#I can’t believe I haven’t seen spoilers either
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Another gift
This is a continuation of my headcanon of Astarion’s romance with bard Tav. I can’t remember the actual chronology of cutscenes, but let’s assume this takes place after you’ve started a sexual relationship with Astarion and are beginning to grow closer. I was going to take it in a different direction initially, but these things have a mind of their own once they get going.
If you like it, check out my first fic. I do plan on writing more!
P.S. I may have taken some liberties with the game background story and DnD lore and magic system here – if it doesn’t really match up or make sense – sorry! Also I’m still only on Act 2.
Tav tries to comfort or distract a brooding Astarion.
Astarion x Reader, Astarion x Tav, Astarion x Bard Tav
Comfort, fluff, budding love, humour, angst, banter, no spoilers, non-explicit
Approximately 2,000 words.
Astarion was standing outside his tent with his back to the camp, staring into a silver mirror. The man had either lost his vampiric condition, lost his mind, or was simply brooding.
“Looking at something?” he asked absent-mindedly, as you approached.
Brooding. Definitely brooding.
“Looking for something.”
“Oh?” He turned towards you. “Just my company, or is there something else I can offer you?”
“I'm the one making an offering, actually. I thought I’d bring you a little snack”
Astarion grinned and beckoned you inside his tent.
Inside, aside from his bedroll, was a trunk with a large mirror opposite, a lit lantern and a scattering of weapons, equipment and books. You assumed your usual position, cross-legged on the bedroll, and offered him your wrist. This didn’t take long. Just a little pick me up.
He finished, planting a light kiss on your wrist, reached for his amulet and whispered an incantation to heal the wound. He kept hold of your hand, lacing his fingers through yours.
“Do you have any idea how much I appreciate that you don’t sexualise this?”
“I haven’t thought about it... Really?”
“Well imagine that any time you went to, say, take a bite of a turkey leg, there was someone staring, groping themselves and wagging their tongue at you. When you’re just trying to perform basic functions to stay alive.”
“Sweetheart, that’s an average evening at the pub for me, when I perform. With or without me biting on anything. ...But I see what you mean”. You contemplated what he just said in a brief silence. “I can't believe you just compared me to a turkey leg.”
“You’re more of a ripe, juicy peach” he said. You found yourself oddly pleased to be compared to fruit rather than poultry.
You glanced at the large mirror standing on the floor of the tent.
“You own an awful lot of mirrors for a vampire. Why do you even keep this here?”
“That? Oh, it reflects light... makes the tent appear more spacious... prevents anyone from sneaking up on me. ...Unless they’re another vampire.” Astarion said contemplatively. “And I figured, I woke up once with a tadpole in my brain that let me walk in the sun again – who's to say I won’t catch another parasite tomorrow that might cure my vampirism entirely?”
“Do you miss it? Seeing your own face?”
“Preening in the looking glass? Petty vanity? Of course I miss it. I’ve never even seen this face. Not since it grew fangs and my eyes turned red. My face is just some dark shape in my past. Another thing I’ve lost. I wouldn’t even recognise myself anymore. It’s been two hundred years.”
“But...” you fumbled, trying to wrap your mind around that. “You could have found a street artist to sketch you since then.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“Or commissioned a portraitist, those artistic types would accommodate you any time of day or night”
“Commissioned a - …I’m sorry, at what point did I give you the impression that Cazador paid us an allowance..?” Astarion was growing agitated. “And before you say I could have stolen – remember, everything I had, anything I acquired by any means, the clothes on my back, my body, my will – it all belonged to the master.” He paused, regaining control of his demeanour. “There was no point in having any possessions, it would all be the bastard’s in the end. I didn’t want to give him any more than I absolutely had to.”
You kicked yourself in the ass mentally.
“Well how’s this... We get to Baldur’s Gale. We exterminate Cazador and take over his palace. Then we rip out whatever he’s got as décor, commission all the best artists, and hang paintings of you on every wall. There will be nothing but portraits of Astarion everywhere.” Astarion’s eyes softened as he watched you gesticulating and getting carried away by your own imagination. “Astarion in shining armour. Astarion on a horse. Astarion on silk bedsheets, half-covered in rose petals. Pirate Astarion. Astarion stroking a cat. Historic events, but every single person depicted is Astarion. Oh! And in the main banquet hall, there will be an enormous mural of you, fully naked, lounging on a divan and being fed grapes by a cadre of nymphs.”
“With a fig leaf covering my unmentionables?”
“A comically large fig leaf. Or better yet, no fig leaf, just your full unmentionable glory looming over the dining table” You paused, as if sobering up after being lost in your grand vision, and added in a more serious tone: “We can commission busts and statues, too. Get a mold of your face for a hyper-realistic one.”
“We” he whispered, as if to himself, with a scornful chuckle.
“Oh? Do you have someone else in Baldur’s Gate you’d rather spend time with?” You realised how callous that might have come across as soon as the words were out, and cringed inwardly.
“...No, I don’t” he said absently.
“Elves live long lives... Do you still have real family there? Friends from... before? ...A spouse? Children?” You'd wondered about this before, and figured you may as well lie in the hole you’d dug for yourself.
“Gods, no!” Astarion blinked in surprise. “I wasn’t even considered a full adult by elven society then. No, mercifully I didn’t leave any little Astarions behind. All my friends from my youth are either dead or have blissfully forgotten me. And I don’t even know where my family is.”
You gave him a sympathetic and questioning look, waiting for him to go on. He sighed and continued.
“As you might expect, Cazador placed a restriction on me, preventing me from telling anyone about my affliction. I couldn’t approach my old acquaintances and go ‘Surprise! I’m actually alive! ...Sort of. I’m just someone’s vampire spawn slave now!’. No. I was to turn around and walk the other way if I ever came upon anyone who might recognise me. I was supposed to be devoted only to my new ‘family’.” he scowled. “I feared that Cazador would use anyone he thought might be important to me against me - for fun, or to teach me a ‘lesson’. And he would have, too: the mental torture he unleashed on his spawn was far worse than physical.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I couldn’t go and see my family, but as soon as I had my wits about me, I managed to arrange for one of the mercenary guilds to quickly escort my relatives out of the city. They were to be told that I made some powerful enemies who had me murdered, and that these enemies would come for them next. That they had to leave, change their names, and never return. I don’t know where they went. I can’t know, if I want them to be safe.” He looked away. “I can’t imagine how much they hated and cursed me. I ruined their lives.” he whispered.
“You saved them!” you objected, taking his hand. He shrugged but squeezed your hand back.
“I suppose I might have. Cazador would’ve left their heads on spikes in my crypt by now, otherwise.” He met your eyes again. “So yes, if anyone is going to be helping me decorate a palace, it’s you.” he added with a false cheer, clearly finished with the topic of Cazador.
You thought he might want to be alone then and were about to leave, but he gently pulled you towards himself. He was sitting on the ground with his back against a trunk. You settled between his legs, your back against his chest, his lips right at your ear, one arm across your shoulders and chest, the other playing with your hair. The large mirror was on the ground right in front of you. He studied your reflection over your shoulder. You appeared to be lounging suspended at an odd angle.
“How does it even work, anyway... It’s not just your body that disappears, it’s your clothing, too”. You grabbed a hat from the top of the trunk, holding it by its crown, and held it over Astarion’s head, moving it in circles against his hair. “Now you see it...” You let go and watched it disappear in the reflection. “Now you don’t.”
“I’m actually not sure, darling. Maybe it needs to be supported solely by me. Or it’s got to do with movement” He threw the hat back onto the trunk, where it reappeared in the reflection.
“Say...” threw your head back to look up into his eyes “Do you think my reflection would disappear... if a part of you was inside?” you bit your lip and grinned mischievously.
“I don’t think so, but I love how that dirty mind of yours works” he purred in your ear. “Let’s check and find out” His hand slid towards the clasp of your pants, but you swatted it away.
“Later.” Suddenly you were on a mission. “I have an idea.”
The rest of your group were gathered around the fire as you made a dash for your tent and grabbed your kit of stage paints and powders.
“Chk, are you doing each other’s makeup in there?” came a scoff from Lae’zel, as you rushed past.
“Don’t be jealous, Lae. We’ll have a girls night and braid each other’s hair tomorrow” you retorted, making Shadowheart choke on her drink.
Back in Astarion’s tent, you reached for one of your loose facial powders.
“You really don’t need to do anything, I’m used to it and nothing will work anyway” protested a confused and weary Astarion.
“Astarion!” you said gravely, “This isn’t for you. This is for science”, and you blew the powder hard into his face. Sure enough, an outline of his features appeared briefly in the mirror, as the powder flew all around him. “It worked!”
“Fan-tastic! Too bad you had to blind me to achieve that split second of a silhouette!” he coughed and rubbed at his eyes.
“It should work with water, too, if you want me to pour some over your head. You need to wash all that powder off anyway, you look ridiculous.”
He glared at you through the still flying powder particles and pointed a finger at your face.
“No.”
“Actually, hang on, I have a better idea.” You heard him groan into his hands behind you, as you ran back to your tent, to return with an amulet.
“So, the good news is, I am really, really bad at this.”
“If this involves setting me on fire again...”
“That was an accident. Anyway... No, this lets me create a fog cloud. Or so it should. I can just barely manage some fog tendrils. Now if I just aim them at your face...” You concentrated on the spell. Whisps of fog appeared around Astarion. “Look...” As the fog tendrils twisted in the air, you could just make out a form that they floated around, in the reflection, one unmistakably of a face.
“Well...” breathed Astarion, transfixed by the reflection, trying to make motions with his head to make the fog recoil. “It’s not much, but it’s more than I’ve seen in centuries”
“Come on” you grasped his hand. “Let’s go outside, it needs a different light and a slight breeze”
Astarion snatched his handheld mirror and followed you. He was actually eager.
Outside, Astarion spun in the whispy fog, gazing at the mirror in disbelief, as you continued to concentrate on the spell. It was actually working. Your conjuration magic was just bad enough to make the thinnest layer of fog, framing his face like a delicate mask and reflecting in the mirror. What would have been considered incredibly precise work by a wizard, was made possible entirely thanks to you borderline failing.
“That’s better... I’ll channel the fog right, you turn left against it. No, your other left! No, don’t go into the fire, you idiot, it won’t be my fault this time”
You grabbed Astarion by the hand and tried to guide him away from fire and anything he could trip over – he was paying exactly zero mind to anything around him, as he semi-stumbled in circles, looking in the mirror. Scratch ran around you, barking, excited for a new game, and eventually tripped you both.
“Another gift...” Astarion smiled at you, as Scratch did his utmost to lick his face.
Meanwhile, the group watched the two of you from a distance, dumbfounded. Lae'zel broke the silence:
“Your people have the strangest mating rituals.”
“Should I... should I tell them I can probably just cast mirror image on him? I’ve only done it on myself, but it should follow the same principle” added Gale.
“Maybe tomorrow” said Shadowheart. “Just let them enjoy this tonight.”
~~~~~
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Book 7: The Ruler of the Abyss – Chapter 6 (Part 3)
Following is part 3 of my translation of Chapter 6 of Book 7: The Ruler of the Abyss. This part contains Episode 7-95 to 7-100. This concludes chapter 6.
Main storyline spoilers after the cut.
Episode 7-95
Lilia: …It’s been 80 years since then, huh. They said you were gonna join the stars soon, but you’ve held on for a really long time. What a good boy. Now, aren’t you sick of being inside that egg? Are you holing yourself up in there ‘cause you’re mad about something? If you came out, I can show you picture books, and change your diaper.…So just come out already….. *sigh* Oh, yeah. I learned a new spell recently. Hard to believe at my old age, right? Life’s just full of surprises. Anyways, this spell lets me view an object’s memories… But none of the memories I’ve seen so far have helped me one bit. I guess I haven’t mastered it enough yet to sift out the important memories from the useless ones. But I’m certain I’ll be able to make a lot more progress with my search now. Maybe on my next trip I’ll finally be able to find a way to hatch you. Alright, I’ll be going now. See you, Malleus. …Hmm? Did you say something just now? No, of course you didn’t. Eggs can’t talk… I must be tired or something. …Yeah, I am little tired. So I’ll just… I’ll just take a breather here for a bit.... So not too long ago, I met this dragon that lives in the Land of Red Dragons…
Lilia: I-It’s so cold… m-my hands and f-feet f-feel like icicles…! Dammit, I’m getting s-so s-sleepy… I c-can’t… n-not… here…
(a dog barks)
Elderly Man: Oi, you there! You alright!?
Lilia: Huh…?
Elderly Man: Why, you’re just a kid! Teddy, let’s take ‘im back home on the sled.
(Teddy barks)
Elderly Man: Oh, wow. So you’re on a journey to find dragons.
Lilia: That’s right. And sorry for all the bother, I’ll get out of your hair now.
Elderly Woman: You’re not going anywhere in that shape! The winters here are just awful, a child could never cross over these mountains alone. You should stay with us until spring.
Lilia: No, I couldn’t…
Elderly Man: Don’t you worry about a thing. Why, it’s been ages since we’ve had any guests over.
Lilia: …Don’t you two see my ears?
Elderly Woman: Your ears? …Ah! Are you a fae?
Elderly Man: So you’re not a kid, are you?
Elderly Woman: I’m so sorry, I thought for sure you were about the same age as our little granddaughter.
Lilia: You aren’t… afraid of me?
Elderly Woman: Why would we be? You’ve been so sweet.
Lilia: Well, I…
Elderly Man: If you don’t want to stay until spring, then how about you just stay with us until this blizzard passes? The nights here are long in the wintertime. You think you could keep a couple of old folks company?
Lilia: …Hah. Old folks, huh. I’m the only old person here.
Elderly Woman: You certainly don’t look it. How old are you?
Lilia: 420… No, 430 years old.
Elderly Man: I didn’t see that coming! Ah hah ha! Ahh, I know. Grandma, could you get us something warm to drink? It’s not every day we get to talk to one of our elders. There’s so much I wanna ask you about.
Elderly Woman: That’s right. You can’t have a good chat without something to sip on. I wonder if you’ll like what we eat, though?
Lilia: …..
Episode 7-96
Lilia: 150 years passed by in the blink of an eye… Hard to believe I’m 450 already… a total geezer. To think, despite all my traveling over the years, there’s still places I haven’t been to yet. The world’s so much bigger than I ever could’ve imagined. And the countries out there have completely transformed since my search began. And now, there’s a bunch of places that let us followers of the night pass through. That’ll make my search a lot easier. I haven’t had any humans throw rocks at me lately, either… I guess you could say the conflict between our species is just a thing of the past, from a human’s perspective. And there’s not a thing we can do to stop their civilizations from progressing so much. One day, they’re gonna… They’re gonna forget all about us. We’ll be nothing more than fairytales to them. I just don’t want that to end up happening to you, Malleus. So could you please come out of that egg already? Aren’t you cramped in that little thing? There’s lots of annoying stuff here in the outside world, but I’m sure you’ll have a lot more fun out here. You know, Malleus. There’s so many things I want to show you once you’re born.
A letter from Baul
“Sir Vanrouge,
Please return to Dragon Capital City at once.
His Majesty’s egg is losing magic at a rapid pace.
It’s possible he may end up returning to the stars before the next full moon.
We kindly request your audience…”
Land of Briar – Maleficia’s Castle
Lilia: Baul!
Baul: Sir Vanrouge! Thank you for coming. *Lilia grabs Baul* Ack!
Lilia: The hell do you mean Malleus’s egg is in danger!?
Baul: Augh… P-Please, compose yourself. I can’t… I can’t breathe-!
Lilia: You guys have been taking care of him, haven’t you!? So why is he-
Baul: He should’ve returned to the stars two centuries ago. Miraculously, he’s been able to hang on all these years. But now… Now his time has finally come.
Lilia: No…! Isn’t there anything we can do?
Baul: Please come with me to the tower.
Lilia: What… What’s going on here?
Baul: Three months ago, he started completely rejecting all of Queen Maleficia’s magic… His pulse has been getting weaker and weaker, and last week, this powerful forcefield suddenly appeared around the egg. Anybody who tries to get close is repelled by lightning strikes, and the doctors and Imperial Guardsmen who attempted to approach him have all been left seriously injured. Queen Maleficia has tried suppressing the forcefield with her magic, but it’s incredibly resistant... And if we aren’t careful, the egg might end up getting crushed. We’ve pretty much reached an impasse at this point.
(A dragon cries)
Lilia: Someone’s crying…
Baul: Huh?
Lilia: You guys can’t hear that voice?
Baul: Voice? All I hear is the wind and the thunder-
Lilia: Malleus!!
Episode 7-97
Lilia: Malleus!!
Baul: Sir Vanrouge! Don’t tell me you’re going to climb the tower!? You can’t go up there! Those lightning strikes could kill you!
Lilia: You damn idiot! That little kid’s crying all by himself up there! We can’t just sit around and watch!
(Lilia runs off)
Baul: Ah- Wait! Please! Sir Vanrouge!!
Lilia: Malleus!
(Lightning strikes nearby)
Lilia: Ack-!! What power… If I get hit next time, it’s gonna be lights out for me. But… Ah ha ha! That’s the first time in 200 years you actually replied to me!
(Malleus cries out)
Lilia: That voice… I knew it. He’s crying!
(lightning strikes)
Lilia: Guaaah! Ugh, are you mad? I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was never able to hatch you…
(lightning strikes)
Lilia: What, that wasn’t it? I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me! Just stop crying and tell me what’s wrong already!
(lightning strikes)
Lilia: Augh! Haah, haaah… O-Okay, fine. That’s the spirit, Malleus! Just keep on crying! It’s okay for babies to cry! It’s okay! Cry all you want!
(lightning strikes)
Lilia: Ugaaah! Haaah, damnit, that hurts! Feels like my body’s gonna be ripped apart! Meleanor! Levan! Are you watching right now!? I’m sure you’re having a ball up there, huh. Lucky you! Well I’m not letting Malleus come join you just yet! He has to see the world… He has to see all the things you guys never got to…!
(Malleus cries out)
Lilia: …Wait, that’s it. Malleus, are you… Are you crying ‘cause you’re lonely?
(lightning flashes)
Lilia: Augh….! Ah- Ha hah. That’s it, that was it all along. Anyone’d be lonely if they were left all by themselves for two hundred years. Why did it take us so long to realize that? It was so simple... You wait right there, I’m coming for ya.
(Lilia starts climbing the tower again)
Lilia: Haaa, haaah… Almost there…
(lightning strikes)
Lilia: Aaaughh! Ugh… I really felt that one. But too bad for you… They didn’t use to call me the Running Rampart of the Verdant Moors for nothing… I’m not going down that easy…! Haaah, haaah… Okay, Malleus. What’s your next move? I can go at this all night- No, for another 100 years, another 200 years… Until you finally give up and come out of that egg already… I’m gonna keep holding you and coddling you and hugging you, no matter how long it takes…!!
(Malleus cries and starts absorbing the magic around him)
Lilia: What the-!? The egg’s drawing in a bunch of magic from all around it… Is this- Is this what the egg wanted!? Ha ha! I knew it, you were starving this whole time, weren’t you. Sheesh, you didn’t have to put up with it. Go on, take some of my magic, too. I’ll give you my magic, my life span…. as much you want!
Lilia: So please, come out already… Come join us in the outside world already!!
???: Gyaaaaaaaah!
Lilia: That… voice… it’s…?
???: Gyaaaaan!
Lilia: You… hatched?? You really hatched…?
Baby Malleus: Gyaaaaa!!
(Malleus breathes fire)
Lilia: Ack- …You’re only five seconds old, quit it with the fire balls! ..Ha ha! Look, you guys! He’s got the same green eyes and fire as Meleanor. Ah- I guess we’re the only ones here, huh. Malleus… I finally got to meet you.
Baby Malleus: Gyaaaou!
Lilia: After 200 years I finally… Ahh… Ugh…
(Lilia starts sobbing)
Episode 7-98
Silver: This whole time, I couldn’t figure out why father was dreaming of all these awful things. But now I… now I understand. This must be the happiest moment of father’s life. And he only could’ve gotten here after going through so much heartache, so much pain. And after losing so much… Only then could Lord Malleus finally enter this world…!
Sebek: Ugh… *sniffle* …I hadn’t the slightest idea… That Lord Malleus’s birth occurred under such circumstances. Despite all the countless books I’ve read on Briar Valley’s history, not a single one spoke of this moment. Why did my grandfather never make mention of this awesome tale…?
Senate Member A: Vanrouge! You did an amazing job hatching His Majesty.
Senate Member C: It’s a miracle! You’re our hero!
Lilia: …Hero?
Senate Member A: Now then, come bring His Majesty to the Queen.
(the background starts warping)
Lilia: Augh…! …No, *I… I… Augh!
Senate Member A: Vanrouge!! You fool! You dare lay your filthy hands on the heir!
Senate Member C: For a dragon egg to be hatched with a bat’s magic… This is a scandal upon scandals!
Senate Member A: You have defiled the noble blood of the Draconia clan! Do you even comprehend the utter gravity of your sin!
Grim/Sebek/Silver: !?
Sebek: What is the meaning of this!? Why have the senate members changed their tones so abruptly? And why is the world distorting before us!?
Silver: Father must be starting to realize we’re inside a dream…!
Sebek: Mean you that instead of words of celebration, Sir Lilia was subjected to this absolute abuse!?
Silver: He probably was, yeah.
Yuu: Those senate guys are going totally overboard!
Senate Member C: Do not ever show your face before His Majesty again, wretched bat! Hurry, someone get the prince away from him!
Baby Malleus: Kiiii!!!
Lilia: Ah….
Senate Member C: Call a doctor, quickly! We need to make sure His Majesty is alright!
Senate Member A: Ahh, His Majesty… How my heart aches for him. Not only did he lose his parents thanks to our useless Imperial Guard, his body has been sullied by tainted magic.
Senate Member C: What will we do if you’ve left His Majesty sickened, you fool!
Baul: You awful- …That’s it, I’m not holding my tongue a second longer! Take back what you said at once! Have you any idea just how much Sir Vanrouge loves our country, loves the Draconias! He’s devoted his everything to them!
Lilia: …Enough, Baul. It’s better this way. I’m sure this is the right thing to do… The right thing to do? …Augh! My head’s killing me…!
Baul: Sir Vanrouge! Are you okay!?
(lightning strikes)
Everyone: !?
???: So this is where you were. I finally found you… Lilia!
Episode 7-99
???: So this is where you were. I finally found you… Lilia!
Lilia: That voice… Levan!? When did you get back- No, wait. Those horns. They look just like Meleanor’s… Who the hell are you!?
Malleus: …I never knew… I never knew you gave up part of your own lifespan to hatch me.
Lilia: Hatch you? The hell are you-
Malleus: Those damn senate members, how dare they treat you like this… And my grandmother! Why did she hide the truth from me all this time!?
Lilia: Malleus, no! I was the one who asked everyone to keep quiet about all this. I was worried you’d feel guilty if you knew the truth… Huh!? No, you’re not Malleus… Malleus hasn’t even learned to shift into his two-legged form yet, he’s just a baby… Ugh.. My… head…!
Malleus: Don’t bother yourself with all those unnecessary thoughts, Lilia. You need not suffer one moment longer. Now tell me, what kind of dream would you like? One in which my mother and father are still alive? Or perhaps one where you and your son can live together in peace?
Lilia: Ugh… Stop it, *I…. I…!
Malleus: I’ll grant you your every wish. Now come, Lilia, and take my hand…
Silver: FAAATHEEEER!!
Malleus/Silver: !?
Lilia: The Knight of Dawn!? Why are you here!? Ugh!... No, you’re-!
Malleus: Silver, Sebek… You two again, eh. You must have an awfully hard time falling asleep. Do you still intend to oppose me?
Silver: We’re never giving up! Never!!
Sebek: All the more, knowing how Sir Lilia feels. He poured his love into you so that you might enter this world, and we shan’t sit around and watch us you become its enemy!
Silver: That’s why we’re going to put an end to this… We’re ending your “Blessing”, Lord Malleus!
Lilia: Blessing… Ah- Aah!!
(Lilia sees flashbacks of his farewell party)
Lilia: Heh… Kufufu… Hahaha! Ahahahah! Well said, you two. I wouldn’t expect anything less from my apprentices.
Silver: Huh? Apprentice…? Are you…
Lilia: My head finally cleared up. I remember everything now, Silver, Sebek. And Grim and Yuu, too!
Sebek/Silver: Sir Lilia! / Father!
Lilia: Seems like I took a nice, long nap. Ooh, you’re in hot water, Malleus!
Malleus: Tsch... So you’ve awoken. …However, you needn’t worry. I’ll put you back to bed again in a moment.
Lilia: Ha! You’re going to put me to bed? You grew into such a cheeky young man, you know that. Go ahead and try, then! Everybody, follow my lead! …and run awaaaaaaay!!!
Yuu: Wha- run away!?
Malleus: Fufufu… A game of tag, is it? I feel it’s been decades since we’ve gamboled together like this. We’ve all the time in the world. So let’s have some fun, shall we, Lilia? He heh heh…. Ahahahhaha!!
TL note: He’s switching between using the first-person pronoun 俺 and the first-person pronoun わし. His past self uses 俺 and his present self uses わし so he’s starting to wake up from the dream here.
Episode 7-100
Lilia: I’ll keep Malleus busy, and you guys escape with Silver’s Unique Magic in the meantime.
Silver: !? We’re not leaving you behind! Come with us!
Lilia: Oh, it’s fine. I’m long used to Malleus’s little tantrums. Besides, my magic reserves are back to normal inside this dream, so I’m the best choice to take him on.
Sebek: But that’s-!
Lilia: Don’t you worry. Malleus would never dare hurt me like that. …I suppose he takes after his father in that way. He’s a kind man, not cruel. Silver, Sebek. You guys have to handle the “real” Malleus for me.
Sebek/Silver: …Yes, sir!
(Malleus appears in a pillar of green fire)
Malleus: I found you, Lilia! …Now then, what shall it be? Hahahah…. AH HA HAHAHA!
Lilia: Now’s your chance to escape! Hurry!
Silver: …I swear, we’ll wake up you and everybody else from this dream. There’s so much I want to talk to you about!
Lilia: Yes, Silver! That’s a promise. Let’s meet again, once we’re all wide awake! …The night’s blessing upon ye.
Silver: …The night’s blessing upon ye! Those I’ve met before, and those I’ll meet someday…. Come, and let us dream the same dream!
Corridor of Dreams
Everyone: aaaAAAAAAHHH!!
Sebek: Oi, Silver! Just whose dream are we traipsing into now!?
Silver: I don’t know! But we’ll need to put a plan together once we cross over! Everybody, hang onto me and don’t let go!
Grim: Uwaaaah!! You’re gonna pop me like a balloon before we even make it to the next dream!
Silver: Hm? Do you guys see that, there’s something shining in the distance…
???: Ooooi!
Sebek: What on earth is that!? Something’s approaching us rapidly!!
Silver: Is it a bird? A plane? No, that’s-!
Ortho: Ooooooi!!
Everyone: Ortho!?
Ortho: Yup, it’s me! I finally found you guys!
Silver: How did you even get here!?
Ortho: We’ll talk later! For now, just hang onto me! Okay, let’s go! Waaaaarp!
Ignihyde Dorm
Everyone: aaaAAAAAHHH!!!
Sebek: Ugh… Must we always make such an unsightly entrance?
Yuu: I’m used to it, honestly.
Silver: Is this… Ignihyde?
Sebek: Just whose dream have we entered, I wonder?
Grim: Wait, where’d Ortho go!? He was just with us?
Silver: What? Oh, no, what if he got left behind in the Corridor…!?
???: Uhhh… Umm… could you guys, uh, chill out a bit?
Everyone: !!!!
???: Wait, wait, wait! Time out! I’m on your guys’ side, so could you not with the death stares…
Silver: Y-You’re…!
Idia: Can’t start a boss raid without a tank, and now we’re all set to go. The opening act’s DONEZO. Time for the main event! Heehee!
Part 1
Part 2
#lilia vanrouge#malleus draconia#twst silver#sebek zigvolt#baul zigvolt#ortho shroud#idia shroud#twst#twst spoilers#twst jp#twisted wonderland#twst book 7
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no mourners, no funerals
spoilers!!
poesflowercrown asked: Why didn't we see kit's [Christopher Lightwood's] funeral
Okay, so quite a lot of the questions I’ve gotten are some form of “Why wasn’t there a funeral for Christopher?”
And the answer is that Christopher surely did have a funeral — but that it strikes me as fairly obvious why he didn’t have one that took place during the time when London was under attack by Belial. Also, had they had a funeral in Idris during this time (where his body was, and where they have funerals), we have no POV characters who are there to see it.
After that, we jump ahead six months, and obviously his funeral isn’t going to be after such a long period of time has elapsed — instead we see grief at the stage of what it is often like after half-a-year: the most active part of the mourning is over, and the Shadowhunters are moving into fitting Christopher and the grief for him into lives that go on and go forward. James dreams of dead Christopher almost every night, and yet he is still moving on with his life: they are Shadowhunters, this is how they live, knowing life can always be interrupted by destruction, battle or war, and knowing (in a way mundanes don’t) that any day carries with it the possibility of immediate death and loss.
Now, could I have shattered the structure and timing of the book to shove in a funeral between the coda and the wrap-up of the epilogue? I think it would have been a lot of more jarring and weird than people realize, but I also think that it wouldn’t have offered anything. I get a lot of questions that seem to think a funeral for Christopher would have offered “closure” somehow — either to the characters or readers — and the fact that I don’t think it would have done anything like that, or offered anything useful or meaningful, is partly why I didn’t include it.
Shadowhunter funerals aren’t like mundane (human!) funerals: they’re not for closure, but rather for generally honoring the dead of war, because the Shadowhunters live in a constant state of war. What would have happened at a funeral for Christopher is that he would have been burned on a pyre along with Elias and those who died freeing London; people would have come up and given polite condolences to Gabriel and Cecily, the Consul would have given a general speech, and that’s about it. We see this with Livvy’s funeral. — how it is entirely unspecific to Livvy. We see how much closure her funeral offers her family (none, basically.) I think what people are imagining as “Christopher’s funeral” (everyone cries, makes speeches, has feelings) is not what a Shadowhunter funeral is.
There is one more thing I would say, which is that death, as depicted in art and fiction, is not required to offer closure. Sometimes the point is to sit with that lack of closure, and feel the absence of that person, that character, because living with the death of someone close to you is often living without total closure: sometimes for a long time, sometimes forever. That is okay. It is not required of books that emotions be neatly put away at the end of them, like guest towels. Sometimes they are just there to be felt afterward.
[I have also seen people say that Christopher’s friends didn’t mourn for him — which is so bizarre I haven’t decided whether to address it or just leave it as a Thing We Totally Disagree About, like the many questions I get about how we “never see that Tessa loves Jem” or “Isabelle doesn’t care that Max died” etc. Sometimes you just can’t see eye to eye about things; I don’t really get how Thomas being so stricken by Christopher’s death that his physical appearance is literally altered forever, or Anna “turning to stone” with grief, or Matthew being unable to even say Christopher’s name without flinching in pain, is “not mourning”, but we all have our different ideas of how things should be depicted. I tend to believe in a less-is-more philosophy about showing intense emotion, but we are not all that way!]
Anyway, closure. The intense mourning for Christopher in the Sanctuary is short-lived not because the Shadowhunters have gotten bored mourning intensely, but because of Belial. Because they are at war, and then and forever their grief for Christopher must fit itself within the interstices of them needing to save the world. In looking at research into Shadowhunter mourning, I looked at the way people mourn when they are either civilians in war, or soldiers on the front lines, because all Shadowhunters are all least one of those things. A great deal of intense compartmentalizing is required, because the preservation of life going forward must be the priority. The Shadowhunters know this; they are raised knowing this. They know that not only may you be called upon to sacrifice your own life to be what you are, but that it is likely you will lose other people, and if you lose them in battle, you have also sacrificed the ability to stop the world and engage in just grieving. You sacrifice, sometimes, even the ability to bury your dead or to know where they died. As Lucie observes:
“And now they were back at the Institute courtyard, which was empty and quiet, as it always was. There was no scar here, no sign of the dreadful things that had happened there such a short time ago. Lucie envisioned a plaque: HERE IS WHERE IT ALL BROKE APART. Matthew and James’s vanishing, Christopher’s death—they seemed both very close, a trauma still ongoing, and yet far away.
On the other hand, she thought, this courtyard had been torn up by Leviathan a couple of weeks ago, and there was no sign of that, either. Perhaps to be a Shadowhunter simply meant drawing runes over one’s scars, over and over.”
They mourn, they grieve, they have to go on — to “draw runes over their scars” — because the other option is wallowing in grief and doing nothing to prevent Belial winning. Lucie is feeling these things as “far away” because they have to be shoved down in order for the Shadowhunters to continue doing what they need to do. They can’t lie on the ground and scream NOOOOOO for days; they honor Christopher by going on, by seeing his project through to the end and using it to save countless lives. Which is what Christopher would have wanted — not a cold and monotonous funeral in Idris.
So short answer: I didn’t think a funeral for Christopher would have provided anything worthwhile to the story, but rather would have made it worse. In the end, that’s usual the answer to the why of any decision. :)
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Several times You Were Suspected, and the One Time You Weren’t. (SCREAM VI SPOILERS)
Summary: Reader is a newbie in the core-four friend group and according to the rules, they are a suspect. Reader keeps conveniently showing up at the murder scenes, and a seed of doubt becomes implanted in the others’ minds leaving them to believe Reader is Ghostface. Reader is innocent, but they don’t know that.
Word Count: 8,511
Pairings: Gn!Reader x Tara, Male!Reader x Tara
Author’s note: The reader is male since there is a SIGNIFICANT lack of male reader fanfics, but could be read as gender neutral if you try hard enough. Slight proofread because I got lazy.
You rushed over to Sam’s apartment as soon as you could. Slamming the SUV door shut, you jogged over to the ambulance where you were met with the distressed faces of Chad, Mindy, Tara, and Sam.
“What the fuck?” You shoot a glance at Ethan, catching the end of his excuse for an alibi. He appeared to be flustered.
“I saw it on the news.” There was genuine concern in your voice. “I can’t believe this happened.” Your eyes began to water because you had been close with Quinn and it hurt knowing she was gone. Forever.
You didn’t miss the way the four survivors from Woodsboro exchanged skeptical looks with each other and refused to initiate a conversation with you.
You were taken aback. Their suspicion was fair, but it hurt to be looked at that way. Like you were capable of killing them in cold blood. “Y-You don’t think I did this?”
In an attempt to clear your name, you said, “I loved Quinn. She was my best friend. Why the fuck would I kill her? Or kill Anika?”
You stopped yourself, at the risk of sounding hysterical.
“Doesn’t matter if you were best friends.” Mindy replied, very clearly glaring at you. “That still gives you motive. Maybe you were spurred on by jealousy.”
You scoffed and silently pleaded for the others to back you up. No one did.
Ethan shuffled awkwardly. Chad and Tara refused to meet your gaze, and Sam was staring at you in a way you’d never seen before.
“Speaking of motive, where were you last night?” Mindy asked with narrowed eyes.
Suddenly, everyone’s eyes were on you.
You stuttered nervously. “I was in the dorm. You know, where I’m living.”
The last part came out meaner than you initially intended.
“Hmm,” Mindy shook her head, pressing her lips together. Her eyes scanned around the ambulance from where she sat, then they were on you again. “How convenient, y/n. That you were at the college dorm when none of us were there to corroborate your alibi. You just moved at the top of my suspect list.”
You wanted to be angry, but you found yourself understanding why they were reacting this way.
Least you could do was divert some of the attention away from you. “Fair enough, but I don’t think you should rule out Ethan, either.”
Ethan faced you sharply, eyes wide like a deer in headlights. “Why would you say that?!”
“I mean, a school excuse? Really? It’s almost the same as mine.” You retorted, resisting the urge to snicker at his slowly reddening face.
“I was taking the—!”
“We’re not ruling anyone out.” Sam interjected, her voice determined. “Y/n’s right, I don’t think it’s smart to point the finger at one person. Even if they are highly suspicious.”
You chose to ignore her patronizing tone. “Yeah, I’ll take that.”
“Just stay the fuck away from us.” Chad held his hand up as if signaling for a stop. Then he added, “Both of you.”
“Wait,” You said desperately, taking a small step forward. “Is there a way I can prove myself? Please. I mean, haven’t you been wrong about your theories, Mindy?”
Everyone went silent.
That couldn’t be a good indication for you. You held your breath, expecting to hear a pin drop.
“Yeah.” Mindy whispered under her breath quietly. You almost missed it, too.
“Yes, as in, I can prove myself?” You pressed on, hopeful.
“No.” Your heart sank. “Yes, as in, I was wrong at pointing out the killer before.”
“Well, at least y/n is wanting to clear their name.” Tara finally spoke after letting her friends do the talking without her. “Same can’t be said for the other present suspect.” A jab at Ethan.
Ethan struggled to argue his case, which you couldn’t help but smile at. Maybe you would be able to gain your friends’ trust back after all.
“I think we should give him a chance.” You caught Tara gazing at you. A slight smile teased her lips.
Was she on your side? Or not? You weren’t sure.
Chad gave her a questioning look. They stared at each other for so long, you began to wonder if something was going on between them.
“Alright, fine.” Chad relented. He threw his head back dramatically and sighed.
After witnessing Tara punch the famous, annoying reporter Gale Weathers, you were all led to a creepy area she had found through “Investigative journalism”.
And by all, was you, Ethan, Quinn’s cop dad, Sam, Tara, Kirby, and Gale.
“Jesus.” You managed to speak past your shock while traipsing and observing the displays that contained collectives from every ghostface killing.
Tara was walking ahead of you at a slow pace. She was assigned to watch you, and Chad was in charge of Ethan. So you weren’t allowed to stray away from her or the group.
Fine by you, because you weren’t the killer, or one of the killers. You learned from Mindy that there could be multiple.
You noticed Tara staring at a particular display. Her fingers traced the glass carefully.
You could tell from the way her fingers traced the display for too long that seeing all of this was causing her emotional distress.
You noticed a picture of a girl. Amber, you think. Tara must have suffered through so much because of her.
“Hey…” You said softly, bumping your shoulder against hers in a lighthearted manner and catching her attention.
“So, you and Chad?” You leaned on the display, your stomach pressed against the glass. “Are you guys a thing or…”
You trailed off, hoping she would fill in the blanks for you.
“We aren’t.” She answered a little too fast, but didn’t give anything more than that.
You let out a puff of air, feeling disappointed. You wished her response was convincing enough.
It was obvious that you were bummed and she regarded you with amusement. “Why do you care?”
“Because I like you.” The confession spilled easily from your mouth. “No bullshit. I really like you, Tara.”
You were scared to see her expression because you knew that it could end in rejection. Especially a beautiful girl like Tara, she probably had lots of men and women that were lined up to date her.
You were attracted to her attitude and her pretend carefree behavior, which she used as a coping mechanism due to traumatic events.
The dangers from her past and what was happening in the present didn’t deter you. You wanted her in spite of the fact that she was a victim of murderous attacks.
She deserved to be loved and treated respectfully.
But since you were currently the most suspected out of the group… you didn’t stand a chance.
“For the record,” Tara started off; You prepared for your feelings to be crushed. “I believe you.”
That got you turning your head to face her. Tara wasn’t pitying you, or angry. Her reaction wasn’t at all like you had expected. She was being calm.
Your eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You do?”
“About you being in love, not the serial killer part.” She had a halfhearted grin on her face.
Tara was teasing you. Well, you were 90% sure she wasn’t serious about the murderer accusation.
You decided to play along.
You leaned in closer to her, dropping your voice to a low whisper as you spoke in her ear. “Doesn’t that excite you? A potential psychotic killer only having the hots for you?”
You trailed your fingers up her arm for effect. You didn’t miss the shift in her eyes.
How they became half-lidded and how they definitely weren’t directed at your eyes anymore, but at your lips.
The energy surrounding the two of you seemed to change also. It became static and… very warm.
Your cheeks were starting to feel hot.
Tara shuffled closer to you, and you followed. The both of you waited on the other to make a move.
You swallowed nervously; Tara let her eyes fall to watch your throat bob.
When she didn’t change her mind or make the choice to walk away, you swiftly closed the gap and connected your lips with hers.
You anticipated that Tara would eventually push away from you and laugh because this interaction between the two of you was an elaborate prank all along.
She didn’t. You weren’t being duped.
Tara Carpenter was kissing you and her lips were so, so soft.
You had absentmindedly placed your hands on her hips and pressed her front against yours, while simultaneously slipping your tongue in her mouth.
You heard Tara try to stifle her gasp, and fail at doing so.
You had to stop yourself from smiling into the kiss because you didn’t want the moment to end too soon.
You were warm and tingly all over; your heartbeat thrummed against your chest. You were getting wrapped up in the excitement of the moment.
Just as you dreaded, it was cut short. You were startled by a strong arm gripping your shoulder.
Tara looked up, in a daze, when you were suddenly jerked away from her. She wore a confused expression on her face.
“Keep your dirty hands off her, Ghostface.” Chad jabbed a threatening finger in your chest.
He got into your face, and it was very jarring. You were genuinely scared for your well-being, and your life-long streak of no broken bones.
Like a hungry snake preying on an unsuspecting mouse, his hands latched onto your throat. The force of his grip had you raised a few inches from the ground. “What are you planning?”
“Chad, stop.” Tara protested, annoyed.
“Put y/n down.” Mindy groaned. “Seriously, this is not the time for your alpha complex.”
He wasn’t squeezing tight enough to strangle you, but it was still uncomfortable to breathe.
Your eyes were wide in fear. Chad didn’t let you go.
You weren’t earning any sympathy points from him, especially since you most likely took the woman he’s had eyes for.
“Okay, put them down right now. Or I shoot.” Kirby deadpanned. “I’m not kidding.”
This is it. You were going to die at the hands of a condescending jock. Not the ending you thought would ever happen, but what could you do?
You drew in a shallow breath and let your eyes flutter close. Something felt heavy in your pocket. Without alarming Chad, you sneaked your hand inside to figure out what the object was.
Your fingers grazed the hilt of a knife, your chest tightening when you realized what it was. You needed to keep your breathing under control, even while Chad had his hands around your throat, or you would give your predicament away and be in tremendous trouble with the group.
You didn't have a knife on you before you entered the abandoned shrine building, so who pinned it on you? And without anyone catching them?
The longer you stressed about the knife and the longer Chad was proving to be a hostile threat, the more you considered stabbing him.
You gaped in horror as the thought crossed your mind. You were just stressed out, that's all. Not a reason to impulsively lash out.
But he was threatening your life...
You were sure Chad's pissed-off face would be forever implanted in your memory when Kirby called out, "Alright, I'm counting to three!"
Chad dropped you before she could reach number three. You thankfully hit the floor on both feet, but being the asshole, Chad shoved you with brute force and knocked you off balance.
You were sent tumbling backward over a display, letting out a yelp as your head slammed against a wall.
"Oh my fucking god." That was either Mindy or Sam.
You couldn't tell black from blue; Your head swam and you were pretty sure you weren't imagining the warm liquid trickling down the back of your neck.
A dark shadow rose above you. You craned your neck up to see everyone in the group staring down at you with worry. Minus Chad because he obviously wasn't sorry.
"Shit." Tara crouched down in front of you. "Come on. I'll help you walk out of here." She extended her hand.
You blinked blearily and grabbed her hand. You fought back a wave of nausea as you were pulled up to your feet. Tara intertwined her fingers with yours, which put a smile on your face.
The two of you started to walk in sync.
Someone slung an arm around your shoulder. Mindy.
"To show you my condolences for the actions of my idiot brother," Mindy declared aloud so everyone could hear. "You have officially been moved down my suspect list."
"I appreciate it." You offered a weak grin, and she returned it.
"What do we do next?" Tara asked after approaching Kirby with you in tow.
Kirby's eyes seemed to glint with mischievous intent. "I have something in mind."
You needed to get rid of that knife as soon as possible.
"Distracting the killer on a phone call while tracing him from a van?" Mindy sighed in disbelief. "In a public space with a crowd of people?"
No one dared to interrupt her rambling; Kirby was working on a computer, Ethan worked on a bag of chips, and Chad was laying back.
"This is exactly how our uncle Randy died in the sequel!"
"Just relax." Kirby tried to assuage her. "I know what I'm doing."
"The killer is going to conveniently hang up right before you can trace his location," Mindy smirked, dissing Kirby's police skills.
"I can complete a trace in 15 seconds," Kirby replied with as much sass.
Mindy's face turned serious. "Oh, carry on."
Tara and Sam were being used as bait to keep the killer occupied on the phone call.
"Trying to lure me to a public area with a bunch of cops watching?" Ghostface laughed eerily while Sam listened on the other end. Tara stuck by her side. "I've seen this before and I'm one step ahead of you."
"Wait, where is that pinging?" Mindy asked, leaning over Kirby's shoulder to observe the map on the screen. There was a pulsing dot pinpointing Ghostface's current location.
"That's..." She recoiled.
"Gale!"
You took a taxi from the hospital to Gale Weather's apartment. One quick google search, and it was easy to find out where she lived.
Your injury had been stitched up; a white gauge was wrapped around your head. You weren't technically dismissed from the hospital, but you had a terrible feeling in your gut that Gale was in danger.
You assumed everyone else remained in a group since you last saw them, but you didn't know if anyone was looking out for Gale.
You rushed your ass into the elevator of her building and jabbed your thumb into the button to go to the top floor. "Come on, come on."
The elevator seemed to move at an infuriatingly slow pace, which didn't help your nerves. You paced around as the elevator kept rising. "What if I'm too late?" You mumbled to yourself.
You didn't have time to dwell on your anxiety because the elevator doors were opening, and you darted the hell out of there.
"Gale!" You screamed at the top of your lungs while running through the hall. You caught a glimpse of open doors and sounds of struggle followed from inside.
Heart beating heavily in your chest, you turned into the room without slowing down. You soon stopped when you took in the sight of the destroyed room, and the masked figure barreling your way.
A shrill shriek escaped from your lips as you tried to dodge. Ghostface's knife slashed your cheek as you did so. You fell on your side, groaning.
The masked killer fled into the hallway and disappeared; you weren't being targeted. Yet.
You sat up once you heard soft groans that didn't belong to you. Your eyes searched the room frantically until you spotted the person you came to save.
Gale was lying on the floor; blood was slowly seeping from under her body.
"Oh fuck." You crawled to her. Gale's choked gasps were audible now that you were near her.
You observed her stab wounds with watery eyes. "Gale... I'm so sorry.”
It seemed like she was trying to smile, as if she was at peace with dying, and you were worried that she was straining herself.
"You're going to be okay-" You reached to put pressure on a gushing shoulder wound, but someone yelling out Gale's name made you pull back.
Oh no.
You swallowed thickly and stood up just as Sam and Tara ran into the room.
They were shocked to see you. It didn't take long for Sam to grow angry with you. "You stay the fuck away from her."
It was only then that you realized your clothes became stained with Gale's blood. "I didn't do this! I collided with the killer when I ran in to save her."
"How did you know where she lived?" Great, now Tara was suspecting you were the killer. She was purposefully keeping her distance.
"I was in the hospital room when I missed a call from Gale's number. It was weird. Gale Weathers would never call someone like me. I had a feeling something was wrong and looked up her address on google."
Tara gave you a once over. You could see her face relax.
She still trusted you.
Sam was the opposite. “I don’t believe you. Don’t even think about coming near my fucking sister either.”
With that being said, her attention shifted to the woman dying on the floor. Or as Mindy would put it, the “Legacy character.”
“Oh my god, Gale.” Sam knelt down next to her body, on the verge of crying. Tara lingered behind her.
“I called the cops when I got here.” You said, hoping to dig yourself out of the hole you found yourself in.
“If you’re trying to make yourself seem innocent, it’s not working.” Sam replied coldly.
Well, damn.
Tara turned her head to give you a sorrowful glance, mouthing a silent apology.
You gave her a curt nod. The fact that Tara believed you was all the reassurance you needed. “You know what, I’m fucking tired of taking the blame for this fucked up shit.”
You were careful to not say anything that would incriminate you by accident. You were storming out before you could hear Sam’s reply.
There was no point in holding your tongue because you found yourself in the hot seat at the police station anyway.
“Why don’t you give me a rundown of your story again?” Detective Bailey looked tired. “Maybe you missed important details.”
You scoffed; your arms were crossed, and you leaned back in a chair. “You’re hoping that I’ll trip up and change my story.”
He clenched his jaw, held eye contact with you, then sighed in defeat. “You happened to arrive at Gale Weathers’s apartment moments after she was stabbed… I think it’s fair for me to be skeptical about coincidences.”
“I told you already. I missed a call from Gale’s number when I was getting stitches on my head at the hospital.” You pulled out your phone, tapped on it, then showed the screen to him.
In the notifications bar of your phone, there was a missed call alert from a number you didn’t have saved. Under the number was a smaller text that read, “Maybe: Gale Weathers”
Detective Bailey skimmed through the notification multiple times, but it wasn’t photoshopped. You were telling the truth.
“Alright.” He motioned for you to put the phone away, and you did.
You thought the interrogation was going to be over soon, but then Detective Bailey reached around and pulled out an object concealed in a plastic bag.
He dropped it on the table. You saw what it was at first glance and immediately felt like you had seen a ghost.
“Want to explain what you were doing with this weapon?” He was smug now.
You thought you got rid of that knife.
“An eyewitness saw someone, fitting your description, discarding this knife in the hospital trash.”
When you remained silent, he leaned forward and continued to interrogate you, “Who are you working with?”
You shook your head, not removing your gaze from the knife. “Test the blood.”
Detective Bailey seemed taken aback. “What?”
You made eye contact with him. Your face was deadpan. “I never used that knife. The blood is from old victims of past Ghostface killings. I’m telling you, detective, someone is trying to frame me.”
He set his jaw, and you could sense the gears in his brain turning as he mulled over your suggestion.
Without a word, he stood up, snatched the evidence with a force that made you flinch, and left the room.
Just as you said, the blood on that knife didn’t belong to Quinn or Anika.
“What do you mean you’re letting y/n go?”
You could hear Sam and Detective Bailey conversing from the other side of the door.
“I ran the knife through blood testing and there was no match to any of the current victims.” Bailey explained. “He’s clean.”
The door opened. You were able to see that Sam looked grim, and Detective Bailey was disappointed.
He beckoned for you to come out, and you did without hesitation, snubbing Sam on your way out.
“Meeting at the hospital. In lobby.” You reread the text message from Tara as you walked into the hospital building.
You spotted the group in a corner. You braced yourself and strutted over to them.
Their heads snapped up upon your arrival. As expected, you were greeted with a chorus of complaints.
“Why are you here?” Chad took on an intimidating stance, possibly to scare you.
”I invited him.” Tara admitted. Some of their scrutiny was then focused on her.
“Tara—“ Sam scolded.
“What?” Tara cut her off, tone becoming defensive. “Your hot neighbor and Ethan are allowed to hear the discussion, but y/n gets the cold shoulder? How is that fair?”
They didn’t argue with her any further.
You gauged everyone’s grim expressions. “What’s going on?”
“We’re gonna trap Ghostface.” It was Tara who answered you. She had her phone out. “Then kill him.”
You and Tara had to use the bathroom.
But not really.
Needless to say, she was happy you were proven innocent.
Your hands gripped her hips tight enough to leave bruises as she was pushed up the wall.
You feverishly kissed the span of her neck and positioned your knee between her legs to keep her upright.
Tara had her arms wrapped around your neck; her nails leaving scratches. Breathless moans slipped out of her mouth.
“Fuck.” You whispered in the crook of her neck, your arousal growing.
You sensually grinded your front against hers, using the friction to relieve some of the pressure in your pants.
Tara laughed softly. She trailed her hands to your shoulders and lightly pushed back from you so that she could see your face. “Slow your roll, babe. We’ll both be alive to have sex later.”
”You don’t know that.” You whined, going back to kiss at her neck.
“I’m serious, y/n. I don’t want our first time to be in a hospital closet. I don’t care if death is looming over us.” You stopped grinding and looked up to see a frown on her face.
“No, you’re right.” You slumped against her, sighing heavily. “I am afraid. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to be this close to you again.”
Tara rolled her eyes. “I keep telling my stalker sister to let me go. I can fucking handle myself.”
“She cares about you.” You mumbled into her shoulder. “Plus, telling someone to let you go while we’re in a real life scary movie is kind of ominous.”
Your tone was lighthearted, but you meant what you said. You couldn’t help feeling worried about Tara‘s choice of words.
If the time came to it where her sister or you were in danger, would she put herself at risk of being murdered instead of saving herself?
You would rather that not happen.
Sensing your discomfort, Tara’s smile faded as quickly as it came. “You’re coming with us, okay? We won’t be separated.”
The sick feeling in your stomach wasn’t going away, but you relaxed anyway. You wanted to be at the final showdown in case the plan went wrong.
Tara raised a brow, holding back a laugh. “Can you let me go? Sam is probably losing her shit right now.”
“Oh, fuck. Yes, I’m sorry.” You had forgotten why you were here in the first place. You let her down with caution.
Tara poked fun at your freaked out expression while you tried to erase any sign of sexual tension on you.
The two of you hurriedly moved out of the enclosed space as best you could without creating suspicion.
“There’s only one way in through these doors. When we trap him in here,” Kirby shook the gates forming a box in front of the creepy shrine entrance, which required a key card to be unlocked. “Bastard has nowhere to go.”
This place gave you the chills. You couldn’t believe you voluntarily agreed to come back. It was asking to be murdered.
Mindy was too late for the final showdown. She had to take a separate train with Ethan, and Sam hadn’t heard back from them since.
It showed on Sam’s face that she was as skeptical as you about the solidity of the plan, but it wasn’t your trauma that was displayed all over the theatre.
Her fear was more justified.
”Don’t worry, it’s safe here.” Kirby tried to soothe everyone’s anxiety.
But all of you listened to Mindy’s lectures about horror rules enough times to know that the place definitely wasn’t safe if someone had to vouch for it.
”Come on, let’s go.” Tara tugged on your arm, leading you the back room of the theater.
You tore your attention away from the Ghostface mannequins and followed her.
“I’m coming with.” Chad walked behind you to make damn sure you weren’t going to hurt Tara.
You and Tara were conversing by a table set up with cups and old, soft drinks that were left behind long ago.
Chad was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, supervising both of you.
“So…” Tara smiled, her eyes downcast as she fiddled with a cup.
She was being shy.
Your arm rested on the table and you leaned forward in interest, a sly smile on your face.
“I was thinking when we—”
The way she fluttered her eyelashes at you, and smiled so big that her dimples showed, had you thinking about how breathtaking she was.
And how lucky you were to have her attention like this.
You acted impulsively and dived in for a kiss, cutting off whatever she was going to say next.
You could feel her smiling, her lips melded perfectly with yours. You heard Chad yell, “Watch out!”
Just when you thought things were going smoothly, you were startled by Ghostface appearing behind Tara with a knife raised.
You were stuck in slow motion, watching in abject terror as Ghostface stabbed Tara in the back.
Tara nearly keeled over. “Fuck!”
“Guys, go now!” You shoved Tara towards Chad and delivered a punch to the masked killer’s face.
“You‘re getting what’s coming to you, you fucker!”
The murderer stumbled backwards momentarily, but then they stopped and tilted their head in a silent challenge.
Your blood ran cold. You knew what horror scene reenactment was coming up next.
You took off at the same time Ghostface lunged at you.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” You had never been so fucking scared for your life until now. When a murderer skilled in stealth and agility was chasing after you.
You ran in the direction you hoped Tara and Chad took. But maybe it would’ve been wise to lead the killer away from them.
You weren’t brave enough to do that alone.
The killer’s running footsteps completely deceased when you turned a corner into another room where you were met with the scared faces of Tara and Chad.
“Y/n!” Tara went to hug you, but Chad held her back.
“Wait. How do we know they aren’t one of the killers?”
“Are you fucking kidding me!” You threw your hands up in disbelief and clenched your jaw. “I would never agree to hurting, or remotely stabbing any of you!”
Tears were building up in your eyes and Tara observed you with the same glossy look.
“Alright, say I believe you—”
Chad was speaking, but something moving behind him caught your attention.
You didn’t waste any time to warn him, screaming at the top of your lungs. “Chad!”
Tara spun around and upon seeing Ghostface, she made the smart decision to walk backward towards you.
Then, the worst thing imaginable happened. A second Ghostface approached him.
Tara began to cry, panic rose in her voice as she bumped into you. “No, not Chad. No, please.”
You saw someone rush in out of your peripheral vision and jumped apprehensively.
It was Sam. Thank god.
Despite your disagreements, you were glad she was okay.
However, your relief was short lived. You witnessed the two Ghostfaces rip into Chad’s flesh with their knives. They kept gutting him, over and over.
Your mouth dropped at how brutal they were going at him. You could never imagine stabbing your worst enemy like that; it was fucking evil.
Tara was full on sobbing now, and you had to hold her back from doing something reckless.
Chad gurgled on his blood. “Run. Leave me and run.”
You winced at the squelching noise that emitted every time he was stabbed.
“We gotta go.” Sam said sternly.
She grabbed Tara’s hand, who hadn’t stopped begging for them to stop killing Chad, and dragged her the hell out of there. You were right on their tail.
The three of you ended up back in the main room with the creepy shrines.
“Uh, why is it just the three of us?” You surveyed the room nervously. “Where’s Kirby?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I got a phone call from Bailey. Apparently she’s not mentally stable and she’s not officially FBI, either.” Sam answered. She kept a protective arm around her sister.
“What? That’s bullshit.” You exclaimed while frowning. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“Yeah.” Tara’s voice was weak. “It doesn’t.”
You stared at Tara empathetically. “You guys are the core four,” You quoted Chad’s name for the OG Woodsboro group. “You’ll survive.”
Tara turned her head to look your way. Softly adding, “You’ll survive too.”
You weren’t too sure about that.
All of you were caught off guard by a loud clanging sound. You turned around to see Detective Bailey making his entrance into the theater with his gun lowered.
“Everyone alright?” The old man asked. “Where’s Kirby?”
“I-I don’t know.” Sam stammered.
“They knocked me out!” You whirled around in surprise as Kirby stumbled into the room.
Judging by the glaring bruise and laceration on her head, she was telling the truth.
But detective Bailey didn’t share the same sentiment. He was alarmed by her presence and raised his gun. “Stand down, Kirby!”
“What? I’m not the killer!” She shouted.
You really felt bad for Kirby; You knew what it has been like to be falsely accused.
You didn’t want to interrupt, lest you get caught up in the middle of a screaming match between two cops.
You witnessed her eyes gradually widen in fear, and she pointed frantically. “Behind you!”
Shots were fired and they hit Kirby. The wrong person. You were frozen to the spot as she dropped to the floor, your body trembled in fear.
You slowly faced Detective Bailey. Betrayal was written all over his smug face. The beaten up Ghostface mask stood next to him.
“No effing way.” You voiced aloud.
You heard boots clicking against tile and immediately tensed at the sight of the other Ghostface flanking the three of you from the side.
And they stopped right in front of you.
“Shit.” You whimpered. Your palms were becoming cold and clammy from nerves.
The killer shifted their feet and retreated away from you, standing menacingly next to old man Bailey.
“Sam Carpenter. I’ve been waiting for this.”
You didn’t know who this Detective was anymore. You were mad at yourself for not considering him as a suspect, but you’ve been too busy fighting to clear your name.
“You’re family.” Sam stated it as a fact.
You became more confused.
“You killed my son.” The detective’s eyes flared with rage. “I brought the family together to make you pay.”
The Ghostface on the right took off their mask to reveal…
Ethan. Of course, it was fucking Ethan.
You snorted. “I fucking called it. Your pathetic virgin act wasn’t fooling me.”
Except you didn’t predict they were all related to Sam’s ex-boyfriend, who was a vicious psychopath.
He glared at you with murderous intent that basically meant your fate was sealed. “It wasn’t an act.”
You pissed him off.
Good.
Anything to stop them from lashing out on Tara and her sister.
“Aw, really?” You pretended to pity him, sarcasm dripped from your tone. “I wonder why no one will fuck you.”
“You couldn’t handle me, asshole.” He pointed his knife at you. A sardonic laugh escaped from his mouth, “I actually wanted to fillet you. Not Chad.”
That made you shut up.
“But fuck, it felt good to kill him!” He confessed gleefully.
“I hate you.” Tara ground out.
You gripped her shoulder in a sense of protection and comfort.
“So, Mindy?” Sam fixed her eyes on the Ghostface that still had their mask on.
This particular reveal had your blood boiling.
It was none other than the Detective’s daughter, Quinn Bailey.
“I took the blame for your murder and you weren’t even fucking dead?”
You couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out.
Quinn pouted mockingly. “I’m sorry. It was just so easy to pin it on you and we didn’t even have to orchestrate it. Crazy how anyone can’t be alone by themselves anymore without raising red flags.”
“I am so gonna fuck you up!” You threatened.
She gave you a condescending smile. “For an expendable character… you sure are brave.”
“Y/n is our scapegoat.” Her father was starting his monologue. “We needed someone to pin the killings on and what’s more perfect than my daughter’s best friend, who doesn’t even have the full trust of their own friends?”
“A little fake blood goes a long way.” Quinn said.
“All I had to do was be the first on the scene to swap out the body. Lay down a few prosthetics.”
You connected the dots. The air was suckered out of you as you fully realized the extent of their betrayal. “You’re the one who pinned the knife on me.”
There was no warmth in Detective Bailey’s smile. “It was actually Ethan’s idea.”
Ethan mirrored his father’s smile. “Everyone was extra suspicious of you, and neglected to keep an eye on me. It was surprisingly easy to go undetected.”
“I was the one who called you from Gale’s phone.” Quinn confessed. She wasn’t apologetic in the slightest.
“It would’ve worked, too.” Old man Bailey sneered. “We just didn’t account for the younger Carpenter sister having feelings for you.”
Ethan and Quinn began to go separate ways toward the three of you.
Tara was shaking. You squeezed her shoulder tight.
“Lucky me, huh?” You said dryly to the corrupt detective. “I’m capable of love. Which is more than what could be said for you sorry fucks.”
Quinn lurked right of Sam, behind the displays. Ethan stopped behind you.
You could feel the tip of a knife pressing into your back.
You weren’t sure who was shaking more at this point, you or Tara.
Something began to play on the screen behind you. You heard a man’s voice.
“Maybe I overindulged Richie’s love for these movies, but it was how we bonded.” Detective Bailey got a faraway look in his eyes.
“Gore and horror…” He shook his head. “Not my thing.”
“You hide it pretty well.” You pointed out like a smart ass.
You didn’t feel sympathetic for him at all; You only grew more angry. What kind of father discredits the victims of his son’s psychopathic behavior?
And Bailey blaming the Carpenter sisters for killing Richie in self defense because he was going to murder them for a stupid movie, that was twisted.
Dumb motives must run in the family.
You didn’t realize you said that out loud.
Detective Bailey turned his attention from Sam and onto you.
You were fucked. You knew that, but you didn’t see it coming this fast.
Detective Bailey raised his gun and didn’t hesitate to fire off a bullet into your shoulder.
You jerked at the force of the gunshot striking your body and stumbled backward, right where they wanted you.
Ethan’s knife entered into your flesh faster than you could scream.
Tara’s voice rung out, “Y/n!”
But she couldn’t move to reach you. Sam was protecting her and Quinn was in close proximity, taunting them with her knife.
Ethan slung an arm around your chest and pulled you closer to him. The knife wedged itself deeper in your back, and you cried.
“I got you and Chad.” He spoke into your ear as you gasped helplessly. “I win!”
Tara was crying with you. Her mascara running down her face.
There wasn’t much you could do to console her.
You were a wreck. Your face was perspiring and glistening with tears, and you were bleeding out.
You didn’t catch the rest of Bailey’s monologue because you kept zoning out, only hearing bits and pieces. “Until he was killed by you and your bitch of a sister!”
“Fuck you!” Sam yelled at Detective Bailey, and Quinn slashed her on the upper arm.
“Shut up, bitch!”
“Your son was a pencil dick who let his girlfriend do all the work.” Sam spat.
They weren’t listening to her. Detective Bailey glorified his son too much to believe the truth Sam was spewing.
“Tara, you ready?” Sam was now facing you. She must’ve been turned around when you weren’t paying attention.
Her eyes revealed that she had a plan up her sleeve. She was hiding something behind her back.
Tara whined in fear; she didn’t answer.
“I need you to be ready.” Sam emphasized calmly.
A beat of silence, then Tara’s voice came back firm. “I’m ready.”
“Y/n?” Sam was asking you the same question.
You couldn’t bring yourself to speak, so you just nodded.
Sam yelled out and hurled an object at Quinn. That was a signal.
You seized the opportunity to elbow Ethan in the ribs with all the strength you still had left, then you reared your head back.
A loud cracking sound, and Ethan loosened his grip on you. You had shattered his nose.
With great regret, you reached behind you and pulled the knife out of your back. A pained groan slipped past your lips as you did so.
You just broke his nose and that bastard dared to smile at you.
You raised the knife over your head and charged at him while screaming.
All of the sudden, Quinn jumped out from nowhere and threw herself on you, efficiently throwing you off balance.
Both of you went tumbling into a display; the broken glass rained all around you.
"Fuck." You seethed, standing upright from where you had fallen. Your head was throbbing.
You were definitely bleeding through your bandage.
Quinn recovered as quickly as you did; She was standing across from you with her hair in a tangled mess and knife at her side.
"You were my best friend!" You hollered, gripping your knife tightly.
"Oh, get over it already!" She shouted back, then she rushed at you.
You crouched right when she reached you, grabbed her legs, and lifted her over your shoulder.
She thrashed around like a rabid animal, her feet kicking at nothing.
But the victory wasn't all yours.
Quinn managed to stab your shoulder blade before you body-slammed her onto the floor.
Her cries of agony were music to your ears.
You stood over her, breathing heavily. You contemplated how to make your revenge taste sweeter.
"Come on, Tara!"
Your attention was diverted to the Carpenter sisters trying to climb their way up a ladder.
Your worse nightmare was turning into reality.
You watched in paralyzing fear as the ladder gave out, and Tara didn't fall only because Sam caught her by the hand.
Your girlfriend dangled helplessly from the rafters, and a murderer was circling at her feet like a shark. Ethan was counting on her to fall so he could end her life.
No way in hell you were going to stand and let that happen.
"I'll be able to finally stick something in you, Tara!" Ethan called out.
You thought he was a depraved freak, but that was a creepy ass comment, even for him.
You took off running. All while keeping an eye on Tara and making sure you weren’t going to be too late to save her.
You dove and tackled Ethan away from Tara, moments before she could land in harm's way of his sharp blade.
"She's my girlfriend, asshole!" You delivered a punch to his face.
And man, it did feel good.
This part didn't.
A sick squelching sound came from your body as Ethan stabbed you in the stomach.
Twice.
Three times.
A fourth time.
And again. Over and over.
You stared into Ethan's soulless eyes, your mouth agape.
Blood was building up from your throat and into your mouth. Warmth was slowly abandoning your body, and you were frozen, wondering when it would stop. If he was going to stop.
His maniacal laughter echoed in your ears.
Now you realized exactly how Chad had felt.
You squeezed your eyes shut, waiting for the fate of death to finally strike you. This is it. This was the end of the line for you.
At least Tara was safe. That's all you wanted.
But she would be losing you.
"Tara..." You gasped.
Ethan sharply twisted the knife in your stomach when you mentioned her name. You winced, letting out one last mournful cry.
You grasped at his arm, but the blood loss made you exponentially weak and incapable of causing significant damage to your assailant.
Your eyes flew open at the tearing of flesh, and you half expected to see your intestines on the floor.
Instead, Ethan was choking on a knife. Literally. He was stabbed through the roof of his mouth.
You lifted your head to see who saved you. Tara loomed over Ethan, with blood splatters all over her face, looking rightfully pissed off.
And hot.
Your eyes widened in awe at the beautiful woman before you. Something churned in your gut, and it wasn't because of your stab wounds.
You pushed your carnal fascination aside to analyze later. If you survived, that is.
Ethan gurgled, and your attention left Tara for a second so you could relish in his pained expression. It was his turn to plead like a little bitch.
You heard laughter, and it wasn't coming from Ethan. Tara's grin was indecipherable as she chuckled lowly and sheathed the knife further into his jaw.
A tiny voice of concern was in the back of your mind. Maybe, just maybe, she was enjoying this too much.
But you couldn't lie. It affected you: her heavy-lidded eyes, the snarl on her lips, and how she chose the most violent approach to save you.
There was a certain aura of possessiveness masquerading as rage behind her actions.
She let Ethan suffer for a little longer before ripping the knife out of his mouth.
Some of his blood landed on your face, and finally, he crumpled weakly to the floor. Somehow, you kept yourself from falling with him, but he had let go of the knife in your stomach shortly after he was stabbed by Tara.
You let your eyes trail up Tara's body until you reached her face, and your eyes met.
You swallowed nervously.
She gazed at you intensely with a dark look; The knife glistened with blood as it was raised.
Was there something about her past that you didn't know? Something that could snap and make her capable of killing you?
You didn't like having these thoughts about her. This was the girl you loved. And she was a victim, not the mastermind.
However, if her trauma went untreated...
Exhaling, Tara tossed the knife aside, and it clattered on the floor. She outstretched her hand, the softness you recognized returning to her eyes as she regarded you with concern. "Can you stand?"
You pressed your hand tenderly against your stomach to calm the bleeding from your wounds while avoiding the knife Ethan left in you. One slight movement had numerous shocks of pain shooting up your spine.
Biting your lip, your eyes filled with tears as you stared up at her and shook your head.
Realization crossed her features, her expression growing pitiful.
A gunshot ran out from the rafters. Sam's voice was barely audible. Since you didn't have a confrontation with Detective Bailey, you assumed he was the last one standing and that Sam was the one confronting him.
"Come on."
Before you could protest, Tara stepped around Ethan's body, slung your arm over her shoulder, and wrapped her arm around your waist.
"Wait-" You drew in a sharp breath as you were forced upright; your wounds were stretched, making them ache and burn. "Shit."
Tara grunted. She tried her best to carry you while you were propped up against her, but she was having trouble walking.
"You're limping." You stated. You felt guilty for weighing her down like this. "Tara..."
"Don't." She snapped; her breathing was shortened. "If you think I'm dropping you. Think again because I'm not."
You opened your mouth to argue, but Sam screaming made both of you look up.
Your eyes widened in horror at Sam's falling body. She wasn't the only one thrown over the rafters; Detective Bailey was too.
You and Tara flinched as Sam and the detective landed in a memorial of the Ghostface killings and destroyed it.
Glass spilled out onto the floor.
You looked over at Tara. She was flabbergasted and open-mouthed, staring at her sister's unconscious body resting on broken shards of glass and other materials.
She didn't move, but you knew she needed to check on her sister. In the end, the only family they had was each other.
Tara might've had a friend group and you, but Sam didn't let anyone in because of her fucked up father's history and her psycho ex-boyfriend. That's why she was so protective of her younger sister.
Tara was all she had.
It took some time, but after Tara had convinced you that it would be easier for her to help Sam after she knew you were safe, she carried you into one of the backrooms.
Not the room where Chad... neither of you could stomach that.
She helped maneuver you into a sitting position on the floor. You sighed in relief when your back rested on a wall.
She placed her hand on the wall and crouched to your eye level. "I'm going to see if Sam is okay. It shouldn't take long, alright? I've called an ambulance, so they should get here soon. You're going to be fine."
You smiled weakly. She was being sweet and more careful than usual because you were bleeding out and dying, but regardless, she made you forget how much pain you were in.
She gave you a small smile in return and turned to leave.
You reached out and grasped her arm before she could go.
She stopped, looking at you curiously.
"I..." You could barely complete your sentence. "Love you."
She smiled wide this time, and her tired eyes seemed to shine from happiness. "Tell me later."
Then, Tara briskly walked out to save her sister. You were left alone, wondering if she would return to you safely.
“Y/n!”
The paramedics wheeled you on a stretcher out of the creepy Ghostface memorial slash abandoned theatre. It was now a huge murder scene.
You had an oxygen mask over your nose and mouth that helped you breathe.
You were so high on morphine and painkillers, and it was fucking great because you deserved that euphoric feeling after the events you just went through.
Tara jogged up to the stretcher. The paramedics stopped so she could chat with you.
“Hey.” You said tiredly, unable to change your facial expression because you were doped up. It felt awkward to smile.
But you were extremely happy to be alive with Tara.
“Hey stranger,” She was in a good enough mood for jokes, doing the smile that revealed her dimples. “Remember, when you told me you loved me?”
“Hmm?” You answered noncommittally.
“I knew it. You are so high.” Tara laughed.
She understood because she had been through Ghostface attacks before.
And she survived again.
This time, she had you.
“I am so high.” You agreed, smiling slightly behind the oxygen mask.
Tara tentatively lifted the mask off, and you look over at her, puzzled.
You were surprised when she tugged you in for a kiss. It was slow and tender with the perfect amount of desperation.
“We got another one here!”
You broke apart from the kiss at the same time Tara did. Both of you turned your heads and saw Chad being wheeled out the same way you were.
You were matching with him. He looked in pretty bad shape, the same as you.
He was parked beside you, and Tara immediately addressed the elephant in the room, ”How are you alive??”
You had the same reaction.
”Core four!” Chad’s yell was muffled. He pumped his fist in the air like an idiot.
Tara glanced at you with a mischievous look in her eyes. “Core five! For y/n.”
“That doesn’t rhyme, though.” Chad complained halfheartedly.
Sam walked up to the three of you with a smile.
She placed her hands on Tara’s shoulders and spoke directly to you. “Thank you for taking care of my sister and fighting alongside us. It was very brave.”
“Apology accepted for accusing me.” You smiled to show that you were joking.
“If we’re accepting apologies…” Your attention was focused on Mindy shyly walking towards you as if you were going to hurl something at her.
“After being stabbed 10 times, I’m over that. Trust me.” You said truthfully, then added in a more lighthearted tone, “But you’re forgiven.”
Mindy was visibly relieved, then she immediately changed topics. “I can’t believe I missed the monologue again!”
You nodded in agreement.
You would’ve loved to see Detective Bailey quivering in fear as he had his ass handed to him, but you knew Tara would tell you all the details later.
Poor Mindy, though. She missed the entire final act.
The oxygen mask was placed back on your face with care. Tara turned back to look at Sam. “Can we ride with y/n to the hospital?”
She was asking for permission.
Sam was caught off guard and torn between Tara’s hopeful tone. She thought about it for a moment, and conceded.
“If they’ll let us.” She said with a smile.
#scream 6#tara carpenter#tara carpenter x reader#scream vi#tara carpenter imagine#jenna ortega scream#chad meeks martin#mindy meeks martin#sam carpenter#ethan landry#anika kayoko
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I Can't Believe It's Not Fanon
Otherwise known as...
Witcher facts that sound like Geraskier fic writers made them up, but that are, in fact, book canon.
I have gotten two asks now about Jaskier and Ciri’s relationship. So let's goooo. For this installment of Canon or Fanon, I am answering the question:
Jaskier and Ciri's Friendship, Canon or Fanon?
In Geraskier fanfics, Jaskier is (obviously) Geralt’s romantic partner. So, whenever the fic also includes Ciri, Jaskier and Ciri often have a sweet found family vibe of their own. They almost always get along famously!
But in TWN S2 when they finally meet, Ciri isn’t interested in speaking to him, and brushes him off. (Not saying they can’t or won't become friends in TWN, but we haven’t seen it yet)
So, I’ve been asked whether their good relationship is pure fanon? Or is it book canon as well?
Well.
In the books, Jaskier and Ciri have a very sweet relationship. He seems to 'get' her and they get up to a bit of mischief together.
Ciri also teases him, suggesting a comfortable, affectionate relationship.
Most impressively, Yen and Geralt ask him to babysit Ciri when they have other things to do, which demonstrates that they place the highest trust humanly possibly in him.
Dandelion is inarguably part of Ciri’s found family and a big part of his motivation in the final three books are his feelings of responsibility for her.
In fact, Dandelion’s concern for Ciri and his feelings of responsibility for her actually lead to one of the most emotional, touching scenes between Geralt and Dandelion. It is a rare scene where Dandelion is incredibly vulnerable, and when I read it I want to chew glass.
I feel like because it is a bit more subtle, not everyone pics up on it. But as usual, you don't have to take my word for it. I have pulled book quotes to support each of these claims. So, read on!
(Obviously, there are book spoilers. I try to vague up everything plot related and leave out major spoilers, but there are still mild and moderate spoilers. In fact, I think this may be my most spoilery one by necessity. But I try really really hard but I cannot guarantee anything.)
When Dandelion and Ciri meet, he instantly ‘gets’ her.
The first time Dandelion and Ciri meet, it is in Time of Contempt. Geralt and Dandelion are staying at a friend’s house together, and Ciri is supposed to be on her way to Aretuza with Yen. However, Ciri and Yennefer show up there instead.
Geralt and Yen are broken up, so the reunion scene feels very much like divorced exes co-parenting. It is awkward. Ciri is standing physically between Geralt and Yen, feeling pressure about which one to walk towards. Dandelion watches the scene carefully.
“Who will the girl choose?” wondered Dandelion.
So, he sees right away that Ciri is in a very delicate position, and no matter what she does, it will show favoritism to one of her parents. Ciri comes up with an inventive, if theatrical solution.
Ciri did not walk to either of them. She was unable to decide. Instead of moving, she fainted.
Time of Contempt p101
So, Dandelion understands that she is in a difficult position. He also recognizes a performance when he sees one.
The next day, Geralt and Yen are outside in an orchard having a conversation. Ciri wakes up and goes outside to eavesdrop on them. She is caught in the act.
Ciri had imagined that Dandelion, the famous poet whose work she had read countless times, was asleep. She was wrong. The poet Dandelion wasn’t asleep. And he caught her in the act.
Lol. Imagine you have spent hours and hours over the course of your short life reading this famous man’s poetry, and he catches you being nosy.
“Hey,” he said, coming up unexpectedly and chuckling. “Is it polite to eavesdrop and spy on people? More discretion, little one. Let them be together for a while.”
Ciri blushed, but then immediately narrowed her lips.
Dandelion chuckles, because, well, we know that Dandelion LOVES eavesdropping and spying on people. Where else would he get all his gossip? So it is an affectionate, gentle statement. Then, Dandelion lets her know that he recognized that the faint was fake, even though Geralt didn’t realize it.
That was very cunning what you did yesterday, but you didn’t fool me. You pretended to faint, didn’t you?”
Yes I did,” she muttered, turning her face away.
And then, since as I said, spying is actually very much Dandelion’s thing, he joins her. They sit under an apple tree and eavesdrop on Geralt and Yen together. Ciri describes Yen and Geralt’s body language to Dandelion, then, in his expert capacity as a poet, he ‘translates’ it for her.
It is such an adorable scene. It also very much fits the popular “Dandelion and Ciri do mischief together” fanon.
I’m going to screenshot the whole thing because it is too long to type out, but here it is in case anyone wants to read it here. And if you can’t read it on here, it takes place on pages 101-103 in Time of Contempt. I found it in pdf form online and I’ll put the link in the replies.
So, after this sweet beginning, they develop a relationship that is comfortable and affectionate. And perhaps most significantly, Geralt and Yen leave Ciri in his care. There is truly no higher trust, and it very much indicates that he is part of the family.
First, Geralt, Yennefer, Dandelion, and Ciri tride together to Aretuza/Thanned. The journey is not ‘on the page’ but we know they make that trip together as a group of four. Those kinds of missing scenes are ripe for fics. We want to see them spending time together being just relaxed. But we don’t see it here.
But we do read that before they get to Thanned, they stop in Loxia where:
Geralt whiled away the day talking to Ciri. Dandelion ran around collecting and spreading gossip, and the enchantress measured and chose clothes.
p108
Then the evening comes and Geralt and Yen go to a banquet on Thanned, leaving Ciri with Dandelion.
Dandelion Babysits Ciri
The babysitting scenes don’t show them interacting, but it is still lovely. It ‘fast forwards’ to night time, and Ciri is having her usual dreams. As she wakes up and drifts back to sleep, the sounds of Dandelion singing, comforts her back to sleep.
The first time, the sounds are more celebratory:
“Now, vainly trying to recall the dream, she could only hear the soft sounds of lute and flute, the jingling of tambourine, singing, and laughter. Dandelion and the group of minstrels he had chanced upon continued to have the time of their lives in the chamber at the end of the corridor.
Time of Contempt p153
The second time is more soothing:
“Dandelion’s soft mournful singing and the music he raised from the lute’s strings murmuring like a stream flowing over pebbles, drifted to her from the chamber at the end of the corridor...Ciri listened carefully to the words.
p154
Then, there are noises in her room. Something is afoot. Ciri tries to reach for her sword. But Yen has given it to Dandelion for safekeeping.
She didn’t have a sword any more; Yennefer had taken it from her, giving it to Dandelion for safekeeping. The poet must have gone to sleep, and it was silent in Loxia. Ciri was already wondering whether to go and wake him...
Time of Contempt p 159
Unlike in TWN so far, Yen already sees herself as Ciri’s mother. She is intensely protective, on high alert, and VERY VERY determined to keep Ciri safe. So, she has taken Ciri’s sword, and given it to Dandelion for safekeeping. This is more indication of her trust in Dandelion which is high praise. There is nothing more important to her than Ciri, nothing.
The noise in Ciri’s room turns out to actually be Yen, taking her from her room via magical portal. But shit has hit the fan back at Aretuza and she understandably does not stop to wake Dandelion and tell him that she is taking Ciri, or why.
So, since Dandelion is staying down the hall, he doesn’t hear anything. It is only when he awakens some time later that he finds Ciri gone. He doesn’t know who took her and he doesn’t know why. So, he sprints to Aretuza to tell Geralt.
Dandelion arrived on the steps out of breath, saw what was happening and went white as a ghost.
“Geralt!” he yelled a moment later. “Ciri’s disappeared! She isn’t here!”
“I expected as much,” answered the witcher...”but you really make a body wait, Dandelion. I told you yesterday to leg it to Aretuza if anything happened!...”
Time of Contempt p172
So, it is important to explain here that Geralt doesn’t trust Yen with Ciri yet. Yen is completely trustworthy because she loves Ciri, but he doesn’t ‘get’ that yet. That whole chapter we are in his head, so we know that he is asking himself whether Yen is lying to him, he is saying to himself that Yen is hiding something, and he is questioning whether Yen is loyal to Ciri.
So Geralt is anguished now. He assumes it was Yen who took her, but he doesn’t know whether it was to protect her or to throw her to the wolves. And saying to Dandelion ‘what took you so long’ plays into the next part of Dandelion’s motivations in the story.
So fast forward to a few weeks later. During the whole thing on Thanned, Geralt and Dandelion are separated. Geralt is injured. And then he is taken to Brokilon for healing. Dandelion then makes the terrifying journey into Brokilon to check on his friend. And of course, Geralt is in complete anguish. He is injured. He doesn’t know where Yen is, where Ciri is, and whether Yen is helping Ciri or harming her.
In these scenes in Brokilon is where we fully see the extent of Dandelion’s guilt about Ciri.
He feels so guilty about that he dreams/hallucinates a dryad telling him Geralt’s misfortune is all his fault.
“...It’s obvious you had a hand in it. It’s obvious you are his friend. And if someone has friends, and he loses everything in spite of that, it’s obvious the friends are to blame for what they did, or for what they didn’t do.”
“What could I have done?” he whispered. “What could I have done?”
“I don’t know,” answered the dryad.
“I didn’t tell him everything...”
“I know.”
“I’m not guilty of anything.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No! I’m not--”
So, since this is a dream, the dryad is the part of Dandelion who blames himself. And he believes he is at fault because friends don’t let friends lose everyone they love.
This is the inherent tragedy of fantasy stories where non-powered humans are friends with super powered mutants and mages. They worship the ground their super powered friends walk on. They want everything to turn out ok. But they can’t actually do anything to save them. They can only love them. Geralt actually desperately needs that more than anything else, and it is why he values Dandelion, but Dandelion can’t see the value in what he offers him. He just feels useless.
So while he is yelling in his dream, he is actually yelling this out loud and he wakes himself up.
He jumped to his feet, making the branches of his makeshift bed creak. Geralt sat beside him, rubbing his face. He smelled of soap.
“Aren’t you?” he asked coolly. “I wonder what else you dreamed about. That you’re a frog? Calm down. You aren’t. Did you dream that you’re a chump? Well that dream might be prophetic.”
Time of Contempt p238
That is the witcher saga. Combining humor (Geralt’s sarcasm here) and friendship (teasing someone like this is a sign of comfort and affection with them) with extreme pain (Geralt’s grief and Dandelion’s guilt and shame).
It is really heartbreaking! Because how could Dandelion have known, and what could he have done if he did know? He isn’t Ciri’s babysitter because he has any magical powers or combat abilities. He is Ciri’s babysitter because Geralt knows that he loves Ciri and would never turn her over to any of these people pursuing her. He is Ciri’s babysitter because he is Geralt’s one port in the storm. He is the one person Geralt knows that he can trust outside of Kaer Morhen, to not give a fuck about political power or using Ciri as a pawn. (Geralt can trust Yen too, but he doesn’t know that yet. And he eventually trusts other people, but we are talking at this point in the story).
And actually to give credit where credit is due, TWN did include this dynamic by having Geralt ask Jaskier to escort Ciri to Kaer Morhenin S2. That was the most significant show of Geralt’s trust in Jaskier that TWN has shown, and it is very true to the characters and Jaskier’s role in the story.
But anyway, back to Brokilon. In Dandelion’s dream when he says he didn’t tell Geralt everything, that is in reference to some distressing gossip about Ciri’s whereabouts. Geralt has asked for all the gossip about the war. And as much as he grouses about Dandelion’s loose lips, he often depends on his gossip. However, Dandelion has hesitated in telling him that gossip about Ciri. He is trying to protect Geralt from bad news, and I think he feels so guilty that it’s hard for him to say out loud the kind of danger Ciri might be in.
But he decides to tell Geralt, and he decides to accompany him wherever he may go to look for Ciri. Geralt finds this out when he goes to say goodbye. What Dandelion says to him, and how Geralt reponds just squeezes my heart to bits.
“Farewell, Dandelion.”
“Geralt...Listen to me--”
“Listen to what?” shouted the witcher before his voice suddenly faltered. “I can’t just leave---I can’t just leave her to her fate. She’s completely alone....she cannot be alone, Dandelion.You’ll never understand that. No one will ever understand that, but I know. If she remains alone, the same thing will happen to her as once happened to me...You’ll never understand that...”
Oh god that rips my heart out. Geralt’s voice is faltering. His love for Ciri. The way he identifies with her. The way he wants to save her from the pain he has gone through in life. How passionately and emotionally he speaks about her. Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. That is it for me. That’s the good shit.
But Dandelion tells him that he does understand, and that Geralt isn’t going to do this alone. He replies:
“I do understand. Which is why I’m coming with you.”
Dandelion doesn’t understand what Geralt or Ciri are going through. But he does understand how important Ciri is and that she cannot be alone. Geralt questions the wisdom of this decision.
“You’re insane, do you know where I’m headed?”
And Dandelion’s answer might be the most vulnerable and emotional we see him at any point in the books. (one of them at least) Dandelion always uses humor to deflect. He always uses his arrogance to defend himself against vulnerability. It is so rare that he stammers. It is so rare that he reveals his doubts and weaknesses. But that is exactly what he does here.
“Yes I do. Geralt, I--I haven’t told you everything. I’m...I feel guilty; I didn’t do anything. I didn’t know what to do. But now I do. I want to be by your side.”
Dear god, that gets me. When you get the character who is always funny and conceited and charming just breaking down like that, it gets me. To have the character who is allergic to responsibility and commitment making one here. Holding himself responsible for another person. And to have him just outright say “I want to be by your side.” Gahh;aksd THE FEELINGS IN THIS SCENE. The Gerlion of it. The found family of it.
And all of this is because Dandelion feels responsible for Ciri. He feels guilty that he couldn’t protect her. He understands her importance to Geralt’s mushy heart.
And here is how Geralt responds.
The witcher stood thinking for a long time, his arms hanging limply at his sides.
“Get on your horse,” he finally said, voice sounding different. “You can tell me on the way.”
Time of Contempt p237-241
So, Geralt doesn’t actually argue at all. He just accepts Dandelion’s help. It speaks to how vulnerable and grief stricken he is at this moment. He is so touched. He is so grateful to not be doing this all by himself. (And that is a theme as we go along in the next book. He knows that helping him is dangerous. He doesn’t want anyone he loves to get hurt. Also, he doesn’t think he deserves help. But when people insist on helping him, it means the world to him.)
Now, since the topic at hand is Jaskier and Ciri’s relationship, to connect that dot, I am going to fast forward to the scene in the final book where Dandelion and Ciri are reunited. So far we have seen that Dandelion feels responsible for her, that he understands how important she is, and that he joins Geralt on his quest to help her.
When Dandelion and Ciri are reunited, we see their affection for each other, and we get a bit more of their time just spent together. We see her tease him about his name, and about his approach to dating. I love that and I’d like it injected directly into my veins pls.
But first, we see that Dandelion loves her. When he and Geralt had split up earlier, Dandelion made Geralt promise to bring Ciri back to Touissant to see him.
“And I want to hug Ciri. Do you promise, Geralt?”
“I promise.”
Lady of the Lake
P145
Ugh love that.
So in the reunion scene, Geralt is dutifully returning Ciri to Dandelion for that hug. However, when they get there to Toussaint where Dandelion is staying (he is with the Duchess so he is living there), they come upon a scene where Dandelion is seemingly about to be hanged on the gallows. It is a hilarious scene in one sense, because Dandelion is being hilarious and making a scene, and of course he would be charged with harlotry.
In another sense, it is a sad scene because Geralt doesn’t know this is just something they do, (whenever Dandelion cheats on the Duchess, she sends him to the gallows, then pardons him). Geralt has suffered so much loss and his grief and his exhaustion and pain is palpable. Ciri is also really upset and begs him to do something to help Dandelion. He doesn’t know what to do.
Then Dandelion is spared and Geralt shouts at him to jump onto Roach. So, like many times before, Dandelion jumps onto Roach behind him, and Geralt carries him away to safety. Once they are away from the scene, Ciri greets Dandelion with tears in her eyes.
Ciri reigned back Kelpie and waited for them. When they caught up she looked at Dandelion, and wiped away a tear.
“Oh you...”she said. “You Pancratts.”
The joke with the misspelled last name is that Ciri has just found out his real name when the executioner called it out.
“...it is known, that Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount de Lettenhove, alias Dandelion--”
“Pancratts what?” Ciri whispered a question.
p470
So just like the witcher saga, there is heartbreak and hilarity all in the same scene. And having Ciri find out Dandelion’s true name in such a funny way makes her just like her father. It is a running joke.
Then we see Ciri and Geralt joining forces to pick on Dandelion.
As they leave the gallows behind, Dandelion is rambling on about how his lover will surely forgive him his indiscretion, seeing as monogamy is totally unnatural, and the Duchess is so sweet and understanding that she will see this.
Geralt and Ciri are just listening to him shaking their heads.
“You’re hopelessly stupid,” stated Geralt, and Ciri confirmed she thought the same with an energetic nod of her head.”
Lady of the Lake p 476
That is so cute to me. Geralt and Ciri picking on Dandelion together.
Then the three of them (Geralt, Ciri, and Dandelion) ride together as a little squad to Rivia. They ride together for about a month, but it isn’t ‘on the page’. You just know that they do because the book tells you how much time has passed.
Their rides together (the four of them earlier and the three of them now) are the kinds of ‘missing scenes’ you get in fics, which are more concerned with relationships and characters than plot. But in the books, you don’t really get that post Kaer Morhen. Everyone is just on the run on the time. Hell, that’s even true for the co-parents. You can count the number of passages where Geralt, Yen, and Ciri are together in the same scene on one hand. Ciri spends much of the latter books on the run by herself, so unfortunately, we don’t get much of it.
And that is even more true of Dandelion and Ciri, given that Dandelion is a secondary character. However, what we do get is very touching and sweet.
Dandelion is inarguably part of Ciri’s found family. He loves her and feels responsible for her. And their dynamic is very playful and mischievous. They pick on each other and care about each other.
That is the best thing about the witcher saga. The found family. The ragtag group of assembled outcasts loving each other come what may. And though their relationship doesn’t have much ‘on the page’ time, it is extremely sweet.
#the witcher#the witcher books#geraskier#geralt of rivia#Jaskier#dandelion#cirilla of cintra#cirilla fiona elen riannon#i can’t believe it’s not fanon#canon or fanon#thinking about dandelion yet again#thinking about ciri yet again#thinking about the witcher books yet again
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omg i love ur work so much-
i wanted to ask if u can write fluff scenarios with ryusei sato
since there arent many fics for this pretty boy
its completely fine if u dont want to!
HAI NONNIE... u had me thinking of final timeline, future!ryusei.. like ryusei who works at chifuyu's pet shop cus WHY NOT. ngl is it really my writing if its not a LIL sad at some point? anyways here it is!
warnings: gn! reader, spoilers for the spinoff duh!, mentions of violence, height diff (reader is shorter), very very slight angst, not proofread ehe. thats about it! 0.7k wc
“ryusei…”
“hey.. earth to ryusei!” with the snap of your fingers, ryusei sato comes back to reality. one hand is placed on your hip, the other holding a dustpan. you’re in your pekejland uniform, head tilted to the side as you stare up at your boyfriend. his mostly white hair falls in front of his face, as he continues to blink at you, long lashes fluttering.
“uh.. sorry,” he says, scratching his head, “what were you saying?”
you sigh, “i asked if we were still getting dinner with baji, chifuyu, and kazutora after our shift.”
ah, that’s right. before he went off into another odd daydream about losing their friendship, all of them beaten and bloody, at the height of fighting yotsuya kaiden, the two of you were talking about dinner plans.
he shakes his head, physically trying to free himself from such thoughts, before he nods, locking up the cash register in the process, “yup! we can’t miss it!” he beams.
“you always act like you haven’t seen them in years.” you giggle, before you too finish cleaning up, setting the dustpan back into the supply closet. walking over you turn your back to him, “help me get out of this thing?”
he rolls his eyes, “you just use this as an excuse for me to touch you, right?” he says, giving a soft laugh. but he always does it anyway, untying your apron and lifting it off of you. “also, no i don’t.”
“you do,” you sing, before you’re beckoning him to turn around so you can take his off. “sometimes i think you like them more than me. bend down for me?” and he does, a smile gracing his face as you pull the fabric up and off him. you turn to leave and put them away, but he catches you before you do.
pulling you back against him, he buries his face into your hair. “what are you doing?” you ask and he mumbles, “just let me hold you for a little bit.” trapped in his embrace, you still. you reckon it has something to do with what he was thinking about earlier. it’s been happening more lately, the way he spaces off with a darkened face. you’re not sure what to do besides ground him back into reality, although, you do wish he’d tell you.
“if i did something stupid, like really stupid, would you stick with me?” he asks, the deep timbre of his is nice on your ears, especially when he’s this close.
“like eating cat food?” you tease, your hand rubbing comforting circles on his arm.
he groans, “that was baji! not me!”
you giggle, “mhm, mhm, sure.. to answer your question though, of course i would.”
he spins you around and before you can make a noise, he presses his lips into yours. you kiss him back, humming as he cards his fingers through your hair. you wrap your arms up around his neck, pressing into him. the two of you are so wrapped up in one another you don’t hear the chime of the door bell.
“you’re gonna suck face in my shop?!” chifuyu yells, scaring the two of you. you squeak as you pull away, turning to stare at your boss.
“no wonder neither of them are picking up the phone.” baji snickers while kazutora pops in from behind them.
“can’t believe neither of them asked any of us to join either,” he laughs as chifuyu shoots him a disgusted look.
“i’d rather die than kiss ryusei.” chifuyu comments and baji quirks a brow.
“you’d kiss y/n?” the other two ask in unison.
“as if i’d let you!” ryusei snaps, pulling you tighter into him.
“oh shut up, i don’t want them either.” chifuyu quips, but if you squint there’s a red tint on his face.
you decide it’s best to get things back on track, before ryusei gets on chifuyu again. “sorry guys, did you already get dinner?”
baji shakes his head before he smiles, holding up a convenience store bag. “nope! we got it right here.” he rustles it and you can see the boxes of peyoung yakisoba inside.
“ooh! yummy!” you clap, before tugging ryusei’s arm to stop the stare off he’s having with chifuyu, both of them practically snarling.
as the night continues to wind down, the pet shop is filled with the sound of laughter, especially as ryusei and chifuyu continue to bicker. but deep down, ryusei is happy. happier than ever, that he gets to live each day with his friends that light up his heart like a candle in the dark. man, what dumb daydreams to have.
#tokyo revengers#tokyo revengers fluff#letters from baji keisuke#ryusei sato#ryusei sato x reader#ryusei sato x y/n#pibby writing
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With the premiere of the first episode of The Ones Who Live fast approaching, I want to sneak in my final theory!:
In the picture posted above we see Rick wearing what appears to be a ball chain necklace. This is the first time we have seen Rick wear a necklace of any kind, so it must be really important for him to be wearing it, even when he’s relaxing in his bed (possibly waking up from sleep) in his little apartment at the CR.
The only two things I believe it can be are either 1) it’s a dog tag for the CRM, or 2) and the most likely option, it’s a necklace that’s holding something important to Rick. My guess is that it’s option 2 - it’s a ball chain necklace with something on it, and that something is the wedding ring to his relationship with Michonne (and possibly the same exact ring Michonne has been wearing ever since he got captured).
The only accessories Rick has worn has been his watch (which I guess can be important in the apocalypse to know roughly when the sun is going to set so it doesn’t matter that there was no explanation for that, or there was and I forgot), and his wedding ring to Lori (which he took off before he got into a relationship with Michonne). So again, for Andy (and Gimple and Danai) to have Rick wear a necklace in TOWL has to be very significant for the character, and that is exactly why I believe he has his wedding ring to Michonne on it.
The biggest reason I believe this is -
[Spoilers Ahead]
Rick gets his left hand cut off (most likely in his first few months of being at the CR). The left hand is of course the hand you wear your wedding ring on (after the first trailer dropped, it’s finally been made official that Rick and Michonne are indeed husband and wife, so it is only fitting that rings accompany the relationship don’t you think?), and since he can’t wear his wedding ring on his hand, putting it on a necklace makes perfect sense.
From leaked set pics we know Michonne eventually infiltrates and finds Rick at the CR and possibly stays in his apartment while they try to figure out how to escape. In the trailers we see Michonne wearing her necklace with the ring on it (that I now believe is the wedding ring to Rick and not Rick’s wedding ring to Lori, which I previously believed) with her armor before she gets into the CR, but in scenes where she’s ditched her armor and is in regular clothing we don’t see her wearing her necklace anymore, so there’s a chance she could have given the ring back to Rick and he wears it on the necklace since he can’t put it on his nonexistent hand. Michonne has worn his wedding ring around her neck for years, it would only be fitting (and poetic in a media sense) if Rick did the same after they reunited. I also have a feeling Michonne is with Rick in the top picture. It would explain why he looks so happy :’).
Of course it could be a dog tag, but I highly doubt it is because we haven’t see any CRM soldier wear one. Also, the last place Rick wants to be is at the CR and fighting in their wars and conflicts. Don’t you think he wouldn’t want to wear that thing all day if he didn’t have to and would want to take it off as soon as he gets in his apartment where he can finally be alone and have the freedom to take off all the things that remind him of his kidnappers and the reason why he can’t be with his family? He hates that place, why tf would he even want to wear their dog tag to bed? Highly unlikely if you know anything about Rick’s character.
#richonne#twd#the walking dead#the ones who live#towl#the walking dead: the ones who live#seriously though it makes the most sense#specifically if you know about spoilers
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(Heavy-duty Spoilers for Hadestown ahead.)
The original Hades/Persephone myth wasn’t a sweet love story between the light and dark. It was a case of kidnapping and forced marriage and a grieving mother not knowing what happened to her baby. And the result is how it affects humans: the cycle of life and death and the seasons.
Because of the contrast between the type of environment Persephone is from and the one Hades is from, they make a pretty picture to look at. So the modern retellings have the relationship between Persephone and Hades be more mutual, usually like they eloped or something.
I’ll admit, it has some appeal to me too; I enjoy the game Hades, and I’ve enjoyed some digital art of the true-love premise.
That said, my favorite modern version that I’ve seen so far is Hadestown. The idea behind that is that they fell in love, but due to their personalities, they don’t always work well together. Persephone needs periods of separation from Hades. And for a while it works, but as time goes on and they get older, Hades’ insecurities start getting the better of him and he gets more demanding of her time. And she still does love him so she stays with him … but it’s not good for her emotionally. The environment is stifling and depressing to her. She starts numbing herself with liquor and drugs to pass the time, and then goes on extreme binges when she’s away from home. And Hades continues to worry about her no longer loving him, not realizing that his efforts to keep her close just widens the rift between them. He makes changes to his realm to bring some of the overworld conditions to the underworld, but he can only do it through the filter of his own understanding, and it makes the environment … weird. “Unnatural” as she puts it.
There are themes in Hadestown about trust vs doubt, optimism vs pessimism, hope vs cynicism. Orpheus and Eurydice are a fresh couple falling in love with optimistic hopes ahead of them (Eurydice is already somewhat cynical, but she wants to believe things can be better). Hades and Persephone used to be like that when they were young (in this story), but time and life and experience has turned them cynical. They’d even forgotten how they originally felt about each other. “The honeymoon is over,” as some say.
In the end, they’re reminded vividly of how they used to be and are willing to at least try again. They make no promises, no guarantees (because life has none), but they’re willing to make the effort. Specifically, the dialogue between them goes like this:
PERSEPHONE: “Think they’ll make it?”
HADES: “I don’t know.”
PERSEPHONE: “Hades, you let them go.”
HADES: “… I let them try.”
PERSEPHONE: “And how about you and I? Are we going to try again?”
HADES: “… It’s time for Spring. We’ll try again next Fall.”
PERSEPHONE: “Wait for me.”
HADES: “I will.”
As we know, things don’t work out with Orpheus and Eurydice … but Spring does come again, which indicates things aren’t strictly hopeless. Earlier in the play, Eurydice said, “I haven’t seen a Spring or Fall since … I can’t recall.” “It’s either blazing hot or freezing cold.” Yet there it is. And one could say that the relationship between Persephone and Hades had a winter period and it’s starting to bloom again. Which is a theme with them.
…….. And because I love Hadestown so much, I’m expanding on it. Hades and Persephone deciding to try again is a big thing with the play. We’re told at the beginning that the story we’re about to be told is a tragedy. And it is. In this version, Eurydice broke up with Orpheus due to insecurity and doubt. His show of devotion convinced her to try again, but then he had doubts—doubting her, doubting himself, doubting everyone else … and they couldn’t make it work because of it.
It ends in tragedy.
“But we sing it anyway,” as the narrator puts it. “Because here’s the thing: to know how it ends, and still begin to sing it again. As if it might turn out this time.” We see the way the couple meet again, but this time there’s a tiny detail that’s changed. The flower that Orpheus made for Eurydice was already blooming when she walked in. And we also see that Spring has returned. So “hope springs eternal” is another theme. So long as you continue trying, the story isn’t a forgone conclusion. There might be a period of dysfunction, but it’s not inevitable. Maybe things won’t work out in the end. Try again. Maybe they will.
Honestly, Hadestown is a pretty genius play, IMO. Aside from those themes, it links the cynicism and insecurity with the ways that people can be taken advantage of when they’re vulnerable. With the seasons out of whack, the routines of people’s lives are thrown off and things are more uncertain. Hades then recruits the desperate to come to Hadestown with the promise of secure conditions. However, it’s a trap—their lives become dedicated to unending projects that will “protect” them from … those not in their “desired” position. There’s a song that shows how they get brainwashed into cyclical thinking that they’re fortunate. The jobs are themed to fit in with industry and capitalism (mines, factories, warehouses). Hades profits off the work everyone puts in, and preaches to them—and makes them repeat—how fortunate they are to have the jobs in this exclusive place (you need a ticket to get there). The secluded Hadestown becomes unnaturally hot and bright all year round, and people eventually lose the memory of anything else besides the jobs they have to do to survive; as far as they know, this is the best way, the only way. Persephone also profits similarly by running a speakeasy, which has tastes of all the elements one can’t find anywhere else in Hadestown. But just tastes—they’re all temporary to the never-ending grind of the daily life.
The environment of what Hadestown has become—for it’s hinted that it wasn’t always like this—and the disruption of the harmony between Hades and Persephone allude to climate change and global warming.
When the play starts, Orpheus comes off as very naive and optimistic, which Eurydice—a young woman who survives by continuing to change location when things start going south—finds skeptical. I mean, he says he can heal the world with a song. But despite her doubts she starts to believe him—he played some of the song, and a flower bloomed from nothing—and she has a sweet and hopeful romance with him. Unfortunately, winter comes sooner and harsher than expected, and resources become scarce. She doubts her future; she loves him, but doesn’t see how she can survive by staying with him. So when she’s given the offer for security and the promise of never being hungry again in Hadestown, she takes it. During this, Orpheus was focused on trying to finish that magic song, so he hadn’t noticed her insecurities and starving condition. He immediate goes after her to Hadestown without a ticket, walking an incredibly long way alone and braving guards and guard dogs.
Eurydice becomes disillusioned pretty quickly in Hadestown that it was the better option, but it already has started draining her of the will to find other options or go back…. And then Orpheus shows up. However, he learned then that Eurydice agreed to spend the rest of her life in Hadestown; she had gone willingly. Being an outsider, Hades has the locals beat the crap out of him … and these two elements finally gives Orpheus some of the doubt that leads people to give up. He considers just going home without her … but then he gets angry, given how the conditions are dictated and enforced by those in power.
The people of Hadestown rally behind him and that gets the attention of Persephone and Hades. Persephone is moved by the dedication Orpheus has for Eurydice, and their love for each other reminds her of how she used to be with Hades. Hades needed to be reminded more vividly and have it spelled out for him how his current state of mind is toxic to himself as well as everyone else; he’s letting his insecurities get the better of him and he’s making it everyone else’s problem, while not really becoming happier himself. He’s shown the comparison of who he is now with who he used to be and how he used to feel. He becomes conflicted. He wants to believe and hope again, but … the doubt is still there. He’s still afraid to let go of anything. So he bargains. Orpheus can leave and Eurydice will follow him. But he wants to see that trust and optimism demonstrated. If Orpheus can trust himself and Eurydice, they can go forward. But if he looks back, she returns to Hadestown. See, Hades still doesn’t want to give anything up. The whole town has their eyes on this couple and they all want to leave and try for a different life; this would bring down his empire. But if he demands Eurydice stays, he’s giving up on renewing what it was like to feel hopeful and young again, and his problems with his marriage continue. Thus the compromise. And he knows how separating the loving couple will leave room for doubts to come in. It happened to him, after all, while he was separated from his wife. And it happened when Eurydice was separated from Orpheus earlier.
Sadly … the doubt wins out. Orpheus had become cynical from his experience in Hadestown. He had finished his song, and it led to hope for the world’s future, but now his future is uncertain. He failed Eurydice before, he might fail again. He’s more aware of some of the ugliness out there. (One could also interpret it as her having left him, so why would he trust her implicitly this time?) So, even though Eurydice, who has had experience with that, is willing to try again … Orpheus’ trust fails, and he looks back.
One might think this wouldn’t bode well for the whole future, that everything in the world hinged on that one look. But the idea is to TRY AGAIN. Hades still had doubts, had wanted to see the trust demonstrated … but was still willing to try again with his wife. Spring still returned. People who had given up their lives for Hadestown were still willing to try again, despite the risks. Orpheus had been discouraged when he learned Eurydice left him, but he was still willing to try again, and that led to the whole town protesting against the ruling class. And, on the more meta level, we repeat stories that we know end sad, and sometimes hope something will change. Just like this one. And from there we get variations.
Keep trying. Things may get better. Even if they get worse again, so long as you keep trying, nothing is determined. There’s always a chance.
#I wrote all this on the plane.#I needed something to do for four hours#and this had been on my mind lately.#hades and persephone#orpheus and eurydice#hadestown#musicals
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Ok I’m just gonna say it. My feelings about Kougami up to this point:
(Disclaimer: I have not seen PPP yet so my impressions are based on the spoilers and discussions that all the watchers have had, -and they are subject to change) - also trying to separate my shipper feelings from this but beware of my inherent bias anyway.
Season 1: Kougami is generally very warm and protective towards Akane. He doesn’t see her as a woman yet but they both validate each other to an unimaginable degree. I mean, she risked her life and psycho pass to help him track down Makishima who ppl believed was a ghost. She restored the credibility of his investigative abilities and made him actually think that there might be a better world without the structural divisions that they have. That didn’t stop him from breaking the law but it’s obvious that he especially thought very highly of her even after leaving the country.
Psycho Pass: The Movie: honestly, the movie is so enjoyable with regards to Kougami’s character development. He smiles at Akane so much in this movie, tries to get validation from her and again is really protective of her. They definitely pose Akane as more womanly and more as a equal with him - both in physical and mental abilities. She also impresses him several times in the film. He’s overall amused like “wow, she actually followed me all the way out here. What a woman”
SS Case 3: He sings praises of Akane ofcourse, even in the presence of an undeniable beauty like Frederica. If anything, we can contrast Frederica finding him to Akane finding him in the first movie, and his dialogue and body language alone show how he’s mildly annoyed by or at least resistant to Frederica’s presence. Most of his character arc here is in relation to Tenzing though which I suppose was supposed to teach him to be responsible for more than just himself(?), but that ends up being left open ended during his fight with Garcia (I mean he stabs the man to death before they can conclude the dialogue). Overall though, Kougami’s smiles are for Tenzing here and also when he’s saying that he’ll return to Japan.
Season 3 and First Inspector: He’s either all focused on the investigation at hand or with Akane. Everytime he smiles in this season- it’s for Akane! And not to mention, they don’t even really discuss work or philosophy in their interactions, but more about themselves and what they’ve missed from each other after being separated for years. This is what gave me hope that his emotional intelligence had improved and he would finally find some peace in Akane’s presence.
Providence: Based on what I’ve read, Kougami feels rather out-of-character in this. Like a weird blip in the timeline of his character arc. All the bonus scenes I saw anyway just made his interactions with Akane awkward. I didn’t expect it to be absolutely smooth but where’s the warmth that he initially had for this woman in S1 and the 1st movie??? What is this fuckboi behavior Kougami??? Maybe he’s able to make up for it in the 3rd act of Providence at least based on the notes I’ve read but he’s just so cold. Like he has a point to make?? I’m so confused. The tone of Providence is just cold in general and we keep seeing scenes where Ko and Akane are just on their own, never really together and communicating - the rain, the ice, the cold city drafts - just adds to it. But maybe the fact that S3 and PPFI comes after this gives us hope that he did get his act together and maybe visited her more and actually talked this out with her while she was in confinement. Maybe we’ll get some bonus scenes in a novel format.
I haven’t even seen PPP yet and I already need a season 4 to redeem Kougami’s character like what the hell. (And I’m sure the animation staff are exhausted and I don’t wanna encourage overworking them) - even if it’s like a measly 45 sec scene, I need to see the warm and caring Kougami again.
Providence looks phenomenal though - the team definitely outdid themselves - and I can’t wait to watch it.
#psycho pass#shinya kougami#akane tsunemori#kouaka#shinkane#psycho pass movie#psycho pass providence#psycho pass first inspector#psycho pass 3#kougami shinya#tsunemori akane#my thoughts#help I need therapy#overthinking
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Natural Satellite [ch 5]
An In Stars and Time AU. In ch 5, Isa & Sif finally put their heads together. You can start from ch 1 here!
Isa’s grip tightens on your shoulder and your mind goes utterly blank. You can feel his—his thumb, just the edge of his thumb brush your collarbone and all you can think is that you want to feel it on your skin because you know, you just know he’d feel so warm. You’re shaking. You want to pull him closer. You have to push him away. If you push him away it will kill you. Why is he touching you, how do you make him stop, how do you make him do it again. How do you make sure he never ever stops.
You could cut off his hand. You could cut off his hand and keep it with you, always, always. You could freeze him in time. You could eat him alive.
(You’re disgusting.)
[ISAT spoilers thru act 4! CW for panic attacks]
“An article about the King?” Isabeau echoes. “Like… from a newspaper?”
You nod.
“You mean like the one on the first floor?”
“The what?”
He blinks at you. “Umm… on the wall, right? I think it was in someone’s dorm room… I can’t remember exactly where, but—”
“The candle maker?”
“Huh? No, I don’t think—”
“The one with those weird drawings?”
“Oh! Yeah! I think that was it!”
“On the wall?”
“Yyyyes?”
“Like a poster??”
“I mean… yes? I guess so, yeah.”
You throw your hands up. “Who puts up wall art of their impending doom???”
“Pfft,” Isabeau snickers. “The Housemaidens of Dormont, I guess?”
Wow. Wow. That is… You don’t even know where to begin. You just spent the better part of twenty loops scraping the entire House top-to-bottom. Every bookshelf and every barrel; every secret passage and every stupid, pointless dead end. And now you’re supposed to believe that the article was on the first floor? In plain sight?
“...Sif?”
“No,” you hiss, and then snap to attention. “Sorry. I mean, yes? I mean. What?”
“That was your main goal right now, right?”
You nod.
Isa’s eyes sparkle. “So… maybe I saved you a little time?”
“...Maybe.”
“Enough to earn me a favor???”
“Depends,” you tell him, grudging. “What do you want?”
“Can I have today?”
You squint at him.
“Um!! I just mean!! At the House tomorrow, you can do everything how you’re used to, and I won’t even get in the way. Honest. But can I pick what we do today? Can I just, like… book you? For the day? So we can maybe actually talk?”
Hrmph. You can’t understand why he’d want to, but. Well. It’s not like you have other plans. Killing the King is easy now. You still try to help Mira, most loops—her shield really is very useful—but it’s a convenience, not a necessity. “…Fine.”
Isa lights up. “Really???”
Do you need me to write it down for you? You bite it back. By now, Isabeau should already know that you’re poison. There’s no need to beat a dead horse. “Sure.”
“Yeah!! Yes!! Okay!! Thanks, Sif!! I just have a few questions! So just, um, bear with me, okay?”
* * *
Isabeau gets right to the point.
“So… Loop. Any theories?”
You think about it. “I asked who they were once.”
He looks up with interest. “And?”
“They told me to guess.”
“Figures,” he sighs, going back to his notes. “What’d you guess?”
“I thought they were probably me.”
His writing hand lurches, gouging an ugly black streak across the page. “Um??? Um… what made you say that??”
“They know a lot about me,” you say, evasive. It’s true, but it’s not the whole truth. In all honesty, you don’t really know why you said it. It’s hard to put into words. Though, to be fair, you feel that way about most things.
“Um. Um, well… I mean… What’d they say?
“They laughed at me for like, ten minutes.”
“...Right,” he mumbles. “Um. Okay. I’m just gonna mark that down as inconclusive.” He makes a few notes, his tongue trapped between his teeth, before looking up again. “What about the King? I can’t remember what you guys talked about, what with… um. Y-You know. What happened after. But he sorta seemed like he… recognized you?”
You shrug. You haven’t figured that out yet, either.
“He had white hair, too,” Isa muses. “I’ve never seen anyone else with hair like that.”
“So, what? You think he’s my long-lost brother?”
“Wh—No!! I just meant you might be from the same region or something!!” He pauses, looking surprised. “Actually, Sif, I just realized… I don’t think I know where you’re from!”
You nod. That’s true, yes.
“So… where are you from?”
“Oh, um…” You trail off. Isabeau is looking at you, expectant. Like he’s waiting for something. Did you zone out without noticing? It wouldn’t be the first time. But you can’t remember your next line. “I— Sorry, what were we talking about?”
“...Where you’re from?”
“R-Right. Sorry. It’s, um. I’m—“ Your mind stalls out. What did he ask, again? Was it maybe a yes or no question? “Um… Yes?”
“What?”
“What?”
Isa looks concerned, for some reason. Not that he needs a reason. You’re concerning company. “Sif, are you— Can you hear me right now?”
“Huh? Yeah, of course. I lost my eye, not my ears.” Too late, you remember that it grosses people out when you talk about your eye. But you already did it, so you might as well finish the job. “‘Eye’ can hear just fine.”
“Ri-i-ight,” he says slowly. “Um. You’re not, like, messing with me, right?”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, I really didn’t think so. Okay, lemme try this.” He scribbles something down in his notebook and hands it to you. It’s a question. Hi Sif :3 Where are you from?
Oh. Weird. He just asked you that, didn’t he? And you said—you said— What did you say, again?
Of course you know where you’re from. You haven’t been traveling forever. Everyone’s from somewhere. And you—you grew up with your—with your… family, right? Of course you have a family, everyone has a family, so why can’t you—
Why can’t you remember?
You can feel your breaths coming faster, the words blurring on the page but you can still read the question and he’s still waiting for an answer; you have to say something. You know where you’re from! You forget a lot of things but you couldn’t, you wouldn’t, how could you forget your own family? What kind of a monster could forget their own family? So why can’t you— Why can’t you—
“Sif! Sif! Hey! Hey, Sif, come on, can you breathe for me? Can you try to breathe with me?”
But you can’t. You can’t. Your hair is white like the King’s and your parents, your parents must have, they must have had white hair like yours, but were they— Were they short, like you are? Were they stupid and clumsy and quick? Did they— They had a boat, didn’t they? Didn’t you have a boat? Did you even have a boat or did you only dream you had a boat because you, you can’t picture it, one sail or two, its shape, its color and what was its name? You bury your hands in your hair, white like the King’s, like your—
“Sif!” Isa says, frantic, and you realize that he’s reaching for you.
“Don’t touch me!!!” You slap his hand away, flinch out of range. He’s not supposed to touch you, no one is supposed to touch you, there’s something WRONG with you and what if it’s contagious? You’re— You can’t let him get any closer, can’t let him find out that you CAN’T REMEMBER THE NAME OF YOUR HOME, YOUR PARENTS’ FACES, YOU CAN’T LET HIM KNOW THAT YOU—
[ f e e l a t u g a t y o u r s t o m a c h ]
—and you’re lying in a field.
Isa stands over you, looking a little nauseous and more than a little frantic. “S-Sif!! Crab, Sif, are you okay?”
“I… What? Yes? What just…”
“It’s okay!!” he says quickly. “It’s okay, it’s okay, don’t worry! You just… I think you h-had a sort of a p-panic attack and you… We looped again. It’s okay, you’re okay, you’re totally fine. We’re just talking. We were just, um, talking about the King.”
You stare at him for a few seconds. “...You found that article.”
“Right!! That’s right! Yeah, you got it! I—” When he looks at his notes, his shoulders slump a little. “Aw, crab. Looping wiped my notes.”
Well. Obviously.
He darts another nervous little glance at you, like he’s afraid of what you’ll do. Like he thinks you’re dangerous. (He’s not wrong. You are dangerous.) “So, it… seems like it happens when you get upset, huh? When you’re overwhelmed or, um. Freaked out.”
You shrug.
“Does that track with the times it’s happened before? When you looped without dying, I mean. Y-You don’t have to tell me what happened!” he adds hastily, when he sees the look on your face. “I’m not asking for details! Just for you to think about it, and… think about if you were usually upset?”
Reluctantly, and very much under duress, you reflect on the times you looped on accident. Just now, having a—what did he call it? A panic attack. That time you scared your family, near the entrance to the House. Watching Isa freeze.
(You do not think about what you did in front of the Favor Tree.)
“...Maybe,” you concede.
“Okay!! Hey, that’s good, right? We just gotta figure out how to do that, and we can totally skip all the, you know. Um. Dying.”
You’re not convinced. Your current system works. And having to get upset every loop… Honestly, it sounds even worse than the dagger.
“Hmmm,” Isa hums, chewing on the end of his pen. “I could… try to scare you?”
You stare at him.
“H-Hey!! I could be scary!!”
You don’t bother arguing. “It wouldn’t work, anyway. I was scared the first time we fought the King.” You give it a little more thought. “I was really scared the second time.”
That makes him wince, for some reason.
“It doesn't scare me anymore,” you reassure him. “Not for ages.”
That does not appear to help.
Isa darts another glance at you. He’s fidgeting more than usual, shifting his weight and picking at his fingernails. “Um. Okay, I— I sort of have an idea, but only if it’s okay with you…”
…Interesting.
“And I— I just wanna say in advance that I'm really sorry about this, it’s just—I think watching you die kinda messed me up a little, haha, s-so if there’s, like, even the tiniest chance that we can find another way, I think we actually really have to—“
“Isa.”
“S-Sif??”
“It's fine.” Whatever he has in mind, it can’t be worse than what you’ve already done. When that doesn’t seem to reassure him, you raise an eyebrow. “We said you could have today.”
“Right. Right!! Okay!! Then I'm just gonna—um—try this. If that’s okay. (Sorry.)”
Isabeau clenches his fists and draws a deep breath, like he's steeling himself for something dreadful. Then he takes two slow, sliding steps and suddenly he’s a lot closer. Closer than in bed in the Clocktower, closer than the greenhouse, (almost as close as when you—)
He’s looming over you, almost. Enough to fill your field of vision. His face is flushed and he’s staring fixedly at the ground to your left, but his eyes keep darting back toward you, like he can’t stop them. Like he can’t help himself.
“S-Sorry,” he mumbles, looking away again, and reaches for you.
You wait for him to pull away but he—doesn’t. He doesn’t. He doesn’t thump you on the arm, like he always looked like he was going to. He just… grazes your shoulder, the barest touch with only the tips of two fingers.
Your breath snags. Your heart is in your throat because he—he isn’t supposed to do that here, or anywhere, ever. He doesn’t touch you, he doesn’t want to touch you so why is he— WHY would he—
Isa’s grip tightens on your shoulder and your mind goes utterly blank. You can feel his—his thumb, just the edge of his thumb brush your collarbone and all you can think is that you want to feel it on your skin because you know, you just know he’d feel so warm. You’re shaking. You want to pull him closer. You have to push him away. If you push him away it will kill you. Why is he touching you, how do you make him stop, how do you make him do it again. How do you make sure he never ever stops.
You could cut off his hand. You could cut off his hand and keep it with you, always, always. You could freeze him in time. You could eat him alive.
(You’re disgusting.)
He’s so beautiful. You’re a monster. He’s not even a person, he’s only an actor, he’s playing a role. But this wasn’t in the script. You can see the flush creep down his throat and you want to trap it in your hands. Catch his pulse between your fingers like a firefly. Drink the heat from his lungs and seal it in a jar where you can’t ever forget. Really take his breath away, ha ha ha.
…You’re disgusting.
He has to force himself to look at you. You can see that it takes effort (but of course it does, you’re DISGUSTING) and when he finally meets your eye you can feel his hand trembling a little, even through your cloak. Just for a second, your self-control slips. Just for a second, you lean into his hand, his touch, his warmth.
You have no idea what your face looks like, but it must be pretty appalling. Whatever he sees in your eyes seems to terrify him. He jolts back, electrified, and you—sag, like someone cut your strings. You’re exhausted.
“Sorrysorrysorry!!!” he babbles, holding both hands out like a shield. “Sorry! Wow! Sorry!! Crab!!!! I really thought you were gonna loop!!!”
Oh. Of course. That’s why he touched you. For his theories. His little experiment. You said that he could have today.
Isabeau wrings his hands. “I-I’m really sorry, Sif, I know you don’t like being touched, I just thought if it worked, you might… hate it less than being stabbed, I guess? But you were totally right, I don’t know what I’m doing, I just thought— I don’t know!!! I just really thought that would work!!!”
You reach for your shoulder, for the place where he touched. You know it's stupid, but it feels warmer than it should. His heat signature, stamped onto your skin. “Why.”
“U-Um? Just because… you know, the whole thing about getting upset, and… Aww, never mind! It was stupid! Sorry!!!” He shakes his head vigorously, jumping in place a little. “Phew! Um! That’s… probably enough for today, haha! I’m sure you need a break!”
Maybe you just didn’t touch me enough, you think. Maybe you needed to hold my hands. Hold me close. Hold me down and break me in half. Tear me apart. Swallow my heart. Hold my face in your hands and lean in so, so close. Hold my heart in your hands and squeeze.
You don’t say anything.
Isa’s gaze drops to his hands. He runs his thumb over the pads of his fingers, gently, gently. Maybe you would loop if he did that to you. But you don’t know.
“...I really am sorry,” he says softly.
Don’t be. “It’s okay.”
“If you ask, I can— I’ll never do it again, if that’s what you want.”
Your chest seizes up. “No.”
He looks up, startled.
(Calm down. You’re scaring him.) “I—wouldn’t mind. If we tried again.” (Stop. You’re taking advantage of him. You’re holding yourself hostage. Can’t you see how gross that is?) “It could be—um. I think it would be better than the dagger.”
“Pfft,” Isabeau snickers. “Careful. I might get an ego.”
“Huh?”
“It’s nothing.” He glances at his notebook, heaves a sigh. “I guess as long as you don’t do it with the knife…”
You frown at him. “You said I could have tomorrow.”
“I-I’m not telling you not to loop!! I am literally just asking you not to do it in the most horrible way possible!!!!”
Ughhhh. “Okay, but that means we’ll have to finish off the King…”
“Uhh,” he says. “...Uh huh?”
“It takes a really long time.”
“Pfft,” Isa snorts. “Yeah, I think I can handle it. Still sounds a lot better than watching one of my favorite people die.”
“I’m—” You bite off the rest of that question. He isn’t talking about you. He's talking about your character. “Um. I mean. If you get a request for my day, then I get to ask something too.”
“You got it!! Anything!! W-Well, maybe not anything, but… pretty much basically anything. As long as it doesn’t… um. Hurt you.”
Ha ha. What a nice idea. But that doesn’t leave a lot of options. Everything hurts you.
“Soooo, what did you wanna do?” he asks cheerfully, and then hesitates. “Oh. Unless you meant that you, um, wanted some time alone, or… you wanted to make plans with someone else…”
Look at the stars with me. You almost say it.
You choose your words carefully. “I want… rest.”
His face crumples into something painfully fond. “Aw, bud. You’ve been doing this for way too long, huh?”
Finally, an easy question. You nod vigorously.
“Poor Sif,” Isa says softly. “And all on your own.”
“We sleep in the same bed.” It’s an evasion. An obvious one, at that. You’re pretty sure you used to be better at this. (‘Bed-ter.’ Is that anything?)
“That’s not what I mean, though.”
…Yeah.
His arms twitch toward you before falling back by his sides. You watch his hands flex and unflex. You think about reaching for them. Maybe this time he would let you.
You don’t move.
Isa tilts his head, curious. “What would you normally do today? If I didn’t call dibs?”
Teach Bonnie to fight. Find Odile’s book. Help Mira with her papers. Look at the stars. Eat dinner. Go to bed. Fight. Book. Papers. Stars. Dinner. Bed. “...Run around after everyone else, mostly.”
“Aw, Sif.”
“And go fishing.”
“Oh!!” he gasps, brightening. “You fish?”
“I—used to. I think.”
His eyebrows twitch, but he doesn’t press you. “Do you really have to do all that stuff every time, though? Of course you gotta eat, but you could nap until then!”
“Mira always wakes me up.” Also, you don’t sleep.
Isa thumps a fist into his palm and squints menacingly. “Well, she’s gonna have to go through me.”
You can’t help it. You snicker. It comes as an almost violent shock. When’s the last time anything actually made you laugh? “She could do it, though.”
“Oh, yeah. She wouldn’t hesitate.”
“No mercy.”
“But I’m tough too!!” he insists. “I can take her!!!”
You huff another laugh. Two in one day. A new record. “…I can’t ask you to do that.”
“Well, I’ve got bad news, Sif,” he says seriously. “Today’s my day. I get to do what I want. And I wanna guard your nap! Nap guardian!! Protector of sleepyheads all across Vaugarde!!!”
Pffft. “There’s no way you want to do that.”
“I do!!”
“There’s no way I can let you do that.”
“You’re gonna have to!!”
You should stop him. Laugh and say you changed your mind. But you can’t. You’re selfish like that. "Well... I guess it does sound bed-ter than sleeping alone..."
"Pffft!! Sif!!!!"
“And I could definitely use a few winks.” You can’t resist winking cutely. It’s kind of your signature.
“Hah!!!!”
“So I guess I could pill-ow you to help.” Oof. That was bad, wasn’t it? “Um. You know. Like, ‘allow?’”
“Hey, you don’t gotta tell me!! And c’mon, Sif, you know I just wanna help! After everything you’ve done for us, it’s the sleep-st I can do!!”
Pfft!!! Oh, wow. Okay. Yeah. He got you. “Snrrrk—khhehehe! Hee hee hee!!”
When you look up, Isabeau is beaming at you with eyes so bright they hurt to look at. Your chest clenches. Your stomach swoops. You look away. “S-Sorry.”
“Please don’t be,” he says, painfully earnest. “I’m… It makes me really happy to… Aw, don’t worry about it. Get some rest. I’ll wake you up in time for dinner, okay?”
“You really don’t have to…”
“My day!!” Isa says fiercely. “I do what I want!!!”
You want to argue. You know that you should. But you're so, so, so so so so tired. At the end of the day, you just don’t have it in you.
I usually get around to posting on tumblr eventually, but if you wanna find out about updates as soon as I post em, you can follow the series on AO3:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/53412649/chapters/135189547
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xiao zhan @ SBMS fox factory interview 1/2 :
XZ: friends of fox factory, hello! i am xiao zhan~
hello~ watching SBMS it feels so real. everyone says that this is not xiao zhan this is the representative work of my leaders and colleagues…have you seen those funny comments?
XZ: i haven’t see anything so funny yet
we want to know if there were any moments where your designer dna moved when you played shengyang.
XZ: from the moment i stepped into the company, see the workstation, see the brush, at the moment when i see the hand-painted board…my dna is already jumping wildly.
the director said he didn’t expect you to sit in the workstation and you know all those software on the computer.
XZ: well, i used to work (with those software)
they are all nightmare memories, aren’t they?
XZ: no~ it’s a good memory
you understand the method very well because i watch the tidbits when you choose the clothes and you mentioned something with grayscale, pinkish…i didn’t expect anyone to say it so accurately what else do you have in your mind? what’s the difference between this and the colorful black?
XZ: ah no~
what kind of air shots are there in the play? big bath towel, hurry to the elevator, brake, draw a bunny on the bread and call her ex-husband, there is also an ultraman appearance, which of them are designed by yourself?
XZ: it’s through our verification process…actually, it’s all rather than using the word design in the drama “SBMS” why don’t we say that many of them are things that reveal the truth at the moment, i didn’t preset. this is also something i really like, it’s just very real. when the director was in the rack position, he will hide a lot of seats, that’s what i mean by hiding. it’s because you can feel his existence and he create the most relaxed environment for actors.
i’m impressed…the director also said this, he told us that you got your wake up scene filmed. however, there are 8 direct shots from 8 camera positions that have not been released.
XZ: yes, yes, it seems to be…he’s really good at it. what makes him really powerful is that he used to shoot the scenes before, we will habitually save the emotions for close up before presenting them but often the feeling of people are the most precious at the present moment. the great thing about the director is that they have a long-range, medium-range close-up. he can catch it all.
do you like this kind of thing? several angles are filming at the same time. you don’t have to go through it many times.
XZ: usually when i go to the scene, i don’t even look at the cam seats. i will just pretend it doesn’t exist.
he said you are so smart, says you memorize your lines very well, you will just memorize it at once on the spot and then pass it, and he said that if you screw it or you stuck you would treat them to dinner.
XZ: ah yes, yes, ah director is really….my personal habit is that i will memorize all the line in advance, i will also be familiar with co actor’s line and then we joked at the scene that “whoever eat the screw they have to drink the water.”
you wear the same inner shirt in the first 16 episodes did you also notice the design?
XZ: i don’t know if it kiwi, or mango, when i try on the clothes. during the try on actually there are many clothes, including some major brands of the clothing but how can we make audience believe in shengyang growth, environment and the things he has experienced. i even wear different clothes every day for work, i can’t make audience believe it, i can’t convince myself either that basically the same outfit for work, because when i used it to work i will have a set of clothes for work. something just makes me feel comfortable at work, because you are at work station, you will sit for half an hours or even longer.
so wear those nice clothes only when you are not working…
XZ: that’s right
which of shengyang’s behavior that will make you feel that it shouldn’t rise to xiao zhan? being a spoiler when parents quarrel, when parents reconcile, act as a microphone..
XZ: i can do it too.
start work at 8am, you are in a hurry but still do an exercise…
XZ: it seems that i used to do the same, because i think it’s the way to wake up my brain quickly.
no matter how late you lie down, you have to play with your phone before going to bed?
XZ: this is of course a very bad habit. i think everyone doesn't have to imitate this. i think you can just sit down and lean against the bed. lie down against the bed is really bad for you eyes.
do you subconsciously put all the items within your line of sight in a centralized.
XZ: did i?
you turned a can bottle on the set and be sure to put its trademark facing out.
XZ: maybe it’s what the director told me that we need to shoot the logo that what i did right? i shouldn’t be that obsessive-compulsive
(Interviewer plays a compilation of him being OC)
because this time you going back to chongqing to filming SBMS we want to know how you feel.
XZ: very happy and relaxed.
some people say that the following is the darkest moment for chongqing people. i want to know how you feel about these things?
XZ: [he read the qs] [eat small noodles, there are no chili paper inside, there are no vegetables either]…i can’t do this…
can only choose one option
XZ: vegetable. it’s not good to eat spicy food now.
XZ: [driving with friends from other places, using navigation or going the wrong way]
XZ: this is really happened. especially after i haven’t been back for so long, the road conditions is really unfamiliar.
XZ: [go to hongya cave to eat hot pot]… i won’t tell them about this.
hongya cave is a special tourist destination…
XZ: it’s not like that…
then why you can’t eat hot pot there?
XZ: well, maybe everyone has different taste, (after all) hongya cave is a very important place in chongqing.
you are worthy of being the ambassador of our city.
XZ: [going to ktv and sing the chongqing dialect rap] i think if we go with a very familiar friend then okay for everyone to have fun and make some scene isn’t it?
because they said it always be the stereotype of people in chongqing. you have to ask them to say something to any ktv you go to
XZ: i don’t think they were supposed to sing that…emm…never mind
eh which one?
XZ: the chongqing version of “fire” when we were at school this version was very popular.
have you sung this before?
XZ: no, but everyone enjoy it.
#xiao zhan#sunshine by my side#sunshine by my side spoiler#accio victuuri translation#fox factory interviews are always extra chaotic 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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The Call - Ebenezer/Constance Modern!AU
A continuation of Ebenezer and Constance's meeting in a modern and AU setting. Here, they FINALLY set up a first date!
This story also includes characters from @quill-pen and her universe, including her Ebenezar/Wolf, Bess, Addie, and Gal, as well as characters like Eddie and Pippersnipe that have manifested through shared headcanon discussions!
The sound of the cottage added further chaos to the already bursting cottage.
“Oh, yay! Pizza’s here!”
“I thought we were only making snacks for tonight. I just popped popcorn!”
“Who the heck complains about pizza?”
“You gals are like bloody garbage disposals – how can you eat so much?” Eddie asked.
“Oi, ladies, can we start this flick ‘ometime in the next fifty years?”
After each woman had filled their plates with pizza and grabbed a glass of their favorite wine, the group filed into the cottage’s cozy living room and piled in front of the television for a much-needed movie night.
“Here you go, Eddie,” Constance said as she handed the older woman a hearty plate of food and a flute of her favorite blackberry liqueur.
“Tryna to get me liquored up, are ya?” she asked playfully as she accepted the very full flute.
“That’s what sleepovers with the girls are for!” Constance teased in return, giving her shoulders a playful squeeze before making sure her blanket with tucked in place.
“I can’t believe you’ve never seen ‘Anastasia’ – it’s a classic!” Bess exclaimed to Addie, who giggled as she assumed a spot on the floor. She put the bowl of freshly popped popcorn between them. “Gosh, I used to watch this with Millie on repeat when she was younger. I could probably recite it word for word.”
“Try t' contain y'self, Lass,” Gal said, stealing a fistful of popcorn as she fell into her seat of choice.
“Sorry, I’ve just … never had a reason to see it,” Addie reasoned with a shrug. “But I’m excited! Is it a romance?”
“Oh-ho! 'Tis a MUSICAL ROMANCE!” Gal corrected. She was lying across one of their tufted armchairs, her back resting on one armrest while her legs rested atop the other, socked feet bobbing up and down. “Wit' talkin' critters too.”
“How are you familiar with ‘Anastasia’, Gal?” Bess asked curiously as she twisted her long, dark hair into an updo. “It doesn't quite seem like your type of movie?”
“Eh, I dun'mind a princessy tale now and again,” she said, taking a sip of her drink. When the stares from her friends didn’t relent, she sighed and rolled her eyes. “Also, Jake fancies it.”
Amused cooing erupted from the other ladies.
“If ye tell 'im I told ye, I'll knock ye brains out an' serve 'em as fritters!”
“Eh, leave the poor man alone, it’s a cute little movie,” Eddie added, who was comfortably situated on the room’s other armchair, which sat opposite of Gal’s. “The mousy lad she falls for is quite the darling. A little young and an awful dresser, but I think I could fix him up nicely.”
“Shhh, no spoilers!”
“I haven’t seen it either, Addie,” Connie chimed in, reaching down from her position on the couch to take her hand, lace their fingers, then swing their hands like a pendulum back and forth. “We can be surprised together!”
“Seriously, you too?” Bess asked. “How did I not know that? I would have fixed this long ago!”
The redhead shrugged. “I just don’t watch movies very often.”
“Now, that is not true, Con,” she refuted, poking her friend in the knee. “You have a weird taste in movies, not a non-existent one. I know WAY too much about what happens in the ‘Sex and the City’ movies because of you alone.”
“W-Well…” she went to argue as Gal snickered from her position in the chair.
Truth be told, it would be nice to have the distraction of a movie for the evening. While Connie was doing her best to play it cool, her mind and heart were still racing from her morning shift.
That was when, motivated by her friends’ insistence and reasoning, she had found the courage to write her phone number on the cup of Ebenezer Samuel Scrooge’s morning order. It had taken weeks of build-up and peer pressure to take the seemingly small step, but it had been preceded by maddening amounts of flirting.
As if giving him her cell number wasn’t enough, she’d written the note ‘Call me~” right beneath it, and signed it with the letter ‘C’ for good measure.
That had been seven hours ago. And not a single call or text had come through.
Crickets.
Nada.
Goose egg.
With a sigh, she slipped her phone into the kangaroo pocket of her oversized sweatshirt and took a bug gulp of her wine. Well, she’d probably just lost her best customer. That would be fun to confess to her boss on Monday.
“Okay, everyone ready?” Addie asked as she reached for the remote to start the film. “Annnnd … play!”
About halfway through the film, after the two jumbo pizzas had been demolished, Constance felt a buzzing from her pullover’s pocket. She’d silenced the phone for the movie, not expecting anyone to reach out to her (after all, all her friends – aside from her mom and their landlord Mr. Pippersnipe) were in the room with her.
Constance glanced down at her phone and saw a familiar number flash across the top of the screen. She hadn’t created a contact profile for the number yet, but she knew it by heart already after weeks of seeing his number amongst her daily orders.
“It’s him!” Constance exclaimed as she all but shot out of her seat. “H-He’s calling me! H-He really is!”
Gal practically spat out her drink.
The other girls collectively gasped while Bess turned to shush them. “PAUSE! EVERYONE SHUT UP!”
“W-Who? Wait, is it that handsome man from the coffee shop?” Addie asked, which made Constance blush bright red before nodding. “Oooooh, it is!”
“I’ll be damned – the blighter has a backbone!” Eddie cheered, hoisting her flute. “Now you can check that front-bone of his, too.”
“Eddie!”
“MISSION CONTROL, WE HAVE CONFIRMATION THE ADONIS HAS MADE CONTACT WITH THE SUN!” Bess continued, scrambling for the television remote. “Pause! Ugh, at least MUTE, darn you!”
‘Adonis’ was an affectionate nickname Constance and her friends had given to the silver-haired man that frequented the New Grounds Coffee Co. daily. It never needed explanation because, as soon as one saw a picture of the man, the reason for the name was evident.
“W-What do I do?” Constance asked.
“ANSWER IT!” all the girls cried in unison (“And put ‘em on speaker!” Eddie chimed in loudly before Addie frantically shushed her).
Constance took the deepest breath she’d ever taken before accepting the call.
“Um, h-hello, this is Constance,” she spoke timidly into the receiver.
“Constance! I’m glad you picked up. Um, hello. I-It’s Ebenezer.”
Her heart did backflips at the excited tremor in his voice. “H-Hi! I thought I recognized your number, haha. I’m glad you called.”
Now on her feet and pacing around in her black shorts and crumb-covered pullover, she was so thankful he hadn’t opted for a video call. While it was always nice to see him (literally, he was a treat for the eyes), she knew she looked like an absolute mess, with wine-stained lips and her hair in an updo that nothing but a shower could help.
She they talked, she saw her friends watching in intrigued, their reactions running the gambit from eager cheering to sly, flirtatious lip puckers.
“Are you busy?” he asked.
“Um, not really,” she replied truthfully, frantically gesturing for the girls to stay quiet. “I’m just at home. I-I hope you are too. It’s cold out.”
From her vantage point in the kitchen, she could see the beginnings of a gentle snowfall dusting the surrounding buildings in a flimsy layer of frost.
“I just finished at the office, actually,” confided, his voice low. “It’s been a long day, so I wanted to warm up with a drink before I left. I did want to give you a call as soon as I could. To tell you the truth, I’ve been looking forward to it all day.”
Constance was sure she looked like a crazy person as she spun in excited circles at his admission, but she was far too happy to care. “Really? I’m kind of relieved to hear that, actually! I’m glad I didn’t scare you off.”
“Hardly,” he replied with a warm laugh. “I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner.”
“Oh, please don’t apologize! You were working. I’m just glad to hear you can head home soon.”
“You’re very sweet,” Ebenezer said, and her heart leapt again at his praise. His voice always got a little rumbly when he was pleased, and the melty effect it gave her legs was just as effective over the phone. “Constance, I wanted to ask … um, are you off this Saturday? We’re supposed to have a break in this cold front, and I was wondering if might be interested in going out to dinner to enjoy it?”
He was asking her out! It was REALLY happening!
She mouthed out ‘Dinner date!’ to the girls. The reveal was immediately greeted with silent clapping and eager thumbs-ups. Of course, Eddie mouthed back an ‘I told you so’, complete with a pointed finger to accentuate her correctness.
“I would love that,” Constance replied, tousling her hair nervously while she answered. “I’m free all afternoon and evening that day, honestly.”
The second the admission crossed her lips, she felt instant regret. Great, she thought. Now he probably thought she sounded desperate and needy for attention. Yet, Ebenezer only laughed again (goodness, his laughter was so nice – she could listen to it all day, every day).
“Fantastic! Would 8 p.m. work? There’s a fabulous restaurant on the riverfront called Estella’s that I think you’d enjoy.”
Estella’s on a Saturday night? The restaurant was well known for only serving London’s most upper of upper class. Without connections, it was nearly impossible to get a table.
“I’ve heard of it – it’s very exclusive! I-I hear it’s really hard to get in.”
“I think we should be fine,” Ebenezer said, his tone confident but not arrogant.
Unbeknownst to her, he was eyeing a reservation email in his inbox that confirmed the details of the dinner. He’d reached out to the restaurant’s owner and successfully booked the space before even calling to mention it to her. That way if she accepted his invitation, there would be no risk of him not being able to fulfill it. The last thing he wanted to do on a long-awaited date with the first woman he’d had a crush on in literal decades was not deliver on a first-date promise.
“Can I pick up at 7:15 p.m. or so? I know it’s early, but if we have some extra time beforehand, there’s a lovely lounge on the restaurant’s second floor with a nice artwork display. We could grab a drink or two as well. I-If you wouldn’t mind that, that is.”
“That sounds so lovely,” she answered. Heavens, how long had it been since she’d been on a date that sounded so nice? Why, it probably hadn’t been since before her marriage to her ex-husband, Orin. That would have made it over 20 years.
“Yes, 7:15 p.m. would work perfectly! I don’t think I live too far from you.”
As she gave him her address, she heard the click of a pen and the faint sound of scrawling. He was writing it down.
“Sounds perfect,” he said. “I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.”
He was actually going to drive her? Ebenezer Samuel Scrooge, one of London’s most esteemed philanthropists and self-made billionaires, was going to drive her personally?
“Oh, good! We don’t have a ton of parking here, but when I see your message, I can walk just up the street to the –”
“Nonsense,” he interrupted. “London’s winters are frigid! I’ll not have you walking and waiting in the dark. When I’m there, I’ll get out, ring the bell, and walk you personally.”
This all had to be some elaborate dream, she thought. Perhaps she’d fallen asleep during the movie after all and was just one nudge away from waking up and seeing that their phone conversation was nothing but an imagined flight of fancy.
“O-Okay, that sounds wonderful.”
“Excellent. Well, I won’t keep you, dear. I will tell you that I’m very much looking to our date.”
“Me too,” she revealed. “T-Thank you again for calling. I honestly can’t wait.”
“I’m glad to hear that, and I hope you’ll trust me when I say that it’s my pleasure.”
She laughed, an easy smile crossing her face. She leaned against the kitchen wall and sank down until she was seated on the floor, knees nestled just beneath her chin. “Well, I really hope you have a safe trip home. Goodnight, Ebenezer.”
“I certainly will,” he said. Then, after another beat, he said, “Goodnight, angel. I’ll see you Saturday.”
Constance ended the call. After checking to make sure she’d hung up the phone, even dialing another digit to hear a dial tone click in, she shot up and danced in circles. The woman was just about to run to the living room to alert her friends only to see that they were all waiting in a gaggle on the other side of the threshold.
“So?” Addie asked, already beaming.
“8 o’clock on Saturday,” she revealed.
Bess was the first to cheer and pull her friend into a tight embrace. “I knew it! I knew he would eventually do it!”
“Where’s he takin’ ya?” Gal asked. Upon hearing the answer, her eyes nearly popped out of her skull. “Estella’s!? Blimey, he mighty does like ye if he's takin' ye to a fancy galley like that!”
“You think?” Connie asked, then giggled again as Addie hugged her tight.
“The real test will be the night of,” Eddie said, waggling her glass mid-air. “What he does during the date…and after.”
“I-It’s just a first date, nothing serious,” the redhead said.
Bess and Gal exchanged unconvinced looks. Addie hummed idly. Eddie all but snorted.
“Just don’t forget a change of clothes,” Eddie teased. “Or…do. He may like that more.”
Connie yelped and Bess only rolled her eyes at the older woman’s teasing. Meanwhile, Addie looked slightly lost in thought, eyes glazing at she rubbed her chin and stared with oddly serious intent at the floor.
“Addie?” the raven-haired woman asked. “You okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine!” she said, “I was … just thinking. Um, you said his name is Mr. Scrooge, right?”
Constance nodded.
“Ebenezer, or Ebenezar?”
“Um…Ebenezer?” Constance answered, her brow furrowing. “With an ‘er’ at the end.”
Without another word, Addie suddenly trotted back to the living room. The other woman trotted after to find her crouching on her knees, arm rattling around a small magazine rack they had under their end table. It was a common resting place for junk mail, catalogs, and other unnecessary mail items that didn’t have a purpose or deadline attached to them.
“Almoooost ...a-ha!”
Addie pulled a semi-smushed, rolled up finance section that had gotten mixed up in their morning newspaper delivery on accident. She flipped through it quickly before finding the page she desired. Then, splaying the pages open with her thumb, she held out the publication for the other ladies to view.
Right there, in the paper’s centerfold, was a featured article title: Scrooge Brothers Diversify Financial Portfolio with Expanding Philanthropic Efforts! Expert panelists weigh in…
There, beneath the headline, was an image of both men, side by side, engaged in some kind of presentation before a crowded room of onlookers.
One of the men was the man Constance knew from the coffee shop. Ebenezer Samuel Scrooge, the man who never ordered the same thing twice, complimented her skills, and remembered her birthday even when all her other coworkers had forgotten.
The other man beside him had the exact same face. Longer hair and a slightly sturdier frame, but otherwise, the resemblance between them was eerie.
Bess poked her head over Connie’s shoulder for a better look. Upon seeing the brothers featured, she grabbed the article and went bug-eyed. “No way.”
“Way. He’s a twin,” Addie said, “An identical twin!”
That had gone well.
Or, he thought it had … hadn’t it?
He allowed himself the pleasure of letting out a little laugh of relief. Bloody hell, he’d been so nervous about calling her. When he’s first seen the note she’d left him, he’d thought he’s been dreaming. Or, perhaps she was pranking him. Regardless, he’d tucked the note in the breast pocket of his coat for safe-keeping. Even the small scrap of paper carried the aroma of lilies and fresh pears, a perfume he’d come to associate with her. It paired quite nicely with the sight of her brightly greeting customers as they came in from the cold. After shuffling down the cold and sometimes hollow alleyways of London, the mere sight of her tanned visage and coppery hair was like glimpsing the summer sun.
Then, when he’d worked up the nerve to call (after the help of some liquid courage and from within the safety of an empty office) the sound of her voice had lured him into a sanctuary of further boldness. Each word from her lips was as clear as a bell, her articulation precise and her tone welcoming. Eager, perhaps. He certainly hoped so.
Ebenezer polished off the glass’ last finger of whiskey before pulling up a new tab on his laptop. After loading the website of a local florist he knew from their work at other charity events, he began to browse through the different flower varieties and arrangement options.
What flowers should he bring? Tulips? Too juvenile. Roses? Certainly beautiful, but still not quite right. Orchids? No, lilies! And sunflowers. An unconventional combination, he supposed, but it seemed so perfect for her. The lilies for poise and elegance, and the sunflowers for the way she lit up even the darkest days in the darkest city with just one smile.
As he clicked through different options, he saw the phone he’d temporarily set aside vibrate gently upon his cherrywood desk.
He was greeted by a text from his younger twin brother.
>>Ebenezar: I can see the office light on from my flat. What the hell are you still doing there?
<<Ebenezer: I’ll be leaving shortly. I’m just grabbing a drink.
>>Ebenezar: Must be a strong drink – you were pacing around the office with the loopiest grin on that mug of yours. Now, you’re browsing for flowers?
Ebenezer went to the window and yanked the blinds shut. Blast, he’d forgotten his brother lived so close to the damn office.
<<Ebenezer: Spying? Are you so bored at home?
>>Ebenezar: I’m not calling on Yankee ladies like you. If that’s what you mean.
How the hell had he known? Blast, he must have heard him chatting about the phone conversation with Bob.
<<Ebenezer: Perhaps it would do you well. You’re handsome enough.
>>Ebenezar: ‘He was hilarious.’ That’s what they’ll say on the day someone finally knocks you on the head for your smartass comments.
<<Ebenezer: Pot, meet kettle. Like I said, I’ll be leaving shortly. Sorry to cut your entertainment short. When you start calling on Yankee ladies, I’ll warm them of your voyeurism.
>>Ebenezar: Smartass wanker.
Ebenezer rolled his eyes and pocketed the device, quite content to abandon his post and get some sleep. It was getting colder out, after all, and Constance had expressed hope that he’d head home soon.
In a way, he wanted to honor her wishes, even if she wasn’t technically present to witness it.
The fact that she cared so much made heat flood his cheeks, and he suddenly doubted if he’d even need his winter coat anymore to keep his blood from freezing.
I really hope you have a safe trip home. Goodnight, Ebenezer.
His heart started again. The blush didn’t leave his face, even after he’d closed his laptop and shut off the lights.
For a man who enjoyed a productive and jam-packed workweek, suddenly Saturday night couldn’t come fast enough.
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Terapagos' Hidden Power
Terapagos is the newest legendary Pokemon, introduced in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Indigo Disk DLC, the second part of the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. While the story of Scarlet and Violet isn’t over yet as we’re getting an epilogue in January, there’s a scene in the DLC that I absolutely have to talk about as the lore implications are nuts. Obviously there are gonna be spoilers for Indigo Disk, so if you haven’t played yet then you should probably click off this post now.
After capturing Terapagos in the Underdepths of Area Zero, you can gain access to a hidden interaction at Kitakami’s Crystal Pool, noteworthy for its… well, crystal formations of Terastal energy. Upon approaching the pool, Terapagos exits its Pokeball and calls forth a cloud of mist and, seemingly, Professor Sada/Turo before retreating back into its ball. This naturally prompts a discussion between the confused professor and the player, but it’s a brief discussion as after a few minutes the cloud of mist closes back in and takes the professor with it. While I won’t be going too in depth into the conversation with the professor, I will be going into how I think Terapagos is involved with it and revealing a potential hidden layer of mystery and intrigue to this new Pokemon.
Sada’s/Turo’s Arrival
So naturally, the arrival of Sada and Turo is what needs to be covered first as it’s what reveals new aspects of Terapagos to us. First, many would be led to assume that this is actually Professor Sada/Turo as this conversation takes place at the Crystal Pool, a location that’s said to allow people to speak to the dead. However, I believe this to be untrue. Early on in the conversation, Sada/Turo come to the conclusion that they must’ve been transported to the future by some unknown force.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ-SiGwyCKA)
This wouldn’t exactly make sense, though. After all, the implication about the Crystal Pool is that those you meet there are dead, so why would this be any different? Even the Milotic you battle with Carmine is coded to have the Tera Typing of Ghost to further allude to this fact. The time machine can’t be at fault either as AI Sada/Turo explicitly states that those who travel through time cannot return to the present, which we see Sada/Turo do. But what if what’s happening here isn’t time travel?
Milotic
As stated previously, the Milotic you battle with Carmine to obtain the Crystal Cluster needed to fix the Teal Mask is coded to have the Tera Type of Ghost. This isn’t a hugely known fact though, as it’s only really viewable if you look into the game’s code (or look at Bulbapedia like I did). Obviously since I’m bringing it up, I think it has some relevance here. I find it odd that despite giving this Milotic a Tera Type different from its original type, it never actually undergoes Terastalization. I mean, why not? Wouldn’t that get the idea of “meeting the dead” across a lot better? Not to mention, we’ve seen the ghost of a Pokemon before in the form of the Marowak from Pokemon Tower. Well…
I don’t think that Milotic is dead at all. In fact, I don’t think it was even alive before you first approached the Crystal Pool with Carmine. “This guy must be an idiot, what could he possibly be talking about?”. First, rude, my feelings :(. Second, I actually do have some evidence to back this claim up, and it all lies in…
The Scarlet/Violet Book
Trust me, I’m gonna tie this all together, just stick with me here. If you read the copy of the Scarlet/Violet book in the Academy, you’ll find a section titled “Monsters of Area Zero”. It’s the section of the book that goes over the first discovery of Great Tusk/Iron Treads, as shown in the photo provided below.
(Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonScarletViolet/comments/zi7ef7/mysteries_of_the_scarletviolet_book_unlocked/)
So why’s this important? It’s simple, really. Quoting Arven:
“Wait, hold on... Isn't my mom's/dad's time machine the whole reason the ancient/future Pokémon ended up here in the first place? This book is from way before she/he made the time machine, but it mentions ancient/future Pokémon. Isn't that kinda...weird?”
Why yes, Arven, it IS weird! This entry basically confirms that the time machine isn’t what’s creating the Paradox Pokemon. Something else within Area Zero is creating these Pokemon from the “past” or “future” based on which game you play. I think the same thing is happening at the Crystal Lake with Milotic and Sada/Turo. That wasn’t a Milotic, and that isn’t Sada/Turo, they’re recreations of a Milotic and the professor made with Terastal energy. And who molded these recreations?
Terapagos and the “Time Machine”
Time to tie this all together with a neat bow. Yeah, there’s obviously a reason that Terapagos’ presence is required for this interaction to happen. It made the Sada/Turo that the player interacts with at the Crystal Pool, just like how it made the Paradox Pokemon originating in Area Zero. Yeah, I’m going as far as to say it also created the Paradox Pokemon. The “time machine” was powered by Terastal energy, the same energy used to create the Milotic, the phantom professor, and presumably our Koraidon/Miraidon. The idea might strike some as odd, as if it’s not a time machine, when what is it?
While it’s hard to say what it is for certain, we can make some inferences on its true identity. Like I said, the whole machine is powered by Terastal energy, which I’m theorizing has the power to create entirely new organisms. The most difficult part to intuit is what it creates organisms from, but I think I have a pretty solid idea: imagination. Think about the first Pokemon that was pulled through the machine. Koraidon or Miraidon, depending on the version of the game you’re playing. These Pokemon are meant to represent past and future versions of Cylizar, as stated by their dex entries:
Koraidon’s Violet Dex Entry: “This Pokémon resembles Cyclizar, but it is far burlier and more ferocious. Nothing is known about its ecology or other features.”Miraidon’s Scarlet Dex Entry: “Much remains unknown about this creature. It resembles Cyclizar, but it is far more ruthless and powerful.”
And what Pokemon was Heath, someone who you could say Sada/Turo idolized, prominently shown with in the Scarlet/Violet book, a volume which the professor admits is precious to them in their conversation with you at the Crystal Pool? Why, Cyclizar, of course!
(Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonScarletViolet/comments/zi7ef7/mysteries_of_the_scarletviolet_book_unlocked/)
I just can’t see this being a coincidence whatsoever, the choice to give Heath a Cyclizar while making both box legendaries past and future forms of it just feels so intentional. The Paradox Pokemon having been created during the original expedition makes sense as well. Before they had ever seen a Paradox Pokemon, they had been researching the regular Pokemon they were finding in Area Zero, and given that they were scientists it’s natural to assume they were most likely theory crafting what other kinds of Pokemon could live down there. It was only after a couple days of descending into Area Zero that the team encountered their first Paradox Pokemon. This could even explain why the Milotic at the Crystal Pool had a unique Ghost Tera Type; meeting the dead at the Crystal Pool is a common folktale in Kitakami, and the Crystal Pool is full of crystals of Terastal energy, just like Area Zero.
So, let’s wrap that neat little bow on all this. Terastal energy is clearly some form of creation energy, as it’s been shown to create not only the Paradox Pokemon, but also Milotic and even a duplicate professor. We’ve only ever seen this form of creation occur in two places: Area Zero and the Crystal Pool. Terapagos is stated to be the source of the Terastal phenomenon in it’s Scarlet Pokedex entry…:
“Terapagos protects itself using its power to transform energy into hard crystals. This Pokémon is the source of the Terastal phenomenon.”
…and the interaction with the professor at the Crystal Pool does not happen without the player catching Terapagos. The “time machine” is really a machine that brings Pokemon from your imagination to life, and the Crystal Pool shows you terastal energy copies of those who have passed away rather than genuine ghosts. With all that in mind…
Terapagos’ Hidden Power
The true power of Terapagos, the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, is the power of creation. Be it replications of deceased individuals and books they held dear, or entirely new Pokemon that have never existed before, Terapagos can pull ideas from the minds of individuals and, using Terastal energy, will them into reality.
#pokemon#pokemon scarlet#pokemon violet#pokemon scarlet and violet#pokemon scarvi#the indigo disk#indigo disc spoilers#the hidden treasure of area zero#terapagos#professor sada#professor turo#heath
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Young Royals Perfectly Understands Frustrating Teenagers
*Spoiler Alert for the whole series*
This Netflix-produced Swedish teen drama just wrapped up its third and final season. It follows the second-in-line to the Swedish throne, Wilhelm “Willie” navigating a fancy boarding school rife with toxic social hierarchies and a crippling addiction to dangerous traditions, while also discovering his sexuality. Suddenly, his older brother dies and he’s now the crown prince, when no one ever expected him to have this responsibility, including himself. His jerk of a cousin records him and his new secret boyfriend being intimate and so ensues three seasons of drama surrounding the chaos of this poor kid being outed to the whole world, and the damage of publicity on his relationships.
*I watched this with subtitles and cannot comment on the quality of any dub.
This show is incredibly frustrating, because its characters are frustrating—because they’re incredibly believably teenagers who stake their entire futures on a high school fling. Willie and his love interest, Simon, are in a constant struggle over Willie’s great expectations as the new crown prince and Simon, of a lower social class, having a great many demands over how he thinks he should be able to live his life.
The characters have a ton of depth and that goes well beyond the two leads. The villain of the show, August, the evil cousin, is a hot mess who can’t do anything right. One that absolutely expects to peak in high school and sail through adulthood on his family’s legacy. He’s also Willie’s spare if he abdicates the throne, a rather unique twist on the prince trope I haven’t seen very often. Willie doesn’t want to be king, but he hates the idea of August on the throne even more, and, if only to spite his cousin, strays way outside of his comfort zone and ignores his own wants and desires to make sure he becomes king.
Other side characters include the dudebro boys of their school, also all dickish aristocrats, the ladies’ side of the school, and Simon’s sister's relationship with these socialites and her awesome best friend, Felice.
—
*spoiler alert again*
These two characters, Willie and Simon, are terrible for each other. Simon is too young and immature to understand and appreciate the demands of being royalty in a modern setting. He gets upset at Willie for all manner of things—that Simon has to watch what he posts on social media, who he talks to, who he takes pictures with, what statements he makes, and his unrealistic expectations of any politician. Every time he gets upset, I understand that he’s 17, but I’m also scowling at my TV thinking, “What exactly did you expect, dating royalty?”
Willie, on the other hand, bends over backwards for this guy and desperately needs to actually attend his therapy sessions instead of angsting over his doomed-to-fail romance. They’re entertaining, but they are so, so stressful to watch, whether it’s their many arguments or whenever they start making out in a public place where they can be caught.
They break up, get back together, break up, get back together. In the 11th hour of season 3, Simon officially breaks it off and I actually cheered. I figured the finale would end with the sick queen’s funeral and Willie reluctantly accepting his birthright.
That did not happen. Instead, Willie and August have a rushed “all’s forgiven” conversation, he abdicates, and runs after Simon to be free of a responsibility he never wanted. On the one hand, yes, he never wanted to be king, that much was clear from the moment he found out he was the new crown prince, but on the other hand—Willie wasn’t the character who needed to change for this relationship to work.
Simon was.
Simon, who argued with him constantly over the conservative nature of the monarchy, for all the stances Willie wasn’t allowed to take because of his rank. Simon could have ended this season either breaking up with him for good, or committing to the responsibility of loving royalty, and the two could have looked to a future of slew of progressive changes once Willie had the authority to enact change as king.
August won’t enact shit. August who, upon telling his friends that he’s the new second-in-line, realizes acutely how miserable he’s about to be for the long rest of his life. I half expected this guy to not survive to the end of the season with how self-destructive he is.
It feels like they had a different direction planned for the finale and someone somewhere cut it down. That, or Netflix's "3 season" rule made no exceptions and they had to rush to the finish line.
—
Overall, they’re frustrating, but they’re also incredibly well-written teenagers. The constant pop/club music over actual score got annoying but it’s an exposure to artists I never listen to. The acting is fantastic across the board, as well, along with the editing and cinematography. The actual plot, up to the finale, was engaging and well thought out, with these two heirs duking it out in a cold war with the entire school caught in the middle.
Maybe I just don’t understand Swedish teenagers. I certainly can’t speak to if this at all reflects the reality of Swedish culture and living under a monarchy. It’s a shame that, in my opinion, it didn’t quite stick the landing with the messages it wanted to send, but the show’s a solid, if stressful watch, and a short one at that.
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So I’ve seen a couple of these going around but here’s my thoughts on how I would want Wish improved because nothing bugs me more than a movie that I feel could have been SO GOOD but was held back by something (cough corporate cough)
SPOILERS FOR WISH 2023
-Have Asha start off AS King Magnifico’s apprentice, she’s totally loyal and his number one fan etc, I’ve seen a couple of ideas where maybe she should have been an orphan cause a) classic disney b) did her family actually do anything?
-So she gets to finally be trusted to see the wishes, we see that scene and it basically plays out as in canon, she questions why are most of these never granted? Why is it an arbitrary system only You decide? Why not give the wishes back if you’re not gonna grant them cause they are “unsafe”?
-Magnifico intimidates/gets after her enough that she backs down, tries to convince herself that he knows what he’s doing, it’s not her place to question etc
-We still have “This Wish” song play as Asha can’t help but question and same thing happens, a star responds. Only instead of chibi star we get shapeshifting human star LIKE WAS ORIGINALLY PLANNED
-Asha freaks out and tries to disguise the star as a regular human cause oh no magic is forbidden which is kind of hard to do when this kid barely knows how to walk or talk like the average citizen and also keeps trying to eat their own shirt
-“Are you a boy or a girl btw?” “I’m a celestial being from outer space.” “Fair enough”.
-Meanwhile Magnifico is freaking out because he knows a star fell and he Wants It for its power
-It all comes to a head when Asha gets to witness her only human friend Simon giving his wish to the king and she’s Horrified because the change in Simon is instant and disturbing it’s like something inside Simon has died
-There’s a confrontation, Star attacks Magnifico to protect their new friend Asha, they have to leave the kingdom in a hurry
-Maybe Star and Asha find other people who are hiding out from the kingdom who have been wrongly treated by the king, maybe that’s where Asha can meet the other friends who were totally unmemorable in the original
-Star starts teaching Asha magic so she can fight back against Magnifico one day, maybe we also have a falling in love montage? Hey we haven’t had a romance in a while.
-Meanwhile back in the kingdom Magnifico is going nuts/more dictator as he tries to hunt Asha and the star down “This is the Thanks I Get”
-Climax plays a lot like the original the gang tries to free the wishes, Star gets captured and sucked into Magnifico’s staff which is a lot more horrifying if it’s a sentient person
-WE 👏 GET 👏 A 👏 PROPER 👏 ASHA VS MAGNIFICO MAGIC FIGHT
Either Magnifico gets sucked into a mirror again or, in true classic disney villain fashion, he gets thrown off a high building to his death
I dunno I think in general one of the main problems was the main characters struggle wasn’t as relatable. “I want to save the wishes” is vague and kind of confusing
“I just found out my political leader is not who I thought he was, now I have to decide between keeping the status quo or fighting for what I know to be right and what I believe in even if I may lose friends and family?”
THAT is relatable.
Aaand Disney would never have the guts but I can dream can’t i?
#wish 2023#wish 2023 spoilers#sorry guys i couldn’t think of anything for amaya#i’m not sure she was necessary tbh
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Leviathan is actually OP: Expansion Pack
Alright here’s all of the reasons why Leviathan is OP as FUCK. [ This is the quick version. ]
Now before we begin! These are just part of my personal Levi headcanons and in no way am I caught up to the lore. I just re-read the fanwiki to fact check.
Also spoiler warning for Levi Lore!
Alright now let’s get into this Gamers!
First things first, what is a Leviathan in the first place? It’s a big ass sea monster (A Sea Serpent if you wanna get specific) that’s on a level similar or, dare I say, better than Angels. They are neither Angel nor Demon but something entirely in their own lane. Depending on what lore you read it is either the Embodiment of Chaos itself or just straight up some weird, scary, powerful thing God threw in the ocean. Honestly I like the juxtaposition of this snake. It furthers the Levi OP Theory I have.
Now, as we all know our own Levi is a water snake as well. He obviously isn’t always a big, monstrous snake, but from his demon form alone it’s likely he’s able to transform into one if we are going off the logic that Demons can appear as whatever they want to be seen as. BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT MAKES HIM OP! What truly got me thinking about the fact that Leviathans aren’t seen in heaven. So just how did he become a General of the Celestial Army as an Angel? Personally, my head cannon is that Mammon found him while running away from Michael one day but that’s besides the point. Also, Generals are pretty high in ranking so this also begs the question of just what type of angel was he? Whatever he was, he had to be pretty strong in the Celestial Realm to be that high in their Army, right?
This brings me to his rank among the brothers. Leviathan is the Third strongest Demon Lord and is the Grand Admiral of Hell’s Navy. That’s a pretty high fucking ranking out of every single demon in the Devildom. Yet despite this high ranking Leviathan is often seen as “weak” and “out of shape” to the point that he can’t jump rope or run one lap around the HoL. Most often attribute this to him being a chronic gamer and rarely ever leaving his room. I, however, call bullshit.
There is no way he’s the Grand Admiral of the Navy and he’s out of shape! It just doesn’t make sense!!!
The fact that he still has that title not only implies that he’s still very much in that position, but Hell’s Navy is still functioning. Now I don’t know shit about how the navy works or anything like that but I do know that’s not a position you can still have by sitting on your ass all day. The fact that he’s “out of shape” also contradicts directly with the fact that he uploads dance videos on Deviltube to support his idols. As someone who has tried to do idol dances, there is no fucking way he’s doing that if he can’t even jump rope. I’m being serious. Knowing that Levi likes anime character types like Ruri-chan and a group called “Starlet Hearts” leads me to believe he’s probably doing “cutesy” idol dances which are often high-energy and have a bunch of jumping.
If you’re curious on just much jumping, energy, and coordination goes into these types dances then I implore you to watch [ This classic cover ] and think about how this is the style of dances that Levi is most likely uploading on to Deviltube. And seeing how one of his videos goes viral, he’s probably very good at it too.
Now think about how he “can’t jump rope and run around the HoL”. It’s not possible that both are correct.
If you’re still not convinced that Levi is OP as fuck then I offer you this nugget of information. Leviathan says if he was in water then he and Mammon would be on the same level pretty much. Mammon, who is the fastest demon in the entire Devildom and has more control over his power than all 6 of his brothers. Mammon the Second strongest Demon Lord in the Devildom. Now fact check me if I’m wrong (which I could be, I haven’t been able to find the screenshot of him saying this), but this just further pushes into my fish out of water analogy. Leviathan has a terrifying amount of strength in the water not just from his muscles but the powers he possesses as well.
Leviathan calls himself the “Master of Water itself” when summoning Lotan. He has the power to not only summon Lotan, who is older (and most likely more powerful ) than Levi, but also can control all of the magical creatures in the sea. Pair this with the fact that he can conjure a trident and throw it like it’s a baseball…. He’s Strong as fuck! Let’s not even get into the fact that in mythology the Leviathan is like a younger version of Lotan. The sheer amount of power it would take to have control over every single magical creature in the ocean is mind boggling. One would think the Avatar of Envy would want to have the image of being the strongest so others could envy him, right?
Wrong.
There’s two reasons for why Levi could be not showing his full strength and when combined offer a whole new view of our lovely shut-in.
Reason one: Self-Esteem
It’s been shown to us time and time again that Levi has a low self-esteem to the point where he regularly calls himself a “lowly otaku”. He truly believes he doesn’t deserve the basic decency that is MC wanting to hang out with him. To me, this implies that Levi truly doesn’t see himself as a strong being. He sees his power to summon Lotan as a boost of an intimidation, not strength. So for him, the Title of Grand Admiral is the equivalent of a beginner rank he got in a game. It’s the bare minimum. He thinks anyone could do it. He takes his place as third place and nothing more because he doesn’t think he’s anything better then that. He convinces himself that all of his brothers must be stronger despite his obvious skills.
Reason two: Strategy
Being the Grand Admiral of Hell’s Navy means you have to lead hundreds if not thousands of troops. You have to have plans on top of plans for everything. You can’t lead a squad into a fight without a good strategy. You can’t tell me Leviathan doesn’t know how to strategize with all of the games he plays either. As a gamer myself, I can tell you right now I’ve used my knowledge in games to get through completely new games easily just based on general knowledge. Being the leader of such a group also requires meticulous planning skills which Levi definitely plans. You can’t play multiple on-going games and not plan how to play events if you want to get the best rank in them. Knowing Levi, he probably applies this logic in everyday life. Whether it’s from anxiety or not, Levi goes as far as to plan out how conversations go which further help him prepare for any outcomes. He also probably has incredible pattern recognition as well from all of the different games he plays. That’s something that’s incredibly useful when seeing how past battles have gone down or how to spot any inconsistencies. Now here’s where it ties into the Levi Op Theory. I believe Leviathan uses his gamer/otaku image to throw everyone off of his trail as the third strongest. After all, what better strategy to best your enemies is there then to fool them into thinking you’re weak and frail? If everyone thinks you can’t even run around the house then they will underestimate you in battle. Spending hours charting Devildom maps out is nothing compared to memorizing the entire map to 6 different games with expansion packs plus rhythm game master charts. Defeating an entire battalion is nothing more than a flick of the wrist when the entire battalion is only 50 low rank demons. The Avatar of Envy is such because those around him are jealous of the seemingly random power boosts he gets in battle.
Combine those two together and you get a wave of pure nightmare fuel because the boss you’re fighting against has 4 extra stages that he didn’t even know about.
Leviathan is a UR++ card hidden behind the guise of an already upgraded S rank card.
Okay I think that’s all of my thoughts on why Levi is OP. Feel free to let me know your thoughts. To put the icing on the cake, I didn’t even plan for Levi to become one of my comfort characters but he’s among my top 5 Obey Me best boys now lmao
#obey me#obey me! shall we date?#obey me headcanons#obey me leviathan#obey me levi hc#obey me shall we date#obey me hcs#obey me crack
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