#If he were narrating he probably wouldn't even mention it

[alexis-royce]

There's a lot of fake Oscar Wilde quotes circulating in the atmosphere, but this one is particularly relevant

[the-meme-monarch]

hopping on the kr/alsei hate train. the theme of being Forced Into Circumstances (Romantic Or Otherwise) is very prominent with the two of em, but especially with Kris. it's basically the entire game. every single one of the options to be "romantic" towards Ralsei are a choice on the player's behalf and nothing to do with what Kris wants.

hugging Ralsei is so sweet from our pov. until you recall that Kris doesn't like hugs. this is plainly stated by Asgore if you visit him in Chapter 1, and VERY telling by the way they don't reciprocate Toriel or Asgore's hugs. Kris does not make the decision to hug Ralsei - to do so goes against their personal boundaries.

some of the dialogue choices in the Acid Tunnel of Love are such polar opposites. the "nice" options, however, are incredibly presumptuous of Kris' feelings towards Ralsei, having a stark contrast from the "mean" option being silence or shutting Ralsei down. of course the player will pick the kinder one, even if it's odd.

I do want to mention that this lends itself to the notion/theory of the narrator being a seperate entity (as they were in Undertale) who may have the goal of keeping Kris and Ralsei together. for what purpose I have no idea, but it makes sense why one choice for dialogue ("Is it strange to say it's nice spending time with you alone like this?") is either shutting Ralsei down completely ("It's strange") or assertively reciprocating ("I feel the same way"). the narrator entity understands there is a third party, and they understand how to make us work for them without even realising it.

this isn't even getting started on how Ralsei's feelings towards Kris are incredibly idolising. Ralsei tends to be subservient to Kris and Susie, and talks about his sole purpose as a Darkner being to assist the Lightners. "It's the only way we can feel truly fulfilled."

not to mention, Ralsei has been alone for his entire life. he very reasonably wouldn't be able to understand the difference between his feelings for others, nor would he ever have experienced someone caring for him in a platonic or familial manner.

Ralsei saying "it's nice spending time alone with you" is not an inherently romantic sentiment. It is, however, probably the first time he has expressed any such sentiment. Of course he's flustered about it! He doesn't talk to other people, and this is someone he looks up to and admires as a hero from a legend. Kris has thus far fit into Ralsei's narrative perfectly - of course they're his favourite.

For Kris to reciprocate the sentiment is unique and new for Ralsei, which he even acknowledges. ("I mean, e-everything's a first for me, but... Hearing it from you, um... It... it means a lot.") Ralsei has idolised Kris, and as long as Kris continues to play the part forced by the player, nothing good can come of it.

I'm not saying Kris doesn't care about Ralsei. But it's an incredibly toxic dynamic regardless of the whole almost-siblings shenanigan (which is terrible enough to put me off from this ship anyway.)

TLDR kr/alsei sucks get better <3

NODDING AT THIS i don’t have anything else to add i think you verbalized everything i had thoughts on

[lime-bucket]

People who claim to love Lilith know shit about her.

Once I wrote in comments that Lilith was a rapist and somebody replied: "Why would she raped somebody who she didn't want reproduce with? Are you even can read?"

Another time when I made video about I got comment saying "Lilith didn't SA Adam." In that video I put google screenshot telling that she did. I replied to the comment saying "But google says that she did." They replied something along the lines. "I know that she didn't." (Like do you know her personally.) I answer with "Can you prove me that she didn't." And I got no answer.

There was post on Reddit about Lilith's orgin (it was a meme. People who know vs people who don't know) and still people call her the first feminist. Feminist? A FUCKING RAPIST?!

Lilith fans force the narrative that she was a victim, like bro, when you talking about her history, talk also about THAT part. It's not so hard to find.

"Well Lilith SA'd Adam, becouse he SA'd her first." Girl, show me the proof.

Adam wasn't even controling. He just didn't want to be at bottom. Which is fine. We should stop shaming Man and male characters not being comfortable with certein sexual things.

I'm still angry that (Hazbin Hotel) Adam is mocked for not liking giving oral sex. If he was a woman people would be on his side.

Btw story of Adam, Eve, Lilith, Sameal and Lucifer and Eden would be treaten differently if genders would be swap.

Adam would be probably shamed for Lilith leaving and Eve eating the Apple, if he was woman and Eve with Lilith were a man. Fem. Adam (Adamina) and Fem. Lucifer (Lucia) or Fem. Sameal (Samantha) would be put in "Madame and Whore complex" categoriesm

Male Eve SA would be forgotten. Female Adam SA'd maybe wouldn't, but she could be shipped with her abuser like orginal Eve.

Eve was raped by serpent in myths and in the show Lucifer (who is the serpent in the show) admits he sleep with Eve and probably Viv creates narrative that she like it? Ew.

Adam and Eve LOVED each other. They had healthy relationship. But she needs to make Lucifer better than Adam in anything, doesn't she?

Sorry that happened to u.but unfortunatly thats the result of modern reimaginings of ancient myth,as they present a safe version of the tale to audience wich when they find the original story,they fund it difficult to come in terms w/ their faves being..not so well liked to put it nicely.i myself had the same issue w/ the story of hades & persephone

Ughh dont remind abt lucifers comment abt eve,wich is just a can of weird/nonsensical implications i dont wanna dive in rn.nontheless i cant rlly agree on the gender swapping parts,theres already narrations mentioning adam was SAd but still got blamed fr it,but never have i heard abt the serpent assaulting eve,maybe its meant in a metaphorical sense?

U can call it overexageration,but i find it insidious when writers make the relationship of adam & eve unhealthy or unequal.since theyre the first humans,is it hard to not believe that love in it its most primitive form wont be beautiful?pure even?

[strawberrylabs]

Hi! I saw ur reqs are only open for lyney lol and as fate has it I’m DYING for some lyney content :DDD so I decided to maybe put a req!

Lyney x Reader (married? Or not) where they argue right before a big show (please let them make up and forgive each other 🥹🥹)

I don’t have much in mind for the specifics but I do have one where it’s like he has to put up a facade for the audience, but reader isn’t in the audience and everything is just wrong. He tries to perform everything as rehearsed and it looks normal to the audience but to Lynette it’s crystal clear what her brother is going through.

OMG I LOVE THIS IDEA SO MUCH!

i can picture it all too vividly- anon you have a fabulous mind!

WARNINGS: spoilers for Fontane Archon quest and Lyney's story quest, arguments, mentions of injuries and a bit of blood

It's not the same without you...

Synopsis: After Lyney and you had an argument before a big show, the magician just can't seem to get his head in the game without you there.

(note: will be written from narrator's POV)

"Why must you always be so insecure?! I've told you before it's part of the performace, (Y/n)!"

"And I've told you before that's fine, but I wish you'd at least remind them that you have a lover!"

This was not the first time (Y/n) and Lyney had argued about how friendly he gets with some of his fans while performing.

(Y/n) gets that his charm is part of the persona he's built known as "Lyney the magician", and he's never gone further than perhaps giving a flower that he made appear or complementing a smile or two. What bothered (Y/n) was that Lyney never told of his fans when they went too far.

One time, after giving a girl a flower out of thin air, said girl asked Lyney if he was free for a date after his show. And from the way she was batting her lashes.. she was after more than just a date.

Instead of reminding the girl he was taken, he simply smiled and said

"I'm afraid I'm unavailble tonight. Perhaps another time."

And from there, more and more of his fans gained the confidence to become more friendly with the magician.

"For the last time, I see no need why I should have to reiterate my relationship status to my fans when it's already clear I am with you!"

"Because they think you don't care! You never seem to show disinterest or even tell them off!"

"Enough! If you weren't so insecure of you average looks and boring personality, maybe this wouldn't be a problem!"

"..What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying you actually are interested in some of them?"

"Lyney! It's almost time for the- show.. uh.."

Lynette frantically looks back and forth between her brother who looks like he's seen a ghost, and (Y/n) who was now crying.

"I'll let you go. Hope the show goes well."

"(Y/n)! Wait!"

Before the magician can react, (Y/n) ran through the doors of the opera, and out of sight.

"Lynette... do you think (Y/n) will still watch the show?"

"I guess we'll have to wait and see. Let's go."

Lyney looked in the direction (Y/n) had run off too, a frown on his face.

Please come back.

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

(Y/n) to the the opera courtyard, and began to walk around the gardens.

The tears slowly stopped falling as Lyney's words repeated over and over.

He didn't mean it did he? He loves me...

(Y/n) heaves a deep sigh as they continue to wonder aimlessly through the opera gardens.

"Ah.. I don't want to miss the show. I should probably head back- Ah!"

The ledge (Y/n) had wandered too gave out beneath them. (Y/n) tumbles through the foliage and flowers, hitting their head on a rock as they come to a stop at the shore...

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

meanwhile at the opera house, Lyney is pacing back and forth during the intermission.

Where were you?

Although Lyney had managed to get through the first half of the show without too much trouble, he was losing it.

The audience couldn't spot the differences between Lyney during his usual shows and Lyney now. But Lynette could.

The way he didn't hold his smile constantly between acts, the way his eyes scanned the crowd fitfully every few seconds rather than smoothly dragging across them.

He was worried. Worried that his emotions got the best of him, that for once his words went too far. He worried that you'd left him.

What if you never came back? What if he hurt you more than he knew and you were crying to yourself someone, thinking he didn't love you? what it-

"Lyney."

Lynette approached her brother wordlessly. She didn't need to ask to know what he was thinking.

"I'm sure they'll be there for the second half. You were a jerk, but (Y/n) loves you."

Lyney smiles at her.

He goes to open his mouth to speak, but is interupted by one of their assistants running into the room.

"Lyney! Lynette! It's (Y/n)- someone found them unconcious by the shore and-"

"Where are they?"

"The gardemek brough them to the infermary here-"

And that was all Lyney needed before he set off running. He can vaguley hear Lynette addressing the crowd, saying something about an unexpected emergency.

But he couldn't care less about the show.

What if you were badly injured? What if someone who wanted to get at "father" attacked you to get to him?

what if your last thoughts were about the awful things he told you?

What if the last thing you thought was that he didn't love you?

He couldn't stand to think of it.

When Lyney rushed into the infermary, he saw you sitting up on a bed, getting you head bandaged by the medic.

"(Y/n)!" He kneeled next to you, hands clasping yours.

"Lyney-"

"By the seven! I was so worried! I thought you had left for good and then I didn't see you in the show and then the assistant said-"

"Lyney!"

He stopped, looking at you as you smiled softly.

"I'm fine. I went for a walk to clear my head is all. Guess I went too far and managed to fall off a cliff."

(Y/n) turns away, their smile falling. The medic finishes up and leaves the room, giving the two some privacy.

"(Y/n)... im so sorry. What I said was out of line and not true! You're the only one I love, and no one could ever hold a candle to you. You're not average, your beautiful! And anyone who calls you boring is a fool! I know you're right about the fans, but I just got.. defensive when you brought it up. I promise to be more vigilant in letting everyone know that you are mine, and that above all I am yours"

(Y/n) once again had tears in their eyes.

"Thank you Lyney.. I needed to hear that."

"Thank the archons. Maybe my brother will stop messing up our show."

Lynette said from the door, causing Lyney's ears to turn red.

(Y/n) chuckles.

"I didn't realise I affected your performances so much"

Lyney smiles.

"Well of course you do! It's just not the same without you watching me."

"Well, I better get to my seat then!"

As (Y/n) goes to move, Lyney stops them.

"(Y/n) before you go!"

"Hmm?"

Lyney pulls them close and carefully presses a kiss to their bandage.

"I love you. More than any show or performance could ever amount to."

You have no idea how tempted I was to make this A LOT angstier-

-Strawberry

Masterlist

rules

[ruexsdrty]

Petty Thievery

Pairing: The Ghoul x Reader

Note: Mentions of the game Fallout 4 setting/gameplay because duh I played it too fucking much.

Gloved fingers gripped at the slicky thin bobby pin, twisting and turning gently just in the await of that sweet click. The wind was strong tonight but her overhanging hood saved her eyes from the unforgiving—and probably radioactive—sand. It was ironic that a radaway bag hanged on the inner side of her coat while she donned a gruesome ghoul mask on her face like second skin.

She had found it hanging alone on a wall shack in the corner of an empty costume house when she was seeking cover from the blazing raiders and mutants outside. There were a few of them until she had shot one with her .308 pipe revolver, awaiting a horde of sick grunts and snarls only to be met by silence. That was when she realised that it was no feral, just a harmless mask. Those were probably zombie masks but, well, there was nothing she couldn't fake.

‘Well, I had this idea...’ she narrates, her eyes catching the glimpse of a distant man coming towards her again through the sides of her vision. She wasn't mistaken, that silhouette was distinctively clear in her head. Only one man she knew held himself with grace and sickening danger altogether. The cowboy hat, the overhanging coat... ‘And when I thought I could handle lying about being a ghoul with wastelanders and other ghouls alike, I wasn't fucking counting him.’

Her fingers trembled as yet another bobby pin snapped, spitting curses under her breath that would make a sailor blush. She heard the familiar reload click of a shotgun a few feet away.

“Tell me why I shouldn't just shoot you right now, sweetheart.”

Oh, yeah, that voice. She knew it, was familiar with it. She has had one too many run-ins with him whenever she played the role of a runaway vaultie, and she could recall none of them to be pleasant. She just hoped he won't recognize her voice.

The flickering neon board hung overhead, a few lights hanging off its hinges, it read, ‘Pharmacy’.

“Nothin' wrong with a woman trying to survive,” She grumbled with an intentioned rasp in her voice, deepening it. ‘We practised this,’ she told herself to take deep breaths, ‘Just don't overdo it.’

“Well, darlin',” His southern accent was strong, dripping off each syllable, “Ain't nothin' wrong with a man wanting it all to 'imself, eh?” The barrel of the shotgun dug into the sides of her forehead through her hood. Ofcourse he'd want the whole store. Who wouldn't?

She sucked in a deep, slow breath, quiet and shaky. “That's not nice.” At a loss of words, that was all that she could've come up. She wasn't particularly proud of it, especially when even he couldn't bite back a short laugh.

After a long pause of silence, she huffed, “If you kill me, you can't get it. The lock's pretty tight!”

“Yeah?” He drawled, she peeked through the edge of her hood to catch a glimpse of his uninterested eyes. “And what gives I don't just break the damned glass?”

Again, a silence befell them. “I'm fucked then.” She had stopped fumbling with the lock now, looking at him with distrusting eyes while the wind furled gently against her hood. His fingers repositioned around the trigger.

A guttural growl filled the air as heavy steps shook on the ground they stood on. Their gazes widened at each other. He hit the barrel on her head lightly to accentuate the tension, “Get to it,” he barked.

She returned to pick the lock, the nearing footsteps of the wasteland creature and the edge of the gun digging on her head pushing her hands to shake more. With an irritated groan he knocked the glass with his elbow before opening the lock from the inside. With heavy breathes they rushed inside and pushed the door close.

He turned to her with an exasperated frown. She huffed, a hand to her chest to contain her beating afraid heart. “Don't blame me for having performance anxiety!” He looked at her incredulously like she was crazy.

It was dark, her feet hitting some clutter or the other as she creeped closer to the wall for safety. She stumbled behind the counter and slid down the wall, sitting on the floor as she stared out the glasses in fear. The sudden ticking of radroaches' mantis caught her off-guard and she let out a yelp, fingers curling around the revolver in her holster and shooting the creature before it could close in on her. Silence befell and she collected her breath with a heaving chest. Her legs sprawled in front of her, back hitting the wall in exhaustion but her fingers stayed tightly clutched on her revolver.

The Ghoul clicked his tongue, “You don't sound much like a ghoul.” Was that a joke? A threat? An accusation or just an observation? Whatever it may be, she knew she didn't way to stay around him much longer than necessary.

The fucking Deathclaw outside was an absolute epitome of her bad luck.

Heavy footsteps neared her. It was The Ghoul this time. For some reason, she thought it'd be easier to take down a Deathclaw than this man. “Gun,” he demanded with an outstretched palm in front of her face. She glanced at it once.

“And why should I?”

His foot striked down her wrist, the gun falling out of her grasp to the floor. He stood over her, kicking the gun to the corner and out of reach. His boot planted on either side of her legs. There wasn't much she could to save herself in this situation... or, well, position.

“Smooth skin, soft voice...” He observed, “When did ya' start turning?”

She hasn't done her research. “Seven.” But she figured seven years might hit the sweet spot.

He hummed and leaned downwards, the barrel nudging against her shoulder. ‘Don't panic,’ she met his gaze. He tilted his head down at her, sighing heavily in thought. He laughed short, fingers tightening around the trigger. Gunshots don't kill ghoul, at least not until their brains paint the floor.

"Well, sweetie,” he drawled, his voice deep and ruthless, “Let's see how much of a liar you are, huh?”

Deafening gunshot filled the small store.

[armpirate]

Soundleasure | Choi San || CH. 40

Pairings: Soft!San x fem!reader || Strangers to lovers, fake dating

Genre: smut, angst, fluff, online sex, ghosting

Warnings: inexperienced!San, fem!reader, masturbation, online sex, camboy, first times.

Summary: You can do whatever you please and be whoever you want on the Internet. And San knew that a little bit too well.

After finally following all the signs the universe was throwing at him, he started living a double life that no one was aware of. Everyone in his daily life knew him as Choi San, the reserved and quiet boy who wouldn't raise his voice, and would barely communicate with anyone outside of his comfort group. But only a few knew him as Soundleasure, the man with a sexy voice and a filthy mind that had their toes curling just with his narrations.

He never thought of the possibility of those two lives ever meeting, he had always tried for them to follow a parallel route and had always played safe to keep his friends from ever suspecting that side even existed. But his plans will start to crumble when he gets a little too close with one of his subscribers and she invades his real-self and altergo's universes without being able to stop it.

Y/n will not only help him to keep his secret from his circle, but will also show him there's more of Soundleasure in him than he'd like to admit. 

Previous || Next

MASTERLIST

Aprox. time of reading: 20 minutes

San watched her sleep in silence, caressing the reverse of her hand with his thumb as he let her enjoy some rest she had been craving since she woke up a few hours ago. Her parents had left as soon as they saw him there, feeling suddenly calm when they knew their daughter was well taken care of.

Her fingers suddenly moved under his touch, intertwining their digits together before her eyes opened to look at him.

—Did I fall asleep again? —she mumbled, closing her eyes.

—Not even for thirty minutes —he calmly answered.

She felt better when she made sure that her parents saw she was well, and that it was only something related to stress and not her illness -at least, not directly. And after they left, she remembered talking to San for a few minutes before everything in her memory turned blank.

—You fell asleep while you were complaining of being here for a bit more —he scoffed.

—Because I hate being here —she repeated.

—I know your restless ass is thinking about anything but resting —his hand moved up to her head, lovingly patting her—, but be patient. I was told the nurse would come in a while to discharge you.

—It's still too long —she mumbled, her lip twitching in disgust.

—Do you want me to make it shorter?

—How? —she asked, instantly intrigued.

His eyebrows raised, while his body bent over hers, their lips almost touching, until two knocks on the door and a loud voice announced somebody else was here, and neither of them needed to look to know who it was.

—How's the sick girl doing? —Wooyoung sang from the door.

San's shoulders fell heavily with a sigh, before he stood straight to look at his five friends. Wooyoung was hurriedly stepping inside with a box of chocolates and flowers, while Yeosang, Meghan, Sam and Jongho walked behind him.

—What he's carrying is from all of us, although he isn't saying anything —Meghan pointed out.

—I was going to say it —Wooyoung hurriedly commented, turning to Y/n with a smile to hand her the gifts.

—Thank you.

—The rest of the boys were all working yet, but they said they'd come later —Jongho mentioned, poking his hands inside his pockets.

—Oh, it's not necessary —Y/n rushed to say—. I probably won't be here for too long.

—Really? —Sam sounded excited while asking.

—Yeah, it was just a little faint —she shrugged.

While Y/n looked at the flowers and got invested in what was inside the chocolates box, all eyes went straight to San, standing at the right side of the bed while looking at his girlfriend with heart eyes.

—Are you... everything all right between you two? —Yeosang dared to ask, pointing at his two friends.

Y/n and San grinned when looking at each other, before San answered.

—We're better than ever —his confidence only lasted until he said the last word—... right? —he looked back at Y/n.

—Right —she nodded.

The seven of them kept chatting randomly, just talking about their day as a way to distract Y/n from the fact that she was in a hospital, to help her forget about the reason why she was there again.

Their conversation was interrupted by a young girl peeking her head through the open door, looking shyly at the big group of people surrounding Y/n, until Wooyoung and Meghan decided to step back to allow their friend to look at the person by the door.

—I'll come later —Jennifer mumbled.

—No, of course not —Y/n stopped her, motioning her to step inside—. You came all the way, come in.

—Thank you.

Jennifer also brought a big bouquet of flowers with her, which Y/n held as soon as it was handed to her, with a smile on her face.

—You didn't have to, sweetheart —she genuinely said, knowing how expensive that type of bouquet was.

—How are you?

—I'm okay, just getting some strength back —she assured her—. Tomorrow I'll be back to annoy the hell out of you again.

—You'd never annoy me.

—Wait, I swear I've seen you somewhere —Yeosang interrupted, trying to guess why Jennifer looked so familiar.

—Wait, you're right —Wooyoung commented, narrowing his eyes—. Oh shit, you were Mingi's date, weren't you?

—Ah, that's what's so familiar about her —Yeosang seconded, snapping his fingers.

—Mingi? —Y/n curiously asked, funnily looking at San, who just shrugged his shoulders.

—Yeah —she answered—. You two were home when Mingi took me to his apartment —she bit her lip—, it's nice seeing you again.

—Ain't the world small? —Jongho commented.

While they were speaking, San's stomach roared next to her, instantly stealing the attention in that room. Despite how flustered he got, he tried to ignore the fact that that sound had come out of him.

Y/n then remembered that he had been in the hospital since she was first hospitalized and, in consequence, he hadn't eaten anything at all in the few hours they had been there.

—I know he won't say it, but can you guys take him to get something to eat? —Y/n looked at the three men holding back their laughs.

—I'm not hungry.

—Right —she rolled her eyes—. Go eat something... And buy me a sandwich or something, too —she puckered her lips—. The food here is disgusting.

Instead of moving, San looked up to his friends, and Y/n was able to read through that look. He was that obvious.

—Oh my god, I won't die here —she kept trying to encourage him.

—Yeah, and we'll stay with her —Sam added.

—Actually, I have to leave —Meghan mentioned, blame pouring from her eyes when she glanced at Y/n.

—Don't worry, seriously. Sam and Jen will stay with me until you come back. Will that make you feel better?

San hesitated, but he knew arguing with Y/n was a lost battle. So, instead of giving her one thousand reasons as to why he needed to be there, he bent over his girlfriend to kiss her, getting a bit too lost in her lips after being reminded of how good they felt.

—I'll be here in five minutes.

—Take as much time as you need —she assured him—. I'm not going anywhere... At least in the next hour.

And he gave in, just to make her happy he left, although that was the last thing he wanted to do.

San sat across from Wooyoung, Yeosang, and Jongho in the hospital's cafeteria, his hands wrapped around a cup of coffee, after devouring a sandwich in a matter of minutes, that had long since gone cold. The small chatter around them buzzed with an odd normalcy that felt disconnected from everything swirling in his mind. He had tried to let Wooyoung drag him out of Y/n's room for a break, to get some air, to clear his thoughts, but now, as he stared down at the dark liquid in his cup, a heavy knot of anxiety twisted in his stomach.

—San, you need to stop being so paranoid —Wooyoung said, leaning forward on the table, his tone trying to be as easy and light as possible—. Y/n is a badass, I bet that faint was nothing.

—Of course I know it was nothing —he sighed—. I'm worried about what caused that faint, and I hate the fact that I was one of the reasons that dragged her to this hospital.

—You need to see the positive side —Yeosang tried to cheer him—: you made things up, which means you'll be again one of her strengths. It's been a bad period for the two of you, but hopefully it'll only get better from now on.

—By the way —Jongho interrupted—, what happened with that video at the party? Do you know who was behind it?

—So many people are part of the committee in the company behind the organization for that type of videos — he rubbed his temple—. It literally could've been anyone in that group, or no one at all. And apparently that person didn't stop, not even after we broke up —under the confusing gazes his friends were dedicating to him, San thought of explaining himself—: she told me earlier. She's been receiving threatening texts every time we talked in the company. And it makes me wonder if we should've waited to make things up until this got solved.

—That's exactly what that person wants —Jongho mumbled—. That person wants Y/n alone and weak. They want her lonely, and you're their biggest obstacle.

—Don't worry —Wooyoung tried to make his friend feel better— and relax, she isn't alone now.

—She's not alone, but she's not safe either —San replied, his voice low but tight with tension—. Whoever that person is is relentless, and I doubt they care whether she's with people or not. That person is getting stronger, they know it... I can't shake this feeling, I know something's going to happen.

—You're right to be worried —Yeosang, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up—, I'd freak out if Meghan was ever living this. But you have to think she's safe. Sam would probably throw whoever tries to hurt them out the window —Jongho smiled proudly—, Jennifer is also there, and she knows her quite well. If anyone tried anything, they'd be there.

San nodded, but his thoughts felt scattered, drifting in and out of the conversation. He knew what they were saying was true, but something about the situation didn't sit right with him. Y/n was vulnerable, not only because of her illness but because she was in the thick of whatever twisted game the stalker was playing. After their argument, she had been keeping a lot of things, isolating herself, and he hated that she was doing it all while under such immense stress that he caused partly.

—Do you still think it's Tom? —Wooyoung leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms while he eyes San.

San hesitated, his mind swirling as he tried to focus.

—No... no —he shook his head, more convinced the second time—. It was the first person we thought of, but she and her father confronted him a few days ago, and the investigator they hired confirmed that the dude has his own thing going on. It could be anyone at this point —his voice dropped, frustration seeping into his words.

—Let's break this down again —Jongho scratched the back of his head—. Whoever's behind this knows too much about her, right? They're not just some random creep off the street.

—They know her schedule, her health condition, the nature of her relationship with you... —Wooyoung added, clicking his tongue— Not only are they close to her, but they have been having access to a lot of her things. Not to mention how they've been sending her those bouquets, even if Y/n had asked security to stop them.

—They know information not even we knew about —Yeosang continued—, and they had access to your computer to get that video from you two.

San's fingers tightened around the coffee cup. His heart began to race as their words started piecing together in his mind. They were right -this wasn't just a stalker playing a game of intimidation. This person had access to personal details, things no one outside of Y/n's closest circle should have known.

And they probably were in his circle as well.

His mind started to race with possibilities, names flying continuously until one ticked all the boxes.

San's blood ran cold when he felt the pieces locking into place in his mind. That person was always there, always keeping an eye on her, always knowing Y/n's every move. That knew when she'd be alone, when security could be lax and assure themselves Y/n would get the flowers without anyone else getting in between. In fact, he had seen a similar bouquet to one Y/n tried to shrug off a few months back, that same day in Y/n's hospital room.

The realization hit him like a freight train, knocking the air out of his lungs. His heart pounded as he shot to his feet, the chair scraping loudly against the tile floor, causing his friends to look up in alarm.

—What...? —Wooyoung asked, his eyes wide.

But San didn't answer, instead he started running towards her room, like checking on Y/n was the only thing that mattered at that moment. He didn't stop to answer their questions, he was already bolting out of the cafeteria when they were aware of what was going on. His heart was hammering in his chest as he sprinted towards Y/n's room, fear gripping him like a vise. If the person he suspected was behind everything, Y/n wasn't safe at all, she was in the biggest danger and she allowed it to happen again.

His breath came in ragged gasps as he reached the floor where Y/n's room was. The hallway seemed too long, too endless, as he ran, his heart pounding harder with every step. He couldn't stop the flood of thoughts crashing through his mind.

San skidded to a stop in front of Y/n's room, his chest heaving as he reached for the door handle. His hand trembled as he gripped it, dread coiling in his stomach. He didn't know what he would find when he opened that door, but he knew one thing for certain, he'd take Y/n out of there.

Y/n sat up in bed, staring at the hospital room ceiling, her body heavy with exhaustion. The sterile smell of the hospital, the dim lighting -everything seemed oddly peaceful-, yet she hated every second she had to spend there.

Jennifer sat beside her, taking the seat Sam was sitting at after she had to leave because of a call, casually typing on her phone, her face calm.

Y/n wanted to feel relieved by the peace, but there was something unsettling about Jennifer's presence, something she couldn't quite place. She had trusted her assistant for years, relied on her to organize her life and keep everything running smoothly, but now, there was a gnawing sense of unease, and she definitely blamed it all on how paranoid she had become after the last events.

—How are you feeling? —Jennifer asked, her voice light, but with an undercurrent of something Y/n couldn't quite decipher.

—Tired —Y/n replied, shifting in the bed, feeling the tension still lingering in her muscles—. I feel like a truck has hit me.

Jennifer nodded, her eyes not leaving her phone as she replied.

—I can imagine. You've been through a lot recently. I mean, with the stalker and all... it must be terrifying to feel like someone is watching your every move.

Y/n's stomach twisted at Jennifer's words. There was something in the way she said it, a tone too casual, too knowing. She glanced over at her assistant, feeling a chill run down her spine.

—Yeah... it's been hard.

Jennifer set her phone down on the side table and turned to face Y/n, her lips curling into a small smile.

—But you've been handling it so well. You always do. It's almost like you knew what was coming, like you've been preparing for it. I admire that so much about you: you don't let things get to you and, if they do, you don't let anyone know.

Y/n frowned, confusion crossing her face.

—What do you mean?

—Well... —Jennifer's smile grew a little wider, her eyes narrowing slightly— It's funny how things happen. How some people can see the signs long before anyone else does. How some people can predict every move, every reaction, because they're always watching.

Y/n's heart skipped a beat. Something dark was creeping into Jennifer's tone now, something unsettling that made her pulse quicken. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of what Jennifer was implying, but a knot of fear was already forming in her stomach.

—Jen, what are you talking about? —Y/n asked, her voice quieter, a tremor of fear in her words.

Jennifer leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs as if settling in for a long conversation. Her eyes gleamed with cruel amusement.

—Oh, come on, Y/n. You're smart. You've always been sharp, quick to figure things out. I've admired that about you —her voice dropped to a whisper, almost conspiratorial—. You'd have realized it by now if you had just paid enough attention to those things that deserve it.

Y/n felt her breath hitch, her skin prickling with cold dread. Realized what? What was Jennifer hinting at? And why was her heart suddenly pounding in her chest, a deep sense of alarm taking over?

Jennifer leaned forward slightly, her smile widening.

—Am I not enough for you to think of me being behind all of this? The flowers, the notes, the texts... the fear you've been living with because you couldn't accept someone's feelings?

The realization struck Y/n like a slap to the face. Her blood ran cold as her mind pieced together the subtle hints, the constant presence, the unsettling knowledge Jennifer had about her life. It couldn't be -no, it couldn't possibly be.

—It was you? —Y/n whispered, her voice trembling as she stared at her assistant.

—Finally we're on the same page —Jennifer's smile widened, her eyes glinting with a cruel satisfaction.

Y/n's world spun, her heart racing as the truth hit her like a freight train. The person she had trusted the most, the one who had been by her side through all of this, was the very one tormenting her.

—But... why? —Y/n choked out, her voice barely above a whisper, her chest tightening with fear and disbelief.

And she should've known that question would only enrage the woman next to her even more. Her face twisted into a look of cold fury, the facade of politeness dropping like a mask.

—Because I wanted you to look at me just once. But you were always so deep in your own self that you didn't even think of me. You're everything to me, but I guess I'm nothing to you. Not even worth you suspecting I could be wanting your love.

—I never... —Y/n stared at her, frozen in place, her mind reeling from the revelation.

—Of course you never thought of me —Jennifer snapped, standing up from her chair, her eyes blazing with anger—. I've always been hearing your rants on the different men that came into your life, always listening in silence with the hope that you'd realize one day I'm the only one that could give you what others can't.

Y/n's heart pounded in her chest as Jennifer took a step closer to the bed, her eyes filled with hatred. She tried to move, to get out of the bed, but her body felt weak, the fatigue from her illness keeping her trapped.

—It was insulting to hear you constantly cry of how men treated you on those dates, but it was even worse to be a witness of the shift of your attitude and tone as soon as San got into your life —her lips twisted in disgust—. He's not even the big thing. He has abandoned you when you needed him. Fuck, I'd have taken care of you when you had the last outbreak.

Y/n's breath came in shallow gasps, her mind racing. She had never known, never realized the extent of Jennifer's love slowly turning into resentment. She had never seen it coming.

—I tried to open your eyes, I thought a shift in my tone would wake you up, but you're more self-centered than I thought.

Jennifer reached into her bag, her movements slow and deliberate, and when her hand emerged, she was holding a gun. Y/n's heart stopped as she saw the cold metal glinting in the dim light of the room.

—Jennifer, don't —Y/n whispered, fear gripping her chest like a vise.

Jennifer's eyes were cold and determined as she raised the gun, pointing it directly at Y/n.

—You've taken everything from me, Y/n. But you didn't care and chose to give it all to San, and now I'm going to take everything that's mine.

Y/n's breath hitched, her pulse racing as panic surged through her. She tried to think, tried to come up with a way out, but her body felt sluggish, trapped by the fatigue of her illness. There was no way to escape.

—If you aren't mine —Jennifer said softly, her finger tightening on the trigger—, you will be no one's.

Just as Y/n braced herself for the worst, the door flew open, slamming against the wall with a loud crash. San stood in the doorway, his face pale, his eyes wide with horror as he took in the scene before him.

Jennifer let out an irritated sigh, her eyes narrowing as San appeared in the doorway, followed closely by his friends. Her lip curled in disdain, her grip tightening around the gun.

—Of course —she muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes at the sight of the man who had taken everything from her. It was always him, always showing up at the worst time.

San's face was a mix of disbelief and horror as he took in the scene: Jennifer standing with a gun pointed at Y/n, who sat frozen on the hospital bed, wide-eyed and terrified. Behind San, Wooyoung, Yeosang, and Jongho lingered, their expressions equally shocked as they quickly realized the gravity of the situation.

—Jen —San's voice was steady but thick with anger, his eyes never leaving her—, put the gun down.

Jennifer's gaze flickered toward him, the annoyance in her expression deepening.

—Here comes the hero. Always coming to her rescue —her voice was dripping with bitterness—. You were never supposed to be here. You should've stayed out of this.

San didn't move from the doorway, but his body was tense, ready to act. His heart pounded as he saw Y/n's pale face, the way her body trembled. She looked so fragile, so scared, and his stomach twisted at the sight.

—This isn't the way to solve anything, Jennifer. You don't have to do this.

Jennifer's laugh was sharp, brittle.

—Oh, don't I? You think you can just walk in here and talk me down like you're more than me? No, San. This is between Y/n and me. You were never supposed to get in the way again.

As she spoke, San took a slow step forward, keeping his movements deliberate and calm. He needed to get between them. He needed to protect Y/n, no matter what.

—Jennifer —San said, his voice quiet but firm—, I know you're hurt. But this isn't the answer. Whatever you're feeling, this isn't going to fix it.

—Fix it? —Jennifer's voice cracked, her eyes flashing with rage—. You don't even know what this is all about, so what's there to fix exactly? You don't get it, do you, San? You took her from me. You! You ruined everything!

Y/n, her voice trembling, finally spoke up, her eyes darting between Jennifer and San.

—Jen, I didn't know...

—You didn't know? —Jennifer cut her off with a venomous sneer—. Of course, you didn't. You never cared about anyone but yourself, Y/n. You never even saw me, not really. You kept playing with my feelings, and got my hopes up.

Closing her eyes, she sighed for a brief moment.

—I thought there was a connection when you started paying so close attention to me, when you helped my sister just to make me happy. We could've had something so beautiful....

—Look —San took another cautious step forward, his heart racing—, listen to me. You don't want to do this. Just put the gun down, and we can talk. Please.

Jennifer's eyes flickered with hesitation for a split second, but the anger quickly returned. She shook her head, her hand tightening on the gun.

—No more talking. I've waited too long. I'm done waiting.

San moved closer again, his body now inches from Y/n. He could feel the tension building, feel the weight of what was about to happen. He could sense Jennifer's desperation, her fury, and he knew she wasn't going to back down easily.

—Don't do it —Y/n's voice cracked as she reached out a hand toward San, but her body felt weak, weighed down by her illness.

She could barely lift herself from the bed.

San met her eyes for a brief moment, his gaze filled with determination, and in that instant, he made his decision. If Jennifer was going to fire, she wouldn't hurt Y/n. Not if he could stop it.

He took one final step forward, his body now directly between Y/n and the gun, his eyes never leaving Jennifer's face.

—If you want to do this —he said quietly—, then shoot me instead.

—What? —Jennifer's face twisted in confusion and anger— You think I won't? —she stepped forward, the gun shaking slightly in her grip, her eyes wide and wild— But it wouldn't change a thing, because if you weren't in the picture, it would've been someone else. Right, Y/n?

—I know you don't want to —San stayed perfectly still, his body shielding Y/n.

For a moment, it seemed like Jennifer might falter, her grip loosening on the gun. But then, something snapped in her eyes, and her face hardened.

—I don't want to, but I have to.

Without another word, Jennifer's finger tightened on the trigger, and the gun fired.

The sound of the gunshot echoed through the room, loud and sharp. San's body jerked as the bullet hit him, a gasp escaping his lips as he stumbled back, his hand clutching his side.

—San —Y/n screamed, her voice breaking as she lunged forward, reaching out for him.

San crumpled to the floor, his face contorted in pain, blood quickly staining his shirt. But even as he fell, his eyes found Y/n's, his expression full of determination.

—Y/n... —he managed to say, his voice weak but steady— I'm okay... stay back.

Wooyoung, Yeosang, and Jongho rushed into the room, their faces pale with shock. Wooyoung grabbed Jennifer, wrenching the gun from her hand as she let out a scream of frustration, her body thrashing as he restrained her.

—You don't get it! —Jennifer cried, her voice wild and hysterical— She should've been mine.

But her words were drowned out by the chaos around them as Y/n dropped to her knees beside San, her hands shaking as she pressed down on his wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

—San, stay with me —she whispered, her voice breaking as tears spilled down her cheeks—. Please, stay with me.

San's breathing was labored, his eyes fluttering as he looked up at her.

—I'm... I'm okay —he whispered, though his voice was faint—. You're safe... that's all that matters.

Y/n's heart clenched as she held him close, her body shaking with sobs.

—You'll be safe, too.

Not too long after, doctors and nurses stormed into the room to help San. But for Y/n, everything had shrunk down to the space between her and San, her world collapsing as she watched the man she loved fighting to stay conscious, before they took him away from her to place him in one of the litters.

The room filled with chaos, but Y/n could only think of how calm and relaxed San looked when she last saw him, how in peace he looked after saving her life. 

Taglist: @brown88

[lipstickchainsaw]

Oh, for the stp questions, what do you think of the thorn? She is my favourite 🫶🫶

I think the Witch > Thorn route is probably my favourite, and most thematically coherent/meaty? Some Chapter 3 Princesses' are just their Chapter 2 version but More (like the Eye of the Needle, arguably the Den), but the Thorn really does stand out as a more fleshed out narrative, with more depth.

To get into the route, you have to either cheat the first choice (first going down without the Pristine Blade to lock the Princess into her more 'harmless' version before going back up grab the Blade and slay her), or take the first opportunity to stab her once her back is turned (yes, the Narrator is pushing you to do it, or you've locked yourself out of resisting because you already played the Damsel, but from her perspective, that doesn't make a difference). To build on what I said in my essay on the Pristine Blade, the simple fact that you have access to the Blade influences the dynamic between you and the Princess (corrupts it, really).

In either case, you really do betray her trust, and this hurts her considerably more than the arm torn/cut off, or whatever cuts you leave on her otherwise, because the violence she can immediately repay with her own. It's the hurt, the knowledge that she trusted you with her vulnerability and you took advantage of it, that she can't resolve, and this is, naturally, what the next chapter is about.

I'm not wholly sure why she's called the Witch, because she does surprisingly few things we might associate with witches.

Regardless, going in, you're joined by the Voice of the Opportunist, whose entire shtick is looking for ways to eke out short-term advantages without a care for any long-term concerns. In short, this fucker will defect in the prisoner dilemma after telling you he's going to cooperate, honest, and then be surprised you don't trust him in the second iteration, because he's on your side this time, he promises!

And this is how the Witch sees you, the Protagonist, because that's what these voices represent, and she sees her only defense against your backstabbing ways is to... be that exact same thing. To also keep her cards close to her chest, and jump at whatever first opportunity she gets to get one over on you (this is what she does if you turn your back on her in this route, even at the cost of her own life, the Scorpion and Frog/Farmer and Viper parallels are explicitly mentioned in the achievement). She's been hurt, and the only way she can avoid being hurt again, is to hurt you first.

The main difference between you and her, of course, is that you have the Blade, the power in this situation (yes, she did kill you last time, but that's hardly what matters here), and acknowledging this is the key to getting to the Thorn.

Because you have to give it up! You have to give the Blade to her, by way of apology, putting your trust in someone you know has no reason to like you and every reason to hurt you, and you have to put yourself at her mercy. Let her use that power against you like you did against her.

And the Witch doesn't understand why you do it! Why would you give up the upper hand when you have it? She wouldn't, after all. So she's suspicious, and she doesn't know what you're doing, but she remembers the hurt, and whatever game you're playing, she can now hurt you before you hurt her, so she takes the opportunity to kill you and immediately proves that hurting you doesn't stop her from being hurt either.

She asks you why you let her do that to her, because hurting you didn't resolve the dissonance between what she thought you were like and what you actually did. Hurting you doesn't suddenly bring your plan into clarity, and it leaves her incredibly confused.

But I think she asks herself another question, quietly, without quite being willing to acknowledge it to herself:

'Why would I do that?'

And this finally brings us to the Thorn (sorry for taking so long to actually get to her, anon, but I can't help myself). Some time has passed between the end of the Witch and now, and she had been plagued with those questions, with thinking of who she is, what she wants to be, and how to deal with the hurt while she tries really hard to figure out if she can actually trust you or not.

This is why the first question she asks you is if you're there to laugh at her. She thinks she might have seen your play (and she can be correct if you do decide to laugh at her! The achievement being called 'Past Life Gambit' is very fitting. You get a ton of opportunities to be cruel to her here and validate her distrust!), and when you say you're not, she's just... lost.

The thorns around are neat, because the degree to which this betrayal has hurt her also causes her to hurt herself. The thorns are pointed inward. You can get in, but you can't get out, and neither can she! This distrust within her is literally digging into her own skin, and even though she has the Blade, has the power in this situation, she cannot use it to resolve this situation for herself. She's going to need you, but if she gives you that power, how can she possibly know you're not just going to hurt her again? How does she know you're not going to make the same decision she did? How can she make the decision you did last time, when she doesn't understand why you did it?

And these fears are not unjustified! For all that the Opportunist is in favour of schmoozing up to the Thorn, the moment she gives up the Blade, he turns into the Witch again, immediately suggesting the very choice that resulted in the very misery the Thorn is now struggling with (because the Opportunist is kind of an asshole). Even though you both know you need each other to get out of this mess long-term, actually doing that when you've both stabbed each other in the back previously is not easy, and giving in to those short-term impulses is so very tempting. How do the Scorpion and the Frog not kill one another?

And this provokes big argument in your own mind, too, long enough the Thorn gets worried she fucked up by giving you the Blade in this anxious way that doesn't understand why you haven't made either decision yet.

Fortunately, the Opportunist is joined by the Smitten at this point (and I think this is a bit of a redemption for the Smitten compared to the Damsel route, but that's a matter for another post), and he argues very passionately (because whenever does he not) in favour of the beauty of trust and cooperation and love!

And so by sharing your power and using it with care (the Narrator even tries to make you slip, but the Smitten says no), you resolve the pain at the heart of the Thorn, and finally make it clear that you do deserve her trust as she deserves yours, and you get arguably the best ending of a single run.

Of the Third Chapter Princesses, I think the Thorn stands out in becoming more... human compared to her previous, rather than less. It adds a lot of depth to her narrative, and makes the resulting romance feel more real than the other options.

And of the potential Witch follow-ups, I think the Thorn is a more interesting resolution than the Wild, because the Wild is more about burying the resentment and pain and pretend none of it happened and you're united as one, whereas the Thorn sees you actually resolve your differences and develop a more healthy relationship in the wake of it.

And you teach the Opportunist the value of long-term thinking, which is neat.

Also, you get the only kiss in the game on this route, so that's also fun.

In short, yeah, fantastic route, interesting and nuanced Princess, wonderful resolution.

[streets-in-paradise]

Of Palaces, Princes and Magic - Thor x (Fem)Reader

Warnings: Clueless, powerless Thor from 2011. Tons of fluff

Summary: Wandering arround your home Thor discovers evidence of the fairytale fantasies of your childhood and promises to make your dreams come true.

Note: I wrote this last night on my phone with the last bits of battery I had and post it on the morning from the laptop. There is no editing or proofread.

Tags: @thorsslxve

Allowing a stranger inside your home wasn't your initial intention, but you kept stumbling with him untill you realized he had nowhere else to go. From the barely understandable bits of explanations you got from him, your first guess was that he may have just escaped from a cult, but that didn't make him necesarily dangerous. He was lost, clueless of the world after abandoning the place that was all he ever knew. You did remember him mentioning something over the lines of ' being casted out as a punishment' and that seemed to comfirm your theory. A cult linked to norse mythology, with a leader believing himself to be Odin who had raised him as his son.

Thor lived in a fantasy world and you could tell he was harmless because he never meant to hurt you in any way. He probably required of professional help, but to get there he needed to reach some bassical functionality. If many people would get to hear more of his nonsense, he would end up locked and that possibility saddened you deeply. As far as you could tell, he probably had been physically disconnected from the world all his life already. Besides, it was clear that he trusted you, because the out of place displays of odd arrogance he had with everyone else didn't happen much between you. For you he only had a quirky but lovely chivalry that sometimes was enough to make you live his fantasy for a while.

From all the decorative details in the place, his atention was focused in a miniature replica of Cinderella's castle you had on a table near your bookshelves. A beautifull toy incluiding small figures of characters to habitate it, so delicated and romantic that you kept it as decoration even if you wouldn't play with it anymore like when you were a little girl.

" Do you like it? " You asked him, followed with a sweet smile of encouragement. " It was my favorite growing up ... I'm a grown up woman and I still love it."

The last part of the explanation confused him a bit.

" I don't see why age would fundamentally change your appreciation, it's a fine sculpture of a castle fitting for the aesthetic preferences of a lady."

You couldn't help chuckling a bit, then showed him how to unfold the toy in order to see the inside and put it all back in.

" It's a toy, for little girls to play with." You corrected him. " Many girls enjoy playing pretend to be princesses as children, but when we reach a certain age we stop thinking of palaces, princes and magic... Unless we are reading a fantasy novel or something like that. It's stuff of tales and Disney movies, not reality."

The answer surprised him even more, but there was some sort of sadness in it. Pretty much as if he took pitty on the fact.

" Are people like me casted out to remain only in the literature of this realm?" He asked, with genuine curiosity. " Which tale does this castle tells? If there is any, as your words suggest."

Even in the simplest of details, the conversations with him allways felt like the dialogue of a fairytale.

" If someone would tell me that you have came out from the pages of a fantasy book, I would believe it."

" Yet you can't believe that Asgard is my homeland." He mocked you in return. " I'll convince you, all your doubts will be clarified once I will have my mighty power back."

You didn't argue with him, there was no need at the moment.

" Alright, your highness ... Do you still want me to tell you the tale?"

Thor smiled in agreement and you began to narrate using the playset castle as a visual guide. The fact that a grown man was just being introduced to the tale of Cinderella felt quite odd, but very cute. He was particularly intrigued with the fact that the King found no issue on letting his son marry a servant that presented herself to him magically disguised just because she was the owner of the crystal shoe.

" ... Even if she was the rightfull heir of the household, her stepmother made her a slave and that's a downgrade that should have disqualified her at the eyes of the King. How could the prince convince him of blessing that union? "

He was taking the story seriously and it was hard to provide answers in that perspective.

" I guess he simply indulged his son and let him marry the woman he loved. Prince Charming fell for Cinderella at the Royal Ball, he had no idea of who she was back then. The girl was a princess in spirit and maybe the King saw that, the crystal shoe proved her worthy of the prince."

For some reason, your answer made him smile a bight brighter than before.

" I believe you are a princess in spirit. " Thor sweetly confessed. " ... and a magnificent storyteller."

His pure cuteness was too much for you and behind your own smile heat has started to take over your face.

" Me, a princess? Please! You don't have to flatter me for hospitality. I haven't wore a tiara since I was eight."

Thor looked at the little figures of Cinderella and Prince Charming in their miniature balcony, then glanced back at you as if a new strange idea had just occured to him.

" What if you could experience what's like to be a princess? Would you believe me then?" He asked you out of sudden. " Not only about Asgard, but about my very sincere perceptions of you."

You began to wonder if the last part was some sort of romantical approach and were quite confused about that. He was very sweet and you loved his company. It could be said that you fancied him too, but encouraging him would be taking advantage of the strange situation and you would never do that.

" It's allright, Thor. I'm fine just like this. We are friends, you can help me arround ... "

" I insist, that's how I will repay you for all the troubles I have caused. " He cutted you off with determination. " I will take you to a real Royal Ball."

He sounded so serious about it that you began to question your own sanity.

" The noblefolk would be judging, It's a bad idea. "

" They will see you like I do." He optimistically replicated. " Your looks will reflect your royal spirit and you will not have to flee at midnight. If that's your desire, you will get to dance with a real prince ... Maybe two, if Loki also requires it. Ask him nicely and we may convince him of hexing your shoes to look as if made of crystal."

You giggled out of a pure,sweet surprise while hearing the details of the fantasy he was almost roping you in.

" That's very sweet. You are the sweetest man I have ever known."

You were gazing into each other's eyes when he formalized the promise.

"Currently less than what you deserve, but I will fix that soon. I will be back to my former glory, I will be worthy of you and In honor of your infinite kindness and patience, I shall make your dreams come true. "

[thatswhatsushesaid]

more salty commentary about.... salty fandom commentary, but for a fandom i'm not really involved with

ftr this is about the gay-ass (affectionate) vampire show

squinting at some of super vitriolic anti-armand commentary that tumblr's algorithm keeps throwing at me like 'this? you want this one bestie? no? what about this one instead?' when in fact i want none of these takes, actually. "i don't believe a word that comes out of that lying liar's mouth!!" "of course he could have stopped claudia and madeleine's murders, he's the most powerful vampire in the world!!" (uh, i'll come back to that one later. maybe. if i feel like it) "he was onboard the 'let's murder claudia!' train from the very beginning!!!" etc. if you're even peripherally keeping your finger on the pulse of this fandom's discourse, you've probably seen some of this, too.

and... okay. bearing in mind two things:

it's been about 20+ years since i read the original novels, and

the show's relationship to the original novels, as well as the 1994 movie, is both conversational and subversive,

two seasons into this delicious mess, how are we still collectively failing to recognize that the central conceit of amc's retelling is that, intentional or not, all recollection of louis' past is both catharsis (for louis) and performance (for ???)? that all of louis' recollection of his own actions, as well as the actions of the other vampires in his orbit, is filtered through the lens of his own feelings about those vampires in that moment? like this isn't a subtle storytelling device, this is something the show is repeatedly bashing us over the head with again and again and again: louis' reliability as a narrator of his own experiences can't be trusted even when he isn't so consumed with rage that he tries to drain twenty year old daniel molloy dry for the unforgivable crime of /checks my notes, mouthing off at him like a dumbass, or goes into vulgar detail describing to lestat precisely how he is going to kill him, cut his head off, and then feed his decapitated head to lions at the zoo. which, it bears mentioning, is not the version of events that we were presented with during s1, but it is the version of events that louis himself comes to reluctantly believe is the more accurate recollection of the past.

does that make lestat into The Real Victim™️ who did nothing wrong to louis or claudia, ever? please tell me you're not actually asking me this question. be serious.

the point is that louis is right in the thick of feeling his intensely passionate vampire feelings about armand in real time, in the present day, while looking backwards through time at the 77 years they have spent together, and he is questioning everything. justifiably so, for the record! why wouldn't he question the actions and motivations of the supposed love of his life after discovering that such an important memory from his and daniel molloy's shared past was erased from his mind? but seriously, if you have reached this point in the story and your takeaway from the last episode boils down to "THIS TIME louis' recollection of the past is definitely 100% accurate! the rose-tinted glasses are OFF and we can see the TRUTH about you now armand!!!" then i just. i don't know what to say to you. lmfao.

anyway rather than getting into the weeds with anyone actually in the fandom about which of these diva vampire daddies is right, actually, find me hanging out with claudia and madeleine's ashes giving all of them the proverbial finger. because honestly, fuck all these vampires (affectionate).

[amiti-art]

TSATS SPOILERS

Okay, so I finished the book and I have a question: where tf is Apollo?????

I get that he couldn't go on a quest with them, he said so at the end of ToN but why doesn't he appear at camp at the end of the book? Or at least visit Will in a dream? Hades did that for Nico.

Also at the beginning it's said that Rachel spoke the same prophecy like 12 times. Apollo is literally the god of prophecies, why isn't he doing anything about it? (Unless Rachel first went to him and he told her to go with this to Nico and Will and asked her not to tell them that he sent her. Idk just an idea).

Personaly I don't have a problem with Will thinking that he might not see Apollo in years or even ever again, because well, it's not presented as fact, it's what Will thinks. And it fits with his fear of abandonment that we can see later in the book. If he has moments when he thinks that his boyfried could leave him behind in the Tartarus or the Underworld then I can easily belive that he thinks that his dad wouldn't bother with visits now when he's a god again.

But that's exacly why Apollo visiting at the end, to give Will comfort after a dengerous quest, would be perfect. It would prove that Will's assumptions were wrong. (I'm just gonna pretend that this is what happened the next day 🙃)

This book has a problem with mentioning important characters in general. Like where are Jerry, Gracie and Yan, you know, Will's new siblings? What was the point of introducing them if their existence is never acknowledged? Austin and Kayla are never mention during the quest itself, they just go home and Will and Nico never think or talk about them. And Hazel, the only alive sibling Nico has, is mationed like once I think???

So it's not that Apollo is the only victim of narration here, but he it the most noticible one because 1) he was a main character in the previous books. 2) he's name is constantly mantion in reference to Will: 'son of Apollo said this' 'son of Apollo did that' and so on. And maybe it's just me, but did anyone else noticed that Will is refered like this a bit too often? Like Nico is somtimes called "Son of Hades" by narration but not near as often as Will is called his father's son, especialy in the later in the story. Like at some point I had a feeling that the book was literally screaming at me "Hey remember Will's dad? This guy named Apollo? Yeah we know he's not in this book, but don't forget about him! He's still important we swear". Anyone else noticed this? Maybe I'm just being delusional but I swear they were doing this for a reason.

I don't know what are Rick's plan for the future, maybe there will be an explanation on why Apollo was so ignored by this book. Maybe he was super busy with something, or maybe he feard that if he intervenes he would bring Zeus' attention to Will and Nico and tbh we don't know how Zeus feels about quest to Tartarus, especialy if the said quest involves saving a titan (because let's be honest, Zeus probably dosen't like the idea of bringing a titan out of Tartarus).

Or maybe Apollo's planing a revolutuon to take his tyrannical father down, who knows.

Sorry if this is a bit messy, I normally don't write analasys/observations but I wanted to get this of my chest (also English is my 2nd language so sorry for all the mistakes)

[autisticlalna]

anyway uh. ruby showed off a new skin on stream today, and theres been something ive been wondering abt with her skins, and this one in particular caught my attention because the sunglasses are darker than normal.

pardon the peeling, but:

thats.. new.

cherruby's eye color has just kinda become a Thing i keep squinting at since episode 4. because the episode where we get the "timeline status: unstable" message from R.C. is the same message where the clock glitches out is the same episode where we first see a hint of blue and red under cherruby's shades in the thumbnail.

their eyes are hidden again on episode 5's thumbnail, but that's also the episode where we first see the talksprites Box made, and those have visible eye colors. and then more obviously, episodes 6 and 7's thumbnails have the eye color clearly visible.

so, uh, all of that is when and after the timeline becomes unstable.

(ep4's thumbnail is also the only time the clock is at night instead of halfway between night and day and im STILL squinting at that but im trying to wrangle my adhd ass into focusing on one thing at a time)

but now it's on the skin, and that's kinda concerning. it's not very visible (hence me having to peel him), but it's there. specifically, it's there partially.

this worries me. i dont know if its actually linked to the timeline instability or what, but its definitely something thats happening. its also notable that its happening when theyre mimicking someone by proximity again.

im trying to avoid pointing and going "AH! SAPPHIRE!" like how im trying to avoid pointing at summertime and going "AH! BLUE!", but like. our first indication of sapphire in tsmp was the eye color change. and then there's the thing with the wings and losing thereof, which was a Big Deal in tsmp. and-- okay, this is a tangent thought, but ahah hey isnt it weird that sapphire communicates in mangrove signs and cherruby's eye color change happened on the skin where he's mimicking someone from mangrove kingdom. anyway

..if this isnt sapphire, though, then whats going on? in episode 1's opening narration there was the blue-red echo effect on "time", so that association is there. there's also the cherry kingdom clocktower, which has the same inconsistent clock faces as the upside-down clocktower on tsmp (and ruby said offhandedly yesterday that time doesn't work quite right in cherry kingdom).

if this is sapphire, when is this happening? navigator(?) / VP is actively observing sbk and told truby about the other her that's "turning into a monkey for some reason" (lmao), but he also said that he's "not good with time", and i cant remember what exactly he said but he was distracted by SOMETHING when moving the twitchcon duo. so uh, we cant exactly trust him as a reference point for "these things are happening side-by-side". which brings up the concept of sbk being before tsmp, but that raises even more questions because does that mean Summertime is sapphire's brother?

but, no, the way cherruby talks about summertime puts distance between them, in sharp contrast to sapphire and her brother being close enough that his vanishing made xem break down. and cherruby mentioned that he does have a family back where he came from and was wondering if they were missing her. WHICH IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT THING WE HAVENT TALKED ABOUT, ACTUALLY. CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT? PROBABLY NOT IN THIS POST BC THIS IS LONG ENOUGH ALREADY, BUT,

...hey wouldn't it be fucked up if the book cherruby has with the clock and compass is truby's journal.

[lil-melody-moon]

Okay so I thought and thought and thought about writing a chapter by chapter "Tommy" fic and I gotta say I've decided to write it.

I wrote the base for the plot, it still seems solid to me, I wrote a "test" fragment to see if the third narration fits, if the setting is weird enough, if a certain bond is strong enough to make changes and I dare to say I probably worked so hard on it, that it is - I have this idea since November 2023 so a lot of time.

So, without further ado, what I wanna write is this: "Tommy" fic that focuses on an uncle x niece trope (so basically Uncle Ernie x Me fic - yes, that will be a self-insert), but in a way that there will be a bond between them. I have this whole idea of me being the unwanted daughter of Nora and Frank (giving Tommy a loving sister in the process) who finds the parental love in Uncle Ernie's arms, but the bond I'll create with him as a child will actually have a side effect that will resolve in Uncle Ernie falling in love with me at a very young age and with me falling in love with Uncle Ernie once I grow up enough to realize that perhaps I see him more than a parental figure.

Can't say much more, but this is what the whole idea is based off. I also want to see if there will be any interest in reading this kind of fic so that's why this post exists and that's why I've decided to share the "test" fragment I wrote. It generally shows what atmosphere this fic will have, how I see the situation unfolding. It might appear in the fic in a changed form. It's down below, under "read more" so if you're interest, go ahead and read it and I hope you enjoy it <3

Tagging the ones who were interested from the get go and the ones who were liking the posts where I've mentioned this fic - I read it as in that you're interested, don't feel forced to read what's in the "read more" section:

@jimmysdragonsuit13 @radioroger @ennals @burn-on-the-flame @fiammee @minty-playhouse @dzdndcnfsd @littlemissheavenonearth

The frustration was getting to him, his beloved alcohol not helping much anymore, the image of his niece burned into his mind without any way to erase it. She's looking at him with that sweet smile on her face, so happy to see him, calling him uncle in that innocent and full of adoration voice of hers that is driving him insane… The empty pint hit the hard table at the bar, Uncle Ernie muttering curses under his breath, while Frank was observing him cautiously.

"Ernie" Frank mumbled, more drunk than his friend, but that was normal. He could never outdrink him. "What's going on?"

"A woman is stuck in my mind." He didn't look at Frank, he didn't have to. "It's starting to piss me off…"

Frank's grin was as big as never before. "Did you, perhaps, fall in love, you old fool?" The idea of that was laughable to Frank, but what he heard next made him change his mind.

"I fucking did." The silence after that was heavy. Frank cleared his throat, not believing in what he was hearing.

"You're too drunk" he concluded, drinking the rest of his beer. "You've never treated a woman like she's deserving to be treated, I doubt you even know what love is. As far as I can tell, I would call it lust not love-"

"I couldn't even bring myself to touch her." Uncle Ernie spat out, hitting the table with his dirty fingers. Frank blinked in disbelief. "If it was lust, I would fuck her years ago. And now as it is…" A short, high laugh escaped his throat. He didn't finish the sentence, but he knew exactly what would happen if he had a chance. My tiny sweet wouldn't survive it, he thought, creepy smile appearing on his face at the thought of his niece crying and whimpering beneath him as his cock is buried deep inside her. Shivers run down his spine, not to mention that he got hard at the idea, a visible bump forming on his pants.

"That woman has to be a witch" Frank commented, shaking his head, to which Uncle Ernie laughed. He suddenly turned to Frank with insanity in his eyes.

"She's a beautiful angel!" he announced as if it was the most obvious thing on earth. "Curly, light green eyed, chubby beauty who you've handed to me since she was a little girl!"

Frank needed a while to connect dots, when he did, he suddenly felt sober again. "Are you…" Frank's voice ceased to exist when the person Uncle Ernie described appeared in his mind. "Are you talking about my Caroline?"

"She's not yours" Uncle Ernie corrected him. "She never was, you've never loved her." He pointed an accusatory finger at Frank. "She only calls you her dad because she has to, because she's your offspring."

Any father would get mad upon hearing this revelation, upon knowing that his own friend fell in love with his daughter, but not Frank. He actually smirked. "You are right about that. Caroline was always a bother to me."

Uncle Ernie laughed upon hearing it, he knew he was right. He was the one Caroline called dad when she was little and who she still treated like one. "She feels that, you know?"

"She told you?" Frank asked out of sheer curiosity. A plan was slowly forming in his mind.

Uncle Ernie nodded. "Plenty of times."

"How can you know it didn't change?" Frank put another question out. Uncle Ernie lifted an eyebrow. "Caroline's been avoiding you and here you are, thirsting for her like a dog."

"She called me two days ago" Uncle Ernie explained, calming down a little bit. Back at his home, he almost fell while hearing her voice on the other side. "She was crying, apologizing to me, asking if we could meet."

"Did you decline the offer?" Frank had to hold himself to not burst out laughing at the way Uncle Ernie glared at him, offended.

"I accepted. There was a reason why I was at your house yesterday" he explained, still regretting that nothing had happened. That one kiss wasn't enough.

"Then I'll have good news for you!" Frank exclaimed, taking Uncle Ernie aback. "You might have a chance to visit her and live with her for a few days." Upon seeing Uncle Ernie's confused expression, Frank started explaining: "I'm planning to go on holidays with Nora. I was about to leave Tommy with Caroline, she can take care of him well, but we can take him with us, just to leave her to you."

Uncle Ernie quickly caught up with Frank's way of thinking. "Are you giving her to me?"

Frank smiled widely. "If she's so eager to go to you then I can allow that."

I might finally get rid of her, Frank thought.

I might finally get her for myself, Uncle Ernie thought, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "When are you planning to go?" Was his next question.

"In a month" Frank answered.

"Enough to get close to her" Uncle Ernie mumbled, laughing to himself, already feeling excited. The only question left was if he was able to hold himself for another month.

[justaneedle]

Okay, I didn't even plan think about Thalia, but thinking about Luke and Annabeth will certainly lead to her, too. And to my problems with her.

Luke and Annabeth — kin. Annabeth is just kin, so I don't love her so much as I understand and accept her.

Luke is a kin mixed with the biggest "what if" of my life. Therefore, I understand, accept and absolutely unconditionally love him.

And the fact that my two kins have never completely ditched each other till the end probably doesn't do a favor to Thalia, who is not only inconsistently written, but also has no real connection with Annabeth and is the only one who truly dumped Luke... in general, there is hardly anyone to whom I would treat — with my own attachment issues — worse than Thalia.

If she were a normally written character, I might be influenced by the explanations of the fandom that this is related to Annabeth in TTC. But against the background of the fact that Rick didn't prescribe the relationship between them from books 3 to 5, and the fact that we have Annabeth as an unreliable narrator in books 1 and 2... even when I consciously try, I can't convince myself that the relationship between Thalia and Annabeth is at least somewhat comparable to the relationship between Luke and Thalia in importance (which is also questionable due to the way Thalia is written), and it's better not even stutter about the weight of the relationship between Annabeth and Luke.

Annabeth and Luke clearly share attachment issues that Annabeth hates changes, which is why she will prefer poor stability to any change, even if it's an attempt to change objectively rotten stability to something better.

Annabeth understands Luke's motives, but simply refuses to accept that he has a life of his own. Annabeth stays on the side of the gods not because they are a more preferable constant, but on the contrary — Annabeth has a better chance of getting Luke back, getting him to be with her again, than to pull off reform (when her hubris isn't really against) the entire system of the gods. That's why she also believed that Thalia wouldn't have joined Luke — Annabeth didn't really know Thalia, she was just a little kid, even if she was smart. The memories about Thalia itself became a constant, and if Luke moved on, Annabeth's brain made the logical conclusion that the constant (Thalia) wouldn't move on, because then it would be an unnecessary change, which Annabeth hates.

Luke's attachment issues are not related to any changes in general. He just wants to have people who love him and whom he can love in return. Feelings that would really be able to achieve the point from both ends, because with his parents it wasn't. He loves demigods as a species cause of his compassion — because of the rotten system of the gods, their lives are similar — filled with pain, suffering and death. And, of course, ideally, he would prefer those he loves to be by his side. He accepts that this is impossible for one reason or another, but as long as he knows that affection is not dead, he would like to be together with dear people. So he repeatedly asks Annabeth to join him (he also asks Percy about it in SOM) and Thalia to join him.

Annabeth, although she doesn't accept his offers, never completely turn around from Luke; Percy, although full of negative feelings to Luke, actually retains the lion's share of sympathy for the elder one, which becomes most obvious in TTC and BOTL, and in TLO is one of the key points at all. Thalia completely cuts off Luke in the TTC, and TLO only confirms this.

Thalia doesn't show purely human sympathy towards Luke, not to mention that Luke is supposed to be her best friend once.

So how should I perceive Thalia against the background of all this? Six months later (biologically, according to her feelings) she is someone who hated the gods for their shit and was Luke's best friend, but now she completely disowned him, after his alleged death by her foot hand Thalia quickly switches from grief to “you were right about”, leaves Annabeth becoming a servant of the goddess (dubious), after about 2 years she doesn't show any special emotions after reuniting with friends (again, Annabeth), but at the same time remains a servant of the goddess, even when it is no longer necessary, because... she is devoted to Artemis (?!?).

I can't bring myself to call Thalia anything other than spineless.

[animentality]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I'm curious. How much of a part do you think ketheric played in durge's downfall? I recently replayed moonrise and ketheric is smirking and gloating and the narrator even mentions he knows exactly who you are but will never tell. Gortash's memoirs indicate that they learned about the elder brain after visiting moonrise, and the warden says that durge only ever visited once and never left. Maybe durge and Gortash learned about the brain then just ran off to conspire together, giggling and plotting, and ketheric was just done? Especially since Durge and Gortash came up with the plan without him - leaving ketheric out while in his own domain. Plus, how did orin know they were even there? I can't see durge telling their underling about their plans. Did ketheric somehow find out about her and contact her like "I know how you can remove durge. Btw pretend to be Gortash, trust me"? She had no reason to be there. Plus the way ketheric smirks at durge, commenting "treat me like you would any other chosen" when it had been just him, durge, and Gortash previously, which is basically him saying to give him the respect durge gave Gortash. I feel like ketheric probably played a major role in it and I'm interested in your take on it. Thanks so much!

I never considered the double entendre of "treat me like you would any other chosen" and that was DEFINITELY Ketheric being a little cunty elf, like ok queen, I see you, I hear you, I feel that.

EDIT: Ok, I just checked, and he apparently says, "Obey me like you would any other chosen."

Which is less iconic. But still. Have a cookie for writing that little double entendre better than Larian.

Not so sure on the "obey" part in terms of durgetash though. I highly doubt the Dark Urge ever "obeyed" Gortash just, without question.

But as for if Ketheric was involved...I don't know.

He didn't seem particularly happy to have Orin on board. The plan really started unraveling when the Dark Urge was deposed too. I doubt he liked the power struggle. I don't think he really had a huge issue with the Dark Urge, all my joking aside, only because the plan was going along well when the three of them were working together.

Him smiling and being coy could just be him being amused at their state, since he's an asshole, and the last time the Dark Urge was at Moonrise, he was mad at them about something...

Although...to be fair...I guess we never did know why he was angry at them.

The Dark Urge specific scene says that the Dark Urge was "demanding" something from Ketheric.

But I don't think we ever really know what?

Like they were working together on their brain thing...the fuck were they annoyed about? What were they demanding?

Also...in the timeline where the Dark Urge just dies...Orin hikes their body all the way back to Baldur's Gate, fully intact?

She went all the way to Moonrise, then lugged it back?

I guess that's just nitpicking, but it doesn't totally make sense to me because, first off, I don't understand if Orin tadpoled Durge at moonrise or somewhere else. secondly, I just don't see why Ketheric would support an usuper instead of the Dark Urge.

Ketheric being a smug little bitch only because he hates you on principle would make SENSE. Because he definitely knew you got fucked, since Balthazar is his advisor, and he knows what happened to you. There's no way Balthy wouldn't have told Ketheric, right? So Ketheric just straight up didn't tell Gortash because he's an ass.

And he smirks at you because he's remembering how annoying you are, and he's glad to see that arrogant bhaalspawn put in their proper place.

But the story in terms of how/when the Dark Urge got tadpoled is very scattered! I am not the only person who's noted this. It's a MESS in terms of timelines. Especially where the Dark Urge is concerned.

I really don't know how involved Orin was in the Absolute Plan before she usurped the Dark Urge.

Was she their right hand, and thus, well known? It might make sense for Ketheric to hear her out...but again, I don't think he'd be fond of a power struggle?

Also.

You get tadpoled in the opening...but the Dark Urge is the first tadpole victim.

So I guess you had the misfortune of being tadpoled twice (ahaha, just kidding, this is a nitpick, I know it's the same for everyone).

More seriously though...so the Dark Urge seems to know Enver Gortash is the Chosen of Bane BEFORE they did their little Hall of Wonders date.

But Gortash says that their gods came to them in a dream? And named them as Chosens together, and to seek out Ketheric Thorm?

But then...then they didn't come up with the plan...they got sent to Moonrise...

"Together?"

But...the Dark Urge only went to Moonrise ONCE?

So????

It's CONFLICTING information! It gets even worse when you realize ok, so they went to Moonrise together (maybe?), found the mindflayer colony, realized they could enslave an Elder Brain, then decided to seek out Helsik to steal the Crown...but when they stole it, it's mentioned by Gortash that they "crowned" the Brain and THEN started the cult of the Absolute?

So the Dark Urge would be running through the streets murdering people????

So...where in the plan did the Dark Urge go missing?

So in short.

I really don't think Ketheric was involved in the Dark Urge disappearing...and insofar as, when and how did Orin kill them...

I don't know, but their body is literally in her bedroom if the Dark Urge dies in that timeline.

So...she never tadpoled them...then...who was the first victim?

And also. WHEN DID SHE DO IT?

AAAAARGH.

Anyway.

The wiki conflicts with info in the game, Gortash is a lying slut, the Dark Urge only has three notes and two of them are just thirsting over Gortash, and the other is inviting Orin to split their skull open...

We don't have any correspondence with Ketheric on the Absolute Plan because it's too early to find that out in act 2...

It's a mess, my guy (gn).

I don't even try to piece it together most of the time.

If anyone knows...dm or anon me, and we'll figure this out.

[emeritusemeritus]

Hello!! Could you write an angsty Fred x reader scenario, based on Melanie Martinez's song "Pacify Her"? Basically reader it's completely in love with him, but Fred doesn't realize it since he's in a relationship with Angelina Johnson (who does know about reader feelings, and bothers her on purpose). If you don't like the idea, ignore me hehe 😊❤

Hi Anon! Okay I have to admit, this one threw me for a loop but my gosh I actually love how this turned out. Hope I did your request justice! 🖤

Pacify her.

Warnings: Reader is delulu. Mentions of infidelity, unrequited love, slightly deceptive and devious behaviour from reader. Sorry Angelina. Unreliable narrator, plotting.

Word count: 1.3k

Someone told me stay away from things that aren't yours. But was he yours, if he wanted me so bad?

Loving Fred Weasley was as easy as breathing. He was funny, charming and unbelievably handsome, the kind of person people are naturally drawn to. He'd drew you in like he had so many others before you, becoming best friends so naturally that it felt like two magnets pulling together, unable to pull apart even if you wanted to. He was easy to like and even easier to love, a change that shifted so subtly that you'd never been able to put your finger on the moment that you'd started seeing him differently. But that's all we was and all he would ever be, your friend. You longed for more, longed to have him see you as you saw him, to have him feel what you felt and to stop the cruel and twisted emotions that came with unrequited love.

But then one day he did; he opened up, felt that pull to another person, wanted all the things you'd hoped for with him for so long only it wasn't for you, it was for Angelina.

She was beautiful, smart and incredibly talented on and off the quidditch pitch. Looking back now it was obvious why Fred liked her, blatantly so, on paper she was a natural fit for him, yet you would never find peace about it nor be happy for them as long as you tried. He was yours first.

He had always been completely oblivious to your affections, only further proving that he only saw you as a friend and nothing more, no matter how hard you tried to make him see; a fact that killed you deep down inside. To make matters worse, you and Angelina did not get along, at all. Once upon a time you might have been considered friends, but that was long in the past. You were the only girl in the inner friendship group, his best friend, natural competition for all potential girlfriend just by your standing in his inner circle. You were the one that the girls didn't trust, they didn't like your friendship with him; probably because you were so clearly in love with him.

For the sake of Fred's happiness, you'd tried to push down your feelings, to be at least cordial with Angelina even if it tore you up inside but the universe wouldn't allow you to fall with dignity, instead it seemed intent on smiting you wherever it could. You’d become almost numb to love now, numb to the pain and distraction it caused, pushed it down until it lay dormant inside you. One day it would escape from the prison inside you, the day that Fred Weasley told you he loved you.

Angelina knew how you felt about Fred, it was obvious from the looks she gave you, the roll of her eyes when Fred laughed at your jokes, the way she'd always try and physically put herself between you and Fred, being overly touchy and smothering whenever you were near, only to give you a smug little smile that he never seemed to notice. The way she whined constantly when she didn’t get her way, like an overgrown toddler that didn’t know how to communicate. It was childish, stupid and getting on your nerves.

I can't stand her whining

Where's her binky now?

Watching them on the quidditch pitch was like enduring purgatory with no hope of paradise on the other side. Her hands all over him and the secret whispers that made his cheeks heat up redder than his hair, it was all for you. Purposefully done just to hurt you, to punish you for having feelings for her boyfriend. But he was yours first.

Pacify her

She's getting on my nerves

Her whining only got stronger once he’d made plans with you to visit the kitchens after hours, something you often did to kill the hours on a boring evening. She whined and clung to him with a pout whilst he tried to reason with her, a pointless effort you thought. Why was he with her? Why joy did he get from her companionship? Did he actually have feelings for her or was he just stuck? Unaware that he could have had you, a much better fit for him, someone that could love him for exactly who he was, in exactly the right ways.

You don't love her

Stop lying with those words

The cracks started appearing only a few months into their relationship, your eagle eyes missing nothing. Her whining and near constant pout had been incessant, all because Fred and George had invited you to the Burrow over the summer holidays, an annual tradition that had been established years ago. You’d goof around down by the lake, fire off fireworks on the warm summer nights, perhaps steal a beer or two from Arthur’s stash and eat the best food you’d ever eaten for the whole week curtesy of Molly. Of course she was unhappy about that, trying to persuade him to cancel, to change his plans and go to meet her mum and dad. When he didn’t fall in line immediately, she became pretty unbearable to be around, if she wasn’t already before. Fred started looking tired, worn down, his restrictive relationship becoming a burden.

And loving her seems tiring

So boy, just love me.

Summer came around quickly and your visit to the Burrow was well underway, surrounded by the family you loved, the boy you loved. You had hardly stopped laughing since the moment you arrived, immediately met with warmth and love. The hug Fred gave you lingered for a while, his warmth, the sweet scent of him and the softness of him lingering all around you for what seemed hours.

Until the letters started coming.

George had sighed, silently protesting the unceasing flow of letters sometimes multiple times a day. Errol was exhausted, completely depleted after two days of flying back and forth, usually with less than soft landings. Fred hadn’t said anything outright as he’d sat and replied to her but you could tell he was getting frustrated, his usually playful demeanour beginning to wane.

It’s late night, perhaps early morning when you both sit on the floor in his and George’s room, the light of a little lantern illuminating the space between you as George lies fast asleep in his bed, oblivious to your little gathering. You’re wearing Fred’s sweater, the early morning chill creeping in through the small, unavoidable gap in the window. You’d like to say that you hadn’t been prepared for it, forgetting your sweater, appearing to forget about the tiny but impactful crack but in reality your sweater lay unneeded at the bottom of your bag.

Fred sighs, resting his forehead on his bent knee as you sit crowded together between the beds, his shoulders resting on George’s bed frame.

Your eyes flick up to him, worried about the heavy sigh until your eyes follow his gaze, looking at the building stack of unopened letters that sat on their shared desk, all from today.

You don't love her

“Tell me,” you say gently, giving him the option to finally be truthful with you. He looks up at you for a moment, holding strong until you see his resolve break, shoulders dropping.

“It’s just not easy, not like it should be… not like it would be with you.”

“Then be with me.”

Time stops as you stare at each other, the words finally spoken out loud after so many years. Cards finally laid out on the table.

The last letter he sends Angelina is a definitive end to their correspondence and to their relationship.

Tired, blue boy walks my way

Holding a girl's hand

That basic bitch leaves finally

Now I can take her man

[strixcattus]

Oh, oh shoot! Gotta hurry up!

So how do we know the Narrator's even a real person on the pacineutral routes?

I mean... "Hey now! You aren't made of money!" They're able to take over occasionally, like when you try to give more money to gyftrot.

"it's so funny, you can't stop, tears run down your face... what, you didn't do that?" They're able to converse with Frisk during the fight with Snowdrake's mum or this... "Look at all these toys! ...They don't interest you at all", being excited at the toys, realizing Frisk feels differently, and then reacting to that...odd?

Their knowledge set can be pretty weird sometimes, like knowing what golden flowers are immediately but having to read about "water sausages", or the fact that the check function is supposed to give advice but the narrator will give the most basic, useless observation if it's a monster.... that they wouldn't know about "he likes to say nyeh nyeh", and with Mettaton, they give an entirety dud option because they just don't know what to do, if you pick burn "this is probably what you'll do if things continue in this manner" (Thanks, Narry!) (They know about froggits for example because that's about the species rather than a single, specific monster)

And then there's the fact that ghosts (and only ghosts) seem able to hear them "this monster doesn't seem to have a sense of humour" (to napstablook)/"oh, i'm real funny"(napstablook responds) (this was already there in the demo)

And then there's the rare first person text when running away "I'm outta here" "Don't slow me down" "I've got better to do" so... apart from the fact that narry actually shows opposite opinions to Frisk sometimes, this is what proves that it's not just Frisk's inner monologue in second person and is fact another person talking directly to them.

So now that's out of the way, what are some of the easiest facts about the narrator we can glean?

They're human (naturally, they talk about pop culture, know what the usda is, and even know about determination (yeah, all the kids could reset. Toriel mentions deja vu for all kids, and Asgore isn't at all surprised to know he killed Frisk multiple times. Also, looking in the files, we can see Cain's save file was never used but... "determination...that power you were trying to stop", that seems more like a dislike for the power than a lack of it. (Which, yes, means they probably could have reset and saved Asriel and themselves when being attacked... but didn't. You'll see why... but well, that's why I call them Cain) moving on

They're a child, around the same age as Frisk and Asriel, hence the excitement for toys and the "butts pie" joke and the neverending impatience.

They're a... ghost? But in the same undead way that Flowey and the almagamates are rather than the type of monster

They're tied to Frisk from near the beginning, much the same way Azzy's essence is tied to his flower (though they don't speak instantly. The first room is silent, but if you meet flowey then backtrack, then you'll get narration)

This is also just part 1, chew on this while I write the rest (or after)

Chewing on this chewing on it. First human?

Well. I'm still approaching Snowdin trying to build up the nerve to kill Papyrus (which is something I probably would have done by accident the first time around had I not been so bad at combat, since I hadn't realised I could win by sparing him, but it's not as though that makes this any easier), so there's time yet.