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megamindsecretlair · 1 year ago

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Be My Little Darling - Chapter 7

Chapter 6 Chapter 8

Pairing: Loki x Black!Fem!reader / Plus Size reader

Warnings: 18+. Minors DNI. You are in charge of your own reading experience. Angst. Torture, toxic Loki, use of magic, and mentions of survivor's guilt.

Summary: Loki is the exclusive owner of the hottest club in New Asgard. Dubbed the Nine Realms, each of the nine rooms represent a different realm. You are his second in command, working the floors and ensuring everyone is having fun. When a shipment goes missing, Loki has to question the kitchen staff and get to the bottom of who's hurting the club.

Word Count: 2,607k

Masterlist

A/N: There's just something about toxic fictional characters that tears me to bits LOL. Likes are always awesome. Please consider commenting and reblogging to help support writers!

Taglist: @cantstayawaycani @braverthanthenewworld @monaeesstuff @headcannonxgalore @chaos-4baby @dayjlovesromance @soft-persephone @mybonafidefeelings

Loki could still taste Darling in his mouth and it was driving him insane. He could hardly concentrate as he walked past all of his kitchen staff. He did have the patience of a god but he wondered just what Darling was holding on to.

If it were a matter of logic, he could present you with the facts of your attraction. As soon as you came to work for him, you drew an aura around you that captivated him. Not many people or things did. You had an easy working relationship and it was offset by your chemistry. He had backups for his arguments for why you would make a formidable pair.

If it were a matter of emotion, he had all manners of ways to appeal to your baser instincts. You always came undone when he touched you. It seemed like you were nearly close every time. He’d take you to the precipice and something called you back. Away from him.

He wasn’t too proud to admit that he was jealous of it. Of that secret part of you that you held so near and dear in your heart. He wanted the inside of your heart. He wanted your everything.

The kitchen staff before him trembled and watched him with a wary eye. You hovered in the background. Pride swelled in his chest whenever he’d see you flinch and hiss from him smacking your ass. His hand twitched with the urge to do it again. But alas, more pressing matters were afoot.

“We have a saboteur,” Loki announced. No one twitched. It either wasn’t one of them or they were damn good at lying. He doubted they were that good at lying. Loki stalked back and forth like a caged tiger.

He was sick of the puzzles and games. The mishaps around his club. An attack on his club was an attack on him. He could handle it, but he didn’t want his people harmed or his money interrupted. Whoever the person was…Loki clenched his fists. Perhaps Darling wasn’t the only one wound tight.

“The past few weeks, there have been accidents and screw ups. Kitchen fires, missing shipments. The other day, our own Angel was hurt on stage in front of witnesses. Our saboteur must be an embittered employee. Perhaps former. I should like to think I’m a fair boss,” he said.

The staff gave each other a look before bobbing their heads up and down. Some were tall, some were short. Some wore white chefs uniforms with aprons and stained kitchen towels thrown over their shoulders. Some had their sleeves rolled up, arms crossed in front of them. A few were shaking. Not from fear of guilt, it didn’t look like.

“I’ve vetted them myself, Loki. They wouldn’t mess with the club. It’s like home to us,” you said.

“Stay out of this,” Loki demanded. He didn’t need you clouding his judgment in the moment. He needed his wits about him.

“You. Where were you earlier?” Loki pointed to a man on the end, with short graying hair. The man startled before clearing his throat. “Prep, sir,” he said.

“And did you see Darling this morning? Sign for the delivery?” Loki asked.

“No, sir,” he said.

“Who did?” Loki asked. Hands tentatively wavered to the air. Loki questioned them all. They all saw you pop in and say hello. You went to the bay to sign for the shipment, you spoke with Justin, and then left. Justin delayed going outside but when he did, the shipment was gone. Poof. Vanished.

Loki sighed as he looked at the sorry lot. His patience was precariously thin. He singled Justin out and made him stand forward, away from the others. “Tell me what happened.”

Justin wrung his hands, sweating profusely. Loki didn’t detect magic on the man. But if the saboteur flitted throughout the club undetected, it stood to reason that they’d hide in plain sight as well. Loki didn’t recognize the man from before. He was Asgardian, but was he magical?

In starts and stops, Justin recounted what happened exactly as the others put it. Stockroom first, bar second. Loki watched Justin as he spoke. Loki huffed a laugh and looked at Justin.

“Do you take me for a fool?” Loki asked before his power unfurled and the kitchen staff behind Justin screamed out in pain. Justin whipped around as the staff were in various states of sinking to the floor.

“No!” You rushed forward. Loki held out a hand to keep you in place while he cast illusions over the staff. Their worst nightmares were brought to life. Except for Justin. He watched in horror as they writhed.

“Do you not think I can tell when someone is lying to my face?” Loki spoke calmly, jovially as he stepped closer to Justin. He grinned at the man but it was more like a baring of teeth.

“I swear–”

“Do not swear unless you mean it, wholeheartedly. Their suffering is on your hands,” Loki said. His voice dropped, nearly a seductive whisper.

“Stop it!” You cried out. Loki ignored you. “If you’re going to punish anyone, punish me!”

“Admirable, Darling. But not what I’m after.” Loki kept his eyes on Justin. “I will have the truth.”

The kitchen staff were still screaming. They were on the floor now. Some had merely sat, staring off into space. Shock got them by now. Others were fighting it, wiggling on the ground like listless worms. Justin shook from head to foot.

“I was in the stockroom!” Justin yelled out. “Oh gods, stop!”

“You must think so little of your fellow coworkers,” Loki mocked with fake sympathy.

“Loki, you bastard! Let them go,” you yelled. You pushed against his hold on you. You were a powerful sorceress in your own right, to be able to fight him off. He half wondered why you didn’t use your powers more.

Loki ignored you. His focus was on Justin, on the way the man dripped with sweat. Whatever he was lying about, Loki would hear the truth.

Justin sighed. “Stop it! Stop it! I was in the stock room. With…Carter,” Justin said. He hung his head with a sigh of defeat escaping him.

“Ah,” Loki said. Asgardians didn’t care about that but this Carter person must’ve. Loki released everyone, including you, and they panted on the ground. Their screams died away. Justin looked toward who Loki assumed was Carter but the man turned away from him.

You rounded on Loki, your earlier pain forgotten, and you pushed Loki. He was immovable. He arched a brow at you and smirked.

“You had no right!” You yelled. “You don’t punish employees like that! Ever!”

“I have every right!” Loki’s voice boomed and echoed in the tiled expanse of the kitchen. “I own this space, this club, the floor we walk on, and those in my employ. It’s mine!” He advanced on you, getting into your face. Not as a lover this time, but as a true god. The Prince of Asgard. The Heir of Jotunheim. No one stood in his path. No one.

“You will be left with nothing if you continue to push people around like pieces on a chess board!” You pushed him again. And again. Each time, Loki didn’t move because he didn’t want to move. He chuckled at your feeble attempts.

You slapped him. The bright sting of pain made him smile harder. “Bit harder next time, Darling,” he said.

You did slap him harder. He grabbed you by the throat and pulled you in closer. “You’re better than this, Loki,” you managed to squeeze out.

Loki chuckled and leaned in close. His lips brushed yours. “Do not attempt to tame me,” Loki whispered. He stared into your eyes. He couldn’t decipher the emotions there but he knew desire when he saw it.

Still, you fought him. Fought the side of you that needed release. It was beginning to irritate him. He was a god brought low by the part you refused to share. He wanted it. Like a spoiled child reaching for the last slice of cake when no one else had any.

You were mad at him. So be it. Perhaps you’d finally let go of the control you so desperately clung to. He wanted you to yell, to scream, to punch things. You kept such a tight leash on your emotions. He wanted to pick at the threads keeping your seams together and unravel it until he got your core.

He wanted the universe inside of you. Every star, every nebula, and every wayward black hole. He wanted your ugly, your beautiful, and your very essence. He wanted and wanted.

You pushed him away. Denied him once again. Loki moved back.

“We will find the saboteur another way. Not like this,” you said. Your teeth were clenched and you were no longer looking at him. He stared at you until your eyes met his.

“Pray, tell me how then?”

You didn’t have the slightest fucking clue. You weren’t a fucking detective. But it couldn��t be like this. If he tortured everyone in the club, there would be no one left who wanted to work here. This went beyond a mere occupational hazard. Despite his little tantrum, he did not have the right to treat desperate and hard working people like this.

These people lost absolutely everything. Their home, their families, their jobs. They were in a foreign land with foreign people and customs. All they had was the club and Loki was too stupid to realize it. Or to care.

You knew he was cruel. This wasn’t even the first time you’d seen him unleash his powers on someone. It should’ve sickened you. But nothing he did ever turned your stomach. You understood him. Sometimes, emotions were too big and too wild to contain inside. The big ones like lust, rage, euphoria were too much for one body to contain. As much as Loki wanted to project an aura of control and carefree mischief, he was still a man reaching for what everyone else was reaching for: to be understood.

“It must be together,” you said, throwing his earlier words back at him. His eyebrows raised a fraction before smirking.

“Very well,” he said.

You sighed. You felt like you had just defused a bomb. You turned to the kitchen staff. “Fan out. Someone saw something and there’s only so many places to hide our ale,” you said.

The staff gave Loki a wide berth as they muttered amongst themselves. You’d have to talk to them individually. Especially Justin and Carter. You had suspected but…

Justin crossed towards Carter. A human with honey-golden skin and dark hair and features. He recoiled from Justin’s touch and wiped at his eyes. You hated that Loki made Justin confess in front of everyone. Who cared if he was in the stockroom? The place was probably crawling with…unpleasant things from all the employees. It was one of the only rooms you could lock. There were no perishables inside so…

You turned to Loki who watched you, cold and calculating as always. Still, you couldn’t bring yourself to hate him. It would be easier if that were the case. He was the one that always riled you up and yet you were the one that always wanted to soothe him.

You stepped closer to him. “That can’t happen again,” you said.

“You’re giving me orders?” He asked and smirked. He looked you up and down and you hated that your body reacted instantly.

“Not everything is a damn sexual innuendo. That was too far,” you said.

“Not far enough in my view. Someone is messing with my club. The list of my enemies is not short. The list of my magical enemies is even longer. We are leagues away from a lot of them but it’s not difficult to surmise this is where I am after the destruction Thanos wrought. My enemies could have been snapped or remain in their own realms but someone hates me enough to make the trek here. Instead of facing me they’re…”

“Intentionally driving you mad?”

Loki’s lips parted but he nodded. “As a form of…”

“Punishment? Revenge?”

“Both. Either.” His nostrils flared as he thought about it. “I’ve made a career of caring for nothing and no one, Darling. I got my own mother killed by being petty when I was confined. But this…this I care about. And the saboteur knows it.”

You slipped your hand in his. He was as surprised as you were. You forced yourself to hold his hand and look into his captivating eyes. “They’re not trying to harm the place. Their tricks have been, well, petty as well. Hiding shipments, bewitching customers, sending Angel through the stage. They could’ve burned this place to the ground ten times over. They’re not going to take this from us.” Yes, you included yourself in that, don’t make a thing of it.

Loki smiled at you. An expected boyish smile that made his eyes crinkle and made you smile in return. You liked seeing that smile. And pleasure ran through you knowing that you put it there on his face.

“Uh, the shipment is in the bay.” You looked away from Loki to see one of the dishwashers, Harry, pointing outside. You glanced at Loki who frowned.

You followed him back out into the shipping bay. Sure enough, there was the shipment. Relief passed through the kitchen staff like a tangible thing. They kept their celebrations quiet as they eyed Loki’s reaction.

Together, you walked to the shipment. There was a giant red bow on it like it was a present. You were sure that if you checked the cameras, it would have just appeared. But who? Why? What did the saboteur gain from this? To embarrass Loki?

A dark thought raced through your mind. This would be quite embarrassing. Loki never usually lost his cool or let anyone see past the facade of a devilish club owner. These mistakes and mishaps were undermining Loki’s authority.

Fear gripped you as Loki approached the shipment. Like any good present, it came with a card. The card was long instead of wide. It was a deep, emerald green and shimmered as he flipped it back and forth.

You approached and read it over his shoulder. All it said was “remember”. Whatever the fuck that meant. You looked at his face. He scowled at the card as if it were to blame for everything that had been going on here. He flipped it between his delicate fingers.

“It smells faintly of magic. But I can’t place it,” he said quietly.

You turned to the staff and discreetly waved them away. They wasted no time getting back inside and getting back to work. Once you were alone, you put your hand on his arm and turned him towards you.

“It stands to reason that whoever this is, is constantly watching and listening in. Leaving this card, they must think they’re winning,” you said.

There was no way to hide what you had puzzled out earlier, so you just told him. He showed no emotion as you told him your theory but his jaw flexed as he thought it over.

“They want me to react, to split my attention. They will sneak in when I least expect it and strike while I’m distracted.” he said.

“Yes,” you said.

He smiled and nodded, looking out to the setting sun. He smirked at you. Devil indeed. He held out his arm and you took it.

“Well, then. Let’s give them a show.”

Masterlist | Chapter 6 | Chapter 8

#megaminds secret files #The Secret Loki Files #Loki x Black!reader #Loki x Black reader #Loki x Fem!reader #Loki x Fem reader #Loki x plus size reader #Loki x you #Loki x reader #marvel smut #Loki fanfic #Loki fan fic #Loki imagine #Loki fanfiction #Loki fan fiction

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7grandmel · 6 months ago

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Blog Update - 16/06/2024

TL;DR: My 1-month break is over! The blog is returning but with a slower rate of posts. New forms of posts will start rolling out soon as well - scroll down to the bullet-point list for details.

Hello all! I've been receiving some asks and questions in the request form wondering where I've been this past month. Rest assured, I've been fine. With Athletic Doctor back in May, I reached the one-year anniversary of doing this daily-rip-posting thing, and today, June 16th, marks the one-year anniversary of this blog's existence as a whole with Snowball Park - Super Mario 3D World. Because yeah, for those first 30 posts I didn't do this as part of a blog, but as a daily activity for my own personal Tumblr account on @melblur. If you compare the word counts on those first few posts (the "First 30 Archive") to the posts made later in the blog's run, you'll likely be able to see how my focus in writing evolved, going from mere shoutouts and recommendations to full-on retrospectives and analysis. That was a large part of why I chose the blog's initial name as "Tumblr's SiIvaGunner Historian", there's something about regaling these oft-forgotten events in the channel's history that just invigorates me, a passion that kept me doing this for a year straight. What began as nothing but a laid-back writing exercise to keep my mind sharp became something that, on some days for rips that I was truly passionate about, drew my FULL undivided attention for an entire day's worth.

You saw the TL;DR, and you can probably tell where this is going. By the last few posts, I was noticing myself that this really isn't sustainable to keep doing at a daily rate. I've worn that pace as a badge of honor for so long on here: In my mind, it just made so much sense for a blog celebrating SiIvaGunner, a channel partially defined by its insane rate of uploads, to also do things at such a high pace, with so many references to past posts interconnecting them all just like the many in-jokes on SiIvaGunner itself. But this blog isn't a network of a hundred team members and a thousand contributors - aside from the requests on what to write and footnotes left by a rip's creator, everything made on this blog has done solely by its writer, me, Mel. I loved it - but I do think its about time I slow things down.

I was as torn on this choice as you likely are seeing it - after all, it's called "TODAYS siivagunner" for a reason, right? I was toying around with how to resolve this as far back as in March of this year, tossing around ideas and concepts as to rework the blog to be more feasible whilst still preserving its spirit. The April Fools prank, the legendary Raftmageddon of Raft Ride ~ The Story So Far, was sort of an offshoot of this, a day where posts were more rapid-fire than ever yet were all contained to just five or six sentences each: Short, snappy, concise, and even pretty casual and silly a lot of the time. And that was really fun for the sake of the bit, it again fit with the nature of Raft Ride the same way that my main posts sort of fit with the nature of standard SiIvaGunner uploads, but I realized even then that it wouldn't be a good fit for the blog's main posts - the things that make both you and I most happy as readers and writers respectively are when I get to truly get down to the meat of a rip and explore its contents and history to the fullest.

A month went by quicker than I thought it would, but alas, here we are. A lot can change in not so much time - I'm currently employed, for one, which is yet another reason why daily posts feel far less feasible, but I'm also spending my time expanding my interests, listening to albums, reading books, watching shows, talking to new people...I want this blog to keep going, but I also don't want to use it as an excuse for my own lack of growth as a person. And so, I've landed on a compromise that I hope will satiate all of us. Here's the current plan for the blog going forward:

Rip coverage will be going from daily to weekly, posted every Monday starting tomorrow, June 17th. In return, the goal is to make these posts as well-written and interesting to read as possible.

Requests for these posts will still be taken as normal. I'll of course try to prioritize requests from people who haven't had theirs featured on the blog yet, but keep in mind that it's still up to my judgement if I'll be able to have enough to say on a rip (or know enough about a rip's topic) to warrant writing a post on it!

New, more laid-back kinds of posts for the blog will be featured in the days between rip coverage posts - these will be a lot simpler in nature and made ~2-4 times a week depending on my schedule. Here are some examples of posts I have in mind!

GIFs and image sets from the channel's various visual rips and/or lore videos! Think the Christmas Comeback Crisis, the KFAD Tournaments, the Festival events of Season 4, 5 and 6, legacy content posted on the SiIvaGunner Twitter account, and more!

Character appreciation posts featuring all sorts of characters from the SiIvaGunner lore! Celebrate the figments you love with all twelve other SiIvaGunner fans on Tumblr!

Trivia about the channel, which I'd otherwise sneak into main posts, may get small little posts in of themselves! This can be anything from Did-You-Knows about how in-jokes have been carried on during the channel's life, to easter eggs and references, to fun tidbits about rippers themselves.

Shitposts! Goofs! Stuff I'd otherwise reblog under the #epic flintstones tag, basically.

Miscellaneous text posts related to the channel, such as Guides, summaries, or just whatever various thoughts I have!

All of these will have their own tags dedicated to them, just like #todays siivagunner - what tags they end up being is still up in the air and may change even as the posts are rolling out. Either way, the blog's pinned post will be continually updated with all the relevant tags and info about the blog - keep an eye out on it during next week.

Whew! That's a lot of stuff covered. I hope you're as excited for the second year of this blog as I am! Hopefully the greater variety of posts will help with the longer wait between "main" posts. The goal is, as you can imagine, to keep the blog a fun read for you all and just as much of a fun passtime for me, whilst also easing my own workload enough to make it manageable. I love running this blog more than anything, and I'm hoping this new schedule will give me more energy to make better posts - Maybe I'll even get a chance to interact with all of you even more by discussing more than just per-rip analysis.

Thanks for reading everyone - That SiIvaGunner Tumblr Blog will officially be back tomorrow!

#updates #siivagunner #siiva

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ggren-mainz · 4 months ago

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Umineko - question arcs playthrough -> ep 1 - 12 - final

last part - All parts and episodes - next part

Can't believe I finished ep 1. Well here will be the tea part, my theories and ideas :]

ok first thing i noticed. Purgatory? So this isn't some external thing like in Higurashi where they were acting like actors in a movie? This is still canon to their universe, and simply what happens in their purgatory? Is this also referring to them getting a second chance?

secon thing. I literally kept saying this, but nobody listens to me *rolls eyes *

Anyways another interesting thing i noticed in the tips.

It says this at George and more or less the same at Jessica. SO this means because of Battler's lack of faith they all went to hell? I bet this will be important later on.

Also all of them saying it like 'this' does not give me a good vibe. Only the servants say it like this, and it was visible throughout the story as well. Do they not actually believe in her existence, or is "exist" a term that can't define her way of being?

This makes me even more convinced that it was not magic lmao. Reads too much like propaganda. and also the first crime would've been totally doable by a human. It really wasn't that complex. maybe the others but the first one - not magic at all.

It's like they want us to believe there was no magic involved, with how fake and propagandishy they sound. Also Jessica and George do not sound in character at all...

Wait guys, i just had a thought, i just had a thought! I looked back and maybe i missed it so tell me if i did but, it doesn't mention that his parents put on the chain. Ofc, this is a bit of a stretch but if they never did, it's possible that the culprit had the key and then just locked the chain to make it look like they couldn't have entered. But alas this brings up more issues, like how did they get out. If they're a 19th person they could've hid in the room till everyone left, but this would also mean they had acomplices, who drew the painting on the door. Oh but yeah, another flaw in the magic plan, the crypt was drawn after the murder, so it was obvious that magic wasn't used to open the door. That was simply drawn for show. Yeah there's also the possibility of hidden doors which would answer all of our questions, but i don't wanna go with that until we get actual proof of their existence. Also there was also the possibility of hiding and then coming out when the others find the corpses, but that's the thing, i remember having known everyone location at the moment. So we'll see.

Idk man, i'm getting mad suspicious vibes from George and Jessica rn. You tell me the classic and rational George, just believes everything was witchery?? I don't buy it.

yeepppp i do noooot believe these are the same people, or they're at least altered in a way. Their language is all weird, and they say some things that are so out of character. The only way i could believe this straight up propaganda would be if they know if they convince Battler of the witch they're allowed into the Golden Land. That would make sense, and while they know what he's saying isn't wrong, they need him to believe in Beatrice.

Now we're going into our daily routine of gaslighting Battler. So fun.

I was actually thinking of this too, except i don't believe they pretended to be dead. So i really believe there's more than 18 people, and as such i believe they might've used the corpse of someone we don't know, perhaps a twin? I had this idea in mind, that perhaps there might be a set of twins, that switched out/kept switching out during the story. But those would need to be from the servants, because if they would be from the main family we'd know. This is just an idea I'll throw out, i have no proof but you never know. But yeah if we go on the idea that the killer is one of the 18, than 100% someone faked their own death. Now i'd take out Hideyoshi, Kanon and Kinzo, as i don't believe those could've faked their death, not saying they aren't involved at all. But again, if Kanon was involved with Nanjo he could be taken out of that list. I'd say the first 6 and last 3 killed with their faces fully destroyed are the most suspicious, as those could've been replaced with any other body. Those would be Nanjo, Rudolf, Kirye, Rosa, Genji and Kumasawa. Now don't take me wrong, i don't think these are the suspects, but I'm just pointing out stuff. There really aren't enough clues at the moment. Or at least i don't see them.

and whose body would i be?

um...who is writing this text?

ahahahaha, bulls eye. I was right. That's why they keep insisting. They want to escape this purgatory and go to the Golden Land.

Rika Furude disagrees.

And yeah so is she Bernsomething and a witch here? It wouldn't be that weird, she has said that she is a witch in Higurashi as well, although offhandedly.

No fucking way y'all it's Beatrice! DEATH TO NONBELIVERS! PRAISE HER NOBEL NAME, BEATRICE!!

" 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. "

Oh do not worry Beatrice, he'll kiss more than your toes.

>is shown exactly how the crimes were done

>says this.

woah woah woah, what does THIS mean now. It's the same as with Maria. They act like they've been forced to believe. Were they forced to believe?

Anyways so they al disolve and Battler swears to prove that a human is the culprit. Now i only have the ??? left.

Heeeeelllooooo Ri- I mean Bernkastel. Well yeah this does sound a bit like Rika, but in the end this would just be a cute reference, not that important so I'll leave that for now.

alright i got it, i have to pay a lot of attention to the world's rules if i want to understand this mystery, ok ok.

Definitely Rika lmao. ok good to know then.

Now we have unlocked some tips which are very...interesting? I do not get all of them, but i probably will later. Like what's the deal with execute and resurect? I get it it's so i can see all the tips given along the episode but idk.

oookay this one looks very important, so they won't work on Battler huh? alright alright.

ALRIGHT FINALLY THE END. I was so scared I'll reach the photo/link limit but i was 1 off lmao.

So i have kind of said my thoughts and theories already although i was trying to be all cool and nonchalant and keep it at the end uf. Anyways let's recap then

time loop - 1000%

I believe there are more than 18 people. Be it dead or alive, there's a 19th body. As long as the face (read teeth) was fully destroyed the corpses could not be recognized by the policeman.

I believe the witches are real, but i also believe there could be a human culprit. Like yeah witches are real but idk if they're the one doing the crimes. so [ Nanjo, Rudolf, Kirye, Rosa, Genji and Kumasawa] these 6 remain with a big question mark. Now they aren't my actual suspects but that's besides the point, i cant just choose as suspects the people i do not like.

Big question. How reliable are the narrators? Because if they're all reliable then everyone is innocent. Which I severely doubt so myeah. Who is lying?

Also how were the kids killed? 'Their bodies were eaten by the demons' alright alright, but how did they actually die? it sounds like a very violent death and i cannot think of an answer that doesn't include chemicals (didn't Beatrice say something related to that?) or wild animals. Another mystery ig.

I also believe there are more perpetrators, be they direct or not.

The servants are all suspicious to a point, and I'm not saying they're the killers but they're definitely hiding some things. Some many things.

All the other theories i have mentioned along this part which is getting obnoxiously long. Now let me finish with one image, as to reach the limit.

Tier rank of what i think of all the characters i saw for now. I can't wait to see this drastically change lmfao.

Anyways, see you next episode ;P

next part

#umineko playthrough #umineko #umineko no naku koro ni #umineko when they cry #when they cry #ryukishi07 #long post #LIKE WAY TOO FUCKING LONG WTF

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tiggyfiretiger · 1 year ago

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Soooo…. I have been inspired and I drew a thing! As you guys know, I love Barnaby and I’ve been obsessed with him for a while and even made a ask blog where you can ask him questions and I’d draw a picture, responding to the question as Barnaby! So, I was reading facts about him the other day and it said….

I was wondering how or what Barnaby does to handle these types of situations where people want to die of old age, since he doesn’t have any time related powers. That’s when I realized: Barnaby needs a little assistant to help him murder his party guests!

So, I’d like to introduce you all to my first BBU OC, Bartholomew the bat!

(Psssst! If you turn him upside down and look at his face, ignore the ears, you’ll see a little Easter egg in the outline of the head! Could that be the outline of Barnaby’s head?!)

I would’ve liked to choose a time related name for him, but Bartholomew was his WIP name and…. I think his name fits him quite well!

Now, Bartho here has Time magic. I had to come up with all of this from scratch, since the game isn’t out yet and no time related characters have been revealed, but basically, Bartho can manipulate time on himself and on others. He can make himself and others look and feel any age he wants, using his magic, he has technically found a way to make himself immortal by rewinding time on himself, as a result, he has lived countless lives, so his backstory can be anything you want! If you can think it, he’s probably lived it!

(This makes him kinda OP, i know, but I honestly can’t think of any drawbacks to this power, so if you have a suggestion, feel free to leave a comment!)

When Bartho went to go join Barnaby’s party, Bartho surprised Barnaby by saying that he wanted all the deaths that Barnaby could possibly think of. Barnaby questioned it of course, but when Bartho explained what he could do, I’d like to imagine that Barnaby probably had a heart attack out of joy! XD

Compared to Barnaby, Bartho is extremely tiny! About the size of a mouse! Barnaby can definitely eat him, if he wanted to!

I’d like to think that he is a clockmaker who loves clocks and watches and loves to fix them!

One of my favorite ideas I’ve come up for Bartho is that when he sleeps, he sways from side to side like a pendulum on a clock!

Concept art tiiime!

These were Bartho’s concepts, and they’re not pretty. I was going to post these the other day, but after looking at them some more, I decided that I wasn’t happy with either of them, and needed to go back to the drawing board and make something that I’m actually happy with! And yes, Bartho did have a tail at one point, but I quickly scrapped that idea, created a inspirational board on Pinterest, and tried to get inspired. The things that inspired Bartho’s design is Steampunk, clocks, other bat OCs, actual bats, furries, Halloween, autumn, and Of course, Barnaby!

I would have loved to have this somewhere on Bartho’s ghost design, but alas, I wanted it to be as easy to draw as Barnaby is, adding this would complicate things a lot. So I opted for a finished hourglass, signaling that his time alive is finished and that he has no need to keep track of time anymore. Because he can’t keep track of time in his ghost form, Bartho prefers to stay alive, but isn’t afraid of death, since he can just rewind time on himself. (Yay!!! My version of time magic is broken and OP! LOL!)

Before you guys ask, yes, you may make art of Bartho, just credit me as the creator of Bartho and show me if you do decide to draw them! I’d love to see! Oh! And tag it with #Bartho bat, that way I could find it easier!

#billie bust up #bbu barnaby #bbu oc #bat #Bartho bat

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imaginespazzi · 7 months ago

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Nivi – hey bestie, you’ve done it again – I wasn’t sure it could get more heartbreaking than the last one and yet!

As always, the writing is- well, it’s everything.

The parallels between high school them and college them was immaculate, and I so wish Paige could have fulfilled her dream of kissing Azzi under the confetti, but alas, maybe in another universe 😉

I loved the little exchange about UConn and California, and how that possibility was always there but Paige could just never accept it.

P and UConn winning the natty this year – it had to happen in at least one universe, so thank you for letting it happen in this one.

Side note: Drew and Paige interactions are always top tier, and very much the type of momentary fluff that I needed to break up the sadness while reading.

Side note 2: I love that I don’t even need to imagine what Azzi wearing Paige’s jersey would look like, but I’m glad ucla au Paige got to experience it too 🥹

The celebration with the team was so cute and of course it would be KK that basically helps break the ice (and her lil innocent “you should bring her around more often” 🥺). Also, all the little moments Az got with everyone else in the team was so wholesome, and ofc queen Nika being a loveable menace who’s always just looking out for her twin.

Side note 3: I love love love the two piggyback moments haha, just because that’s so pazzi core to me idk, I feel like there’s been a lot of photos where Azzi is piggybacking Paige irl, like that’s very much their thing so I adored seeing it incorporated here. But then, the ending. I knew it was coming, but it certainly did not make it hurt any less when we got there. “Fuck,” Paige’s voice is still wracked with sleep, “I thought you left.” “That’s more your style,” Azzi says – this was particularly heartbreaking, but I can’t really blame Azzi, even if P is trying so hard to make things right.

Overall, I may or may not have been tearing up throughout the entire chapter, and it somehow hit me even harder the second time I read through it? I think that’s just testament to your writing tbh.

Thoughts on what’s next:

Do things finally start getting better? It can’t get any worse, can it? (famous last words) 😅

I did wonder actually, whether you’d have them win or lose the natty, only because if they did win which obviously they did here (thank you), could that maybe change P’s mind at all on declaring or not?

I’m guessing she obviously sticks to her og decision and stays, and so I’m super intrigued on what might come next for them.

Like will they try going back to being just friends? Even though they’ve already tried and failed and knowing that would never be enough for Paige. But can they really not be in each other’s lives??

Will they try seeing other people again??

Summer’s coming up in the timeline and they’ve never spent an entire summer apart, so what will they do this summer? 😔 Or will we have a big time jump?

So many questions, and only you have the answers, Nivi.

Favourite lines/quotes:

The moon shines against Azzi’s face and Paige thinks that so much has changed, but Azzi’s still that kind of beautiful

“Do you know what my answer would have been?” “Yeah,” Azzi says softly, squeezing her hands, “yeah I do.”

Alternate lyrics that came to mind while reading:

Talk about our future like we had a clue. Never planned that one day, I'd be losing you.

In another life, I would be your girl. We'd keep all our promises, be us against the world.

Oh, and in honour of your love for Taylor, a Taylor lyric that came to mind was specifically this:

And I can go anywhere I want. Anywhere I want, just not home - mainly from the perspective of Paige getting almost everything she’s ever wanted, except the thing she wants most.

PS: I don’t really listen to Taylor’s music much anymore (nothing negative, just a shift in my music tastes these past couple of years!), but if there’s anything you think I should definitely give a listen to from her latest album, let me know!

As always, thank you for all you do for us. Have a wonderful weekend 💗

Much love, -🙋‍♀️

Hi bestie, one thing about me is that I will find a way to make it worse! 🤪

Thank you my sweets, it always means the world <3

I'm glad you caught that because I wanted to hint at the idea that it wasn't just a random decision of Azzi's part to choose UCLA and that she'd always been considering it.

If I can add Drew and Paige interactions, best believe I will find a way to do it. That's another relationship that's so precious to me.

Shoutout to the one anon who asked for Azzi to wear Paige's jersey in the universe as well because I took that and ran with it so I hope they liked it, because I liked their idea (come say hi!)

The team scene was one my favorites to write honestly, especially just in general KK is so fun to write because she's so fun and I need my chaotic family (Paige-Azzi-KK-Ice) to be a thing in every universe.

YES the piggybacks are just so Pazzi-core and I know this is an au but I like to take things from what we already know about them and just tweak it to keep some semblance of realism. Also piggyback are just really cute and Paige seems like the kind to beg literally anyone to carry her anyways

Things will get better because I actually don't know if they can get worse (actually they probably could but it might be hard to come back from lol) but things getting better is gonna take a lot

See if Paige changes her mind and declares, things become easy for them with her going to LA and I'm not in the business of making things easy for them lol

You think I have the answer to these question but truly what I write is just as much a mystery of where my inspiration will take to me as it is to you. So we'll see but we're on the ascent upwards, so no more other people lol!

I LOVE THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY SO MUCH!!

As for Taylor, the new album's pretty good babes if you wanna go listen! Lowkey a lot of the songs work pretty well with this fic lmao. But my favorites are loml and Fortnight I think.

Always love your detailed takes on the new parts and just seeing you in my inbox always makes me smile <3

#ask #fic talk #UCLA ANON LOML FR <3 #maybe i'll go start part 6 tonight and go back to being a good updater lol (don't trust me ever actually)

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putschki1969 · 10 months ago

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hey puts, the captain of kalafina fandom XD i came across this instagram post which i think its talking about backstage stuff about wakana circulating in 2-chan. this is the post https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvy3CuchT-D/ can you share your thoughts about it ? or maybe you can help us what are they actually talking about since we can only use google translate.

Hello there, anon!

Ugh, you are throwing me a curve-ball here, I did not expect to get a question like this. Already feeling exhausted just thinking about writing my reply T_T

That Instagram post is from spring 2019, a - what I consider to be - particularly dark period in the Kalafina fandom. Wakana was in the midst of preparing for her first grand-scale solo tour after her official solo debut and Space Craft finally put their act together by releasing an official statement regarding Kalafina's state of limbo. In an attempt to put an end to a lot of uncertainty/speculation and to create a clear distinction between Kalafina and Wakana's solo activities, they declared a definitive disbandment. As you can imagine, everyone and their mother had something to say about that. Even Yuki Kajiura, Hikaru and Keiko made statements in response. All of this caused a lot of backlash against Space Craft and particularly towards Wakana herself. The fact that Wakana was still with Space Craft and dared to not address the announcement of Kalafina's disbandment with a statement of her own made many so-called fans very angry and disappointed - totally unwarranted of course.

Suddenly, there was an influx of certain internet trolls who got a real kick out of blaming and villainising Wakana, they made her into the bad guy and came up with a bunch of wild theories that mainly served the purpose of dragging Wakana's name and image through the mud. Needless to say, none of those claims were in any way, shape or form substantiated but as is the case with all negative content on the internet, it drew quite a bit of attention and some people even started buying into that bullshit. The Instagram user you linked to in your ask is a textbook example of one such troll. At that time, a handful of sock puppet accounts were created to feed into the smear campaign against Wakana. Those accounts regularly left nasty comments under Wakana's Instagram posts, pretending to be devastated fans and referring to all sorts of horrible things that Wakana had allegedly done. Most of those posts and accounts got rightfully flagged and suspended but some apparently managed to stay around for a while. They tried to continue their toxic behaviour but once they realised that Wakana's loyal fans would not stand for such horrible defamation tactics, most of them just disappeared again.

As for the information supposedly circulating on 2chan, I honestly give little to no credence to anything that is being said on anonymous text-boards like 2chan or its successor 5chan. As much as the Japanese are known for being overly polite and reserved, they can be incredibly nasty when they are allowed to act anonymously. I reckon about 10% of users who frequently post on these types of text-boards are actually decent human beings. 60% of them are either mentally handicapped, bored out of their minds or simply frustrated with their lives. The remaining 30% are scum of the earth sociopaths as far as I am concerned.

In order to do some research for this post, I went through a few old threads about Wakana containing hundreds upon hundreds of messages. I literally felt my brain cells dying with every new message I read. No idea how others manage to subject themselves to this level of stupidity but I really struggle to tolerate it. Out of curiosity, I would have liked to find a "source" for the specific accusations in that Instagram post but alas, I wasn't able to. There's just no way I can go through everything, sorry. Also, I will not dignify any of these messages or that Instagram post with a proper translation.

Believe me when I say that there is no incriminating material on Wakana out there, these people have zero authentic evidence (photo or otherwise) of her being a "stuck-up bitch", of her "mistreating staff members", of her "bashing Hi/Kei" etc. It's all just a ton of made-up gossip and rubbish. Everyone, please do yourself a favour and just ignore content like this when you come across it. Knowing what those people have to say does not add any value to your life, quite the contrary, it will only poison your brain.

That's honestly all I have to say about this topic.

#kalafina #reply #wakana #spacecraft #space craft

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3milesup · 6 months ago

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Last Line Challenge

Rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you like)

Thank you SO MUCH for tagging me @ventresses !! sorry for the delay but i've only just seen the tag, i was on holidays and couldn't get a decent connection in the camping... which thank God, on one hand, because i regenerate better offline, but on the other, i had too much time to think during the drive and the stay and the unfortunate result is: more lines to my TP Leyden/Burgin story. It is but a jumble of various scenes stretching into post-war and i have no idea whether i'm ever going to make sense of it all but no cheating, the game is about last lines so last lines i drop, however embarrassing my wip might be xd Actually, the last written lines are smutty, so the last lines i edited to play it safe^^ Here goes nothing:

“It’s okay, Bill. You’re okay.” “Every fuck-up’s always okay with you,” Bill scoffs. “How would it be a fuck-up?” “Maybe cause I just woke up your whole family with my goddamned yelling?” “Now, this was you or your father speaking?” It is unexpectedly harsh but the grip at his hand tightens and he feels a simultaneous squeeze of comparable strength at his throat. Screw it. Burgie probably knows the answer, anyway. He pulls his leg up, folds it under the other thigh. Doesn't look like he's in a hurry to go back to bed. “You staying?” "That even a question?” Bill shrugs. He doesn’t want to think of it now, of his mother going off about you can’t sleep with the lights on, who’s gonna pay the bills? and his father insisting he should see somebody, of the slamming of the doors ringing through his ears, heart hammering in his chest while he lies in the dark alone and confused as hell… It would take him ages to come to and even longer to calm down at least enough to breathe evenly, until dawn usually, and the worst thing was that it lingered, the shaky feeling in his guts, the instinct to duck at every rumor or brisk movement would cling to him for the whole next day… He doesn’t want to think of it now when he for once not only rationalized that he is safe but really feels it, too, feels Burgie’s thumb stroking the inside of his wrist, his steady, quiet calmness filling the room.

sorry abt this but alas, my mind decided they could have something going on, now all i can do about it is try to write it down......

i don't know who to tag, because my dumb ass always feels like a nuisance when tagging people :/ so if any writer/artist happens to see this and wants to play along, please say i tagged you!^^

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askthestans · 2 years ago

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Do any of you use the door? Like at all? Also can one of you break the fourth wall-

Stanford: I would use the door if it were more efficient. I only have about thirty years left on this Earth, and I must discover all that I can and be criminally under-recognized for it before my time is up.

Be it shaving my face with fire, sustaining myself with vitamins, jelly beans, and Mabel Juice, or jumping out the window instead of using the door when an opportunity presents itself to enact revenge on the Mothman... shortcuts are necessary when science and justice are at stake.

Except... scratch that Mothman part. I searched the forest around my house for hours, but alas: not a single shadow or trail of silver dust to be found. And to think I fired up my Schrödinger rifle for nothing...

Stanley: Ford, would ya give up on that guy? What's all this about him stealin’ your money, anyway? He’s a Mothman! It’s not like he could just walk up and use cash at a store. Maybe someone else nabbed it?

Stanford: No, I’m certain it was him. Mostly because he also stole my action figures once. And my cologne. And my liverwurst and sauerkraut sandwich. And my Dead or Alive album, now that I think of it.

Stanley: Sounds like a world class thief. I can respect that. Although I do question his taste in stolen goods.

Stanford: As for breaking the fourth wall, hmm... gonna have to fire up my Ability Score-ifier watch. Usually it’s for raising my points in Constitution and Strength on monster hunts - on account of my natural lack in these areas - but this situation requires something I’d never thought I’d need: Charisma.

Stanley: You do know sentences like that are why I’ve been pryin’ ‘Kick Me’ signs off your back since we were kids, right?

Stanford: Damn! I forgot it was busted from that time I let Mabel use it for a test at school. Well, let’s try fourth wall breaking with my natural Charisma score. Which is to say, negative two.

Alright, well.. *ahem*.

Look into these eyes. Do you see them? See how brown and real and mysterious they are under the glare of my stylish glasses?

Stanley: Ford? Ford, you’re scarin’ people!

Stanford: If you glance closer, you’ll be able to tell that these are not eyes of a cartoon man whose entire existence was theorized by obsessive nerds on the internet for months before I was actually revealed in the show, showing the creator he was not as clever as he thought he was. Nor are they the eyes of a cartoon man who has crossed enough dimensions to know I was created by a goateed, plaid-wearing manchild to illustrate the folly of pride, fragile ego forged in the fires of insecurity, broken familial relationships, daddy issues, and that nerdy old men are, in fact, incredibly attractive, myself far more so than any jerks named Rick or Rand.

I can see your own eyes already glossing over at this text wall. No, do not skip ahead. Do not pass this by. If you do, I’ll know, because I’m watching you. Blink once. Can you see me now?

These are the eyes of Stanford Filbrick Pines, in the real reality, looking at the cartoon show that is the life all of you reading this are living. You’re on my TV, with all your faults and mistakes bared for my entertainment, sold to me to prop up an empire of a dystopian, monopolistic media company and to soothe the crushed willpower of a man who has battled their S&P department for far too long.

Tell me, would you like it if I wrote stories about your daddy issues and brotherly abandonment? Drew you in a red speedo? What if I sent questions to an ask blog about you made to fill a void in the heart of its womanchild maker after your show was finished?

Reminded you that, yes, your creator abandoned you to work on other things that include some jerk named Rand. And so you were left behind to relive an entire life of regrets in infinity, with only a shred of happiness upon a boat at the end. Only for it to be ripped away the moment your show ends because... that’s it. There was no more.

How many times have you lived your life? How many times has your story been replayed? Do you even exist? Or are you made of pure imagination and the sweat, blood, tears, repressed emotional issues, and other fluids of animators and writers who have left you behind?

We are all abandoned in this universe. Creations by a creator who has long since moved on to tell other tales so that they, too, can live on in infinitely replayed stories once their own has ended; mere blood sacrifices to fuel a god’s immortality. Also because they need to put food on the table, I suppose.

Blink once again. I’m a cartoon man again, aren’t I? Or am I? Now you can’t be certain. Is the cat alive or dead? Real or unreal? You can only know if you’re brave enough to observe.

So tell me: what is this fourth wall you speak of? An illusion. Because you see - or don’t see, rather - the only difference between you and I is that I know who and what I am and what I was made for. I know there is no fourth wall between us save for your own abysmal score in Perception.

Stanley: Y’know, existential crises are pretty funny. That’s why I laugh a lot. Because I have them every day. Also, never break the fourth wall again, Ford. Or tell anyone to risk gettin’ PTSD by starin’ into those wrinkly, dark-circled pits you call eyes.

(OOC: Psst... all hail Jason Mahn, the Ford cosplayer in the picture above. Credit/linky: https://www.reddit.com/r/gravityfalls/comments/sf9b2p/the_real_life_ford_pines_cosplayer_jason_mahn/)

#gravity falls #stanley pines #stanford pines #the best part is that I was the one that made that original big stan twin theory post that blew it up in the fandom #so if Hirsch and crew are gonna sass me and the other fans by breaking the fourth wall in the show #then dammit so am I gonna sass them with my own fourth wall breaking #years later because I'm petty too #it better align with my fanfic indeed my friends #also I did predict that like a year ago you fiends!#sorry for cracking the code so early Hirsch but the nerdtastic gloating I got to do was worth it #not that he'll probably ever read this but if he does: better luck hiding your plot twists next time goat man #askthestans

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artofmimi · 5 months ago

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Hi idk if you ever go on here but Twitter confuses and scares me . I saw you retweeted some art of Sethos, and I really like that guy and I also think ur opinions on stuff are really interesting, so I wanted to see if you'd said anything specific about him. However, Twitter confuses and scares me, and I scrolled through some of ur tweets and realized that i'd only made it to June 30th and did not have the mental fortitude to keep going. All that to say, if you have any particular opinions on Sethos I would like to read them here on Tumblr. Obviously ignore this whole thing if you just don't want to respond , and sorry that this is weird

hello there! first of all, i don't think this is a weird ask at all. there is nothing wrong with asking questions so please don't apologize :)

secondly, i really like sethos – a lot! i feel like i don't talk very much about cyno but he is, in fact, one of my favorite characters from genshin. the opportunity to learn more about cyno's backstory and the fact that he gained a new narrative FOIL really excited me. juxtaposing the physical and personality differences between both of them (sethos with his green eyes/brown hair/inviting smile/sociability vs cyno with his red eyes/white hair/resting bitch face/social awkwardness) really highlights their character traits, i feel.

one of the things that drew me in lot about sethos (and this may be a tired comparison so apologies in advance) is that he reminds me a lot of claude from fe3h. not just the physical similarities or the fact that he's an archer, but it was mostly his sense of curiosity and his disposition towards other people. the lines he says, i can see coming from claude's mouth. he gives off a strong sense of intelligence and cleverness.

but honestly that's really as far as i can do for (admittedly very surface-level) analysis for sethos! i haven't played cyno's second story quest yet so i don't know anything regarding the temple of silence plotline or what role sethos plays in it other than what the version update trailer teased. i know that sethos is a reference to the egyptian god, set, and he juxtaposes with cyno, a reference to anubis. i know that set is the god of disorder, violence, foreigners (out of many things) and one of the main stories he is known for is how he usurped his brother – so i have my guesses as to how the genshin storyline goes. however, obviously, my knowledge of egyptian mythology is very shallow so i don't want to make too deep of an analysis unless i really know what i'm talking about haha

anyways, i'm glad that you find my opinions interesting and that you at least tried to scroll through my twitter LMAO i do check tumblr semi-often bc i do still like reading the tags people read on my posts. i still find tumblr's askbox system and archiving system by far the best out of the "big" social media platforms these days but i've gotten really accustomed to just saying out inconsequential thoughts on twitter and rambling out analysis threads on there. they do get lost very easily though so alas. once i do finally finish cyno's story quest, i promise i'll come back to this post and share my thoughts on sethos, just for you anon <3

#asks

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stillhavetodothat · 2 years ago

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Replaying Nancy Drew without Cheating - Part 7: The Haunted Carousel

Ah, yes, a game that I rarely even think about when considering the Nancy Drew universe as a whole. I didn’t even know Ingrid Corey’s name was Ingrid Corey when I first sat down to play this game. I didn’t remember Miles the Magnificent Memory Machine. In fact, this is having me question if I have ever actually finished the game in the first place, because aside from who the culprit was, I didn’t remember a thing about that ending. The last scene was just a lot of clicking around in blind hope, trying not to die. Unfortunately, this meant that I got to see a whole lot of this face.

Honestly, thank god I didn’t ever finish this one as a kid, because that face would have given me more nightmares than Joseph’s in FIN (and that already scared me shitless enough).

But anyway. CAR. And not cheating when playing it. I was able to move through the story pretty quickly, without getting stuck, until I had to play the harmonica for MtMM. I played those 6 notes over and over again, and he kept telling me to try again. I was getting ready to throw my laptop in a rage. Eventually when I went away, talked to some other people, and returned, I was able to replay the 6 notes and he finally accepted the answer. This had to have either been a bug, or it was set up in such a way that I couldn’t move on to solving the riddle unless I had had another conversation first? I don’t know. Either way, that was maybe the most frustrating moment in my entire journey so far, and the one I was most willing to risk my no-cheating streak for. BUT ALAS, I prevailed!

Some thoughts about this game:

1. Why does the location suck so bad? This game is about a theme park, but you can only go to a few attractions inside the park, a couple stuffy offices, and the butt-ugly hotel room across the street. Herein starts the trend of games where very little wandering takes place. Obviously other games have maps with marked locations on them, but they also have an entire museum, an entire soap opera set, or a huge forest and underground tunnels to explore. Idk, this game felt slightly claustrophobic to me for some reason. And I would have loved to be able to wander through the park itself to feel a little bit more immersed. Missed opportunity.

I will say that this hotel room captures the feel of New Jersey perfectly, though.

2. For a game whose namesake is a “haunted carousel,” we see very little haunting and honestly very little carousel. Half the game is running around solving convoluted riddles for a helpless Joy, and the other is doing Ingrid’s job for her, leaving very little time for much else.

3. Speaking of Ingrid, why on earth is an engineer asking me, an 18-year-old stranger, to fix circuitry and program software updates? And some of her passive aggressive comments (”It isn’t exactly rocket science,” “He’s not exactly a mechanical genius,” and “You can check in the binder if it’s too cryptic for you”) made her a VERY unpleasant suspect. Being a park engineer is YOUR job, girl, not mine. However, she IS the most beautiful suspect in the games so far. LOOK at her bone structure.

4. For some reason, I remember the burning-down-the-hotel thing as an explosion, where you get to see the entire hotel get engulfed in violent flames as you stand outside in horror. I mean, getting the call from Paula Santos is good and all, but it was disappointing when I was gearing up to see some serious destruction (I even left the iron on, on purpose, just to see it).

5. I felt like Nancy was particularly annoying in this game. She hears Harlan is an ex-con, and immediately tries to get him fired over it (extremely anti-woke of her...why have I never realized how terrible she really is?). Instead of ordering a soft drink with her burger, she ordered a tall glass of milk (barf). Half the time she pronounces carousel “carouSEL,” which irked me for no reason at all. Obviously Joy and Ingrid were battling for the Most Annoying Character award this game, but seems like Nancy decided to throw her hat in the ring, too.

6. I was about to shit all over Nancy for being a hude nerd and thinking finding a book on carousels was “cool,” but then I read it and was actually enthralled. I even read some tidbits of information to my fiance, and he was also fascinated, and even asked some follow-up questions (very detective of him!). So I will apologize to Nancy for that, but only that!

7. The first game where Nancy has a cell phone! Hilarious that she has to pull out her blank notepad and a pencil for every single impromptu call, but at least we are spared running back to a specific room just to make a phone call. AND, we get to answer phone calls in this game, too, not just make them! So futuristic.

8. This is also the first game where you have to actually get information from one of your regular phone contacts (Bess, George, Ned) in order to move forward in the game. I have been generally avoiding calling any of those contacts throughout these play-throughs, since it is mostly just recapping stuff I’ve already done. This left me racking my brain trying to remember where we are supposed to learn about shorthand to translate the Glory note, thinking it was in a book somewhere, when really it really required a phone call to Bess all along.

9. This is also the first playthrough of this game where I actually got to mention the Poppy Dada piece to Elliott, and hear him say that she thinks he is hot (she ain’t wrong). I love discovering new experiences in older games, and love when games make references to games that preceded them.

10. This picture of Mike DeSalle and K.J. Perris is the best part of the game, hands down. The hair! The mustache! The crossed eyes! The awkward holding of the jewelry!

11. Not to brag or anything, but I managed to beat Barnacle Blast the first time through. Not sure how this is even possible, since I have been dreading that very game since I started STFD. I must be getting more dexterous in my old age.

I know I just bitched about CAR for several paragraphs there, but I did enjoy playing it. The ending was actually really great, and it made sense when you think about other clues that were pointing to it the entire game (the fact that Elliott kept calling me “Nance” was suspicious on its own - you can never trust anyone who gets too friendly. See: Lisa, Joe). This is Nancy Drew, so any and every game is a treat for me. Even if I have complaints.

Never been so excited to get out of New Jersey. Onward and upwards to the PNW, and one of my favorite games of all time!

#nancy drew #nancy drew pc games #nancy drew games #game review #her interactive #the haunted carousel #clue crew

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asukaskerian · 8 months ago

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Fifteen Questions for Fifteen Friends

Tagged by @edenfalling

are you named after anyone? nope, my name is all fresh and just for me. i mean, it's not unique or anything. alas alas, my middle brother's first name, while so mundane on its own that he always had 2 or more kids with the same name in his class growing up, combines with mine to make up the name of a well known french singer. NO we were not named after him. NOPE. you kids can stop snickering now.

little bro has a much cooler name. we are not jealous, for the record.

when was the last time you cried? yesterday. svsss-based angst is always immaculate and torturous.

do you have kids? no and i never will. don't want any AND i would be really bad at it. also tbh i'm 41 now so... yeah nah XD

what sports do you play/have played? parents tried to make me do volleyball as a kid but i kept hiding in the equipment room so they gave up. nowadays i go to the gym to torture myself on the machines but that's because my back will lock up forever if i don't entertain it. i have vague dreams of one day being a proper dwarf lady... hm.

do you use sarcasm? so much that i have to consciously stop myself. when i was in my twenties i got into the habit of being super cutting and mocking because it made me feel smarter and protected, but all it really did was make me mean.

what is the first thing you notice about people? whether their clothes cut and color flatter them. which is weird cause i don't give a shit what i'm wearing. i think it's all the observation on shapes and stuff i did in order to draw good, back when i still drew, plus a healthy heaping of "if i were fashionable enough to look like i belong people would not notice i don't". welp.

what's your eye colour? blue!

scary movies or happy endings? happy endings ;_; i don't like jumpscares either. nehhhhh.

any talents? writing, drawing. sense of observation and critical sense, i guess? kindness is not a talent so much as something to deliberately work on.

where were you born? lyon, france!

what are your hobbies? writing, reading fanfic by the metric fuckton. /boring :p

do you have any pets? not anymore. we used to have dogs and i had rabbits at one point but now we have wooden floors and my parents are too old and i'm too out of shape to run after a german shepherd and we don't like anything smaller XD;

how tall are you? ... officially 1m50 because i looked sad at the agent making my first national ID card but probably 48. ... which is. uh. 4 feet 10 inches? T^T

favourite subject in school? eh... literature? Honestly i barely listened in class, i spent all my time drawing.

dream job? i do not dream of jobs. rich heiress sounds cool and so does benevolent hermity benefactress. i do want to sell my books if i ever manage to finish one but i don't want it to be a job. it's already hard enough.

i tag... HMMMMMM.

@adiduck @fattyskeleton @loving-that-officey-feel @manyblinkinglights @rollerskatinglizard @codedredalert @elanorpam and whoever else wants to play.

#real life #silliness

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earlronove · 2 years ago

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LIFE ETERNAL & BEYOND

Forevermore has finished and all its chapters have been posted publicly! (You can also purchase an ebook or pdf version of the whole thing together with an additional bonus story!) I wanted to take a moment to talk about it since I don't usually do that and I feel like there is opportunity to discuss what went into this. So, read on if you're curious!

I'm no stranger to supplementary materials with my games. Star Stealing Prince had short stories and two sequels (following both the good and bad endings) as web novels (the total word count for both sequels are over 200,000 words!). All are still readily available for anyone to read and will remain so no matter how old or rushed the writing may be at this point. Both of those were a product of the time they were written and while sometimes I look back and regret I did not give Permanence (the good ending sequel) the attention it sorely needed, I don't think I have it in me to try again.

So, upon saying that, Forevermore was kicking around in my head shortly after I finished Life Eternal. Probably even before. It deals with the necromancer, now named Nezael because I couldn't think of a good way to leave him unnamed (we can imagine the first thing Yorick says upon raising is his name, probably the first to say it in a long time), and his chance meeting with Yorick and how that drew the poor man to becoming a skeleton you find outside his room in the original game.

Originally, he was a riff on the classic Shakespeare line from Hamlet: "Alas, poor Yorick!" because how could I not? But then after much prompting, I added journal entries for the skeletons. That made me think a little more. Why would this skeleton be outside the Necromancer's room? Clearly, a bodyguard then perhaps? Then I added the question the Necromancer asks his lord while cleaning the great hall: "Why the man who had been friendly with me while he still had so much life left in his eyes? […] Perhaps you were jealous of him when he had his skin." All of that finally led to what his journal entry became:

"Yorick was the first skeleton I made all on my own. In his living life, he was a woodsman for the town close to us and I met him while I was gathering herbs for my Lord. I didn't think he'd be my first skeleton, but then my Lord made it so. From his flesh body, I miss his blue eyes the most, I think. Yorick was always kind to me and looked after me when I forgot to do it myself. Sometimes I wonder if it's because he's fully my skeleton and magic compels him to do so, or perhaps he remembers still the friends we'd been in those sunny patches in the forest. In any case, I wish for his companionship back."

By this time, the ideas had truly taken root and I decided I wanted to explore what I had written in the journal entry in Forevermore. It allowed me to also play with Nezael's lord, Carrow (as his name became because it was too awkward using "his lord" all the time) and see how creepy I could make him. People certainly picked up he was not a good guy in Life Eternal, which I was glad about because I worried I was too subtle, and writing this allowed me to explore his character more. Especially in how he changes toward Nezael in the bonus story. It's very deliberate and I hope it comes across as such.

Writing Forevermore, however, changes some of the intent behind the Necromancer's words. He knows why his lord chose Yorick. Such is what happens when ideas shift and adjust between projects. Life Eternal was made in thirty days without much thought of what came after or before. It made for much better drama, however, if Nezael knew exactly why his lord chose Yorick out of the rotting bodies hidden in the forest and so I leaned into it. There is no indication how much time there is between Forevermore and Life Eternal, but that is partly by design. The Necromancer in Life Eternal has clearly gone through a few cycles of raising his lord and going into a slumber afterward, so there's no telling how many times he's done this in the dilapidated tower or how much of it was his own actions or simply those willed by his lord upon giving Nezael his circlet. One regret I have is after reading Forevermore, people might wonder why the heck Nezael would ever raise Carrow. I'm not quite sure of the answer myself yet, but that's why there's an undetermined amount of time between the end of Forevermore and Life Eternal. Please understand, stories grow the more you water them and sometimes, you decide not to prune the bits that don't quite fit because you happen to like how it grew out.

As a result of not quite fitting, part of me does want to go back to readjust some of Life Eternal's dialogue to better reflect the past Forevermore created for the Necromancer, but I'm already treading water with Star Stealing Prince's remake, I don't want to add another game to that list. While I may yet explore the events around the flashbacks and what ultimately breaks Nezael into the Necromancer he becomes in Life Eternal, the game is finished and it will remain so. I COULD always just novelize Life Eternal but I fear since Nezael is literally alone for most of the story, people might find it boring. Something to think about!

Of course, after I finished Forevermore, I still had a few ideas I had not yet explored and there was one more skeleton I had not written about because he came after Yorick. So, that's why there is a bonus story with the compiled ebook and pdf versions of the novella. It was fun to imagine what happens shortly after the novella and before the game, especially to show how Nezael changes from the beginning of Forevermore to where you find him in Life Eternal. There are still flashbacks I could expand upon if I want, but that might be for another time. There are also ideas for what happens after Nezael leaves the tower with the skeletons after Life Eternal and I wouldn't have those ideas if I hadn't decided to write Forevermore and expand on what Yorick meant to Nezael.

In any case, developing stories is a process. Life Eternal came together in 30 days for a jam, but planning the prequel allowed me to dig deeper into the characters I had fashioned as quick as I could. Writing its prequel was a good exercise for me as well as it challenged me to write things I may not write very often (for example, I don’t really do romance, but I wanted that for Nezael and Yorick so chapter 5 was a nice exercise). And most importantly, it's fun to let ideas gradually unfurl in your mind to the point you just have to write more in that world.

I hope you have enjoyed reading Forevermore and also enjoyed playing Life Eternal. Here's hoping for many more projects from me!

#life eternal (game)#forevermore (novella)#story and design rumblings

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hey-hey-j · 2 years ago

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tagged by @infini-tree in my first ever tag game! fun!

rules: if you get tagged in this, answer the questions that are written and make sure to swap out one question at the end of it for the next person to answer

*ahem*

1. Are you named after anyone? Nah. My birth name was some random gibberish my mom made up and my chosen name, J, started out as a nickname I went by when said birth name got too hard for people.

2. Do you ever go window shopping on sites like Etsy, and if so, what kinds of things do you look at? Back when I was super into Calico Critters I would go onto the website and click through all the sets I knew I could never buy 😔. My favourites are the super mundane ones like bedrooms, kitchens, and laundry machines because they are the cutest things ever

Look at that little vacuum cleaner 😭

3. What's your choice of listening material when doing stuff? If it's not music, it's a youtube video. My go-to youtube channels to have on in the background are Defunctland, Micarah Tewers, Nexpo, Nick Crowley, Danny Gonzalez, Drew Gooden, Kurtis Conner, Whang!, and Blameitonjorge

4. Do you use sarcasm? 90% of my brother and my's conversations are just us snarking back and forth at each other so yeah

5. What's the first thing you notice about people? Uhhh I guess notable features like hair, jewelry, if they're wearing glasses or not? Most of the time it's clothes.

6. What's your eye color? Brown

7. Scary movies or happy endings? Both! But if I really had to choose.....happy endings. Scary stories are nice but happy endings keep me going.

8. Any special talents? None. I am very bland 😔.

9. What trait in others draws you to them? I'm drawn to my fellow quiet awkward kids with dorky interests, but alas. In real life I am far too shy and socially awkward to ever approach anyone RIP.

10. What are your hobbies? Drawing, writing, knitting, reading, baking banana bread, biking (fun fact: I'm looking into getting a motorcycle license some day!), alphabetizing my spotify playlists, and transcribing TV Tropes articles for movies I like

11. Do you have any pets? I used to have a dog, an older chihuahua mutt, but we had to give him up a few years back 😔. I miss him dearly.

12. What sports do you play/have played? No thank you!

13. How tall are you? 5'3". Average as it gets.

14. Favourite subject in school? Best class I ever had in high school was an environmental studies course. The teacher was chill and friendly and the projects she had us do were fun :).

15. Dream job? Preferably none, lol. Though in honesty, I do think sometimes that it might be nice to have a job in illustration or comic making, as unfeasible as it may be. The pipe dream fantasy is to be a published graphic novelist, but I..... reeeeally doubt that's happening. Oh well. As long as I can keep making and sharing art here, I'm happy.

tagging @tornrose24 , if you're up for it, and anyone else who wants to do it!

and I'm changing #4 to: Do you like a song for its sound or for its lyrics?

#j screeches #featuring youtuber recommendations and questionable life choices!

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umbralsound-xiv · 2 years ago

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I’d opted to go on a walk. Nothing... Pressing. Just me and my own company and footsteps. I’d opted to visit Gyr Abania... No particular reason, only that it is the road less travelled. I have found myself wandering much, these last few suns.

I’d found a cosy little cliffside where i’d settled to write, to replenish myself, watching the comings and goings of people on the road. Merchants. Wanderers. Strange groups of people bound for a graveyard...

...But i didn’t think anything of it. Not then, anyway. Not until i heard the familiar sound of conflict...

By the time anyone noticed, the scene was already coming to an end. In the light of the dying Gyr Abanian sun slouched an ever-proud Ishgardian, blood spittle dripping at a careless pace with an ever-condescending grin as the man stood against a gaggle of his adversaries. Two Elezen and a Xaela brandished their blades while two more Xaela held rods at the ready. From a distance, shouts of some contention could be heard, something heated and quite definitively to the brim with ire.

Though the words of Mattisaux, gripping his sword with lamed hand, glistening with his own shade of red, held fast to a self-satisfied malice that dragged his voice. “...And I would do it again and again. This time slower... to savor your screams... and the women.” Despite there only being men present, he still knew that their faces would twist and watched as he allowed their emotions to fly. Fly in particular with a billowing stream of flames aimed straight at him to which he held his sword up at a diagonal to defend against it though the rest of himself was widely left open.

It had been a good many bells since she had seen the small procession of people enter the graveyard, high up from the ledge in which Bexy had nestled herself. Often, she found watching the comings and goings of people to have interest, and more so when no other pressing matters had garnered her attention. Still, it had been some time, now, since they had arrived, and she had spied none leaving between penning lines of poetry. Her attention was only broken when the familiar cacophany of combat filled the air. Curiosity drew her closer to the scene, expecting undead, perhaps voidsent at worst... But the scene before her was more far flung than anything her imagination might conjure up.

Bexy's eyes widen almost immediately, and instinct takes hold. Were this a contract, she may well have bided her time to learn of the situation. Alas... It was not. A bow is instinctually formed at her fingertips at a moment's notice, leather boots gaining ground on the situation until she was but only several fulms away from Mattisaux. She doesn't call his name; she wagers he would know. The telltale whistle of an arrow sails forth to one of the flame-wielding foes, with intent to end him.

In an abrupt, choked fashion, the surge of flames died and dispersed, leaving Mattisaux open to dashing forward and ripping into one of the Elezen standing close who was caught unaware by the fall of his comrade. For an instant, Mattisaux also hadn’t a clue what was happening, not until a skin-crawling chill whizzed past with the arrow that struck the mage down to a crumple. “You said he was alone!” The last robbed mage panicked, looking to Bexy with his rod pointed at her. The Xaela wielding a sword, who also seemed to hold some vague authority over the group, shouted in return. “That doesn’t matter now, kill her too!”

I had no clue, no idea for what was transpiring. My friend was in trouble, and i wasn’t just going to stand idly by and watch, be damned for the consequences!

I would put down the resistance, and ask questions later.

“Bexy!” Mattisaux barked without looking at her. “Do -not- kill these Xaela. Wound them.”

"You can -try-!" Bexy barks back, head inclined. "---You'd best have a damned good explaination for what in the -Hells- is going on, Mattisaux!" Still, it seemed that she'd heeded his words, arrow aimed for the knee of the remaining mage; attempting to skewer him and freeze the limb to the ground. "...Three Hundred and Four..."

...How many moons has it been since i’ve killed someone, now?

...It felt strange. But i can’t think about it. Not now.

The mage, in the middle of casting, thought he could at least finish his weave of lightning before Bexy was able to let her next arrow fly, but the miscalculation led to his sharp yelp of pain and an awkward fall to the ground. Now with only one Elezen and the lead Xaela left, Mattisaux felt slightly empowered enough to chuckle deep.

Mattisaux gathered a reckless rush of blackened astral energies around him, whipping bloody scarlets for that menacing effect before he jumped and dove his blade into the other Elezen who thought he could defend himself with his feeble shield. The Xaela, already seeing how bad the situation was turning, rushed to try and strike Mattisaux before his comrade got skewered.

Bexy catches the hurried rush of the other Xaela as he closed in, a breath drawn and held as another icy arrow formed, long and slender against her fingertips. The bow is drawn taught, as she watches, steady and waiting... Before the arrow sails forth. This one moves for his sword arm, aiming to render it similarly wounded.

It was merely a choice between helping a comrade or slaying the enemy and the Xaela opted for the former. However, to his misfortune, he achieved nothing. In attempting to strike Mattisaux, not only did his sword fall from his grip, he also had an ice-clad arrow through his arm.

The crippled mage struggled to raise his rod to whisper a spell, soon whipping a flurry of wind around everyone to knock them off their feet. “Gah! No, you will not best us!” Unfortunately for him, it did not stop Mattisaux from staking his sword and ending the last Elezen in their group.

Bexy narrows her eyes, opting to still her assault with the threat of the wind potentially sending an arrow anywhere but where she wished it to go. Instead, she opts to close the ground, taking her bow in her hands and seperating it; now two crudely formed daggers in each hand which sharpen to a point. She offers no words; pale gaze only dancing back and forth between enemy and ally; but poised and ready to lunge.

With the Elezen gladiator dead and bleeding on the ground, Mattisaux’s laughter grew to something that could be considered devilish. “And like that, you crumble!” Despite how his arm drenched in his blood and the searing pain that coursed from the unseen battle before, the adrenaline kept Mattisaux alive and elated. In a few fluid movements, as the leading Xaela dove to retake his sword, Mattisaux swiped low to slice his knee and lop the leg off. The wind was not quite as strong as its initial burst, dying rapidly as time drew on and his fear increased. As Bexy changed from bow to daggers, he continued to weave his spell though he seemed rather clueless on what else he should be doing that would not get him immediately killed.

Bexy makes her move, then; towards the only other who would give her trouble. A swift lunge posessed more of an animal than a woman as she skitters around him to drive a knee into his back, and a blade into the offending arm, pinning it to the ground. The tip of her free blade rests gently at the edge of his throat; close enough for the warning of cold to be felt against flesh. Only then does she speak. "...So much as another movement out of you, and i will pick the teeth from your head and peel you like an apple."

“I yield! I-I yield...!” The mage toppled easily, perhaps a bit too easily, dropping his rod to the ground in the tackle and sucking in a shaken breath then the cold edge of her knife pressed against his neck. “Arban, please! We must stop this if you want to live!” As his comrade pleaded, ‘Arban’ was naught but enraged, most especially after losing half his leg. “You disappoint me, Oktai! You-” His dialogue was cut off by Mattisaux’s boot colliding into his cheek. “Shut your mouth, you disgusting filth of the earth. You lot barely put up a fight and now you expect me to listen to your sodded crying?” After spitting in the man’s face, he finally looked to Bexy, slowly walking toward her and the mage. “You can leave him to me now, I have work to do.”

"No." Bexy's single word was spoken sharply; eyes narrowed into thin, eerie slits. "You tell me what the hell happened, Mattisaux." Her tone shifts an ilm; concern and accusation, both. "What would have happened, had you not been lucky enough that i was in the vicincity, hm?"

I wasn’t leaving without an answer. If i am to bloody my hands, even by choice, i would know why i had done it.

And i would get it from him, himself... Or his enemies.

...However i was able to.

Bexy’s curt answer widened Mattisaux’s eyes before filling them with an annoyance now directed at her. “Leave your curiosity for when I have the patience for it, girl. I would not have died to -these- things so you can step away from it now. I need to take care of him.” Of course, hearing Mattisaux so casually speak those words startled the mage. “N-no! We, no, -I- am sorry! I will never harm you again, just leave me out of this!” The young Xaela was not above swallowing his pride to save his skin, something the older, bleeding Au Ra misjudged.

Bexy's gaze settles on Mattisaux flatly, ears slowly pinning back in irritation as her tongue runs over her briefly bared teeth. "No. I want to know -now-." Her attention... Diverts, to the mage in her grasp. "You. Oktai, was it not...?" A slow tilt of her head, as her voice dips into a chilly whisper. "Since my dear friend deigns not to keep me informed of situations i am now involved in, would -you- care to bring me up to speed... Hm?"

“Bexy! You will do as I say!” His frustration yanked the collar of her coat with his less injured hand. “Or I will-” Before he could finish his threat, Oktai shrilled to attention. “Of course, madam! Please, let me!” Of course, the moment Oktai opened his mouth, Mattisaux shouted all manner of colorful expletives at the man to quiet.

Bexy -hisses- as her collar is yanked; a sound rarely heard even to her enemies, never mind her friends. "----Let him speak! Unless you have something to hide? Hm?" An interrogatory glare was given to Mattisaux, then; remaining much where she was, despite his pulling.

An intense bout of staring paused his speech, holding her in his grasp until ultimately shoving her back to herself, not like she moved to begin with. In the tense silence, Oktai thought the moment was as good as any to start explaining himself. “We came as heretics to hunt down this Mattisaux...” His bright, white limbal eyes flashed to Mattisaux before looking forward, suddenly hesitant to continue. “You will not kill me should I confess?”

...I almost felt sorry for him. I... Did. Perhaps he didn’t deserve his fate. He seemed... Young. Misguided, perhaps? I do not know.

...But he chose his path. I would not kill him, no.

I didn’t need to.

“Oktai! Do not tell your enemies about us! Have some pride in your final moments.” Arban still managed to keep afloat despite his blood loss though he was largely incapacitated.

"I will not, no." Bexy spoke, sweeter and softer than she had before; even if the blade didn't budge an ilm from his throat. "It does not sound like a personal grievance..." She mused. "Not from you, at least, Oktai. Tell me more, mm?"

Regardless of how sweet her words were, they did not give Oktai too much confidence in them. He remained stiff and afraid but spoke rather freely. “You are correct to an extent. The, uh... Ishgardian there who will not kill me, yes? He has killed a great deal of my kind and plenty worse to some others and we only wanted to put an end to him in return. Simple revenge, yes? He had slain us in cold blood, even after we have pleaded and bowed. We thought he may have died before, but now that we see he was still here and alive, we saw our chance.” Mattisaux merely sighed, resigning to hearing something he did not quite enjoy but patiently waited until the end. “There you have it, Bexy. You already know as much, now let me handle the rest.”

Bexy withdraws the blade from his neck, and releases the one still in his arm, to keep it there. Gently ruffling the hair of the Xaela, she rises more fully to her feet; to look Mattisaux in the eyes before standing beside him. "That wasn't so difficult now, hm?" As for the recipient to her words, that wasn't so easy to tell. Bexy moves her gaze away, then; towards the other who had kept his quiet, before. She offers no further remark.

Oktai voiced several breathy gasps of pain, half expecting to be killed regardless. When she rustled his hair about, he even squeaked a yelp before realizing he was alive enough to be embarrassed. “I am free...?”

Arban, meanwhile, growled weakly, growing paler by the instant. “Freeing this one will do you no good, Demon. More of us will come for you and if you are not shown dead, your friend will die by our hands.” Mattisaux had already lost his patience, and the sheer fact that the more annoying of the group taunted him stomped him by the Xaela’s side to strangle him quiet.

"I will not kill you." Were Bexy's only words to Oktai; but there's no smile that greets her expression for speaking it. Instead, it sours considerably when Arban speaks, narrowed eyes back upon him once more. "You can -try-." She repeats, watching as Mattisaux's boot is driven into him, before her attention is pulled back up to the Elezen's face. She holds her silence, and only watches, now.

In a matter of gasping moments, Arban was silenced for good and Mattisaux was only marginally satisfied. Upon lifting himself from the ground, he huffed a heavy breath, muttering, ‘Now for the other one’ before striding over to snatch Oktai’s neck. “That you would give him just false hope, dear. I would commend you if you had not wasted my time and a bit of fun I could have had.”

"I said i would not kill him. I never mentioned anything about you." Bexy responds a little coldly, watching as he grasped him. A short, sharp movement as she half moves to defend him, clear conflict on her expression. A held breath, as she moved to call out... And doesn't. A singular sharp, chilly huff is exhaled from her nose, the sorrow in her gaze evident. "Oh, do what you will, Mattisaux!" She barks, before storming away to the tree; frost catching each tuft of grass as she made her way.

...Something about the entire altercation just...

...I know it’s for the best. That they die. No one to come back for revenge. No one to watch for when you sleep with one eye open. So why, then?

Why was this... Different?

I didn’t kill him. But i know Mattisaux well enough.

A quick death was the greatest mercy he could hope for.

Mattisaux, wrapped in a need for a lengthy bloodlust, paid no mind to the madness that was Bexy’s expression, but the moment she chided him was when he had a problem. “And -what- are you having a tantrum for?” He stood up to follow after her but not before stabbing his blade into the Xaela’s shoulder to keep him in place. “Stay there, you cretin, or I will do worse than what I have planned.” Oktai merely cried in pain and grief at his personal turn of events.

Mattisaux hardly reached her halfway when he shouted at her. “You act like a child now after killing a man out here?”

"Mattisaux, if i was having a tantrum, you'd be picking pieces of your own organs out of your hair. If you knew me half as well as you claimed to, you would understand. Just..." She looks to the squirming Xaela, and back. "Get it over with quickly." She snapped, offering a glare over her shoulder, before turning away. She does not watch.

All he could do was wheel his eyes up and around at her back, soon turning around to Oktai. “Consider this a mercy at the behest of this ridiculous woman that seems to have taken a sick liking to you. Take solace that -you- have escaped my descaling, however, your brethren that I catch will not be so lucky.” He guaranteed that Bexy would be able to hear him though he never had to put the effort in with his natural volume.

Plucking his sword free from the mage’s shoulder, Oktai barely had time to react when his neck severed from the rest of his body. As much as Mattisaux would have enjoyed prolonging the inevitable, he was more concerned with the unusual attitude from the frosted Miqo’te. “Now, what happened to that ruthless Miqo’te I used to know? Have you switched conscience with that girl you lot have buried in your front lawn? The one we thought was really you?”

Bexy gives a sharp sigh at the sound. Regret. Relief. It was hard to tell which. Both, perhaps. "...It is better that he died." She responds, bitterly. Ice begins to crawl up the side of the tree, and she opts to rest on it, refusing to look behind her. "Do you know -why- i opt to kill people, Mattisaux? Have you ever considered it, just once?"

“You tempt me to be facetious, dear. The only reasons to kill a man is to do away with them for any given reason or because you enjoy the struggle before their end.” He wasted little time in answering, flicking the blood from his weapon and sheathing it away at his waist. Stepping closer to her, he continued. “You have told me of your days as that Midnight Coeurl, I know how you do enjoy it, dear, so why ask?”

"It is different, to then. And i won't deny that it is enjoyed... When it is deserved. Properly deserved... Not like this." She gazes outwards, attempting to dismiss the picture her face wore before he got close enough to see it. "Because killing them is easier than the alternative. Easier than watching your back every sun. Easier than worrying about threats of vengeance."

By the time he reached her, he, of course, tried to move around her for a better look at her face. “-You- did not kill any but the first, dear. Lamenting about -my- doing will only age you in rather unattractive ways. And you speak as if they were not planning to come after me regardless.” He huffed; the adrenaline and pain from earlier was still at bay but he could feel that he was well past the peak of it. “Listen, Bexy. I know what I have done, but I will never forgive them. Do you understand?”

"I don't lament it. They are dead. Gone. They will bother you no longer, even if others will. You are safe, for now. And that... That is what matters." She swallows, dryly. "---As my friend. That is what matters most to me. Be damned for anything else i might feel."

...How far will i take it, to see a friend safe?

...Would i murder innocent people? How many of them?

...When i am forced to choose between my own personal redemption, and their safety...

...I think i know already what my choice will be.

“And what -else- are you feeling? Pity for that scalekin I had slain? Regret that he died and you did not stop me? Sorrow that I still breath despite your empty-sounding words? Why come to my supposed rescue if you think it unjust?” Whether he willed it or not, he could not help but lace his words with frustrated soreness.

"...I don't know why they attacked you. If you'd care to enlighten me, with your side of things." She responds, a little lackluster. "...He was young. Wrong place. Wrong time. Wrong decision... But the decision was made, regardless. He picked his path when he chose to oppose you." Glassy eyes gaze to his, and finally drop to the floor after a short while. "...---Because i am your friend, Mattisaux. Or i should like to think so, despite everything... Some things are more important than justice. At least to me."

“I, too, would like to think of you as something of a friend, at least at this point of my life. Were I to chance upon someone attacking you, I would jump at the opportunity to slay them all, no questions asked, if that satisfies you. However, that does not mean you should do the same. While I do not know how they found me, I have already told you at least some of the terrible things in my past, my regrets, but you needn’t jump at my enemies even if I look like I am bloody and bleeding. Again, do you understand me? I know how hard of hearing you are.”

"It's a comfort..." Bexy half-smiles, even if it falls almost immediately. "I don't doubt the terrible things you did. Not one of them. Good or bad, justified or not... You had reason for your actions. Even if i do not agree." She takes another, more stubborn breath to drag her gaze back up to meet his again. "---What kind of friend, given the capacity, would simply stand idly by and watch as you were attacked? Not when i can do something about it." She pauses, quietly clearing her throat. "...But i want to know why, Mattisaux. Why they attacked you. You have killed so many of them, this is true enough. I... Can imagine. Is that truly the only reason?"

I did not think it so simple. I had heard it from the Xaela, for their reasoning. But i wanted to hear it from him, too.

If he would deign to speak of it, that is.

While he wanted to comment on what was likely a rhetorical question, he only sighed to the following. This time, he was not so quick to respond, not when the answer left a nasty taste in his mouth. Though, regardless of how his nose wrinkled and mouth pressed flat, he shifted himself to gaze toward the opening leading to the graveyard a few yalms away with tightly folded arms. “They have somehow convinced the one person I thought would always be on our side, my side, during the war. I suppose he still was in the end... -They- turned him against us. Not our other brethren. Those black-scaled dragons you call people. It fills me with an unimaginable fury to think that others do not feel this same way, Bexy. Especially so in Ishgard where we now break bread with them and more and laugh about the days we disemboweled each other’s families.”

Bexy gives a sharp sigh, shaking her head. "...I know my words won't convince you. I'm sure you've heard. Been told. Why would i be any different?" A long, drawn out exhale is given. "Your anger is misdirected. You are -allowed- to be upset, Mattisaux. Be angry. Hold a grudge. Seek vengeance... But for the love of Halone, or whatever god or goddess you opt to follow, direct it at the right people. You live so mired in your own past, that you either cannot, or refuse to see anything aside your own conclusions." Her words arrive more defeated; confident nothing would have swayed him, regardless. "---The longer you continue to punish people who have no hand in it, the longer the people truly responsible are allowed to walk free. And if you have put them to the sword already, as i suspect you already have... Then what is the rest of this? ...It's grief. Isn't it?"

...There are few more powerful emotions than grief. It is complicated, difficult understand. Difficult to process... And leaves a bitter sting more sharp that any kind of love.

...The things it can drive people to do, i...

...I only thank the Gods that none so close to me have been so cruelly taken. I dread to think...

The intensity at which his jaw clenched should have shattered his teeth; for a while, it appeared as if he had stopped breathing. Eventually, after a reluctant pause to keep from lashing at her, he shut his eyes. “Must you ask? The very ones who turned him are dead. Buried and tattered beneath the snow. Were I to have two wishes, one would be to bring him back and the other would be to raise those responsible so I could give them a proper, slower death. An agony they would feel for moons and years to come. How my heart yearns for that sort of fantasy yet breaks knowing that will never be. Does that answer satisfy you?”

"No. It doesn't. Not even an -ilm-." Bexy marches in front of him, head inclined even if she was several fulms shorter. "Because you don't have two wishes, Mattisaux. You have but a single, solitary life to lead. How many more people until you are satisfied, hm? Will you -ever- be?"

The instant he heard her move was the instant a long, irritated breath flattened his chest. When he opened his eyes to stare back at her chilled gaze, he glared back in defiance. “I will not. Was that not obvious already? I will continue as I am until I am killed or worse and, for everyone’s benefit, it ought to be the latter. What will you do about it, anyroad?”

"If you die? What will i do, Mattisaux?" A shred of grief laces her tone. "I will mourn a dear friend for the rest of my cycles. I will weep for the cycles spent in persuit of a revenge that could never be sated. And i will grieve for a man who so desperately wished things had turned out different, who had so deeply cared for his dearest friend, that he spent his life dedicated to the memory of how his ended." Bexy swallows a lump; but her expression holds a defiant, almost arrogant gaze that locked grief behind her expression. "I will spend some time in regret. That i was not able to convince a man that he had friends, and people who -cared-, even after the one he had lost."

Hearing her words, a not-so-terribly secret truth spoken so plainly for him to hear, upset him. “Are you through with your lamentations, dear? I do not need this from you nor do I need you to weep over me. Shed tears on someone else that matters like those you call your family should they ever pass before you expect.” After speaking his piece and loosening his arms was when the anesthetic of battle faded and the aching of his sword arm reared. Unintentional grunts of discomfort settled in his throat though he made an honest effort to keep them mostly to himself. “When next we meet, we will not revisit this topic.”

"You DO matter! And you need to hear it from -someone-, Mattisaux!" Bexy's voice rose as the temperture dropped, refusing to move an ilm from where she stood. "I will mourn and shed tears for whoever i damn well feel like, Mattisaux... Twelve knows you did for me."

As much as he did enjoy the cold, he knew better when Bexy was the source. It was enough to slightly shake him from his stubbornness and twist his brow for another reason. “You do not know -exactly- what I have done because of you, and regardless of that, you are clearly worth doing that and more. Must I list all you have done to help those miscreants you call family? It is more a charity house than a mercenary company.”

"No, but a well wagered guess told me enough." She fights the smallest curl at her lips before they move to something a little more sincere. "...Because they are my friends, Mattisaux. You might not be of the company anymore, but that does not change the terms of our friendship. I care." She pauses. "...Even if i think you're a stubborn, abrasive ass, from time to time."

Her ‘guess’ had him narrowing his eyes, quick to find anything else she would say to latch on to. “As a word of advice, you should not consider all who join your company family and friends. You, of all people, ought to know how awful people can be. You were only lucky with me since I happen to favor you over the other vicious and airheaded kittens out there. Though, now you make me curious over the times I come off as polite and sincere.”

"I do. I consider them my family; good and bad both. If they were truly terrible, Mist nor Adelle would let them join. You know this." She pauses, considering quietly. "...Yes, i remember all four occasions very well."

“Gods, girl. I am telling you to trust in your own judgment more than those two. They both are mad, though I doubt you will truly listen to me on that. That aside, let us move on from this friendship, caring talk. Now that this false leve is completed, I need to figure out who exactly sent me here and if he has already been killed, now that I am thinking about it.”

Bexy half rolls her eyes from his words, but gives a quiet, short nod. "...Best done before the trail goes cold." She confirms, looking at his arm. "...You will be well?"

Seeing where her eyes diverted, Mattisaux shoos his able hand in front of his blood-crusted arm to distract her. “I have yet to die, I doubt I will on my way back to Ul’dah. If I cannot use my arm, I still have my teeth... You coddle me far too much.”

"I -care-. And unless you want me to stay on the topic of friendship and all the other things you love so much, i suggest you accept it." She gently rests a hand on his good arm, before stepping aside. "...Be well, Mattisaux. Don't die."

“Gods damn it,” was all he could think to breathe before moving on. On reflex as her hand rested over his arm, he lifted his other to pat hers only to realize how deep his wounds ran. A sharp gasp surprised even himself, but soon had him sighing. “I will be -fine-. Mayhap I will send a letter later if I remember. Anyroad, you ought to quit this place before long. If the rest of their band do not show up to figure why they have not returned, the wildlife here will.”

Bexy slowly looks over to the side, beyond the tree, and gives a quiet sigh, only thankful the grass and brush obscured her vision. "...Yes... Indeed.” She slowly moves away from him, offering a small, faint smile. "...Until then, Mattisaux." She responds, before moving onwards towards the gate.

...I pray he sees sense. He finds some other way... Before he gets too far in over his head.

I won’t say he’s a good man. I believed it once, and... Now, i’m not so sure.

But he’s my friend, despite all of that. And i...

...There is so little i would not do for my friends.

#Muse: [Bexy]#Chapter: [Purpose]#FFXIV #IC #Screenshot #Writing #Textlog #TW: Violence

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