#but also if it wasn't for the spy thing they all probably would have died. it was literally impossible for them.

[tvxcue]

i can feel myself returning to who i was in early 2020...............

[galacticncrazy]

Loid Forger and Weakness (Analysis)

I was watching gameplay footage of What Remains of Edith Finch and towards the ending I thought about the idea of memories, and one thing led to another and I thought of Spy x Family, specifically Loid. It made me wonder if he ever did confront his past and what exactly weakness means to him.

(These thoughts may not be organized since it happened so late at night but bear with me.)

Initial Thoughts

I always thought about being taught that the idea of, "you have to be strong" which often goes hand in hand with this idea of "you can't show emotions". I feel like Loid constantly tells himself he can't be weak, buy what does that mean if his idea of being strong is to not show any emotion?

Memories

I don't believe it being so long ago is the reason he doesn't remember his parents faces, I want to believe he purposefully forgot what they looked like, and this probably applies to his actual name too. His home was destroyed, any and all photos of his family were lost in the debris, he burned his identification papers so there's also no record of him ever having existed. He said it himself that there is no one left who knows his name.

I should also mention how he remembers the faces of his friends and croquette lady. Loid remembering his friends faces are a given since he believed they had died during the first bombing but he later reunited with them when he was a teenager, only to lose them during a botched military operation, leaving nothing behind but dog tags.

While it may be random to include the croquette lady I feel that remembering her face is still significant given that she was the last person he spoke to before the bombs dropped, as well as being the first casualty he saw.

Memories (continued)

It may not mean anything but find it interesting that his name is hidden like this, maybe I'm thinking it about it too much but it's almost as if it were blocked out, much like how classified files have certain sentences edited out because of their sensitive nature. If he had forgotten his name it liked would've been blurred but instead it's redacted, this paired with not remembering his parents faces, it's almost as if he made himself forget, but why?

Weakness

I think his parents faces specifically his mother and his actual name are all that connects him to who was before, he likely still remembered up until he joined WISE where he was possibly taught to let go of the past, not because they didn't care about what happened to him but because it likely would've had an impact on his work, and he passed on that same mentality to Fiona, about spies not showing emotion, to stay alert and not be ignorant, because to him those two things are what make someone weak.

I find it interesting to believe that Twilight wasn't always this way but rather he adapted his own experiences and the mindset he was taught into him and realized that his emotions and overall ignorance is what led him to participate in a war, without even knowing why. The reason he did so was because of those weaknesses and that he needed to discard them. So it's no surprise that during his fight with Wheeler, but mostly Yuri, that he came to terms with the fact he's getting weak, because instead of doing what he would normally do if it was anyone else, he instead chose to spare him. If he was the Twilight that he was prior to Strix then he absolutely would've killed Yuri because he wouldn't have any reason not to, but he does, and in doing so that decision to spare him almost cost him his life.

"You're getting weak"

It all comes to a head when he recalls the event, he acknowledges that Wheeler is for lack of a better word, perfect. Someone that he himself used to be but somewhere along the away something changed. Twilight acknowledged that he was getting weak and the source of that weakness, was his small but still very present feelings for Yor, if those feelings weren't there and if Yor was just another person to use for the sake of the mission, then he wouldn't have spared Yuri but he did, for her sake.

While he may have been thinking about doubting himself while thinking about the encounter with Yuri I believe the panel still holds some weight, Loid knows he's starting to slip up and this time was too close of a call, he knows he's experiencing.

It may have happened long ago but it still relevant to how Loid is as a character thus far, that being Fiona's observation that his smile had a shred of genuineness to it when she visited, that bit of emotion being a result of spending time with his family, and learning to form connections again so it's only a matter of time before he actually expresses his own emotions directly in some capacity.

Closing Thoughts

This entire post came as a result of What Remains of Edith Finch, which I highly recommend people play as it has a nice mystery element to it as well as its overall themes of death and memories and being presented in such a unique way. The concept of keeping your emotions hidden and locked away is something I relate to which is all the more reason as to why I'd like to see Loid be more open about the way he feels or genuinely breaks down and lets all those bottled up emotions out, allowing himself to fall apart be vulnerable around people, specifically his family. There's this really nice artwork I saw once of Yor and Anya hugging a child Loid, and I always thought that externally Loid is a grown man but internally he's a child wanting someone to lift him up and tell him, "it's going to be okay".

[i-only-ever-asked-questions]

Map of Soho Good Omens Season 2 - Part 3 (the intersecting street)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4 Update: Map and pictures further down now have Lucky Snake, and the description of both the Lucky Snake and The Chinese Buffet Restaurant have been updated too.

We don't know the name of the street that crosses Whickber Street. It starts between the market and the furniture store, and after a crooked crossing of Whickber St., it continues between the bookshop and the Dirty Donkey Pub until it ends on Wardour Street. On that upper block we have: -A. Z. Fell & Co. The bookshop has a backdoor that leads to this street. -Bilton Scaggs Hats and Caps This shop has been here for centuries. Originally Bilton and Scaggs was a publishing firm that printed among other things "The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, witch." Neil believes they went out of business in the late 19th century and the hat makers took over. Their shop was called Bilton and Scaggs Milliner & Haberdasher for a while and eventually they changed to Bilton Scaggs Hats and Caps. But honestly, only Aziraphale knows the whole story.

On the other side of the street we have: -The Dirty Donkey We don't know how long this pub has been in business, but we know that it was already there in the 40's when the zombies used it to hide and spy on the heroes. And then in 1967 Crowley used a private room to set up the caper to steal holy water from a church. The set was also used to set up two of the pubs where Gabriel and Beelzebub met. Both scenes were filmed on the same day! After the tour, the first episode of Season 2 was screened inside the pub for those lucky enough to win spots. The Dirty Donkey Pub has also appeared in Neil's "We Can Get Them for You Wholesale" and "Sandman: Overture." In the show, one of the elevators to Heaven and Hell opens inside the Dirty Donkey, maybe this supernatural ability allows it to show up in many different Neilverses ;) -"Model" This is Mrs. Sandwich mysterious establishment. Nobody really knows what happens there. We know the upper floor has lovely pink curtains, presumably for her girls who also love coffee. -Will Goldstone's Magic Shop Named after Will Goldston (not sure why an extra "e"), a stage magician who wrote many books on magic. The store existed in 1941 when it was run by Pat (who met a gruesome end at the hands of zombie nazis). Will Goldston himself died in 1948. So, was he the owner of the store and Pat just an employee? Did someone use his name? Or is that the reason behind the additional "e", to claim it wasn't him? We don't know. In current times it is operated by Mutt.

This street ends on Waldour Street and because we don't see much of it, I included those shops in this post: -Chinese Buffet Restaurant (updated) The English sign just says "Chinese Restaurant", Google translate gave me "Chinese Buffet Restaurant" for the sign on either side (if you look closely both sides say the same thing). There is no other writing that I could see so I would say that we don't know if it has another name or where is it written (inside maybe?). @embracing-the-ineffable raised the question of how do we know Mr. and Ms. Cheng own the restaurant. The truth is that we don't know for sure. We have assumed it probably because Aziraphale and Ms. Cheng are in front of the restaurant when he invites her to the meeting, but for all we know she was just walking on the street when they met. The Chengs could easily own the Herbal Pharmacy or the Grocery Store. We just don't know for sure -Lucky Snake (updated) To the right of the restaurant (our left) there is another store with yellow walls and red lanterns. It was brought to my attention (thank you!) that this is the infamous Lucky Snake we see in Aziraphale's typed list of shops. In Season 1 it was called "Oriental Delights" but this season it is a grocery store. -Herbal Medicine and Pharmacy - Traditional Chinese medicine appointments To the left of the restaurant (our right) we have the herbalist/pharmacy. This is written in English while "traditional medicine appointments" is written in Chinese. There is no other name outside either.

Turning around and looking towards Whickber Street, we can get a peek all the way to Great Windmill Street, between the news agency and the market. -Windmill Theatre Today it is called Windmill Soho but the name Windmill Theatre is equally recognizable. In 1941 it was owned by Mrs. Laura Henderson. The theatre was famous for 1)not closing at all, even during the heaviest of bombings and 2)its motionless nude girls (tableaux vivants) called the "Windmill Girls". Because of this, it used the motto "We Never Closed" (although people modified to "We Never Clothed"). In the set, the doors are not props, they are the real doors to the internal docks of the studio, which honestly it is very clever.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4

[maspers]

I feel like those of us in the Cosmere fandom don't appreciate how the Stormlight Archive isn't a murder mystery.

(Well okay there's a little bit of one in Oathbringer but we aren't talking about that)

It could have been so easy for the death of Gavilar Kholin to have been a murder mystery. Let's look at the scenario, shall we? There's a big meeting and party, where peace is supposed to be declared, and then the King dies. Say we DIDN'T know whodunnit. Gavilar's death haunts the narrative, and every subplot in the story soon ties back to that single driving question of "Who Killed Gavilar Kholin?". Over the course of the story, we've seen the layers slowly peeled off, one by one, revealing a whole bunch of suspects.

There's Dalinar, the King's brother, seemingly a depressed drunkard but was once known a deadly warrior and general.

There's Sadeas, the highprince who is seemingly loyal to the king but is otherwise a backstabbing slimeball.

And there's another highprince, Amaram, who was talking with Gavilar for quite a while earlier in the day.

Jasnah, the King's heretical and highly intelligent daughter, and...

Also the person who hired Liss, an actual assassin, to spy on the event and possibly kill someone else.

Then there's Elhokar, the King's incompetent son who is nonetheless next in line for the throne.

And Elhokar's hedonistic wife, Aesudan, who was apparently enough of a problem that Jasnah was planning on killing her.

Speaking of wives, the King's own wife Navani is soon revealed to be cunning in her own right... and angry with her husband.

Dalinar's sons, Adolin and Renarin, don't seem to have been in attendance, but considering everyone else in the family was there there's no reason they couldn't've been around as well and nobody mentioned it.

There's Eshonai and the other Parshendi drummers, a.k.a. the opposing faction. Eshonai in particular seems to be dangerous.

And her sister, Venli, is also dangerous, was also present, and probably wasn't supposed to be.

At least four of the legendary Heralds are soon revealed to be present as well. The King was planning on betraying Kalak and Nale, Jezrien was drinking with Dalinar, and Shalash was defacing the artwork.

Taravangian, the seemingly weak and compassionate King of Kharbranth who secretly is planning on orchestrating a LOT of murdering.

There's the mysterious "Thaidakar", leader of the Ghostbloods who Gavilar himself thought was the one responsible for killing him.

Since it's a Cosmere work and we didn't yet know Hoid couldn't hurt people, it would be easy to assume he's an available suspect as well.

Gavilar could have even committed suicide, as some part of an elaborate scheme.

A huge assortment of servants and partygoers, all of which could have been the killer. Not to mention the spren (and a seon!), who are soon revealed to not necessarily be as mindless as they seem.

Literally anyone else in the story becomes fair game at first glance. Even though she definitely wasn't there at all, Shallan Davar is revealed to have history with that particular night as well. You can keep going and connect everyone to the murder somehow, at least at first.

And lastly Szeth-son-son-Vallano, a mysterious Shin man in white, seen roaming the halls with a very bizarre sword.

Of course, we all know what happened. It was Szeth, in the King's chambers, with the honorblade. And he did it on the orders of the Parshendi. There's no whodunnit, or even a howdunnit (and even the whydunnit is only partially hidden from the reader, Jasnah's POV reveals Eshonai and the other Parshendi were pretty upfront about why they did it). There's no ambiguity, the death is merely a spark that kicks off the plot into motion.

"The Mysterious Murder of Gavilar Kholin" would have been a crutch. It would have been so easy for Sanderson to use it as a backup sideplot, supporting the other stories and keeping things tied together. There's an AU out there where Kaladin ends up being the amateur detective who puts the last piece together and confronts Szeth in an epic battle in the sky. That could have happened. But it didn't.

Brandon Sanderson does not need to rely on a murder mystery to keep his story standing. Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, he had enough faith in his narratives to make them stand on their own, moving forward beyond the death of one pathetic man. The Stormlight Archive is not about how people die, it's about how people choose to live. So it cast aside its crutch, walked forward on its own legs, and became one of the best dang fantasy sagas in history.

And then, in the ultimate "psych!" moment, things went back around and kept connecting to that night anyway. Like a bizarre episode of Columbo, where everything else around the extremely upfront murder gets revealed instead. Instead of using the murder mystery as a device to support the plot, the entire rest of the story is used as a device to support the account of the murder. So that even though it WASN'T a murder mystery we're thrown by the plot twists anyway.

And then, of course, while we're still reeling from those reveals, the rest of the plot hits us with some more Sanderlanches, because this story is still going. And it was never really about Gavilar, anyway.

It's brilliant. How the heck does Sanderson pull these crazy writing shenanigans off?

[walkingstackofbooks]

For the ficlet prompt. What do you think their first lunch was like after the Dominion camp?

Julian is reeling from the ramifications of the changling that took his place, which everyone liked better. And maybe he's disappointed in Garak especially for not recognizing the imposter.

But also he learned the truth about Tain and watched Garak see his father die (and WHY did Garak do that??) and Julian probably wants to comfort his friend / situationship.

Garak meanwhile is reliving all the lunches that were actually the changling over the past few months. And his dad died and Julian SAW it (because he wanted Julian there). And he's worried about Julian who just got back from prison and probably has PTSD. And also why didn't he recognize the changling is he losing his edge as a spy?

And neither of them can say anything directly at lunch. So is it awkward? Are they both just so relieved to have the other there that it isn't awkward?

Do they talk about some book that acts as a perfect metaphor for what one (or maybe both) of them are going through??

Thanks to some assiduous Garak trickery over Halloween, I've finally got there! Thank you for your patience! (I know I never promised prompts would end up fulfilled, but still - half of this has been sitting in my drafts since July!)

I'm afraid this is not a happy fic, but I hope it answers a couple of your questions nonetheless! Thank you for the prompt - it was super interesting to think about!

--

The sound of the door chime startled him, and something dropped to the floor as he realised that his mind had drifted off again. It was now 12:38, which meant that he'd been out of it for some twenty-seven minutes - not the longest stretch by any means, but long enough. He looked down at the duster that had landed on his foot; apparently, he'd been cleaning? A glance around the quarters confirmed it: everything looked just that little bit neater, the books on the shelf were in a different order, and the sofa no longer bore the evidence that he had been sleeping on that instead of the bed.

Julian shivered. He had meant to tidy up, rearrange some things - but the purpose had been to make the quarters feel decidedly his again, and this... this didn't.

The door chimed again, and he hurried to shout 'Enter', knowing how easy it had been to concern his friends these past few days.

For some reason, it had not crossed his mind that it might be Garak to come through the door, armed with his usual pleasant smile. Maybe Julain had got too used to all the worried looks his other friends had been shooting him, but he wasn't sure whether to be relieved or apprehensive about the Cardassian's appearance. Everyone else had been understanding, at least, about the weird ways his trauma had been making itself known since he had got back – even if he had been embarrassed to have them see him like that, surely reinforcing how inferior the real Julian Bashir was to the pretend one. But Garak, well... who knew how he'd react?

"I see you weren't expecting me, Doctor," Garak said.

"Not exactly," responded Julian. "What are you doing here in—"

He hesitated, voice stuttering to a halt over the word "my quarters". It still didn't feel right. "What are you doing here?" he finished weakly instead.

"Well, I didn't want you to think I'd forgotten about our scheduled discussion," said Garak. "Although, of course, if you have other things to do…"

"No," broke in Julian, some part of him reaching out keenly for this time with Garak, no matter his anxieties. "No, I'm not doing anything. Please stay, Garak."

The Cardassian raised his eyebrows. "Stay, Doctor? But the replimat—"

Julian shook his head, looking away. "Unless it makes you uncomfortable..." he said, remembering too late that having conversation with Garak also meant eating lunch with Garak, and realising that he might trip over that very first hurdle. "I'm not, um— Food still isn't..."

He cringed at his own incoherence; he wasn't exactly making a convincing impression of a good lunch companion.

"I'm still adjusting to eating regular meals, and so the replicator here has been programmed to better accommodate my current needs."

And now he was sounding like a medical robot. Great job, Julian.

"I understand," said Garak. "Your recovery will be swift, I hope? But for now, there's little I would enjoy more than to accept your invitation. Where should I sit?"

"Oh, anywhere," replied Julian, gesturing at the sofas, grateful now for his unconscious burst of housekeeping. "Would you like something to drink?" he asked, just as much to put off answering Garak's first question as out of habitual politeness.

Garak replied that some rokassa juice would suit him well, thank you very much, and so Julian busied himself at the replicator, taking as much time as was believable over the task. He was rather out-of-practise at figuring out Elim Garak.

The trouble wasn't that Garak never meant what he said; most people didn't. But from most people, Julian would have assumed a question about his health was a simple pleasantry, and would have told them what they wanted to hear: yes, he was recovering well, and hoped to be totally back on his feet soon. With Garak, you had to listen out for what he didn't say, to know his meaning. 

Your recovery will be swift, I hope? It was barely even a question. And that meant Garak could be asking it simply because it was the normal thing to do (and maybe Julian really shouldn’t be obsessing so much over it). On the other hand, however, he could be showing great concern towards Julian, but because this was Garak, masking that he felt anything at all behind the banality. Or maybe he was even trying to indicate that he had just as little patience for sharing discussion without having lunch as he did for having lunch without any discussion, and he was only staying because he felt obliged to. Julian had noticed how Garak had said that there was “little” more he would enjoy, implying that there were other things he’d rather be doing...

Damn it all. Usually, Julian enjoyed running all the possibilities through his mind, relishing in the challenge of trying to give Garak the answer he wanted, but right now it already felt like there was too much in his brain, and Garak had barely even entered the room! Julian was certain that his mind had been quicker than this a month ago, that there hadn’t been this constant fog which he now had to wade through to get to the end of any thought, that his anxiety had been neither this loud, nor this overwhelming. 

The glass was in his hands, and he was handing it over to Garak; his feet had carried him back to the sofas without waiting for him to direct them. Julian sat down, mildly disturbed. The dissociation was nothing new, it had been following him since solitary – hence his earlier acceptance of the newly-clean room, rather than outright panic – but usually it had confined itself to times when he had been alone. He hoped this was just a blip, and not a development that was going to stay. 

“How have you been?” he asked. His fingers had started to tap against his leg, and he pulled his hands sharply together, clasping them tightly. Maybe he ought to have made himself a drink, too, just to give his hands something to hold.

“I am better, certainly, than the last time we talked,” Garak replied. “And you?”

Following Garak’s lead, Julian gave an equally non-committal reply. “I’ve been worse,” he shrugged.

“You’re still experiencing… difficulties, though?”

“Is it so obvious?” Julian chuckled, wincing and praying that it really was just the obvious that Garak had spotted.

“Well for one thing,” Garak started, “—and do forgive me for pointing this out, I feel a little rude… but I do not believe that this is Rokassa juice.”

“I—”

For a few seconds, Julian felt as though his brain had come to a complete halt. He sat there, staring at Garak stupidly, before leaning across the coffee table to reach out for Garak’s glass. Now he was thinking about it, he realised that Rokassa juice usually came in a mug.

And this, unmistakably, was tea. Tarkalean, not Cardassian.

“Heh, must have been on autopilot,” he said, trying to laugh it off. “I’m terribly sorry, Garak – let me get you another—”

“Allow me, my dear,” interrupted Garak, smoothly rising from the sofa and leaving Julian to wonder how on Earth he’d failed to notice the mix-up himself. He supposed that he really must be more behind on sleep than he’d thought.

The fact that Garak had seemed to return almost instantly added to that theory. Julian hadn’t even heard the beep of the replicator, and startled when Garak suddenly appeared by the sofas once more, mug in hand.

“Don’t worry, I’m just tired,” he said, in answer to Garak’s quizzical look. “I haven’t been sleeping much lately.”

He hadn’t meant for that to slip out, and hoped that his earlier supposition was true: that Garak was just being polite, and wasn’t really checking up on him. Julian didn’t need yet another friend inquiring about his nightmares.

He had no such luck, of course. Garak almost seemed to pounce on this opening.

“It is my understanding that humans recover best only when they are getting sufficient rest,” he said. “Indeed, I seem to remember several occasions upon which you, my dear, lamented your patients’ inability to follow the simple instruction of “Get some sleep”.”

Julian groaned, leaning back into the sofa, twisting the glass of rapidly-cooling tea in his hands. “It’s not that simple.”

“Do you expect it to be?”

The question brought Julian up short, grating in its sharp lack of sympathy.

“I—Not really, I suppose? Not after what we went through.”

The ‘we’ slipped out without thought, an unwitting lie despite its truth. But it was easier, somehow, to claim the shared ghastliness of the final few days. ‘I’ sounded dreadfully lonely.

An unfamiliar expression stole across Garak’s face, and Julian wished he could tell what the Cardassian was thinking. Whatever it was, it seemed that Garak had lost control of the conversation too, the both of them reaching out for something to say, and returning with nothing – nothing they could admit to, anyway.

“Did you read any books while I was away?” he asked, before he had to contend with any awkward silence.

“None that were worth discussing,” Garak replied dismissively, leaving Julian wracking his brains for what he’d recommended that was so objectionable – before the unpleasant realisation swept over him that anything Garak had read, he would have discussed with the changeling. His stomach curdled, and he took a quick mouthful of his tea to try and swallow down the bile rising in the back of his throat.

“Can I—Do you—?" He was just saying words now, hoping that he’d stumble upon a suitable question and coming up laughably blank.

His stomach came to the rescue, interrupting his stilted thoughts with a growl. A rather loud growl, in fact, which had him wondering if he’d actually eaten breakfast that morning.

“I should eat,” he said, standing up and trying for a smile. “Thank you, Garak – this has been… nice—”

A frown drifted across Garak's face. “Are you we not sharing lunch, Doctor?”, he asked, his eyes flicking to the clock. Julian followed his gaze, and was startled to realise less than ten minutes had passed since Garak had entered. Oh.

But eating was difficult enough without the shadow of the changeling’s lunches looming fresh in Julian’s mind.  “I can’t,” he replied. “I’m sorry, Garak, it’s just, I can’t—.” He broke off.

I can’t eat with you.

Why would Garak even want to stay for longer anyway? Surely he could see that there was no scintillating conversation to be found in these quarters today?

Unless Julian had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he hadn’t even realised what Garak had really come looking for.

“Garak…” he started hesitantly. “About Tain—”

“I’ll leave you to your lunch, Doctor,” Garak interrupted, speaking over Julian as though he hadn’t said a word. “I hope you have a pleasant meal.”

The Cardassian stood up, first putting his mug away in the replicator, and then crossing the room to the door. For once, Julian could see straight through him, the way that Garak was trying to disguise the fact that he was all but bolting from the room.

“At least I know I’m not okay!” he found himself shouting over the sound of the door’s opening swish.

Garak turned to look at him. “Is that a fact?” he asked – and then he was gone.

Julian sat down, aching in a way he could not name. His stomach hurt, and the quarters were not his, and he was once more alone.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What if that night in Godric's hollow Lily chose to let Voldemort kill Harry and stepped aside when Voldemort asked her to?

Self-preservation kicked in! No one knows how they will react facing death. She should not be blamed for protecting herself.

Would she be honest and tell people what really happened or make up some believable story? What would happen to her after that night? Does she leave England? How would the Order/Sirius/Dumbledore react to the events? Would Severus go after Lily and tell her he is her hero? Would this be a better AU for Lily and the wizard world?

Woof.

Well.

It's not good.

Would She Be Honest and Tell People What Happened?

We don't really know much about Lily's character is the thing. I make a lot of things up for my own benefit, but that's my taking and running with the very little we see in canon.

We really don't know how she'd react.

The way I characterize her? Feeling guilty over her husband's death (who died for her and Harry) and the fact that she survived her son (who she perhaps could have protected) she'll confess to what happened. She wants people to blame and hate her so she can punish herself for this.

And judge and punish her they do as this is something the Order and the greater public just can't understand. I'm sure rumors of how and why Lily was spared also fly and soon Lily goes from the truth of simply stepping aside (and being spared because of Snape) to having slept with Voldemort to save her life to being his spy the entire time.

What Would Happen to Her After that Night?

The gossip against her is massive and I imagine the Order never quite trusts her again. They may not kick her out, though I'm sure some (certainly Sirius who is mad with grief over James's death) vote for it. Lily may leave of her own free will out of guilt and so as not to give the Order a black eye.

The Prophet may or may not run smear campaigns against her both to distract from the realities of the Ministry not managing anything against You-Know-Who and because this is such a shocking awful story.

Lily becomes persona non grata but is presumably left alone by the Death Eaters as Voldemort chose to spare her life and the order has been passed down through the ranks (and as Voldemort is alive he keeps Bella and the Lestranges and Barty in check in a way he didn't at this point in canon).

Lily lives a miserable life in which her husband and son are both dead, she's of no help to the cause, and she's trying to get on with it.

How Would the Order/Sirius/Dumbledore React?

See above but I imagine ostracization.

Sirius would never forgive Lily for James having died and Lily just selfishly allowing Harry to be killed. I imagine he'd blame her in his mind and believe that she had betrayed James personally by doing this. Not to mention what kind of a person/Gryffindor steps aside to let her baby be murdered?

The Order at large would likely have mixed opinions but the Weasleys for example would vocally condemn Lily and despise her for this.

Dumbledore would, I imagine, think much lesser of Lily and start saying things he says about Merope about how Lily just didn't love her son enough/wasn't a very strong woman. He wouldn't condemn her quite as much as Sirius or Molly but there'd be an undertone of "this happened because you are weak".

Would Severus Go After Lily and Tell Her He's Her Hero?

Severus is home free, you bet your ass he does.

Lily's probably out of the Order, James Potter his greatest enemy is dead, Sirius is out of the picture because of James's death, even the hellspawn Harry Potter is dead and out of the way.

They can now go back to exactly what they were and the Dark Lord did hold to his promise after all (and oh dear god Severus betrayed him behind his back, hope he doesn't find out about this).

I imagine Severus would try to reconnect and either:

lie about being a Death Eater entirely (probably won't work)

say he's realized the error of his ways, admit to giving the information to Dumbledore to save Lily's life, but he can't leave the Death Eaters because of the mark/he'll certainly be killed

Probably he goes with option 2 as he can't exactly pretend he never held his views or wasn't a Death Eater at all and he firmly believes that he took this huge risk, saved her life, and he's completely redeemed now.

Would This Be a Better AU for the Wizarding World and Lily?

Well.

Lily's son and husband died horribly, she's haunted by survivor's guilt forever, all her friends hate her and she's completely isolated, Snape is back on her doorstep believing she should be grateful to him for his actions and he deserves instant forgiveness, and the Dark Lord is still alive and well, has the future minister's son in his pocket, has infiltrated the government completely, and can take over any time he pleases with one out of two prophecy children dead (and Neville... probably doesn't last long after this).

So.

No.

It's better for 0 people.

It's actually much worse for everyone except Tom.

Tom is enjoying not being a wraith in Quirrel's head, thank you very much.

[dracox-serdriel]

OMitB Season 4 Theories

Spoilers for all episods of Only Murders in the Building Season 4 up to episode 6. (If you want to skip it, please strike the 'J' key to jump past this post.)

Sazz knew about another murder in the building (likely the "sensitive topic" she meant to discuss with Charles at the end of Season 3) and possibly also knew about the cameras hidden in Oliver's and Charle's apartments.

Obviously, someone else knew Sazz knew about the murder and that she planned to spill the beans to "the podcasters"

The spy cameras must've been placed sometime before the start of Season 4 (how else would the killer know that it was safe to enter Charles' apartment to get Sazz's body?)

My theory is that the cameras were somehow placed by Marshall Pope or someone helping him spy. (Mostly because of his stage direction -- he describes Oliver as "flitting around" -- not something that would be obvious actions given the OmitB trio are podcasters who rely way too much on hidden cameras -- so more sound than video.)

When did Dudenoff die?

In theory, he could've died before Tim Kono.

The Brother/Sisters said that Dudenoff cut off all contact with them three years ago. (To the best of my knowledge, they are the only ones who gave a firm time about when they last spoke to Dudenoff.)

The "old incinerator" is banned because it causees a very noticable power surger in the entire building whenever it's used. Andn, according to Oliver & Charles, that kind of power surge hasn't happened in a while (since the old incinerator was banned).

It's possible Dudenoff died three years ago. His body could've been stored in any number of secret corners of the Arconia - though my guess is that he was hidden in the bricked up walls that cut the West Tower off from the rest of the Arconia.

Dudenoff's death predating Tim Kono's has a number of thematic components/call backs:

In episode 1x01, Charles' opening monologue: "Here's a thing I don't get. People who worry about living in a big city because of all the crime. As any true crime aficionado will tell you, it's the boondocks you need to worry about. I mean, let's face it. Nobody ever discovered 19 bodies buried in the backyard of a 14-story apartment building."

In episode 2x03, Oliver says: "Bunny and I, we're lifers. She's probably gonna be buried in the Arconia. And on hot days, the whole building will be able to smell you."

It makes sense that the killer would want to burn the body after someone cotton onto Dudenoff being dead.

My theory right now is that Dudenoff wasn't murdered. The illegal sublets are all under his name; his death would nix the rent control entirely - so all of the Westies with illegal sublets have cause to cover up his death. So his death could've been accidental or natural, and plenty of people still had tons of reason to cover it up. Not to mention there's someone is cashing Dudenoff's checks on 125th street - that could be part of the cover up or it's just another reason to keep his death a secret.

It would be easy for Sazz or literally any outsider to see evidence of the coverup (and maybe even the body itself) and conclude - well of course this was a murder! Especially if they didn't know about the illegal sublet thing going on.

Missing Pieces

The student film, "The Desecration of Alice", almost certainly had another actor from Dudenoff's classes -- a woman, the person who played Alice. I'm guessing that this is Rudy's ex-girlfriend, Helga -- the one who abandoned Hammy Faye Baker (the pig) in the Dudenoff's studio apartment.

What's with the Ham Radios? Seems like a way someone keeps in contact while staying off the grid.

Who is cashing Dudenoff's social security checks? I have zero reason behind it, but I truly think it's Lester the Doorman. He's been doing it as a favor, cashing the checks, then dropping the cash off to someone, per Dudenoff's request. Again, zero reason for me to suspect this. Just thinking.

Or... is Dedenoff actually dead?

Dudenoff has allowed people to illegally sublet from him for decades. Would it be so wild for him to have allowed someone he cared about to use his health insurance coverage to replace a shoulder? That could easily explain how the serial number traced back to him -- without him actually being dead.

This would also explain the Ham Radios.

Who is the killer?

Not enough information about who is the killer/shooter of Sazz, but people I'm keeping an eye on:

Bev Melon - the producer

Marshal Pope - the writer

Helga

Ana - Inez and Alfonso's daughter

Rudy aka Christmas-all-the-time-guy - easily the most atheltic of the Westies, could almost certainly handle the ubertight window of he shooter + the cleaner

Scott Bakula - ok, not really, but why not? Super sus how he turned up in 4x01 and was like, "Ho-hum, TOTALLY not like Sazz, right?!"

Sazz's Agent - unnamed character, see next section

Why Sazz?

Sazz has a ton of connections - she's the reason Charles had friends when he worked on Brazzos. Most people at the stunt bar seemed to know her fairly well. She is clearly far more competent at keeping interpersonal connections (especially those critical for her job) than most of the other characters in OMit-B.

The relationship Sazz was keen on quitting (she gave more than she got) -- I know Charles thinks it was himself -- but I don't think so. I think the person Sazz was keen on quitting was actually her agent. This is a character we've only heard about in passing, with Sazz talking to them on the phone -- but it makes a lot more sense than it being Charles.

The Theory of Season 4

While there's no real limits to the question "Who has access to Charles and Oliver's apartments?" Because of all the secret passage ways and stuff... but my theory is that Sazz's agent is in complete cahoots with Bev Melon (the producer) and leverage Sazz to plan cameras in Oliver's and Charles' apartments, among other things, to help Marshal (the film writer) and Bev get a full jump on the OMit-B.

Oliver is 100% right to be surprised at how far along the project is when they go out ot California in 4x01. That didn't happen by accident. This production had a crapton of inside sources to draw from to get it to where it is.

If Sazz's agent used blackmail or even just basic power pressure to get Sazz to participate in this kind of spycraft, then I could easily see how Sazz would want to get out from under that thumb.

At least, that would explain why Sazz is suddenly pushing to retire, even though there was a recent reboot of Brazzos giving her plenty of work (even if the show is on hiatus ATM).

[darklinaforever]

She is a traitor ? Who was probably working for Ambessa since before she slept with Caitlyn ? She literally smiles while trying to kill Caitlyn + the horrible comment about enjoying her warmth ? The way she prepares to kill Caitlyn too is also horrible. She was shooting in the back of the neck, not the head. Caitlyn would have lost all feeling above that place and would have died slowly and painfully, drowning in her own blood. Maybe that's why his death is so appreciated too ? No, Maddie wasn't a cute and harmless character at all ? Also, no one is saying that Caitlyn cheated on Vi. But the fact is that she used Maddie as a sex hookup to compensate for Vi's absence. Yes, it's not very morally correct. But we're not going to make it seem like Maddie didn't know she was a rebound for Caitlyn. Everyone knows there's something between Caitvi. Even Ambessa. So Maddie, who was on the same team as them and who saw them interact too, couldn't not have known that. And if it turns out, it was Maddie who told Ambessa since she was her spy (because I doubt that Cait, who didn't even want to tell Ambessa about her affair with Maddie, told her about the fact that Vi had captured her heart, not to mention that Caitlyn is a girl of actions and not words !). And this kind of person like Maddie who agrees to be a rebound just to sleep with the coveted object and not appreciate it when in fact surprised "you are worth nothing in the eyes of the person who actually loves someone as you already knew someone "else" is just as reprehensible. Wanting someone who doesn't really want you and are in love with someone else is either the behavior of a desperate person or an asshole. Not to mention the fact that she was probably on Ambessa's side before she slept with Caitlyn, and it might even be Ambessa who asked her to sleep with Caitlyn ! That Ambessa asked him would make things even worse, but even without that, a person who agrees to be someone's rebound and then be able to kill them is... What is there to defend in this ? Anyway, why are people still trying to defend Maddie ?! She literally smiles like a psychopath when she shoots Caitlyn ! She is not a good person, at all !

[cheeseanonioncrisps]

Love how Vox and Velvette seem to alternate between portraying themselves as the ‘head’ of their little trio, with Velvette referring to herself as “the backbone of the Vees” and Vox plastering his logo over everything and vehemently denying Alastor's insinuation that he couldn't go on without the other two.

And meanwhile, like… Hells entire cinematic industry seems to mostly centre around porn.

Like, I'm sure there are other films out there (Blitzø has apparently seen Shrek) but the “cinephiles” are all off watching “award winning demon bukkake shows”. And I'd be very surprised if the internet porn industry wasn't also pretty big.

Outside the main three Vees, Angel Dust appears to be the figure most associated with their brand. Not any of Velvette's models or Vox's stars. And posters of Angel appear in the Lust Ring in Ozzies, implying that Val's influence extends outside Pride, something that doesn't seem to be the case for the other Vees.

And the whole reason Vox had to hire Sir Pentious to spy on the hotel is because Val hires so many people that all the randos on the street who might be looking for a quick buck were already working for him. Given how sex-obsessed the culture is generally (and considering that for every pornstar Val hires, he's also going to need several camera people, sound people, set designers, editors, etc.) Val could easily qualify as the biggest employer in Pride.

And if he owns even a fraction of those souls, he'd probably be one of the most powerful Overlords with or without the other two backing him up.

And that's not even getting into the age thing!

All the Media Demons seem to be loosely associated with the era when their chosen form of media got popular.

Vel is the social media demon, and one of the youngest Overlords, seeming to have died in the '10s. Vox is the TV demon and supposedly died in the 1950s. Alastor is the Radio Demon and died in the 1930s.

Photographic porn first became a big thing in the late 1800s. Val's style of dress to me loosely indicates 1910s or 1920s. If we're sticking with the established pattern then Valentino could well be older than Alastor.

What I'm saying is: the reason Valentino seems so much less concerned with the image and branding of the Vees compared to the other two might not just be him being dumb and impulsive.

From his perspective, the whole Vee thing might just be something his boyfriend and best friend are invested in, that he just kinda puts up with (and, heck, probably finances) because it makes them happy and gets him out of Overlord meetings.

Out of the three of them, Val may actually be the one who would be most able to go it alone, and the one who is the main source of their power. Possibly the only reason Vox and Vel even get to argue over who is the top dog in the group is because the actual top dog is too busy with his real business to give much of a shit about their fun side project.

[gifted-aurora]

I have something to say about Kingsman.

You know who's gonna be traumatised for life? Eggsy and Harry.

Yeah, it's obvious it's them because THEY'RE ALL THAT IS LEFT OF KINGSMAN!

They'll both have nightmares for life! They only have each other to talk to about their organisation and that would not be sufficient because why? ONE OF THEM IS A NEW AGENT AND THE OTHER WAS PRESUMED DEAD.

Harry Hart? Eggsy can get Harry up to date with everything that has happened before he got his memory but that's just it.

His entire life got obliterated and the only person who knew of his past and was there throughout his career is dead. Blown to pieces. Before his very eyes. It wasn't even a week or so that he got his memory back and recognised Merlin again. We don't know how much of Harry's memories that was regained but one thing for certain, no one can help him remember that.

No one.

Him, Harry Hart, former Galahad has no one. Truly, no one this time.

Him seeing visions of butterflies, migraines, getting used to his new eyesight, recovery... He's on his own. He's going to start from scratch, literally everything.

Him, Harry Hart, most likely be Arthur.

Alone.

Eggsy Unwin? That man saw his friend died by a missile fired to his former mentor's house that he moved in. His friend who had nothing to do with Kingsman died because he so happened to babysit JB, his pug at his house, who's also dead.

Roxy was talking to him when a missile hits her home too.

The man witnessed two deaths of his friends at a dinner with his girlfriend's family whom he's trying so hard to impress.

Guess what it reminds us of? Harry's death.

Then finding out your entire spy organisation was targeted and destroyed while slowly realising that him and Merlin are the only surviving members, he doesn’t have time to doubt or suspect one another. They only have each other now.

And then, Merlin died.

Right before his very eyes, sacrificing himself for them to complete the mission, to save the world. What started as a duo turned trio, became a duo again. They were so close, this was the final mission! And yet, Merlin didn't make it till the end.

And like Harry's relationship with Merlin, Merlin was there for Eggsy since the beginning. He trained him, he guided him through his first mission... Not to mention that, Merlin witnessed Harry's death the same time as Eggsy. Merlin have direct communication with Harry and even he can't save Harry. They probably mourned Harry together, Merlin most likely took Eggsy under his wing.

And just like Harry's death, Eggsy could only watched as another important figure in his life die.

Eggsy is getting whiplashed continuously. Even in his personal life, like think about it. He's gone from committing petty crime and living in an unstable household to being a spy and living amongst the upper class society and able to provide protection for his mother and sister to being married into royalty! His ascension of the social ladder happens so rapidly, he's bound to be overwhelmed soon.

Not to mention how contrasting his career as a spy to his position as a public figure. Spies are discrete and being married to royalty is anything but discrete. He's literally married to the apparent heir of the throne. It will be a miracle for him to find balance between two worlds in short notice.

So yeah, they're both hurt, overwhelmed by grief and alone. Both of them can't catch a break, having to rebuild Kingsman from scratch, sure they will have the Statesman to help them but only to rebuild the organisation back. Them?

do you ever wonder if they could even deliver the news of their members' death to their loved ones, every single one of them? Heck, could they even find them?

It's really a "Harry and Eggsy vs the world" situation.

[vickyvicarious]

Yeah Dracula is actually a thorough planner. Once I interpreted Dracula's careening final leg of the journey to England as a careless oversight on his part; one where he over-indulged by eating the entire crew and unskillfully brought the ship into Whitby by chance. BUT he's been planning Whitby from the start. I think how he ends up getting into Lucy's house at the end is also the result of careful research and planning. He even has a plan for turning the rest of those who tried to thwart him, not needing to do it all directly.

Strategizing and laying down the maps for his steps is another trait he shares with Mina, come to think of it. The latter doesn't underestimate her foes to "toy" with them, however.

I agree. I actually made a graph showing when Dracula picks off the various crew members, and when you look at it over time it looks much more intentional to me. I believe he always wanted to land on a dead ship, and picked them off gradually so that enough would be alive to get the ship close to shore where he could take over. (Also, to maximize the horror it would inflict on those still alive, because he loves that sort of thing.) Only the Captain's final stand on the wheel made steering it in to shore himself harder to do. Even then though, I wonder if he might have always intended to crash it ashore, so that he could get off the ship without crossing running water. Otherwise, his original plan would have been to hide in one of his boxes and get carried ashore when they unload the ship, but there could be a chance then of one heavier box getting noticed/opened.

I'm a little less certain about Lucy's house, simply because I'm not sure how he would have had access to Mrs. Westenra's will. But I suppose that brings up the question of law. Would the house count as Lucy's before the will is read out to her, even if she were the one to inherit? After all, Dracula doesn't exactly need Arthur's permission to enter once Mrs. Westenra dies. But maybe Lucy's sense of ownership as someone who resides there would be enough to fill that gap before she legally has confirmation that it's hers too. Arthur neither lives there nor even knew he was going to inherit it at the time. Regardless, the way he drugs the maids certainly suggests planning ahead of time: he'd need to know about the laudanum she was taking in order to use it on them. So either he was doing research when he wasn't there, or maybe he was able to find out some information by spying through windows at night, or maybe he got Lucy to tell him some things while she was mesmerized/asleep (probably the least likely, because we don't see that done elsewhere and also I think he was in bat form pretty much all the time he drank from her in London, until the day he came into the house). Regardless, he still lets his temper get to him enough that he gives up on subtlety when he goes for the "yeet the wolf" approach, but that doesn't mean there is no planning happening there.

Yeah, he's definitely strategic. He's been planning this for a while. And it's something he certainly shares in common with Mina. But, as you say, she gets right down to business. She analyzes the paths to achieve a goal and heads right for it without any of the same toying around. She also is good at estimating threats, at thinking cautiously in order to ensure success, at figuring out how people tick and how to oppose them. She definitely does not underestimate like Dracula does, and she doesn't get caught up in her own emotions (rage, pride, whatever) the same way either. The closest she comes is right after her assault but she's able to work through her grief and guilt and anger much more cool-headedly usually.

[acourtofthought]

I’ve been thinking about E/riels’s theories about a war breaking out over who Elain is going to be with (like Sarah isn’t aiming for peace across the lands lol). And I just can’t see it happening because Lucien and Azriel simply don’t have armies to back them up.

- Helion became a High Lord basically yesterday. What’s he gonna say? “Omg you guys I know I still haven’t proved myself as a High Lord but my son I just met can’t take no for an answer so off to war we go!!!”

- Beron will enjoy Lucien’s humiliation. He’s already disowned him.

- Spring is basically dying so Tamlin is out, too.

- Jurian and Vassa may care about Lucien, but they’re not sacrificing human lives over this bs.

- Azriel has spent his life looking down his nose at the Illyrians, they will absolutely not fight so he can keep his girlfriend. Same with Kier’s Darkbringers. So he’s empty-handed, too.

Only a fight between the two of them is possible. But then what? Elain is not an inanimate object to be “won”. She made it clear in ACOSF. Not to mention that if a fight happens, even if it’s not a Blood Duel, Gwynriel dies (I know that won’t bother E/riels lol). I doubt Gwyn will want to be with a guy who fought over another woman 2 days ago. Having feelings is one thing, entering a fight to the death is another.

I think some readers are so caught up in what they want to see happen they forget what actually happened in the book.

Az wanted to kiss Elain.........on Solstice.

Az was going to get "down on his knees for Elain"........on Solstice.

Az could not admit to Rhys that he was over Mor that same night.

Az told Elain they were a mistake that same night.

Elain whispered she was sorry to Az that same night and returned his gift hours later.

Az felt calm after spending time with Gwyn that same night.

Az felt something spark in his chest over the thought of Gwyn's happiness that same night.

Az and Elain share no further interactions for months after Solstice. MONTHS.

You know what did happen in the months after?

Az AND Elain (along with the others) nearly lost Feyre, Rhys, and Nyx during the birth scene.

Elain and Az (along with the others) nearly lost Nesta in the Rite.

Az watched Cassian taken by Briallyn.

The Az and Elain forbidden romance has no legs whatsoever.

First, we have ZERO evidence that Elain even entertains a crush on Az anymore. And why should she? He ignored her for a year because he couldn't handle her bond even though she could have used a friend while she recovered from trauma and fought with Nesta. He bought her a gift then called HER a mistake then never apologized. And he continued ignoring her for months after Solstice.

Super crush worthy material right there, am I right?

Also, why would Az turn around and betray Rhys's order after Rhys nearly died? I'd think nearly losing his brother would cause Az to be on better behavior, no? And he doesn't always disobey them "The High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court had faced off against the shadowsinger this after, and emerged triumphant. Perhaps triumphant wasn't the right word, but the argument had ended with AZRIEL GRUDGINGLY AGREEING NOT TO SPY ON BRIALLYN FOR THE TIME BEING -and brooding all through dinner."

Az may not have been happy about obeying orders but he obeyed orders regardless.

No one is starting a war over anyone. Lucien would walk away for good if Elain asked it of him and she would probably wash her hands of the entire lot of them if they were honestly trying to threaten the peace of the lands over her.

"I belong to no one"

"I am not a child to be fought over."

"You do not decide what I can and cannot do."

THAT is Elain Archeron and it's off-putting that anyone in the fandom would turn her into a simpering fool for the love of a male who avoided her because he's so sensitive to the smell of a bond that will always exist and who couldn't admit that he didn't just want to use her as substitute for a pleasure hall.

If she ends up with either male it's going to be because it's the right thing and not because they have to burn bridges in order to be together.

[transingthoseformers]

So, I once said that Too Sweet by Hozier would be a PERFECT song from Mirage and Noah and their dynamic, and I have scaled TikTok and found something that would potentially be in Mirage's POV if he was singing this song, I modified it a little but bear with me while I pick it apart: "My friends like say that I'm an early bird, I'm up at seven with my vision blurred" So boom, first line. I once talked about Mirage not being able to dream, but instead plays memory files. However, he can't willingly choose which files play - and majority, it's bad ones. So, his "vision being blurred" could say how it takes longer for him to refocus his vision after being put in a memory of being in the middle of a war. Also, people saying Mirage is such an early bird because of how he gets up from recharging just as the sun is rising, when in reality, Mirage's battery is on 87% at best T0T

"Why care what hour I'm awake? Baby, your mistake: You keep saying that I'm living right, just 'cause I sleep before the daylight." Now, this line would probably be a little directed towards Noah. I can imagine Noah or his Ma saying how Mirage must be going to bed at earlier times, hell maybe Noah's mom telling Noah that he "could learn a thing or two from Mirage" and Mirage just awkwardly laughing like he didn't start recharging until 3 in the morning.

"But I'm awake at every sunrise. I taught myself how to pretend." It's in his name. Mirage, which means an illusion or something not real. And this could go with Mirage who used to be a spy, being taught and teaching himself how to pretend to get a mission done. Or in this case, so people don't see how actually dysfunctional and bitter the real Mirage is.

"But again and again: Dude, I seem wake up, dark as a lake. My wires just dangling, my mind in a haze." This brings into my HC that Mirage dissociates as a coping mechanism. Whether that be from memories or from himself, thus how his mind feels like it's "in a haze" or some kind of fog.

"I'm not drunk of life, babe. I just hide in the taste." THIS. Mirage literally admitting he doesn't enjoy life one bit, but sees it as an end-all, be-all. He could care less about his own life, but won't actively try to take it. Mirage is most likely always lectured by Optimus about how he doesn't cherish or take care of his life, and at one point, Mirage just outwardly said "I don't give a shit about my life." but managed to play it off later as a way to get under Prime's skin, and definitely not because he genuinely wouldn't care if he died the next day.

"But while in this world; I just can't take my whiskey neat, or my coffee black in my bed at three. I need something sweet; I need something sweet." This is the other side of the coin of Noah's bitter-drink addiction. How he literally needs his coffee in the morning, or he cannot function, it's the same with Mirage. He needs something sweet, needs something to distract from the bitter taste in his mouth every time he gets another memory file of how he put another autobot offline, ripped another person from their family just to get a mission done and distract himself from the fact he wasn't even in the ballpark of a good person BEFORE that. Maybe that's why he made such a great spy, he was already used to worming people's secrets out with ease.

"But you take your whiskey neat. Sipping black coffee while you fix a tv, and I've got places to be. Acting like I'm just so sweet." This is also in reference to Noah, how he's more dysfunctional and more "bitter" while other people and bots don't notice it from Mirage. Notice how sometimes his jokes land a bit different, fuller in malice when he's in a bad mood, how his tone grows dark when Cybertron is mentioned, how once Noah saw Mirage fully awake at 4 o'clock in the morning when he was supposed to be recharging, the dry sarcasm when he gets comfortable with Noah during late nights in the garage. Everyone expects Mirage to act a certain way but sometimes that's all it is; a mirage. And Mirage could stop at any time, but acting is something that he's used to. It's his comfort zone, and stepping out of it, that would be more vulnerable than anything he's ever known.

Exactlyyyy, they've got such a dynamic and the song is a good song (even though I don't know too much about Hozier, only two songs)

[disventure-rewrite-takes]

Hello again! (Warning, long rant again)

I'm basically making my own dc au for fun (I have too many writing projects to make another rn)

Adding onto what I created on Tom and Jensen, I wanna switch some of the characters with different ones for All Stars. This is now my au of an okay show plot

I wanna add only two characters, Drew (cause I love him and more details later), and Rosa (also explained later) and remove Miriam and Lake (I'm sorry but it's for reason and I wanna give other characters a chance to win)

The reason why I chose Drew and Rosa for All Stars is for two reasons, Fiore and common sense. For Drew, he's an underused contestant that's gone too early (honestly, glad he wasn't picked for all stars cause it kinda flopped after episode 5) but one thing that stands out about him that not a lot of the fandom bothered to notice is that Drew is a constant supporter of Fiore.

One: He probably voted for someone else (like maybe Miriam or Tom) in episode 1, and he was shocked that Fiore was voted out. Also, at the finale where Fiore was already exposed at a villain, Drew was seen at Fiore's stand despite everything, so a Drew and Fiore dynamic would be perfect because Fiore gets bullied way too much by both her teammates and the writing.

And while she does deserve some of the anger they feel towards her, you have to remember that she's just a 6-8 year old (No, I'm not excusing her actions they were bad, but there's a reason why she's this way. Monsters aren't born, they're made), so having someone who seen her at her worst and yet still cares about her would probably make Fiore realize that she's not a heartless monster like what her mom said, she's capable of love like everyone else.

Rosa is also picked for a similar reason, like Drew, while Rosa did watch DC season 1 and saw how Fiore was acting like a jerk she never really liked her first but later into watching the other half of the season she saw a bit of her daughter in Fiore if certain things happened. So when she joined All Stars, she saw the chance to help the self-proclaimed 'monster' of the Disventure Camp.

Let me tell you, if someone has been told by a bunch that they're the worst and many hateful words at a young age, gains a support system and teaches them how to truly love with time it would do wonders.

(Also, I want Rosa to adopt Fiore after the show is over. (Dis)respectfully, I don't trust Alec around kids based on the few mentions about his treatment towards his own kid)

Now, for Tom, his spy background is what made me like him back in the first season 'cuase I'm a sucker for anything spy-related. But like with any cool plotline, ONC fumbled his background just for what? Petty drama and a relationship that probably wouldn't be the best in reality.

Maybe he gets trauma from getting tortured by the enemy after being left behind on a dangerous mission by his teammates and friends he trusted (make Tom fucked up looking like the Creature from Frankenstein) and scars similar to the Phantom's eye scar and have half of his mouth exposed (just have the right side be messed up 👍🏽) Make him a recluse that learns to accept help from others along with trauma bonding with Jake (trust issues gang fr)

For the last part, Jensen. The mystery man himself: Why is he working on a reality TV show where his face could be revealed with the FBI? What did he do for the police and FBI hunting him down, and what does he gain during his stay at Disventure Camp?

Now, let's imagine this: Jensen used to be a part of this huge crime ring that he, originally named Vladimir, ruled with an iron fist. But someone snitched on the gang, and the police took down most of the gang members except Vladimir. Now, with nothing but posters asking people to look out for him, Vladimir needed to get back on top, so when he saw a sheet asking for help on a new reality show out in the middle of no where Vladimir took the job.

He changed his looks (his hair was black, but he dyed it gray to look older, covered the tattoo on his neck and blinded his left eye), and gained a new (fake) ID and changed his name to Jensen. After being hired by Derek and Trevor, he started his plan to restart his empire by selling the animal corpses he kills by the order of Derek and Trevor (He may have killed some interns and framed it as bear attacks)

When season 1 started and Tom joined (He was forced to take the job after the trouble with his teammates betraying him and his boss on their last straw at Tom), Jensen sensed something odd about him. Sneaking a peek at his bags while the players are at the challenge, Jensen finds out that Tom's a spy looking for him, so he creates a plan to make sure Tom will never catch him.

So that's what I have for now, I might come back with more later. Thank you for reading and gn/gm!

-🌙

ATE DEVOURED LEFT NO CRUMBS WITH THIS

i LOVE the idea of getting drew and rosa back to not only flesh them out more (as they deserved) but to also flesh out fiore and give her a redemption arc. especially drew omg my sweet boy i miss him

and the jensen arc... moon anon we need you on the show rn i can’t watch this knowing it could’ve been THIS /pos

[acutecoral]

Anyways, that was a fun first day! Especially given my main povs are mostly in Red Team, which...well, I honestly did not expect them to have spiralled that hard the last half an hour? It was glorious to have witnessed though. Despite the frustrations and drawbacks, they really did claw it back?? Somehow??

I'm still sort of in a state of being overwhelmed, since I had like 14 tabs on and swapped between povs when I had to, and somehow that hit a level of stimulation that wasn't debilitating but just enriching for my brain which is one of the funniest things that came out from this.

We enjoyed seeing Charlie tryhard at being tactical??? We didn't realise until he mentioned it, that for a good 3 hours, he had not cracked a joke and went off being a spy and eavesdropper to help protect and give an advantage to his team. Like damn.

Carre was a GOAT?? HOLY SHIT???? And also, it was great that Cellbit managed to help bridge the communications between Carre and the rest of the team, after having gotten really great at spanish thanks to Roier. But man, that was unexpected but pleasant as they rallied with each other to fight back and complete the quests.

But my personal favourite moment is how BOLAS?!??!?! started fucking spiralling. The frustration had built up so much, the event pushed them SO HARD, that they threw out their Whole Ass character arcs out for EVERYONE IN THE TEAM TO HEAR. I am not sure if that was just them being meta so it's not actually a canon confession, BUT!! THE FACT THAT THEY DID!! THEY FUCKING TOLD ALL OF THEIR TEAMMATES THEIR DEEPEST SECRETS.

CELLBIT HAD KILLED THE WORKERS. FOOLISH HAD BEEN TRYING TO PROTECT HIM FOR THE ENTIRETY OF HIS INVESTIGATION. SLIME KNOWS THE FLIPPA HE'S HANGING OUT WITH WAS FAKE AND WAS CORRUPTING HIM AND IT FUCKING SCARES HIM. JAIDEN WOULD STAB THEM ALL FOR CUCURUCHO. THAT MUST HAVE BEEN CATHARTIC IN SOME FORM AT LEAST. THEY HAD JUST BEEN PUSHED THAT. FAR. TO SAY ALL OF IT IN THE OPEN.

It's funny!! Like MAN. WHAT A DAY.

Other fave moments:

-Etoiles being sad about killing Jaiden and Philza. Him wanting to be with Red and have fun with his broooosss. He kept apologising lmao

-Tubbo and Carre's beef, but Carre apologises and Tubbo forgives him, that was really sweet

-Etoiles and Roier!!! Yessss give me more interactions of their cubitos thank youuu

-Bad being BOLAS?!?!?!?'s enemy #1 LMAO

-Foosh fucking CRITTING BAD, JESUS THAT WAS SO QUICK??? He did not escape damn

-Carre being hunted by Tubbo and Niki, and Cellbit helping coach him on how to hide his name in the map and he manages to kill Tubbo and Niki instead, JESUS

-Charlie's rants, nuff said

-Charlie and Cellbit fucking doing a stick fight pvp (Etoiles would have loved it so much, please let the man chill with Red next time he misses his friends)

-Tubbo and Aypierre??? Team up??? Oh my goddd, I'm so happy to see them working on the same side, like reminded of the fact that Aypierre had wanted to adopt him when Tubbo was first announced to join LMAO

-FOOLISH AND PHIL BEING FUCKING IMMORTALS????? THEY HAD NOT FUCKING DIED FOR NEARLY THE ENTIRE STREAM, HOLY SHIT, BOTH OF THEM ARE CRACKED AT THE CRAFT AND WERE POPPING OFF

-KAMETO??? EATING A PUFFERFISH?? AND GOING DOWN TO HALF A HEART AND FREAKED OUT LMAOOO (and then he ended stream KEK)

-Fit reverting back to his good ol 2b2t self, my man is toxic, let’s go, it's good enrichment for him, probably reminds him of the Incursions he participated 🥰

-SPREEN AND DANTDM CANONICALLY DEAD??? I mean, I feel it's a bit of a sad reveal since that means they don't have plans to come back to the server, but at least their characters got some sort of closure...?

-RUBIUS???? LOGGING IN??? BEING TURNED MORTAL???? Too bad with issues on his game not working, that sucked, hope that works next time and the admins help him to fix it and he joins!!!

-ARIN STREAM??? THIS MAN IS SO CRYPTIC STILL WHAT’S GOING ONNNN

-Bad??? Stealing Jaiden's strawhat??? BRuhhhhhhh

-Charlie goading Bad to a battle?? I think that was hilarious, but then the Sun Became A Deadly Laser and Charlied dried

-Phil did the entire Casulones emote oh my god, they finally did it

-But!! Red chose him to be the leader, and I thought that awesome, that's so deserved

-THE FACT THEY PUT THE RPers AND ENIGMA SOLVERS IN ONE TEAM LMAO, THESE GUYS BARELY KNOW HOW TO MAKE A BOOK AND HADN'T HAD LVLS HIGHER THAN 3 OH MY LORDD

-The bonfire, live sacrifices, and planned descent to cannibalism 🥰🥰

-Charlie joining other peoples vcs near the end and just BROKENLY checking in on them and telling them the plans of BOLAS???!?!?! and literally giving them the coords to their base LMAO

-Baghera killing Phil, Phil waving her goodbye before DEAD

-FOREVER SAYING THE WORDS THE BLACK CUCURUCHO GAVE HIM???? Not sure if anything came of that yet, but OHHH BOYYY

-BAD AND TUBBO??? TEAM UP??? BAD WITH THE AXE AND TUBBO WITH THE SWORD?? HOLY SHIT WHAT A COMBO

-MISSA PLAYING THE KIRBY STAR ALLIES MENU MUSIC WHEN WE DIPPED INTO HIS POV??? THAT SCARED ME LMAO DID NOT EXPECT IT

-The post-event wind down where everyone is chatting and vibing and talking to one another, that was a vibe and was really chill as everyone played tetris and watched each other's streams, and complimented Tina's tetris skills

Honestly, I'm sure there was so many fun moments despite everything, my streamers had fun despite the frustrations and discouragement

I am ecstatic where they may change about things going forward! I trust Q and the Admins to listen to the feedback from people and see how they can shift things to balance it out. We'll see!

Until then! Back on the bus we go!

Remember to stay clear of the pvp! You don't want to find yourself in the way of an axe or a sword swing!

[foxyarchive]

Glass in the Ocean[P2]

You reconcile about your near-death encounter and spend some quality time with those in your life-- New and old.

- I'm so happy that some of y'all are liking the story so far!! Any comments or general likes really help to boost my confidence for this and mood! I'm excited to bring you all the next chapter in a little over a week! Cross-Posted on AO3!

Warnings: None

Words: ~5.3k

Tags in the comments! Ask to be added to the taglist!

P1 | P2 | P3

When you had gotten back to the house, nobody was home still, thankfully. It was clear that some had come by to drop off a couple of things, or even pick some up, but besides that it was blissfully quiet. That was perfect for you. It gave you time to shut yourself in your room, sitting there on the chair at your desk as you tried to calm the erratic breaths. It felt like there just wasn't enough air, and you felt the presence of more hot tears slide down your face. A shuddering sob left your body as your mortality finally sank in; You had almost died. You could have died. That certainly could've been the end of your story, once and for all, and all because of your own stupidity. 

It made you sob even harder, putting your head in your hands as you curled in on yourself. Your ankle was stinging, and so were your eyes, but nothing hurt as bad as the ache in your chest at the staunch realization of how close you’d come to facing your own doom. With all the crying that tears from your mouth and throat, it’s a miracle you’re able to hear your alarm on your phone go off. It gives you a pause, your sniffling and weeps coming to a halt as you look over and spy what it’s for. Fuck. Dinner. That’s right. 

“Shit.” You whisper out, hastily wiping the tears off of your face. You need to be at the restaurant in an hour. There’s no way you’re going to make it on time. You shoot off a group text to your family, letting them know you were going to be late, and hastily tried to pull yourself together. You headed into the bathroom, splashing your face with water and taking the time to clean it, before you readied yourself. 

It was getting late, now, and cool air was finally gracing the beach. It gave you an excuse to pull on a pair of leggings, taking time beforehand to dress your ankle and wrap it in gauze. Examining the injury, you noticed that the claw marks actually weren’t too deep. They were little scratches more than anything, although where they had dug in did bleed. You also discovered that you didn’t feel woozy, or tired, or on the verge of passing out at any moment. You felt… Normal. He really hadn’t injected any venom into you. 

You can still hear his words echoing around your mind as you wrap the gauze after cleaning. I was just messing around. Your lips curl down, scowling as you bite back more tears. Well, if he was being honest about that, it was fucked up. It made you feel more angry than anything else. What kind of sick joke was that? Pretending like he was going to kill you? You began to tremble again as you finished and dressed yourself, but it wasn’t in fear this time. It was anger. Mers were sick and twisted. You could see why it was easy for someone to fall victim to them, though. After all… You almost had. 

Once you were finished getting yourself ready, you headed out, hopping on the electronic bike that you were going to be using for your stay here. Your grandmother had a car, of course, which you’d probably use on occasion. The bike was sturdy, though, faster than normal due to being electric. And with the maneuverability of an ocean town, even if it was a bit far from the home, biking would be better. It’d get you some exercise, too– Hard to do that when you’re stuck behind a computer screen all day, working. 

You head into the town, trying to shake off the earlier encounter. It was extremely difficult, though, as every little push of your leg downward on the bike petal, you were reminded of it. You couldn’t get the face of the mers out of your head, either– Twins! How sorry that other mer looked when he asked to explain, and how you’d just fled instead. You didn’t regret it, of course, you weren’t keen on being tricked again, but… To see the concern and guilt on his face. Almost like he was the one who did it instead of his brother. 

You give a shake of your head, trying to dismiss that notion. It was all just a game to them. Not even a game– Survival. After all, they wanted to kill you so they could eat. There were plenty of fish in the sea, but you were sure that humans probably had some very enticing nutrients compared to them, which is likely why they were hunted. After today’s encounter though… You were suddenly uncertain. Maybe they really were just cruel and hunted for sport. To think, the only reason you’re alive is because one of them had been kind enough to stop another. For what, though? Was it to lure you into a false sense of security so you’d be back? Hah. Fat chance. You weren’t going anywhere near those waters again. 

You took a moment to wonder if you should alert the local authorities of mer sightings. That would probably take care of them real quick, or at least spook them away. Then again… They were just trying to live their life. You had no reason to really go into the ocean again; You didn’t like swimming that much, after all. Other people could be endangered, though.

Your mind was a storm as you arrived at the restaurant, parking outside and locking the bike before you headed in. It was right on the boardwalk as well, and you enjoyed the cooling atmosphere and the breeze on your face as you sat outside with your family. Your grandmother had finally finished tying up loose ends for the day and joined you all. You got to enjoy some delicious food, sipping on your favorite drink as you enjoyed the evening with your family. They were staying at a local hotel, but you knew they’d leave early morning. You were going to have another day of rest and exploration around the town tomorrow, but then after that? It’d be time for work– Only for the glass shop, though. You still had another vacation day from your actual job. 

Full of good food and tired from today’s events, you suddenly wished that you hadn’t biked all the way out here. Thankfully, your grandmother offered to give you a ride back, and you hooked the bike onto the back of your car. You still had some time to digest, though, walking around the little beach city with your family for another hour, window shopping and sifting through any shops that were currently open. You bought yourself a cute little trinket, and finally parted ways with your family after some hugs, kisses and well wishes. 

You were grateful to finally be back at your home away from home, though. It was dark now, and although it was still relatively early, you figured you’d just go to bed and start the day early. Miraculously, when you’d been out, you’d managed to push all thoughts of the mers out of your mind. Getting out of the car, though, you glanced towards the ocean after you’d shut the door. In the gleaming moonlight above, you could’ve sworn that you spotted the flick of scales and a tail curl back down into the water. It was enough to make your heart speed faintly, which made you quickly take your bike down from the back of the car and hurry inside. 

“Is there anything else you need for your room, dearest?” Your grandmother’s voice draws you out of your thoughts, and you desperately try to lower your pounding heart rate. You know your grandmother is perceptive, but she doesn’t seem to catch on, thankfully, also appearing quite tired after the long day. 

“No, I’m– It’s perfect. Thank you.” You finally respond, forcing a small smile to creep across your face. You want to disappear into your room and sleep, but there’s this forlorn look on the elder woman’s face as she gazes towards the living room sofa. Your grandfather had died two weeks ago, cremated and ashes spread to sea today. Although this wouldn’t be her first night without him, you were certain everything felt more real, now. “Do you want to watch a show? I hear that a new baking one premiered tonight.” You offer a suggestion, quietly, coming forward to place a hand on her shoulder. It’s one of her favorite things to watch, and you’re quite partial to it, too. She startles a bit, as if not expecting you, but turns her head towards you and offers you a small smile. Her soft, cold hand comes to rest upon your own. 

“I… That would be lovely. Let me get us a drink while you set up.” She suggests, and the smile you offer this time is more relaxed as you nod. You settle on the couch, turning on the television and flick to the appropriate channel. She comes back with two wine glasses and a bottle of rose she had stocked away, and you pour each of you a glass after you’ve opened it. The show begins, and you take the time to watch with her. It’s a fairly typical baking competition program, but you still find yourself enjoying it, especially as your grandmother pipes up with various comments. 

“Oh, I wouldn’t bake that with such little time.” Was one remark, along with, “My, my, her technique is so strange… There’s a much simpler way of doing that.” There was even a bold comment from her, saying, “I could easily do that.” That brings a laugh and reassuring agreement from yourself. Two episodes air in a row, and you watch both of them together, the bottle a little over half gone. By the time it’s over, you’re both exhausted, and after a hug and kisses on the cheek, you put everything away and get some rest. You sink down into your bed after changing into nightclothes, shuffling around for your earbuds to listen to some music before heading to sleep. 

It’s with a grumble and start, though, that you realize they must’ve fallen earlier when you grabbed your towel. A groan leaves you at the thought, and you rub your eyes, looking out the window. You eye the moonlit sky, listening to the calming sound of waves from the opening in your window. Too lazy and tired to shut the blinds, you turn over, finally managing to fall asleep. 

It’s dreamless until the very end. You feel like you’re suspended in water, floating through a viscous liquid more closely resembling amber. Your movements are slow, and each push of your limbs are tedious. There’s clicking all around you. Unseen voices whispering with hints of laughter. Something brushes your ankle. You flinch, scarcely. There’s a tug at your hair. A nip at your thigh. You try to move, but the water is thick and suffocating. Hands grip your hips, and a head comes up, pressing sharp, tender kisses to the front of your neck. You try to move your head to view the culprit, but you’re just too slow, and they’re too fast. 

A tongue runs along the front of your throat, before there’s a searing, all encompassing pain as it bites down. It’s not a lovebite, either. You can feel your flesh tearing, skin breaking, and blood begins to billow around you as you scream out. Nothing comes out, though, and nobody is here to save you this time. 

You wake with a start, heart hammering so hard in your chest you think you’re going to pass right back out again. You sit up, drenched in sweat, and try to take slow, deep, calming breaths. You clutch at your shirt, closing your eyes to try and ground yourself with the sensations around you. The fabric of your shirt. The sound of mourning doves and the sea. The faint smell that comes from the kitchen, something cooking. Your mouth is clammy, the faint residual taste of rose left on it. You finally pry your eyes open, peering at your covers and the sunlight filtering through. You can see specks of dust floating in the air, and you take the time to follow various ones until they float to the ground. 

At some point, you’ve finally calmed down enough. Your heart isn’t pounding anymore, and your breathing isn’t erratic. A shaky sigh leaves you as you flop back down in bed, pushing hair out of your face. Yeah. You were probably never swimming again. Not in the ocean, at least. For a moment, you lay there, listening to the doves croon and the waves lap at the shore. It’s only when your stomach lets out a mighty growl do you finally decide to get up. After a lovely stretch, you’re on your feet, shuffling into the kitchen with a yawn. “Good morning, dear.” Your grandmother greets, pulling out a delicious looking waffle from the waffle maker. She’s also made some other sides, which you eye eagerly, especially the fruit salad. All of the fruit looks so fresh and vibrant. 

“Good morning. Thank you for breakfast!” You smile, sitting down as some comes to sit with you after bringing over the plate of waffles and syrup. 

“Of course. You’re going to have a long day today, out and about in the town. I hope it’s relaxing, and maybe you’ll even meet some new people you can befriend while you’re there.” She insists, causing you to chuckle at the thought. 

“Maybe. It’d be difficult to leave, though, if I made any good friends.” You muse, piling your plate on with various breakfast items. She just smiles, tutting and giving a small shake of her head. 

“With how the internet is nowadays, I’m certain you can keep in contact. You could always move here as well, if you were interested. I wouldn’t mind having a permanent roommate.” She suggests, and you hum contemplatively at the offer as you begin to stuff your face full. It’s certainly a thought… Plus, it may even be cheaper than your current place of residence. Even so, you like being around more city or suburban areas. It’s what you grew up with, and you couldn’t imagine anything else right now. 

“I’ll think about it. Quite the kind offer.” You reply after swallowing. The rest of breakfast goes by quietly, and after you’re finished eating as well as helping to clean dishes, you decide to head out. Your first order of business is going to get your earbuds. Although the thought of being anywhere down near that shore again makes an array of goosebumps flush over your skin, you decide that if your earbuds dropped anywhere, it would be far away enough from the shore. You’d be safe. Part of you wishes you could take someone with you, but that was a fruitless thought. Your grandmother couldn’t make that trip down there, so you had to put on the big pants and do it yourself. 

It was shaping up to be another warm day, so you decided to put on a flowy shirt and some shorts. You showered, re-dressed your wound, and got yourself ready. After pulling on another pair of flipflops, you were almost out of the house before you heard a gasp. Looking over, you saw your grandmother peer down at your ankle, and that’s when you remembered the gauze there. You’d forgotten about it, even if you had rewrapped it not even five minutes ago. “What happened to your ankle?” She fretted, walking over to you. You hesitated, taking a half step back, shifting from foot to foot. 

“I… Went down to the beach yesterday and… Accidentally scraped my foot against a rock.” You lied, and why did you lie? Were you embarrassed about it? Surely not, but… Well… Okay, perhaps a bit. After all, the only reason you almost did die was because you were dumb enough to waltz forward up to a mer. You realized that you were still keeping quiet about it, though, when you’d thought about reporting it to the authorities. You should just tell her the truth. Maybe she knew who to talk to about it. This could save lives. 

“Oh, you poor thing. Can I take a look at it? I have some cream that could help.” She offers, holding out a hand. Although this is the perfect opportunity, you find yourself stepping back again. Why aren’t you being honest?

“N-No, that’s fine! I’ve already cleaned it and dressed it for now. It will be okay. Thank you, though.” You smile, meekly, grabbing the bike key. She offers you another worried look, but doesn’t press. 

“If you’re certain. Have fun today, and call me if you need anything.” She says, and you thank her before taking your leave. You’re still trying to fathom why exactly you hadn’t been honest as you make your way back down the stairs, hesitating as you near the bottom. All you can see in the water right now is… Well, nothing. Just vast blue as far as the eye can see. Your steps are still hesitant as you touch down on the sand, and you decide to take your sandals off for easier walking. It’s still early out, the sand retaining the cool morning air, but it feels nice to squish between your toes as you head back down to where you were yesterday. 

In the distance, you can spy the alcove you had settled near, as well as your flipflops. Your sunhat is nowhere to be seen, though. Probably blew away again. Well, whatever… Probably for the best. You’re not sure you’d ever wear that thing again anyways. Now comes the fun task: Finding your earbuds. You grab your other shoes and set your current ones aside, settling on your knees as you sift through the sand. You manage to find one easily, but the other is giving you trouble. Focused in your task, you don’t see something rise out of the ocean in your peripheral vision. 

“Hey!” A voice calls out, and you gasp, nearly dropping your one bud. You look over, and it’s that same mer from yesterday. You instantly begin to feel your heart drum faster, and you get to your feet, ready to flee again despite him being over fifteen feet away and only half on the shore. “Don’t leave, please! I’d like to talk to you.” You notice that he sounds awfully more polite today, and when you take in the sight of what you can see from his tail, that’s when you realize; This isn’t the same mer. His blue is brighter. A little more vibrant, with seafoam green patterns that shimmer in the soft sunlight filtering through the clouds. 

Upon further inspection, you notice that he even seems a little nervous himself. He’s smiling, but it’s tepid; Uncertain. Where he holds himself up, you can see a finger tapping anxiously into the sand. He looks ready to dart, but not at you. Away from you. There’s a tension to his muscles that screams he’s not sure if he wants to be here, but more that, perhaps, he’s forcing himself to be. It doesn’t completely lower your guard, but it does give you a pause from immediately fleeing. Your own muscles are tense, though, and you slowly turn fully back towards him. You crouch once more, near where you had been. His muscles don’t relax, but you see his face soften more. Less concerned, now. 

He takes a moment, then, as if he’s suddenly unsure about what to say. You most certainly don’t speak up, wringing your hands together anxiously as you wait for something to happen. Anything. “I, um…” He starts, now suddenly seeming a lot more nervous as he takes you in. “My name is Connor. What’s yours?” He finally introduces himself. You just peer at him, wondering how a mer has such a common human name. It’s awfully strange. 

You finally offer your own name, quiet, but loud enough to carry over the breeze. He repeats it, smiling just a bit wider, and you find your heart picking up speed again for an entirely different reason this time. “Listen, I just wanted to apologize for my brother’s actions yesterday. It’s… Not often at all we get to interact with humans, and I think he just got a bit too excited.” The smile falls from his face, more into a grimness. “That doesn’t excuse what he did, of course, but I just want you to know that he truly didn’t mean any harm.” You’re not quite sure you believe him, and clearly that thought reflects on your face, because Connor’s face falls just a bit more. 

“We don’t kill humans. I swear on my life. We really, barely interact with any.” He promises, face serious, head bowed a bit, although his gaze still holds yours. There’s a lot of questions on your tongue that you have, but you’re trying to choose the most important one right now. After all, time may be limited. This could be a trap. What if one flew out of the ocean and dragged you in? 

It’s a glaringly preposterous thought, but there have been rumors that mer were able to shift and form legs. If that was true, one of them could creep up on you in the sand without you knowing. 

…What a silly idea. There’s no way. Right? 

If you’re feeling unnerved, so is Connor by the look you see on his face. He is apologizing… Mers will trick you. It comes floating back to your mind. Your hand grips your shorts. You finally ask at least one of the questions on your mind. 

“How do you know coast tongue so well?” You ask, and you can see his shoulders droop a bit in relief that you actually are talking to him. 

“We have a good human friend. He took care of us after we were… Left our home.” He looks like he’s choosing his words carefully, at the end. You squint. Was he lying? “He lives nearby. Has a home on the coast like yourself.” He glances over yonder, and you look that way also, up the cliff, but don’t spot anything. Must be more secluded and further out, then. Your eyes are drawn back to the water as you hear a hiss, and the telltale sound of clicking. You feel your blood pressure spike up as another figure emerges from the water, and boy is he imposing. 

You notice immediately that he looks also very similar to Connor, except his complexion is paler. He’s broader, with darker hair and cold, distrustful stormy blue eyes. His jaw is sharper, and the scales on his cheeks are darker as well, but you can’t see any of his tail as only his shoulders and above are not submerged. He doesn’t look mad, but he certainly doesn’t look friendly. You’re still a decent distance away, but even you can feel the icy glower he’s giving you. Connor looks down at him, looking a bit exasperated, and the figure disappears back into the water with a silent ripple. “...That’s my other brother.” He explains, and suddenly you’re on edge. How many more were they?

“...Are there more than just the three of you?” You ask, worried, and he shakes his head. 

“It’s just us. Other mers don’t like to come around here. Awhile back, sealife population was scarce, which meant for more difficult hunts. It’s repopulated since, but others still stay away.” He explains. Well, that would explain a few things… You could only hope that distant pods wouldn’t catch wind of it and come swarming back over. Three mers was enough, even if some of them seemed… Well tempered. You’re surprised to find that you’re a little more relaxed, now. Your heart has calmed since the other mer swam away, and ponder about what he had said to Connor. He seemed upset. What were you talking about? Oh, right. The human. You wonder if that had anything to do with it. 

“What’s the human’s name?” You ask, curious if he was known around town, or even if your grandmother knew him. “The one that takes– Or, took– Care of you.” Ah, that must have been it. You can see uncertainty crawl back onto the mer’s features, and he shifts a bit in the sand, curling his tail a little further up to reseat himself. Part of you wants to back off. You don’t want to pressure him if he doesn’t want to talk about it… Then again, the other part of you is petty with how you were scared half to death the other day. That, and you still don’t completely trust him. 

“How’s your injury?” He deflects, and you’re certain you see a deep blue fin crest just behind him before slinking back down into the water. That other mer is still around, then. “It’s not too bad, is it?”

“It’s fine.” You reply, a bit stiffly, glancing behind you where you kneel. You decide to adjust yourself as well, moving to sit on your bottom, now with your legs in front. His eyes catch onto the wrapped appendage, brow creasing a bit. “He… Didn’t inject me with any venom.” You admit, brushing the sand off of your knees and calves. 

“No. We only do that to prey.” He explains, as if trying to further convince you of his insistence that you weren’t going to be food. You can see a bit of color come to his cheeks. “And, um… For… Other things.” He admits, a little quietly, and you tilt your head to the side. 

“Like what?” You ask, curiosity piqued at how he seems to look a little squeamish now. You see his tail flick up out of the water, softly slapping back down in contemplation. 

“Well… I’m not entirely sure how to say it in coast tongue, but it’s… Potent for other mers, too. It also can be in humans, if injected in lower doses, and not the normal doses we would inflict for… Prey.” He grimaces a bit at the thought, but that doesn’t answer anything. You just stare at him, a little blankly, and he squirms again. “It can be used for, ah… Mating.” He finally decides on, and it takes you a moment to realize what he’s implying. 

“Like an aphrodisiac.” You conclude, and he looks a bit confused. 

“A what?” He asks. You try to put it eloquently, but instead it just comes out a little more blunt than you’d like it to be. 

“It’s something that makes you horny.” Your own cheeks heat up as you say this, but Connor is still looking bewildered. God, you’re putting your foot in your mouth. “It– That’s the feeling you get when you want to mate with someone. When you’re in heat. Kinda.” You explain, hoping he understands, and he seems to. Semblance of knowledge flashes across his face, and he nods his head. 

“Yes. Exactly like that.” Well, that would explain why humans always felt so drugged and tired when they were dosed ‘lethally’. You’d never experienced an aphrodisiac, but the descriptors felt similar. Before you could mull on it anymore, though, it suddenly occurred to you how strange this was. You were sitting here, talking with a mer about how their toxins could apparently be used for sex not even a full day after you’d nearly been drowned by one. Or, at least, caught by one… 

For a moment, you both just sat there in silence, unsure of what else to say. You weren’t keen on getting to know the mers, really, not after your encounter. It seems that Connor’s brother– The one who had harassed you– Must’ve felt the same, as he wasn’t here today. It was just the mer in front of you, and the other one skulking about in the water. You listened to the distant sounds of birds, faintly tickling your ears, and that’s when you remembered the whole reason you came down here. You looked over, beginning to sift through the sand once again for your missing technology. “What are you doing?” He spoke up, resting on his stomach now. He crossed his arms, chin coming to rest on them, and you couldn’t help but wonder if he had anything better to do than lay here and watch you. 

“Looking for my earbud.” You explained, and his head tilted to the side. It reminded you of his brother, with the way that curl drooped down his face. Gosh, he really was handsome… That thought certainly didn’t leave you. 

“What’s that?” His eyes flash in curiosity, and you turn your body a bit to look in a different area. 

“It’s something I use to listen to music.��� You pause, glancing at him. “Do you know what that is?”

“I… Do.” He replies, perking up at first, before something seems to cross his mind that stops him from saying anything else. You search more in silence, before he breaks it again. “Do you have a favorite music?”

“Favorite song.” You correct, quietly, brows furrowing in frustration as you can’t find anything still. “I have a few favorites. I can’t choose just one.” You admit. You move your hand more, digging deep until finally you manage to grab hold of it. Must’ve gotten buried from your haste yesterday. 

“Can I listen to one of them?” He asks, lifting his head up, watching you brush and blow the sand out of the bud, trying to clean it out as best as you can. You glance over at him, unable to keep your face away from the curious look in his eyes. Genuine curiosity. It doesn’t look like something that could be faked. If you thought his brother had some boyish charm to him, Connor certainly blew him out of the water with his. 

“...Why me?” You suddenly find yourself asking, frowning as you turn your attention back to him. The look on his face instantly begins to melt away, and you keep firm from trying to backpedal and give in. Now he was certainly a sad, wet puppy. “It seems like… You all try to keep yourselves secret. Secluded. I understand why, but… If that’s the case, why would your brother risk it all by talking to me?” Connor seems to shrink down a bit from the question, curling in on himself a bit, a soft grimace overtaking his features. 

“I… Don’t know. You’d have to ask him.” He says, so quiet that it’s almost carried away by the ocean waves. “He wants to talk to you again, though. Maybe you could talk to him later.” He suggests, perking up a bit, only to flatten some as he sees the unenthusiastic look on your face. You’d have to see if curiosity would get the better of you. 

“...I should go.” You finally declare, getting to your feet. You brush the rest of the sand off, grabbing your two pairs of shoes, and tuck your earbuds away. 

“Will you come back?” Connor asks, and you can’t help but to feel a flare in your chest at the hopeful sound of his voice. You pause after you take a step, sparing a small glance back at him. He looks as hopeful as he sounds, and it makes you hesitate. Uncertainty prickles under your skin. 

“Maybe.” You finally reply, turning and plodding down the beach. You don’t get a response from him, but you can hear shuffling as he drags himself back into the water, disappearing from sight. You spare a glance back as the spot he was once in washes away, hiding any evidence of him.