adds up for what I saw.”

Wilbur blinks. Tommy leans forward. “Really?”

The guy nods. He glances around and beckons them to follow him with a wave, and starts walking away to somewhere behind the tents. Wilbur exchanges a glance with Tommy, and they both follow, glancing around as they pass people with clipboards and cigarettes. It’s definitely a vibe check from the public show, where everyone is smiling and there at children laughing. The backstage area is gloomy and tense, like everyone is waiting for the next shoe to drop and something horrible to happen.

Tommy presses closer to him. “Jeez, what’s with everyone?”

The guy glances back at them. “That’s the way they’ve always been, through every show.” He pauses, pressing his fingers together. “Though it really wasn’t helped by the fact our plane almost crashed when we flew over here.” Somehow, the guy says that casually, and Wilbur does a double take at the information. Looking over at Tommy, he finds the same wide-eye stare that he knows he has. The guy doesn’t notice and just sighs. “I really should’ve just stayed in America, honestly…”

The guy leads them through the field to where some more tents are, the ones reserved for staff. It’s bordered off with a piece of rope, but the guy just steps over it and they have no choice but to follow. The tents in this area are all white, very bland considering the bright, stripped tents for the public. But all of the doorways are open just the same, the curtains clipped back. It looks very…clinical. Professional. Much more than a show like this needs. They’re led to one of the tents in the back, the one tucked away from the others.

Unlike the others, this tent is closed.

The guy gestures for them to follow as he leads them closer, near the door. “One day, the boss returned with just this grin on his face. It wasn’t like all of the other ones from him. It was more…” He seems to struggle for the right word, his hand clenching in front of him.

“Dark?” Wilbur supplies, remembering what his dad said.

The guy nods. “Yeah, that’s it. Probably. But he said he had something new for the next shows. We had already been around a few places in America, but after some…incidents with the tanks and the animals and one of the trainers quitting because they thought we were endangering the fish, we quickly lost interest.”

The guy turns to face them, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. “That’s why we came here in the first place, as a fresh start. And before we left, the boss had taken a walk around the beach and found something. The next day, he got some trainers to go with him and they apparently captured the thing, though the trainers kind of disappeared after that. We got on the flight here not too long after, and as I said, we nearly crashed. Though I remember, in the midst of all that turmoil, that the boss got out of his seat and left somewhere. I think to somewhere on the back of the plane? We were on a private jet reserved for us.”

The guy carefully takes the curtain to the tent and peeks through it with one eye, meaning for Wilbur and Tommy, they couldn’t see inside it. “And then it seemed like whatever was causing us to crash just…stopped. And we were fine after that. And the boss came back, all smug looking, and sat down like nothing was amiss.” He sighs and glances at them. “I was curious, and so I snooped around a bit before I went to sleep. I managed to catch the glimpse of something. Someone. And I—” Just as he was getting ready to show them whatever was in the tent, his gaze flicks to something behind them and he stops, completely freezing in place.

Tommy frowns. “Hey, you—”

“I thought I told you to not snoop around, Ranboo.”

Jumping, Wilbur whirls around to face the new voice. A man stands behind them, arms crossed against his chest, and he’s roughly the same height he was. But he was far more muscular, and there was a glint to his eyes that said he was willing to do whatever it took to do things. He was dressed in a suit, too, navy blue with a pink tie. Something pink was tucked into his coat pocket, but it didn’t look like a cloth of any kind; it looked…shiny.

The man’s eyes were focused on their guide—Ranboo. “I warned you last time I caught you snooping, that if I caught you again, you couldn’t get another warning. You would be fired.” Mouth turning into a smirk, the man chuckled. “But you’re lucky. I’m in a good mood. I’ll let you go with another warning. Don’t do it again.”

Ranboo steps away from the tent without another word. “Yeah, of course. Wouldn’t want to lose the first job I’ve ever had.” He walks closer to Wilbur and Tommy and lowers his voice so only they can hear. “Not like you paid me much anyway, but whatever.”

“Exactly.” The man’s gaze switched to roam over them both, far more disinterested. It was as if they were an object that held little value to him. “And show these two back to the show. They wouldn’t want to miss the big wonder uncovering soon.” The man walks past them and into the tent.

The three stand there for a bit. Then, Ranboo claps his hands and walks them back to the main area without another word. They follow in silence. Tommy seems to be tapping on his book as he thought, and Wilbur just shoves his hands into the pockets of his trousers.

The man definitely seemed like the showrunner of this place. He just had this way he stood, like he knew he was in charge of everything. But the way he came out of nowhere back there…it was almost like he specifically ran into them before they made it into the tent. Like he had something in there he didn’t want people to see. Seems really protective of whatever it was, too, he thinks, recalling how his eyes sharpened when he basically threatened Ranboo into not snooping around anymore.

Was that the friend that Dad mentioned running into? It didn’t seem like he would ever be friends with someone like that, but who really knows? He doesn’t know what his dad was like when he was younger. Either way, whether it was Dad’s friend or not, Wilbur picked up on some kind of vibe back there. A bad one at that. He agrees now that something about this show doesn’t seem right, like something about the place was tainted because he met the man who ran it. The people who worked here, Ranboo included, seemed like they all would rather be anywhere else, and what few trainers he saw, they all seemed…scared, almost. Like there was something here they wanted to help but had no way of actually doing it.

The more he talks about this, the more he sounded like he didn’t know what he was talking about. These were a lot of conclusions he was jumping to. But something does nag at him and he probably would be paying close attention to this place during the week or two it was in town. He should come back in a few days and see if he could get into that tent to see whatever it was. Well, actually, now that he thought about it…

That’s probably the never-before-seen thing that’s going to be showcased in a bit.

Which meant Wilbur would see it then.

Ranboo leaves them at the same spot they left, placing the box back around his neck and leaving to go hang out at another place. Once he’s out of sight, lost in the crowd, Tommy turns to face him, book tucked against his chest. “I think something’s up here, Wilbur.”

So, Tommy caught on as well. Not surprising.

Wilbur nods. “For once, I find myself willingly agreeing with you.”

Tommy nods as well, not registering the vague insult, and Wilbur watches the realization wash over his face with a slowly building smile. His friend's nose scrunches up and he pouts, crossing his arms. “That’s not funny. And after all of my hard work, all the research I’ve done, this is what I get?” Huffing, he turns away and starts walking, and they both catch sight of his dad. Tommy breaks into a run. “Phil…”

Wilbur laughs and runs after Tommy as he whines for his dad. “Tommy, wait—”

They catch up with his dad and spend the fifteen or so minutes remaining until the main show talking about what they’ve seen. Tommy also rambles some about his book. Apparently, mermaids had a bit of natural luck attracting quality about them, which was the main reason why so many sailors wanted to catch one or see one, so that they got blessed with some luck for future fishing bouts and that the sky stayed clear for them. Tommy seems really invested in it all, and Wilbur could only sigh.

Nothing would tell him these beings really existed unless he saw one for himself.

And once noon strikes, someone with a megaphone starts telling everyone to head to the main tent for the attraction of the day. If it was packed while people were roaming from tent to tent, then it was stuffed in this tent, which was already pretty big. There was a set of benches all around a big covered tank in the center of the tent, the stands resembling those in the auditorium when they had assemblies at school. They sit down a couple of rows from the front, squeezing their way through the crowd, so they had a good view of the tank.

Once the man they ran into before appears, everyone quiets down without being told to.

The man inhales, closing his eyes for a brief second, and then opens his arms as if about to give them all a hug. “Why, hello there! It’s wonderful to meet all of you this fine morning…well, afternoon, I suppose.” He starts walking around the tank. “As I mentioned in my flyers, I have something very exciting to share with you all today. But first…a story.” He stops. “Has any of you heard about mermaids before?”

Murmurs wove through the crowd and Tommy leans over. “I told you.” He tapped his book again for emphasis, wagging his eyebrows. Wilbur rolls his eyes and pushes him away.

“I’m going to guess that you have.” The man starts walking again. “My story starts back in America. After some unfortunate accidents on my show, for which I take full responsibility, the interest was so low that I thought I might have to disregard the show entirely and find something new. If not for what I’m about to show you, you would’ve never seen me today.” Murmurs through the crowd again. “I had taken a walk along the beach to think about what to do. And I came across the most beautiful thing.”

He stops again. “I even have the scale to prove it.” And he takes the shiny pink thing from his pocket and holds it up for everyone to see, the scale—and that’s what it was, he could say that with certainty now—practically glowed in the light. Everyone in the crowd gasps and Wilbur leans forward in interest, catching sight of Ranboo on the far end of the tent. “This thing gave me its scale once I shared the story of my failing business and told me it would give me luck.”

Tommy gives him another nudge. Wilbur ignores him.

“And the thing also asks me a favor. It shares the story of how it was wandering around the ocean looking for a safe place to belong, forced out of its home at a young age. It saw how humans looked after one another and asked me to give it a place in my show, begging me to give it a safety it couldn’t find in the ocean.” The man let that sink in as he tucks the scale back into his pocket. “And of course, I said yes. I brought him with me across the ocean and now I show him to you now.” He pauses. “Are you ready to see him?”

The crowd starts shouting. Wilbur’s dad hums beside him. He glances over in question and Dad huffs, leaning closer. “Something tells me he’s not telling the full story there.” Wilbur nods back. He was just about to say the same thing, honestly. There was just no way that was the truth. Even Tommy was frowning at that.

But everyone else seems to believe it wholeheartedly.

Grinning, the man gives a bow and signals something. “Then I shan’t leave you waiting any further. I introduce to you…” He turns to face the tank, arms open, and the covering lifts in one swift motion. “Technoblade!”

The tank is revealed and Wilbur feels his breath catch in his throat.

Because right before him…is a real-life mermaid.

Or merman, maybe that would be more accurate. Nonetheless, floating there in the middle of a bare tank is a half-human half-fish person, who stares out at them all with eyes just as wide as their own. He looks…younger, as in younger than Wilbur. There was some roundness to his face still. Pink hair floated around him, long and pale, swaying gently. He was bare-chested, of course, but his arms crossed over most of him, and there were some scales to be seen crawling up his sides and spilling down his arms in spots. Something gold glinted around his neck, almost resembling a collar.

And his tail…his tail was big and bright and the exact same shade of pink as the scale the man had in the pocket of his coat.

Just as shiny, too, as it gleams in the light all the same.

In the awestruck silence, the mermaid Technoblade shifts, tail moving slowly through the water. His eyes roam over the crowd, and Wilbur finds himself locking eyes with him by accident, caught off-guard by how…watery they looked. He shivers, chest twisting in an unpleasant way. The eyes, a bright shade of blue, seem downturned and unhappy, which were far from the eyes the man described them to be like in his story.

This was far from the face of someone who willingly joined this show.

This was the face of a captive.

From beside him, Tommy curses. His dad sighs again, strained. “Well. This complicates things.”

The man moves in front of the tank again, cutting in between Wilbur and Technoblade. He’s grinning, proud, preening in the disbelief of everyone in the crowd. “Now…any questions?”

#my writing #my fanfiction #fanfiction #oneshot #dsmp #dream smp #wilbur soot #ranboo #tommyinnit #philza #technoblade #modern au #mermaid au #tw plane crash #tw animal abuse #tw overworking #tw mismanagement #tw captivity

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