#garroth is bad at feelings

[nottoofondofgaypeople]

Reunions and Confessions

Garrancemau brainrot go brrrr

I watched the episode where Laurance comes back from the Nether and then I started feeling some things, and then this happened

Garroth was on his usual patrol around Phoenix Drop when he felt something... off. As he walked past the forest there was just an uneasy feeling, worse than the one he already had with Zane around. That feeling quickly turned into panic when Garroth saw a white light starting to come from beyond the trees. Without thinking he rushed towards it, hoping his worst fears weren't manifesting. Oh Irene, tell him it wasn't Zane doing something awful.

Instead when Garroth stumbled into the small forest clearing he saw a gold and black wyvern with decaying wings wrapped around the unconscious body of his old friend. Laurance had never looked worse, his hair was a burnt mess, his face was covered in black and purple markings that danced across his skin with a little too much life, and when Garroth got closer, he could tell he wasn't breathing.

"Laurance?!" Garroth nearly screamed, rushing forward and picking his hand up. No pulse.

"What happened?!" Irena cried out as she rushed to his other side.

"He's not breathing!"

"He's still alive," Ungrith gasped out. Irena hesitantly reached a hand out, and Ungrith used his remaining strength to put his claw in her hand.

"Ungrith, what happened?" She asked, desperately trying to keep her voice even as Garroth checked for proper signs of life.

"I-I did it." The wyvern smiled, even as more of the black and purple rot spread across his gold body. "I saved Laurance."

"Just hold on! I'll get you help--"

"Don't. Please."

"Why not?!"

"It would be... a waste of your time. It's too late for me, Irena."

"What did you do?"

"Something forbidden... I used my magic to break the realm barrier. And this is my punishment. Laurance saved my life when I was cast away from my home in a realm that was not my own, and now I have done the same." Ungrith lowered his head, and closed his eyes.

"Wait, please don't die!" Irena rushed forward to put her hands on his face, hoping she could do something to save him. The rot only spread as Ungrith let out a shaky breath.

"Worry not. Wyverns cannot die. One day I will be reborn in my own realm. I have brought Laurance home, and now I can go back to my home." His eye barely opened to look at her. "Promise me you'll protect him." Irena looked over at Garroth who had picked up Laurance's limp body and began carrying it to Phoenix Drop.

"I will. I promise. I won't let your sacrifice be in vain."

"Thank you..." His eyes closed, and his wings folded. Irena leaned forward to place a kiss to the last part of his body yet to be taken, the center of his forehead. And then, it took him. She backed up, and then turned away. No need to see his body decompose. Instead she dashed forward, running past Garroth and straight to the plaza.

"Zoey!" She called from the top of the staircase down. The elf looked back at her with clearly panicked eyes. She had felt what was happening even if she didn't see it. "I need your help with something." She just nodded, grabbing her medical supplies and following Irena to her home. They barely got the guest bed set up when Garroth appeared and lay Laurance on it carefully.

"Give me some time alone with him," Zoey instructed. "I don't do well with others watching."

"Of course. Thank you," Irena replied, pressing a kiss to Zoey's cheek before she turned away and followed Garroth downstairs. The two of them sat together on the hill overlooking Phoenix Drop in silence for some time. At some point Irena had interwoven their hands together, and despite his usual hang ups about physical contact, Garroth didn't voice any objection.

There was more to be done. Phoenix Drop was still growing, and Zane was still an active threat. Irena couldn't help but think of every little thing she could be doing in this moment. But she couldn't find it in herself to leave. Not until she knew Laurance was alive. He had to be. Then again, if he was alive...

"Garroth, we need to talk," Irena said calmly, though her tone was clearly uneasy.

"About Laurance?" He guessed, to which she nodded.

"If he is alive, he's probably a shadow knight."

"I think it's the only way someone could survive in the Nether."

"Do you think he would... Try to kill me?" Garroth sighed, wishing he could give her better assurances. He hated the tremble of fear in her voice.

"That I do not know. It all depends on how Laurance feels." He didn't need to say anything else. They had both seen how flirty Irena and Laurance were. They both knew how he felt.

"Irena?" Zoey called out. Irena instantly turned around and stumbled to her feet, meeting Zoey at the top of her staircase.

"How's Laurance? Is he alive?" She asked desperately.

"H-He's alive, thank Irene. But he's not in the best condition."

"What do you mean?"

"He clearly sustained multiple injuries in the Nether, and his body and magic is all messed up from traveling between realms. Worst of all though... Laurance has gone blind."

"What?!" Irena nearly ran downstairs to see him then and there.

"I believe it's a side effect of traveling between realms. A-And if it was caused by that, I have no idea how you'd undo it." Zoey held Irena's hand tenderly, hating herself for the tears starting to build up in her friends eyes. "I'm sorry, I wish I could give you better news."

"Is he awake?"

"Yes... When he first woke up he called for you, and when you didn't respond, he started to panic. I only managed to make him calm down by assuring him that you're alive."

"I'm going to go talk to him."

"Thank you, Zoey. For everything." Irena kissed her other cheek this time, earning a slight giggle from the elf. The two finally broke away from each other, and Irena almost held her breath as she walked upstairs. The instant she saw Laurance she rushed to his side, nearly crashing into the bed as she knelt next to him. "Laurance?"

"Please know that Laurance is incredibly unstable right now. He's scarred both physically and mentally, and might not be quite the man you remember." Zoey pressed a kiss to the back of Irena's hand before letting it go. "I'm going to go speak to Emmalyn and see if she can help me come up with anything to help him."

"Irena?" He gasped out, instantly followed by coughing. Irena reached into her bag and pulled out a glass bottle of water, but when she tried to hand it to him, Laurance simply took her hand instead. "Irena, I can't see you."

"I'm here, Laurance. I'm right here." She gladly set anything aside to hold his hand in that moment. Just to feel some level of life coming from him. "You're safe. You're in Phoenix Drop."

"I know. You wouldn't be this calm if we were anywhere else." Irena let out a small laugh, making Laurance's hand relax. "It's nice to hear your laughter. I was really worried about you."

"I-I'm fine. But you... What happened?" Laurance tensed up a little more, his breathing suddenly heavy.

"I can't even begin to describe the pain becoming a shadow knight causes physically, mentally, and spiritually."

"I'm so sorry--"

"Don't, please." Laurance lolled his head to the side and gave her a weary smile. It was unnerving to see his whited out eyes. "I'd much rather be here with you and have no sight, than be there and able to see."

"B-But you wouldn't have--"

"Please, don't take the blame for my choice. I'm far more relived that you're alive."

"I'm relieved you're alive too. I was really worried about you." Laurance squeezed her hand before he let out a weary laugh.

"Can I... talk to you about something?"

"Anything."

"I-I wasn't... I became a shadow knight against my will. I held desperately onto my humanity by thinking of you." Now that he had started, Laurance knew he couldn't stop. "You were the main thing that kept me sane while I was in that awful place."

"W-wait, Laurance, are you--"

"I'm in love with you Irena. A-And I don't expect anything to come of this, heck I don't even expect you to feel the same way. It would be selfish of me to think so. I don't know what the future holds for me, or what will happen if I turn. But I needed you to know that before I lost more than my sight." Laurance wove their fingers together, and the smile on his face was one of the most genuine expressions of love Irena had seen.

"Laurance I..." She couldn't think of what to say. She knew how Laurance felt from very early on, and yet she didn't care. She actually... liked having someone that admired her. But hearing such a heartfelt confession made it feel like so much more. She remembered the pain she felt when Laurance shoved her forward and insisted he would stay and fight. If she were in the same situation, she probably would have done the same for him. That was enough.

"I don't expect you to--"

"I think I love you too." Laurance froze for a moment. He may have said all those romantic words, but he was seriously pissed he didn't have his sight in that moment. He wanted nothing more than to see her face, to know she was being serious. That she wasn't just saying that for his sake.

"Y-You do?"

"I think I do." Irena let out a nervous laugh. "I don't quite know how love works but... When I talked to you I felt something like how it's been described to me. I-I don't know how to be in love but..." She glanced down at Laurance and smiled tearfully. It was so relieving just to see him alive again, even if he wasn't in the best shape. "I'm willing to try it with you." His smile somehow only grew bigger, and his grip on her hand tightened considerably.

"I-I can't even put into words how happy you've made me. I only wish I could see your beautiful face for myself."

"We'll find a way to fix this, I promise."

"You don't have to." Laurance squeezed her hand. "I'm content to love you even like this. As much as I'd like to kiss you, I understand you have your reservations on that. I'm grateful that you even consider me worthy of having by your side."

"After everything you've done for me, I'd say a kiss is the least I can give you." Irena leaned over, and while she could see Laurance's lips expectantly waiting, she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before pulling away. "Get some rest, okay?"

"Yes, my lady." Irena giggled, before letting go of his hand and standing up. Even if his eyes weren't working, she could tell he was trying to follow her based on sound. Maybe that meant her footsteps were a little heavier on the stairs as she left, maybe she was just exhausted after a long and emotionally tiring day. Who's to say?

[irenes-journal]

“To my sweet boy, Levin:

The string of notes will keep us together. If you ever want to learn who I was, please just listen. You may not know me, but you will know my melody.

With all the love in the world,

your mother, Matilda"

————

Aphtober day 1: together

Yeah so I saw the prompt "together" and couldn't stop thinking of Levin and his many parents but also his music box. Matilda never got to see him grow up, but l like to think she'd be proud of him for becoming lord like he rightfully should have.

She'd also be happy to know he's so well loved by so many, yet her music box is still a part of him :)

(Aphtober is by @vyladromeave ! Go check em out for the prompt list <3)

[somesmartsmarties]

Now fellas hypothetically

If I were to make a MCD Ro’Meave bros animatic using the song “Harpy Hare”

What animals should their respective masks be���

[ink-going-insane]

update on my mcd rewatching journey! i finished all of it!! here have another out of context note from season 2 lol

i loved the series and it was great but i also feel like a lot of the characters were really messed up near the end and bits of the lore was kinda inconsistent so it bothered me a bit, but i was mostly upset about how a lot of characters end up being ooc at a lot of points (at least in my opinion). i would say more but uh. i don't wanna ramble too long...but i'll put some stuff in the tags cuz why not

i will say personally my least favorite season is probably season 3 because of both the time skip and a lot of other factors that personally bothered me. i still wish it was actually finished though :(

anyway time for me to now rewatch mystreet -w-

[scarlettfevor]

Looking back, the way Garroth was acting in the last episodes of season one of diaries was ridiculous. Like, you're a grown ass man WHY are you, as the head guard, sulking in your room all day just because you saw the girl you've liked for literally 2 months kiss another guy when your village is on the brink of war???

[starry-bi-sky]

back on my bullshit

and by bullshit i mean "rewatch MCD for the millionth time in a row and resist the urge to make an MCD OC"

i have yet to succeed in my bullshit.

[aro-laurance-zvahl]

You ever see something and it’s like...people know MCD isn’t just a Fantasy MyStreet AU right?

[miniaturecollectiveendermen]

hihi! hope you’re doing well :)

i was wondering if you could write headcannons for phoenix drop high Gene, Garroth & Blaze with a popular reader? like reader is well known in phoenix drop high, super energetic, kind and captain/leader of a big sports team/club? maybe just general headcannons (including how the two get together?)

tysm <33

A/N: i had a lot of fun writing this!! im sorry it took a while, i was sick when the request was sent and got sick again in the middle of writing im good now - for the most part at least

i hope you enjoy read this! :3

!! WARNINGS !! i feel like PDH!gene needs a warning of his own, gn!reader, you/your pronouns used

Gene: 

You were the volleyball club president, the cheery type who had a knack for making friends.

Gene is in no way fond of the popular types; so then why did you catch his attention? 

Why does his heartbeat pick up when he sees you smile, when he hears your laugh?

Gene is a selfish person, he takes what he wants - and in this case he wants you.

He considered trying to find something to blackmail you with, and get you to join the shadowknights.

But you always had people around you, and everyone knew what he was like, so there was no way they'd let him pull you away for a private conversation. 

But he found himself with the perfect opportunity one day after school. 

Your teammates had other obligations they needed to attend to; this left you to put away the equipment. 

He dismissed Sasha and Zenix (mainly Zenix as he had a tendency to speak without thinking). 

He approached you, and offered to help clean up. 

It was almost unnerving how nice he was being - you may have been a friendly person but you weren't stupid. you knew he was planning something.

You chose to be nice to him, but you kept your guard up. 

Time passes and you guys finish cleaning up, you say goodbye to Gene, and leave. 

Only after you leave does he realize he didn't even bring up you joining the shadow-knights. 

He just spent time with you, talking and hanging out like you were old friends. 

This is the first thing that made him question his plan.

PDH gene is by no means a good person - but even he has some morals. 

After this you would say hello to him in passing and make small talk - again acting like you two had been friends for years. 

You were just too sweet, and it chipped away at him. 

Eventually he completely forgot about forcing you to join the shadowknights. 

Although you weren't a shadowknight, you were friends. 

And not just with him, you were nice to Sasha and Zenix too. 

Sasha had gotten rather attached to you, and although Zenix would rather die than admit it - he quite liked having you around. 

Of course other people questioned why someone as sweet as you would be friends with them. Were you being forced?

you would always respond with “they're actually really nice” - Which no one believed of course.

But Gene quickly shut down all the questions, and no one really wanted to get on his bad side; so they stopped asking you about it.

Your relationship with Gene slowly changed, you two never acknowledged it.

but you both knew you weren't just “friends” anymore. 

Gene isn't the type to be explicitly romantic or loud with his affections - he's more subtle about it. 

He asked you out in a very casual way - you two were hanging out at his house. 

You were scrolling on your phone absentmindedly while he was playing a game, when he suddenly asked:

“Do you wanna go to the coffee shop this weekend?” “Sure!” “It's a date then.” 

No beating around the bush with this man. 

It's an interesting dynamic between you two - but he wouldn't have it any other way. 

Garroth: 

Garroth is a naturally charismatic and sociable person.

This, along with him being the baseball team captain, meant it was only natural for Garroth to be well acquainted with other sports captains. 

You were the track and field team captain. 

Much like Garroth you were charming and peppy, and had a tendency to naturally draw people to you. 

On the first day of the new school year, you were tending to the track and field club’s stand. 

Some other club leaders asked for your help; because of this a handful of nearby freshmen got the impression that you were helping with everything, and not just your own stand. 

You were happy to help, but you didn't anticipate being suddenly surrounded by a large group of over-excited freshmen who kept talking over each other.

You tried to help them all, but it was getting overwhelming.

As if he could hear your thoughts, Garroth redirected the freshmen to the mentors - he also offered to help out with the track and field stand. 

He wasn't very busy with the other members tending to the baseball stand.

You gladly accepted his help - although you and Garroth were friendly before this, you weren't very close.

After this day your friendship blossomed; the two of you would often spend free time together and even help each other with team captain responsibilities.

If either of you had a match, the other would be sure to come and cheer. 

With the two of you being as popular as you were, it was only inevitable for rumors to start about you two dating.

Garroth brushed it off and acted as though he wasn't affected by the silly rumors - but that wasn't really the case.

Truthfully he had been harboring feelings for you for some time, and these rumors gave him a chance to see how you'd react to the idea of you two dating. 

He did sometimes flirt with you, but played it off as a joke causing you to respond with joking flirtation of your own (was it really a joke tho). 

When you didn't seem opposed to the idea, his heart jumped out of his chest.

He took the first chance he got and asked you out. 

He's so cute guys I love him.

Blaze: 

You had been the tennis team captain for over a year - your popularity grew along with the tennis club as you led the team to win many matches.

had been receiving complaints by team members about a group of werewolves that kept stealing tennis balls in the middle of matches.

A few lost balls wouldn't be much of a problem, but they kept doing this until the players had none left.

You knew if you went to the werewolves responsible yourself the chances of them listening to you were little.

So you opted to go directly to the principal - so far she seemed a lot more competent than the previous principal, so you had hoped she'd be able to help you.

But these hopes were quickly diminished when she said she couldn't intervene as it was a “werewolf issue”.

You argued it was affecting the tennis club members who were human and meif'wa as well.

But she made some vague excuse about having a meeting and told you to talk to the werewolf studies teacher about it. 

After having any and all hope in the new principal destroyed, you went off to find the werewolf studies teacher.

When you explained the situation to him he informed you that this was the responsibility of the “alpha” and he couldn't do much.

By this point you were getting very frustrated - you had to run all over the school to find someone to help, only for them to tell you that they couldn't do anything. 

To your relief you were informed that the werewolf alpha was Aphmau (you decided to not ask why a human was the werewolf alpha). 

You weren't super close with Aphmau, but you met her once when you and Katelyn were playing tennis - you’d had some friendly interactions since and you had hoped that she wouldn't dismiss you like the last two people.

You managed to find her as she was talking to a red haired werewolf - you had seen him around a few times. His name was Blaze if you remembered correctly.

She was friendly as usual when you approached her, but you noticed she seemed more tired and even a bit frazzled.

You explained the situation to her and she was very understanding, but you could see that just thinking about handling this made her look even more tired.

That's when Blaze interrupted and said he was happy to help, as aphmau had to focus on choosing an alpha male - whatever that means.

You were ecstatic, after all that running around you finally found someone who could help.

Blaze was very sweet- and although he was a tad clueless when it came to certain things, he certainly had the spirit.

You helped Blaze find the responsible werewolves and at first he was explaining to them that they shouldn't steal things that don't belong to them. 

However after they were not very receptive to this, he took a more,, “hands on” approach.

You knew after going to this school for some time that werewolves would often solve conflict by fighting.

But you didn't expect blaze to throw the werewolves out the nearest window and then jump out after them??? 

You just wanted your team members to be able to practice in peace.. How did this happen-?

By the time that you reached downstairs where they were, the group of werewolves were standing in front of Blaze, looking down silently.

Blaze was grinning and looked very proud of himself - he seemed to be waiting for you to tell him he did a good job.

You didn't expect a 6’3 werewolf to be so.. Cute? 

You thanked him for his help and told him he was welcome to play with the tennis team whenever he pleased.

In the following weeks your friendship grew - he would join your practice in his free time. 

Although when he did it was mostly him chasing after the ball and forgetting he's supposed to hit it with the racket. 

As you grew closer, Blaze started noticing that his feelings towards you were changing. 

He always thought you were rather cute but he didnt think too deeply about it. 

But his desire to be around you grew.

subtlety isn't Blaze’s strong suit - the second he realizes he has a crush on someone, he starts following them around everywhere and his affection grows tenfold. 

He's a naturally affectionate person towards his loved ones, but you noticed that it's different with you. 

One day you decide to ask him about it and he just looks at you and just flat out confesses.

He was under the impression that he was being quite obvious. 

He's so <3333

I love him 

Immensely

[that-one-i-think]

Fun Garorth Headcanons for my fic cause he deserves some love

- Garroth grew a beard after coming back from the Irene Dimension. With Aphmau pregnant, the threat of shadow knights, and rebuilding the Phoenix Alliance, he had no time to properly shave

- The reason why Garroth still has the beard is due to the fact that the one time he shaved, Alina and Lilith couldn't tell who he was and panicked

- Radiates body heat like a fireplace

- In my fic he is bigger than Aaron. They are the same height but Garroth is built like a strong man while Aaron is built like every 8-pack fantasy man in unrealistic media. (Shad is taller though)

- The man is hairy. Chest, arms, legs, everywhere (but he takes care of himself)

- Despite having some stomach, running into him is like running into a brick wall.

- The only person who can beat him in arm wrestling is Katelyn. Nicole comes close and so does Aaron

- Given the fact that he almost constantly wears heavy metal armor, out of it he is the designated pack mule. Got strength and stamina for days

- The only person he has ever been able to consistently win against in a race is Zane.

- During guard training he had a few close "friends" but it never happened more than once because he would feel bad.

- Either the most awkward hugs or the warmest and most comforting bone crushing hugs. No imbetween.

- The reason why he stuck with Garroth was due to the fact that the 3 years after his birth it was one of the most popular names in O'khasis so he didn't feel like he needed to change it while on the run.

- Light sleeper while in bed alone, heavy sleeper when with another person. Mastered the art of dad naps whenever Lilith would cuddle with him as a toddler

- Has a really high alcohol tolerance and did pay for a new shield with bet money once.

- Great at carrying heavy things and mining, a horrible carpenter and builder.

- His mother taught him weaving and calligraphy, and it is why he is so dexterous.

- Can not fire a bow to save his life. A lot better at taking arrows then firing them

- He is more scared of dolphins than sharks

- As a child, Zane convinced Garroth that he was a vampire and Garroth believed it until he was 11. Even now, he has a hard time believing that Zane wasn't a vampire at times.

- He can read fast and enjoys reading out loud. He read to both Zane and Vylad as children.

- Has a sweet tooth but would kill a man for a soft pretzel.

[immortal-archives]

Every starting villager of Phoenix drop! Explanations and backstory ahead:

Brendan and Kiki are identical twins hailing from Tu’la. Their family moved to Ru’aun after discovering that Kiki had magicks. They became farmers near Brightport. Their canon backstory proceeded from there. Eventually, Brendan went across the channel to meet new people. Kiki followed him.

Kiki used to look more like Brendan, but eventually grew out her hair and dyed it to look more feminine. She always has a little something for her animals in her bag. Kiki doesn’t stay in the village full-time, as she likes acquiring new animals for her stand.

Molly is a middle-aged woman who lives in the maiden house. Her partner, Dale, lives in the guard tower with their son Brian. For various reasons, they aren’t married yet— mainly, because marriage is incredibly expensive and living together unmarried is very dangerous in Ru’aun. But the two of them make the best of it. They’ve been scrounging together money so that they can afford a priest from Brightport to bless their marriage. Brian loves his parents, and wants to be a guard like his dad. Dale hopes Brian gets stationed in a richer village, even if he’ll miss his son. He won’t leave though— Phoenix Drop is his home

Emmalyn was born in Phoenix Drop not all that long ago. In her 20’s, she’s the youngest resident after Brian and Zenix. Her parents died to the undead when she was just a baby. But she grew a love for knowledge, and decided to pursue being a researcher. She left for Scaleswind to go to university, staying with her aunt. Now, she runs the library where she collects all sorts of books. Her current specialty is in curses and the various magical creatures of Ru’aun; however, she has many more books in her collection. Perhaps, even some from the time of Irene…

Zenix was a boy found by Garroth at 13 years old. He was incredibly malnourished and scared all the time. He often used to attack Garroth out of fear. But eventually, he realized he was safe in the village. Garroth says he doesn’t have to do anything at all, but Zenix decided to become a guard to pay him back for his kindness. His eyes turned permanently red at a certain point, but he seemed to have better control over his emotions. Garroth was glad to see he was getting better. He had no idea what Zenix actually did

Garroth is the mystery guard of Phoenix Drop that we all know and love. His cover story is that he grew up in Brightport with Azura— if anyone asks her, that’s what she says. He doesn’t like saying that himself as he feels bad lying— but will if directly asked. His number one priority has always been the safety of the village and its people. He’s never asked anyone to work, instead believing that what needs to get done will because it must happen. So far, the village is scraping by. But as every day passes, more money hemorrhages from the village’s savings and more people jump ship for a village that isn’t dying. In desperation, he turns to a hired contractor… to hire her for the unaskable task of running the village.

Most days, you’ll find Stephanie spinning wool into yarn. It was a good way to pass the time, and earn a little extra change for her eventual wedding. She’d been born in Brightport alongside her sister Merida— but she went across the channel after being charmed by Corey. Corey was from Scaleswind, and came to Phoenix Drop many years ago to look for emerald mines. Eventually, the meager ore deposits dried up. But he didn’t return home— he was charmed by the young woman from Brightport that he met. So he stayed, and became the village’s carpenter. Now he creates furniture, fencing, and whatever other strange thing the new lord needs

Lydia was born more inland. She was an orphan, kept in the orphanage. Her passion was for singing, and she had a beautiful preforming voice. However, there was no way for her to pursue this; singing was not considered real work, and she could not support herself. When she turned ten, as all orphans do, she was kicked onto the street. The only maiden houses in the village were brothels, or houses where the family of the woman pays for her stay. Because of this, she turned and left. It’s a miracle she survived all those years of traveling. But eventually, she came across Phoenix Drop; a village that asked nothing of her, and she asked nothing of it but a home. She’s now fiercely protective of the village and of other women in her situation; she will befriend women and direct them into their village to get them out of their circumstances. Garroth is happy to accommodate them.

[starhvney]

Hiii, can you write an laurnace x reader about garroth little sister/ Zanes twin who he is dating and the reader is the smart one of the family and because all the ro’Meaves children have there roles she feel like she has to stick to hers or the world with crash/ disappoint her father and she gets a bad grade so Laur comforts her. Please and thank youuuuu

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐌: 𝐓𝐎 𝐀 𝐅𝐀𝐔𝐋𝐓

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: pdh laurance x fem!reader

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: sometimes the greatest cause of anxiety is something you've built up in your head. luckily, your older brother's best friend happens to care enough to remind you that grades aren't everything.

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒: fluff, comfort, garte is not so great at parenting

𝐂𝐖: anxiety and general self-doubt

𝐀/𝐍: as someone who also craves academic validation, this is so real to request. writing this was therapeutic tbh. also hiii sillyteenagegirl ily i hope you're doing good and that you like this :3

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

you have to be perfect.

you have to.

this is something you’ve told yourself since you received your first report card as a young child. in one of those rare occurrences where you were graced with your father’s presence, and after your older brother had gotten enough praises and approving smiles–finally, finally, he turned to you. you remember the look on his face when your tiny hands lifted up your hard work for him to see, and that same proud glint he had in his eyes when he gazed at garroth was directed at you.

somehow, that clicked something in your brain when you were barely half the height you were now. you had to be the smart one. not just the smart one. because your brothers were smart. very rarely did one of them end a semester with a c.

no, you had to be the smartest.

gifted and talented. honor society. a solid 4.0 gpa.

sometimes, you didn’t even have to try to make good grades. you were just smart. it became who you were. who you are. it’s what you’re worth. every time you missed a point on even something small it would chip away at the perfectly polished podium you’d set yourself on. every time you got a good grade the podium grew, leaving you teetering on the top with no escape.

so why?

how is this possible?

you blink, swallowing thickly as you close your eyes. no, it must’ve read ninety-seven… not seventy. it’s too early in the morning and your vision must have blurred.

when you open your eyes, you can feel the blood drain from your face when the numbers seven and zero glare up at you in that damning red ink.

seventy. seventy?!

that was practically a failing grade!

this isn’t right. this isn’t how it’s supposed to go.

garroth is the one who is good at sports. vylad is artistic. zane is smart. but you’re supposed to be the smartest.

you flex your hand next to the paper, swallowing the lump in your throat. the all-nighters you pulled, the dates you skipped, the tears you shed, and this is all you got from it? all of that was for this? the podium under your feet shifts, and you suddenly feel like you’re about to fall.

you think you hear some collective complaints around the room. maybe you even catch a few curious looks in your direction to see what the “smart kid” got. all of it merely was like fuzz beyond your desk as you froze in place. not even the gentle rustling of your hair from the familiar boy behind you could get you to move.

when the bell rings ten minutes later, you can’t move your legs any faster as you shoot up from your desk, beelining straight out the door and right for the back exit. a few strange looks were thrown your way, but it was all so unimportant at the moment.

cold, biting air hits your face as you step out the doors, and it's then that you realize you’ve begun to cry. your tears feel uncomfortably cold against the wind, prickling against your cheeks. you only make it halfway down the steps towards the bleachers before you sit down, burying your face into your knees.

if zane were here right now you’re not sure if he’d scoff at how sensitive you were being or relate. but he’s not in that class, and he’s not here right now. even if he was, he hadn’t been the most optimistic these past few years. you doubt he could do anything to keep the podium from tipping over.

…your stomach hurts. why do you feel like you’re falling?

the school doors squeak as someone runs outside, joining your lonesome pity party in the lovely december air. they seem in a big rush as the footsteps quickly approach the top of the steps, before halting to a stop. a few seconds and a quiet sigh are all you need to know who it is, so despite your embarrassment, you don’t flinch when someone sits directly next to you.

laurance’s leg presses against the side of yours, his familiar cologne giving a small sense of comfort.

“hey, pretty girl.” his voice softly coos, a hand coming up to wrap around your shoulder. “you are aware that it’s freezing outside, right?”

silence suspends over the two of you for a few seconds. your heart drops when he suddenly removes his arm, but before any outlandish thoughts can enter your brain the thick material of his blazer weighs down on your back, giving you extra shelter from the next gust of cold wind.

your head shoots up as you finally look over at him, frowning when you see his torso only shielded by his uniform shirt.

“no, laurance. you’re gonna get a cold.”

“you will, too,” he states with a sense of finality in his tone. “so obviously i can’t let that happen.”

any thoughts to argue fizzle out when laurance’s eyes drift over your face, his eyebrows knitting tightly together when he sees just how distraught you are. his hand comes up to your cheek, sweeping away the tears from your face as if they’d personally attacked him.

“why is my sweet girlfriend crying out in the cold, hm?” he hums in concern, his eyes drifting down to the crumpled page still lodged between your fingers.

his shoulders drop a hair and he sighs, gently reaching to pull away your fingers from the test and get a look at it himself. plump lips gape open, a proud huff visible in the crisp air.

“…wow. you actually passed-“

“-i did awful.”

laurance blinks at your interruption, before completely crumpling up the paper and tossing it down the bottom of the steps. “who cares?”

you gawk. “i do! my family-“

“your family’s opinion shouldn’t matter enough that you break down at a singular grade. you’re a smart girl.” he leans forward on his elbows, catching your line of sight as he leans closer. “so why do you care so much about this one thing?”

“because that’s who i’m supposed to be.” you blurt. “i’m supposed to make perfect grades and be smart. that’s what i have to do.”

“the only thing you’re supposed to be is yourself,” he scoffs, hands wrapping around your clenched ones. “you do know it’s literally impossible to be perfect right?”

“you are.”

“my grades are much lower than yours, and i’m a much less wealthy boy who was just barely lucky enough to have a good experience out of the foster care system. that doesn’t seem too perfect to me.”

“wh- why would you say…? that’s not-“

“you love me anyways, don’t you? you’d say how amazing i am despite those things? that all of that has nothing to do with what kind of person i am or if i’m likable or not?”

“of course!”

he raises his eyebrows, tilts his head, and fixes a direct look at you. you get his point, but the sting of failure still pricks at your eyes and squeezes your lungs.

“it’s just… i studied so hard, and i still did horrible.”

“oh my. if a seventy is bad for you, you’d pass out from my freshman year report cards.” he scoffs jokingly, before his expression grows to something a little more serious, his voice softening. “you did study hard. i know you did because i was there when you were ripping your hair out by your desk instead of paying attention to me.”

he taps your leg, a quiet call for you to look at him fully. he’s staring up at you through his lashes, a small crease of concern still formed between his eyebrows.

“i know it’s disappointing, love. but compared to the rest of the class, you technically aced that. literally everyone else in there flunked. i mean, i made a forty. i’m not as smart as you but i make a’s… most of the time.” you give him a half smile, and his eyes twinkle as he scoots closer. “but you know what? i’m not worried because i can make it up with our other twenty-billion freaking assignments in that class and still make an a. the teach said he’d probably curve or drop the grade anyways.”

he always knew what to say. but what else are you if not the path you’ve paved for yourself?

“i don’t want to be a disappointment. i don’t want dad to think less of me. or mom, or-”

he fully gawks at your words, before furiously shaking his head like you’d just told him the sky was green.

“woah, woah, woah. what are you saying right now? being smart doesn’t make you lovable or not. who told you that??” he demands, squeezing your hands just a small amount tighter.

“no one… i just… it’s the only way he pays attention to me.” you whisper.

there’s no need for elaboration. laurance shuts his eyes as a wave of annoyance flashes across his features, his tongue running along the inside of his cheek.

“no offense to you, my love, but if garte stops loving you because you made a seventy on one test then he can go to hell-”

“laurance!”

he erupts into giggles, dodging the scolding slap you directed at his arm.

“okay, okay!” he grabs ahold of your hands. you frown at the realization that he’s shivering. “my point is that if your dad really only values you on how well you do in school or if you’re the captain of the baseball team or not, then he’s not someone you should be seeking validation from. that’s the truth. it doesn’t matter if he’s blood-related or not.”

your eyes fall, and he starts to gently rub his thumb across the back of your knuckles.

“you know, i have a pretty great dad who really loves you a lot, actually. not even considering your grades,” he murmurs, the next words leaving his mouth in a quick rush. “...and he can be your father-in-law in the future so you won’t have to worry about any of this pressuring crap garte has put on you and your siblings.”

your eyebrows rise, the blood that had left your face back in the classroom rushing back to your cheeks all at once. “laurance…”

his lips quirk into a smug grin. “just saying.”

“i love you.”

his eyes light up as his grin turns into a full-blown smile. his lithe fingers reach up to pinch your cheek, forcing your head to bobble in place before he leaves a soft kiss against your forehead.

“i love you more. and i would really love it if my girlfriend wasn’t crying out in the cold and making her poor cute face all numb.” he sighs forlornly.

“but you’re colder. because of m-”

“don’t even.” his eyes narrow before his expression shifts again as he bites his lips and bats his eyelashes. suddenly he puffs out his chest, leaning into you dramatically. “i’m perfectly warm with my beautiful girlfriend right next to me. your presence could melt the harshest of snowstorms! oh, my light! my love!”

“stop!” you giggle, cutting off his romantic monologuing.

he smiles, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and pulling you into his side.

“i don’t think i can, but i’ll spare you for now,” he presses his cold nose against your cheek, voice ever so soft. “do you want to have dinner and watch a movie at my house?”

you nod, a smile forming on your previously wobbling lips.

“okay, love. it’s a good thing that was our last class, huh? i think my girl needs some well-deserved rest.”

☆

“...did you really make a forty?”

“shhh. not another word.”

©starhvney 2024. do not plagiarize, feed to any AI, or repost my works to any sites.

taglist: @wasting-away-on-the-internet @angelhyperfixates @valentique @arienic @dazedbydeath @theaquaticplant @starsbrightly @kalegrinch @izzybella1807

[gumbootillustrations]

mcd redesigns!!

these are from my rewrite! they're from around the middle of s2-ish, after everyone comes back from gal'ruk.

headcanons and closeups under the cut :D

aaron:

has a bad knee, hence the bandages; he injured it as a kid in a hunting accident and it never quite healed right.

eyes are fucked bc of magicks (anything he lays his eyes on gets disintegrated; this is why he wears the bandanna early on, but he learns to control it as time goes on).

loves dogs.

aphmau:

chaotic good; can and will ignore the rules if it means doing something nice for someone else.

learned how to pick locks from zenix. is still shit at it.

favourite flower is lavender.

garroth:

broke his nose in guard academy after he got in a fight (someone insulted his mum). it never healed right.

loves gardening and flower arranging. the phoenix drop guard station has never been prettier.

terrible, TERRIBLE liar. this is why he never changed his name after he ran away to phoenix drop.

laurance:

terrible handwriting. it gets worse when he comes back from the nether due to his poor eyesight and hand tremours.

has an egregious bogan australian/nz accent. it gets worse when he's upset.

great swimmer due to his upbringing in meteli.

travis:

loves pranking people. is also very good at getting away with said pranks.

also loves to tinker with spells and runes. this has unfortunately led to several "lab accidents".

pescatarian. mostly grew up on seafood.

katelyn:

the scar on her face is from her first mission as a juror. all of her facial expressions are lopsided as a result of it.

severely allergic to cats.

has a collection of tea in her home. her favourite is chamomile.

feel free to ask any questions!

[crickets-aphtism-space]

Line ups!!!

i have my reasons as to why they're in vacation attire, i swear these aren't just starlight redesigns LMAO

more hcs + alt versions below the cut!!

Aph shaved the right side of her head with Zane, cause he was nervous of doing it by himself (but if anyone asks, she did it cause she thought it looked cool.)

Katelyn and Dante both have phoenix tattoos, they aren't matching or anything they just both thought they were cool. Katelyn's is small just above her right thigh but Dante's is one that goes over his back.

Aaron always wears his bandana. in my brain he's never been able to control his eyes.

Kim works at a library with Zane, and they have this weird friendship where they don't really know each other but talk every so often while the library's quiet.

Lucinda was born with feint markings all over her body, but they grew more vibrant as she developed her witchcraft

Travis was also born with witchcraft markings, but he chooses to hide them. you know, until starlight.

Aaron has absolutely no sense of style

Zane has a tramp stamp tattoo he got when he was drunk LMAO. hes also got a semicolon tattoo on the left side of his neck

This isn't even a headcannon, I was gonna put Garroth and Katelyn in matching shirts but then I realised that it would probably just look like Garroth stole her shirt KJFSJKDF

zane straightens his hair. and the head damage is BAD he has like 2C hair that hes been straightening WET.

Kim's had long hair her whole life, and never really wanted to change it. but then one day Lucinda offered to get it cut and dyed for her to 'up her confidence' and honestly she really likes it :3

Travis can shapeshift, he's always been able to but pre-starlight it was just simple things, like changing his hair hiding certain aspects of himself. but after he's able to do a lot more (he just doesn't really like to.)

Dante can dance he does hip hop mainly (NO I AM NOT BIASED!!)

now, for last names. Katelyn Fortin - Fortin, meaning Strong. Dante Leto - Leto, meaning hidden. or Forgotten. Lucinda Hawthorne - I feel like this ones self explanatory LMAO Kim Navon - Navon, meaning Wise. Aphia Dea'Matrona - Aphia; excellent, most important. Dea'Matrona; Dea matrona is the spanish translation of 'The Matron'

Alt Drawings!!

[artists-who-rarely-draws]

hi!!! what about laurance and/or garroth where the reader gets injured in a fight(whether it was because they took a hit for them or they failed to protect the reader)? how would they react? what would they do? thank you thank you! :D

☆°•Hunt down the good in me☆°•

Warnings : Gore, nothing horrific, but the reader gets wounded, and I tell you where and how bad lol. Accidentally focused more on the hurt than comfort. I'm so sorry lolol, you can totally feel free to request a follow-up for the recovery process if you want to focus more on that aspect lolol.

So it turns out this got kinda long- and if laurance is ANYWHERE near this length, then it's probably best to split them lmfaoo. But! I hope you enjoy, I'm gonna set up the masterlist then get working on the next part!

Again hope you enjoy, I haven't written in a few years so sorry if it's a liiittle off I'm gonna write and write till I got it lol.

And with that said, requests are still open!! Ah!! Please feel free to send one :D

GN reader, that will just be my default unless otherwise specified. Reader is wearing a corset of some kind but, there are plenty of Masc and GN medival fantasy outfits featuring corsets I don't think it should be a problem.

Anywho! Enjoy my drabble!

Garroth:

You don't even realize it immediately, your mind went blank and you could hear nothing but your own heartbeat. Time slows as you take in the shock and horror on your companions blue eyes and his mouth open in a shout that vaugley appears like your name.

What led you here? Oh, yes, that's right, you and Garroth were on a supply run for Pheonix Drop. He had taken the heavier of the two crates without a word about it before you both headed back down the trail. You remember it was a goregous day... warm and sunny shining through to the forest floor through the thick roof of leaves.

You were teasing him. You can't remember what for anymore... you're falling over. You had been mid-turn to face him big cheeky smile just in time for a bolt to fly through your upper arm clearly whoever shot you wasn't expecting the turn with their aim, you were mid turning feet unsteady but the force of the bolt going through your arm, knocks you down fully.

Your senses rush back to you when your knee hit the ground, suddenly deeply, agonizingly aware of the hole in your arm as pain shoots down it. Searing fire permiating deep into the tissue and muscle of your arm. The crate falls to the ground next to you. A pained Gasp rips itself from your lungs, and the sound of the forest comes rushing over you like a wave.

Your on your knees crumpled over on yourself shoulder and forehead pressed to the path dirt, you feel clammy and cold, but your arm is so incredibly hot.

" Y/N! " Garroths voice rings out along with the twang of a bolt hitting his shield and the loud thunks of armored boots running towards you but you can hardly register it, your mouth is dry and your nerves are screaming. Garroth slides to a stop and drops to his knees besides you moving one hand to turn you off your side and onto your back.

"GAH! Ah ah-" Another searing wave of pain through your injuried arm as it touches the ground tearing the shout from you, all your muscles involuntarily tense, other hand shooting to the wound feeling boiling hot thick blood covering your hand, the metallic smell acrid and overwhelming almost making the back of your throat feel sticky.

*Thunk* as another bolt hits Garroths shield, and the sun is hidden from your view as it raises to protect you as he asses your damage, eyes wide and frantic.

"No no no, don't do that" he says reaching for your hand to remove it from the wound, he's trying to sound put together for your sake but his voice is trembling.

"Ow ow ow fuck-" you gasp out as your hand is removed, your wrist held gently with his one free hand. You're bleeding a lot, but not enough for him to be worried that it tore a major vessel but far far too much for him to feel comfortable leaving you to take care of the assailant before doing... something ANYTHING to slow it, but he will need both hands to tie a tourniquet but if he puts the shield down he opens you both up to fire.

*Thunk* He growls under his breath at the impact against his shield, looking back at the bolt that spins and lands to the ground, feeling a curse bubble in the back of his throat The Quarrel is straight and smooth with no other points. Good news for you means the puncture should be clean, but those are the heads most adept for piercing through steel as if it's leather. Under normal circumstances, he would gladly take the bolts anywhere to protect you, but your dominant arm is currently out of use, so he can't afford not to kill who is attacking you.

His thoughts rush through him, acting fast he uses one hand to rip his cape off, lay it under your arm, shushing you gently as you groan in pain. He knows he can only do a very very temporary fix, folding it in half over the puncture, grabbing the excess and twisting it *as if* it was a tourniquet as tightly as he possibly can with just fabric alone around his fist. You breathe in sharply through your teeth as your arm is a strange mix of burning and numb pausing only to adjust his shield to block bolts.

"I know, just a few more moments" he whispers finishing tightening the fabric then balling up the excess the pressing it down hard on the top of the wound, your legs jerk harshly as you bite back a scream at the pressure.

"Listen to me very closely Lord Y/N" he speaks again voice firm determination blazing in Garroths mind as he firmly enters 'Guard mode' pushing aside his personal dread at the moment, knowing it will prevent him from doing this with the upmost efficiency.

"Your to use your uninjured arm to hold this ball as *tight* as you physically can right where I have it until I return to treat you. It is absolutely *imperative* that you follow my instructions exactly. It is the only thing keeping you from bleeding out. Move your hand on top of mine so you can press down the moment I leave" he instructs very very firmly, similarly to when he gives orders to his fellow guards. So with shaking hand you move your clammy hand and place it on top of his over the bundle of fabric and you feel his fingers twitch, as his heart lurches nearly losing his composure, sliding his hand away turning and sprinting in the direction of the bolts terrifyingly instead of a white hot rage he feels.. *nothing* devoid of the feeling for the life he's about to take, he's past the point of the hottest anger that could be.

This man is going to die, that is a simple reality. And it will be by Garroths hand.

Such is the fate of anyone who dares cause harm to his lord, his love.

He returns not long after, sheathing his sword and tossing his shield to the side as he runs to your side blood splattered across his face and armour he drops to his knees quickly again with both hands free now to fully pay attention to you, murderous haze melts away as he devolves into frantic movements, that your to lightheaded to really process them. The arm is full of very vital heavy bleeding arteries .

He asses the situation, unwrapping his cape from your arm to determine the state of the wound, cursing his own shaking hands as he tries to focus on his medical training and not the fact that it's you below him, your blood coating his fingers, and face drained of color. He notices instead of gushing the blood was a light dribble which is both... good and bad, your defiantly in shock so your body has severely lowered blood flow to your extremities so, your chances of bleeding out has severely lowered. Shock was something he could treat out here with the help of potions which he knew one of these crates held, they were for the Village but that didn't matter to him now.

"Good, good you did so well m'lord" he whispers taking a discarded bolt to make a more proper tourniquet, putting it in the ball of his cloak and using it to tighten the fabric even further around the wound easily cutting off the blood flow and securing it tightly. Moving a hand to just very slightly raise your back off the ground, second one moving to loosen the laces of your corset to allow for easier air flow as your breathing was turning shallow. He pulls your crate over to be just by your legs, raising up your feet and placing them on top of the crate to improve the blood flow. Before looking down at your hazy eyes.

"Stay with me Y/N. Stay with me, you are going to be just fine, you *have* to be just fine. Think of Levin and Malachi what they would do without you, what *i* would do" his thumb brushes over your cheek leaning down for just a moment to press his forehead to yours, a weak whine escaping you in responce as he shoots up sprinting to the crate he had dropped when he saw the bolt enter your arm. He had heard a smashing sound when it hit the ground and now was PRAYING to any of the divine that would listen that even one of these bottles where in a decent condition, grabbing a bolt that had bounced off his shield once more, he shoves it into the top half way before pressing hard on it until the crack of the crate giving can be heard and he prys it the rest of the way with his bare hands.

Tearing through the contents of the barrel until he finds at the very bottom a second much smaller crate but the lid wasn't nailed onto this one. He pulls it off tossing it away to reveal mostly shattered glass and soaking wet padding, but dizzying relief fills him when he finds 2 bottles that survived; Quickly snatching away one of them and running back to you using his teeth to pull out the cork as he was making his way.

"Good, good, you're doing so good." He continues shakily "your going to be just fine. All you need is to drink this, and you will be just fine. That's all you need." He says quickly, almost as if he was speaking more to himself than you, taking your injured arm and placing it over his shoulder partially to elevate it, heart cracking at the hiss of pain, but mostly to put his arm under your back so he could prop you up to drink from the glass bottle. Whispering words of encouragement and praise as he rubs the skin of your back with a thumb through your blood soaked shirt.

The potion works quickly, veins and nerves rebinding, and skin knitting back together as the thick bitter liquid slides down your throat, gagging in the first moment as your body tries to reject any more negative sensory. But Garroths head against your head gently shushing and still whispering to you gives you enough clarity to keep drinking. Until the cold bottle is taken away. And you feel the rush of blood entering your arm as the cloth on your arm falls away. The physical injury wiped away.. but the brain is not so easily healed, still in shock.

Now that the immeadite danger is gone. All of the emotions Garroth was hiding away to prioritize his duty slams into him like a blow to the gut, trembling sorrow, guilt, relief, and fear running through him as he harshly blinks away the tears burning his eyes. You can't see him cry like this not now. He needs to get you home.

"Hold onto me as tightly as you can" he mummers hating the trembling in his tone as he reaches down gathering you in his arms, one hand pressing your head the the juncture between his neck and shoulder, the other underneath your bottom, moving your legs to hook over his hips. Squeezing you rightly to himself for a moment once he has you situated, one arm may still need time to move bit you cling to him with the other his warmth and the familiar smell of Rosewood that clung to him still under the metallic tang of blood. He inhales deeply through his nose before giving a heavy exhale from his mouth, holding you as closely to him as he possibly can.

He Abandons the crates, and scraps of his cape to start walking to Pheonix drop holding you to him. Keeping the hand holding you to his neck gentle but firm, so you can't see the tears slowly falling down his cheeks.

He had failed you, not only as your guard.. your HEAD guard, but as a lover. And he would never do it again. He carries you home, whispering his love and apologizing over and over and over the whole way.

[xerith-42]

I was wrong

It takes a lot to admit that, even more for me to admit that about MCD, but I was wrong about something in regards to this series. In a previous post I said that the worst episode of MCD was Season 2 Episode 95, because it was the culmination of the absolute failure that was Laurance's character arc. And I wasn't wrong about that, S2E95 is an objectively bad episode and I stand by it being one of the worst. But it's only one of the worst episodes of this series. Probably second or third worst.

The actual worst episode of Minecraft Diaries happens far earlier in it's run time than I anticipated. The actual episode that begins the degrading of every single main character happens within it's first season. The worst episode of Minecraft Diaries is Season 1 Episode 65, Our Fears.

For those of you who haven't watched MCD in a minute, or aren't insane like I am and recognize what happens in an episode from just a number and a thumbnail, this is the episode where Aphmau and Dante get chased into Malachi's abandoned castle and fall victim to his uncontrollable magic. A magic that shows people their greatest fears.

Now the concept of a ghost that forces the audience and the characters to come face to face with the leading characters greatest fears is a fantastic idea. I'm serious this is one of the best concepts for character work in the entire Aphverse. This is great, this can go so many good ways.

Aphmau's fear is pretty weak mostly because it shows her house on fire, nobody hurt, and Malachi comments that she's "Scared of losing the ones you love." My honest reaction to this was "She lost her house in episode 36 and didn't seem to care because her loved ones are safe. You wanna communicate that she's scared of people dying just show Zoey lying on the ground or something smh." It gets the job done, but not very well.

Dante's fear is the only one that's well done because it's an image of Gene about to rip apart the realm barrier in the Nether. This works surprisingly well despite only being one shot because it gets across Dante's connection to Gene and the Nether pretty well, setting up for the reveal later on. Dante's existence is this episode's single redeeming quality. And as much as I like the guy, he's not enough to hold up the episode after what happens next.

Now, dear viewer who presumably knows the plot of MCD because you've read this far into a post about this single episode, you know that at this point in the series Garroth has been found out by his brother and has the looming threat of the entire O'Khasis military on his mind all the damn time. Zane has already hurt members of his village in direct ways, and only didn't do more damage because he was called away for an emergency. Garroth has already failed to protect one lord, and he's nearly failed to protect another.

Laurance is a shadow knight. And even though the lore of shadow knights is still flimsy at this point, we know that they are very prone to killing lords, it's why Laurance renounced his position as head guard of Meteli and refuses to return. But that doesn't mean his desire for blood is gone. It just means it has a new target. Like say, the lord he comes to the castle in search of? That he has explicit romantic feelings for?

Again, this idea of forcing the audience and the characters to face their greatest fears is such a good idea, especially with these three, because they can all be interlinked. Aphmau fears losing her loved ones, Garroth fears failing to protect his people, and Laurance fears that he'll give into bloodlust. Are you picking up what I'm putting down? I don't know if I can make it anymore obvious where the show should have gone from here.

But, no, unfortunately Jesson wrote this series. So what could have been one of the best moments of character work in the entire series, instead became the beginning of the end for our would be love interests. I'm of course referring to how it's revealed that their actual "worst fear" is Aphmau getting with... Another guy. Not even her picking one over the other, just her holding hands with and kissing some guy that Garroth and Laurance DON'T EVEN KNOW!

And despite Laurance saying he's happy as long as he has Aphmau in his life, he starts getting enraged that another guy would have the audacity to kiss her. Even though the scene he's shown seems to be entirely consensual. And in response to this, BOTH OF THEM DECIDE TO TRY AND KILL THIS ILLUSION OF DANTE JUST FOR KISSING THE GIRL THEY LIKE!

AND THIS IS SEEN AS A GOOD THING BY THE SHOW!! Attacking this illusion breaks the barrier around the real Aphmau and Dante, and Garroth and Laurance are never punished for their actions here. Aphmau is barely concerned that her guards, the men she's willing to trust with her life, were willing to kill someone for the crime of kissing her. Hot fucking take, Aphmau maybe shouldn't trust these people after seeing that they're willing to kill a man over the crime of loving her when they want to.

And even hotter take, GARROTH AND LAURANCE WOULDN'T DO THIS! Both men have been shown to be highly protective over Aphmau, which makes sense it's literally their job to keep her safe, but that protective nature shouldn't cross over into actively interfering with her romantic life. They're fucking lucky it was just an illusion, what would have happened if Malachi used mind control? What if he was using Aphmau and Dante's bodies as puppets? What if Garroth and Laurance just killed an amateur guard whose only crime was being forced to kiss the girl they liked?

This is one of those writing decisions that truly baffles me. It was RIGHT THERE, HOW DID YOU MISS, IT (the perfect piece of character work) WAS THREE FEET IN FRONT OF YOU! The answer is that Jesson don't really care about the interesting character work, they care about tropes. They care about the main character being in a love triangle with two guys who equally suck but in different ways. They care about fans getting excited and debating over which ship is better. They care about pushing this love triangle onto viewers regardless of what makes sense for the characters involved because the writers fail to see the nuance of the characters that they fucking wrote the nuance of.

I fucking hate Episode 65. Easily the worst episode of MCD. Any episode after this when Garroth and Laurance act horrendously out of character in service of this love triangle (I'm looking at you episode 77, and episode 90, and season 2 episode 95, and season 2 episode 98), know that it started here. It started with episode 65.

Fuck this episode.

[romeave]

the real reason why mcd zane sucks, from purely a writing standpoint, is that the writers really want him to be a pure evil villian. a force of evil that can not be reasoned with or stopped. absolutely nuance free and unsympathetic no matter how you slice and dice it.

which, would normally be fine, but is a weird choice for zane specifically because the writers keep naturally bringing up ways to give him depth, only to bend over backwards to shut it down once they remember zane is supposed to be cardboard flat for their kid audience to remember he's the bad guy.

and by all the time i do mean all the time. here is a list of roads blocked off by the no development tree that fell across the road:

Zane grew up isolated even by the standards of noble children, as heirs to the O'khasis throne start their training rather young, and, according to accounts about his childhood, Zane preferred to spend his free time alone as opposed to with family. At some point, his father contracted some illness that turns people into asshole tyrants, and began to groom a very impressionable Zane into a good and obedient pawn for him to control on his quest for world domination -> Zane was actually always evil from birth, which makes him immune to trauma. Garte's dickheadness actually only affected the "good" Ro'Meaves, and actually it's Zane's influence that turned Garte into a bad person. Even shit that Garte did long after Zane died are Zane's fault by proxy.

Zane's strained relationship with his brothers are also largely attributed to Zane being evil. Honestly there's a lot I could put here but the most damning one is probably the fact that Zane isn't allowed to talk about his upbringing at all after vaguely mentioning having a dead brother on the docks.

Zane's initially introduced as an ambitious young priest who came to power due to his commitment to his studies. He secretly uses taboo ancient magic that people can't exactly come across if they don't have an obsessive drive to learn about the divines beyond the church's teachings. -> Actually Zane stole everything from "real scholars" and never actually cared about his research outside of what power it could bring him. Apparently he can't even read for himself without a "real scholar" in the room.

Zane's most terrible deeds (Kiki's pendant, Alexis, Falconclaw) were committed in service of opening the Irene dimension. Its implied that some, if not all of the specific deeds needed to open the portal were decided long before Zane ever got his hands on the amulets. -> Each portal-opening crime is treated as its own separate crime, motivated purely by sadism. Falconclaw specifically is referred to as a "horrific mass slaughter Zane had a lot of fun committing", even though everyone involved just painlessly fell over dead

Zane only raises a sword to people to have actively betrayed him. Jeffory betrayed him, the Wolf Tribe was plotting to eat him the next time he showed up, and Garroth committed treason two seperate times and shoved his own sword in Zane's face before Zane tried to kill him about it -> Evidence that Zane is just a bloodthristy killer who would kill his comrades unprompted. His victims are not traitors, but martyrs to his unreasonable wrath

Zane possessed the protector's relic for a period of time. Surely he must've had some reason to hold it -> Zane was entirely undeserving of the relic. He only had it because blood relations.

Despite already having a relic, Zane wants to get Irene's relic -> Exclusively to hoard power! No personal reasons or family reasons or nerd reasons. Just an insanely dangerous and high stakes task done solely to have them all. Like its a pokemon with life steal.

Zane gets turned into a Shadow Knight. Zane used to have an absurd amount of knowledge on the Shadow Knights, lots of shadow knights hate his gay ass, becoming a Shadow Knight is usually pretty traumati--> Zane doesn't feel trauma, duh!! He's actually stronger than ever.

And I know I'm aphblr's foremost Zane dick rider but this isn't a Zane did nothing wrong post its just bad writing. Zane's actions affect so much of the plot its fucking bonkers to give him the depth of an evil sheet of printer paper. Aph's usually pretty good at fleshing out her villians I don't know why the one guy who everyone and their mother has a connection to is just a knife roomba of a man. At the bare minimum he should've been as fleshed out as his brothers because then it'd be a tragic tale about a family being torn apart by a system they benefit from instead of a karma-farming AITAH post set in medival times.