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tsarisfanfiction · 1 year

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Eclipse: Chapter 21

Fandom: Trials of Apollo Rating: Teen Genre: Family/Adventure Characters: Apollo, Hades Finally we made some progress! But we still have a few things left to tackle... The ichor warning is back for this chapter! I have a discord server for all my fics, including this one! If you wanna chat with me or with other readers about stuff I write (or just be social in general), hop on over and say hi! <<Chapter 20

HADES XXI Trust The Ears of The God of Music

Hades had not intended in confessing his inadvertent fondness for his nephew, but after the warm – bordering on scorching hot, although never painful – essence had fluctuated with sadness, despair and self-loathing, of all things, he had found himself unable to keep his silence. He had known that Apollo was far more than the foolish clown he liked to play, but to feel it, so raw where it tangled with his own essence in a way that reminded him of small, nervous children hiding behind their mother, almost afraid to trust, had startled- no, shocked him.

Then again, Zeus was about as good at being a father as he was at being a brother, so perhaps it should not be a surprise that part of Apollo hesitated to trust his own family. Hades himself would be a hypocrite if he said he trusted most of them.

He didn’t fully trust Apollo, either, trusted no-one completely, not even his wife who parted from him for half of each year nor the Chthonic gods creeping around the Underworld, each with their own agendas despite their general obedience. However, he trusted his bright nephew more than most; Apollo didn’t flee from him, didn’t dismiss him out of hand or straight up ignore his existence. Apollo listened to him, allowed him to vent about woes their brethren simply laughed at, if they even paid attention at all.

Apollo was kind, in a way Olympus didn’t allow its occupants to be, and once Hades realised it was no act to catch him off guard and throw back in his face a century or several later, he had begun to appreciate that small flame amidst an ocean of derision and deceit. His words had not been a lie; he had no desire to see that small flame extinguished by the horrors of Tartarus.

Hades had not been able to explain all of that to Apollo – it would have been too much, a level of exposure that ran beyond indecent and into mortification – and had taken the loophole offered by his nephew’s open-ended why to avoid further baring his innermost thoughts and feelings.

As Apollo had not pressed for further details, he presumed that his nephew, too, did not wish to face those depths and was, if not content, at least able to continue with only the information offered.

Of more pressing concern was Styx’s curses. Of the two, the voice was the lesser evil, not least because while Apollo had proven multiple times that his voice held a power that Tartarus could not fully disregard, it was not his primary weapon. His nephew’s loss of his archery prowess was far more concerning, but Apollo had made no move to summon his bow or refill his empty quiver, even after Hades had done what he could to mitigate the curses of the goddess.

Apollo was not a one-trick god; Hades had heard tell of his speed and of his wrestling. Hermes and Ares both had never forgiven the sun god for their respective defeats, and those stories had made it even as far as the Underworld and Hades’ ears. That still did not make the loss of their ranged offense any less potent.

They were not far away from the prison, now. There was still no sign of the gleaming brass fortress on what passed for a horizon in the depths of the Pit, but Hades knew it did not lay too far up from the merging of the rivers, which they were only somewhat below, and now the correct side of. The raging of the Acheron was a near-silent call on the edge of his hearing, too far away to have any effect, but close enough to be there, to remind Hades of how it felt to be torn apart straight down to his essence.

How Apollo had found the strength to pull them both clear, Hades did not want to ponder. He suspected that was a trail of thought that would meander too close to the mortal trials Hades knew little of.

He was well acquainted with how much torment the mortal body could endure before it broke. He had seen souls finally pushed over the edge too many times not to.

No, that was not a thought he wished to pursue any further.

Hades instead cast his thoughts and attention to their surroundings, searching for any signs of approaching threats. Two injured gods would no doubt be a temptation to any monsters that caught sight of them, although so far in the depths of Tartarus, beyond where even most monsters ventured, they would be not just tempted, but also likely powerful enough to present a true danger.

His only consolation was that he and Apollo were both on guard, and that with the large expanse of visibility, nothing would be able to catch them unawares. Regardless, he was not keen to linger longer than necessary.

“We should probably keep moving.” Clearly, Apollo’s thoughts ran along similar lines, as his nephew’s broken and rasping voice reached Hades’ ears.

“are you fit to continue?” Hades asked in response, glancing over his shoulder at his nephew to assess his condition. His voice sounded no less rasping than immediately after he had pulled away from their mutual healing session, and Hades wondered – feared – that it would improve no further until Styx was satisfied.

What that meant for Apollo’s archery skills, he did not wish to contemplate.

“Fit enough,” Apollo replied. “Are you?”

Hades assessed himself. The curses from the Arai had all but entirely faded through Apollo’s intervention, and he felt no concern about a relapse. As long as they evaded the Arai, there should be no further issues.

“I am,” he said, and felt his nephew pull himself to his feet behind him.

“Then we should keep moving,” Apollo said. “I can’t say I want to stay in the Pit any longer than necessary.” That was a sentiment Hades fully shared, and he needed no further hints to pull himself to his feet in turn, casting another glance at the expanse of membrane surrounding them before facing his nephew.

Apollo’s hand was twitching, as though it missed the feel of a bow nestled in its palm. From the slight furrows in the handsome god’s otherwise perfect face, Hades suspected it was not just the hand of the god that missed the weapon.

When the bow haltingly materialised in Apollo’s palm, Hades had to resist making any indication of relief. Apollo had no such reservations, and relief broke across his face much like Hades faintly recalled clouds breaking apart to reveal the sun behind them again.

“Can you use it?” he felt compelled to ask. Apollo’s expression shifted into something complex, and Hades watched his stance adjust infinitesimally, changing the way the god stood in a single fluid moment until Apollo was standing with his bow at full draw, an arrow materialised from somewhere resting on the string.

It looked reassuring, but Apollo made a dejected noise as he released the tension without firing the arrow.

“Use it, I suppose,” he admitted, sounding like his mouth suddenly had too many teeth for its size and choking his voice up even further than Styx’s curse. “Use it well is… another matter entirely.” There was resignation in his voice, but also a hint of bitterness. Hades had never found himself bereft of his own domains before – weakened, certainly, and he could recall the time before the claiming of his domains, when he was simply a god and not a god of something, with no degree of fondness – so he could not empathise with Apollo’s plight. He could, however, bring enough conceptual thought to the possibility to at least feel some sympathy for his nephew – but it would do neither of them any favours.adHa

“That will have to suffice,” he said, pitching his tone to convey some degree of acknowledgement that the situation was not ideal – that Apollo was upset. Fortunately, his nephew was no fool, and did not attempt to argue futilely as he placed the arrow back in the near-empty quiver at his side and took a small step forwards, shifting his weight back out of his shooting stance.

“Maybe it’ll come back more in time,” Apollo muttered, sounding less than hopeful about it.

“Perhaps,” Hades agreed, more with the ideal than any real hope himself, either. “The prison is this way.” He didn’t bother to add the caveat that he was not completely certain, nor orientated. While true, he did recall that they needed to be further up the slopes of Tartarus, away from the deepest depths and the eventual inevitability of Chaos at the end of things.

Having spent so long descending through the Pit, it was a relief to finally be headed upwards again. His own domain was still far above them – and Apollo’s were even further way, barely a concept to Tartarus – but moving towards it, rather than further away, felt right.

Apollo followed his lead, lapsing into silence not for the first time since they had entered Tartarus, and it was no less disconcerting than the first time, although Hades could understand it, this time. Just because some of his voice had restored did not mean the rasping husk was pleasant to listen to, and for Apollo, whose voice had always been beautiful even in simple conversation, it was no doubt torturous.

He also, Hades observed out of the corner of his eye as they walked, his nephew a bare half-step behind him, appeared to be focusing on replenishing his quiver, despite his far reduced archery skills. Each arrow took time to appear, worse than even against Orion. It was abundantly clear that Apollo would not be able to fire off arrows indiscriminately in a confrontation – each shot would have to be carefully measured, and with Styx’s curse also affecting his ability to shoot, there was little guarantee that they would hit the intended mark.

Or any mark at all.

The prevailing silence of his nephew was not, however, enough to distract Hades from the first signs of Apollo noticing something. His head raised from where he had been watching his quiver as he walked, and his fingers began to once again tap out a rhythm that was becoming familiar to Hades after multiple performances as eyes of fire scanned the landscape ahead of them intently.

Hades had almost fallen foul of ignoring Apollo’s warning signs once. It was not a mistake he intended on repeating.

“What is it?” he asked.

“You don’t hear it?” Apollo replied, voice quiet but filled with an intent that ought to bode ill for whoever had crossed the god.

Hades had been unable to hear anything except their footsteps echoing against the taut membrane of Tartarus for some time. The cries of the Acheron had faded away into nothing shortly into their advance, leaving a notable gap of sound, and nothing substantial had broken that silence since.

Apollo was the god of music, for all that Styx had targeted that domain as part of her vengeance. It made sense, Hades realised abruptly, for his hearing to be keener than even most gods’.

“I do not,” he confirmed, assessing the way Apollo’s face had clouded over in an expression not too dissimilar to those he had worn when he had deemed Hades a threat to Asclepius – except, this time, the death-promising glare was not settling on him, but rather a nebulous point ahead of them. “What do you hear?”

“A voice,” Apollo told him, his own rasp low and fierce. “Calling for help.”

There was the possibility that a soul that should not have been sentenced to Tartarus had ended up there by mistake – certainly in the past year of mortal reckoning, entrances to the Pit appeared to have been opening directly into the Overworld with a frequency that almost guaranteed innocent souls falling foul of its chasms. There was the possibility that whoever Apollo could hear, they had nothing to do with his son, nor the titans and giants furious and scheming within the Pit.

Hades dismissed those possibilities instantly. Apollo would not have worn such a furious expression if the voice belonged to an innocent party. Even if he could not identify the owner of the voice, there was something about the apparent cries for help that his nephew did not take kindly to.

“Calling my son.” It wasn’t a question, but Apollo nodded regardless, confirming Hades’ instant suspicion.

“By name,” he said, then, “I recognise the voice.”

Hades did not know whether to hope it was Iapetus, foolishly requesting his son’s help, or if his original instincts were correct and the voice’s owner was a giant, rather than a titan. Were it Iapetus, he would be justified in punishing the titan severely, no matter his intentions. Summoning Nico into the Pit was unforgivable on all accounts.

Alcyoneus, however, would be a difficult battle, comparable to Apollo’s original encounter with Orion in Tartarus as best Hades could approximate.

Regardless, this was not a confrontation that Hades would allow them to pass by – not that Apollo appeared any more inclined to so, judging by the way he had a hand in his now-bristling quiver, and a look so bright it was dark on his face.

Apollo had always treated Nico well, and held him in high regard, even before the demigod had become romantically involved with the god’s own son. Hades was well aware that it was almost entirely down to the actions of the Twins that Nico, at least, had survived long enough to reach Camp Half-Blood for the first time (Artemis had failed to protect Bianca, yes, but with the pain of grief muffled into an ache, Hades was at least aware that his niece had tried).

It was true that Hades himself held no thoughts for William’s potential trip to Tartarus beyond the effect it would have on his own son, but it was equally true that Apollo cared for both demigods, even if his original plan had presumably still included Nico’s return to the Pit.

Even if it was Alcyoneus, Hades would not allow the calling to continue, and he was confident he could trust Apollo to share in that opinion.

“Lead the way,” he ordered, drawing his sword from its sheath.

There was no verbal response from his nephew, but an arrow was nocked to the string of the golden bow in his hand, before Apollo inclined his head purposefully, indicating a direction that was slightly off to one side from their original route, across the slope of Tartarus rather than further up it. If Hades had his bearings accurate, it was towards the delta where all five rivers mingled.

The so-called Delta of Despair, as he had told Apollo what felt like eons ago, before the Acheron and the Arai had torn them both apart. He supposed that was an appropriate place to hold the confrontation.

There was no thought about passing by, about doing anything other than marching in the direction of the voice with the full intent of annihilation. It was true that their aim had been the prison itself, but that had always been a proxy, an approximation of the most likely place to find the source of the voice summoning his son to the depths of Tartarus.

Now they had found the source of the voice, the prison was of no concern to him.

Apollo led the way, heading directly where his inclined head had indicated. Neither of them spoke, and Hades strained his hearing, searching for the first distant sounds of a voice, of the voice.

It was difficult to judge how long it took – not that Hades particularly cared about tracking the passage of time at that moment regardless – but the voice reached his ears before any of the vocal rivers’ distant cacophonies. Hades spared them no heed as they screamed on the very edges of his hearing, not after hearing the low, rumbling tones akin to the earth tearing itself apart and cascading together again.

He had suspected – more than suspected – that his bane was the true source of the summons plaguing his son. The giant was crafty, and vengeful – Hades was somewhat surprised that Nico was the one he had attempted to lure down, when the demigod that had proven to be a significant issue to the giant was a different person entirely, but it was also true that she would likely have recognised the voice and not been deceived.

Nico, on the other hand, had never directly interacted with Alcyoneus, and also showed clear guilt over Iapetus’ fate within Tartarus. Undoubtably, he was the easier, the softer target, to the giant’s mind.

Hades’ essence churned at the mere thought of it.

He shared a look with Apollo, a glare that wasn’t aimed at his nephew but broadcasted that he, too, was now in earshot of the giant begging Nico for help – to fall into the trap and be torn apart by if not Alcyoneus himself, at least Tartarus and its various inhabitants. Apollo matched the glare with his own, a mutual understanding that Alcyoneus had gone too far and that neither of them would stand for it.

In his hand, his sword vibrated, his anger pulsing through the Stygian Iron and causing the dark metal to deepen, indescribable patterns of void swirling across and through its presence, yearning for something to absorb and eliminate from existence entirely. Considering how Orion had withstood its effects, reducing it to no more than a regular sword, it was highly doubtful that Alcyoneus himself would be so easily downed, but that knowledge did nothing to sate his desire to see the giant disappear from existence forever more.

Alongside Alcyoneus’ voice – pitch raised a little from the voice that haunted Hades’ recall, no doubt in a further attempt at deception but still unmistakable to the one he was born to oppose – the rushing of water gradually entered his awareness. Hades judged that the Delta could not be far, and raised the hand not holding his sword in a gesture for Apollo to halt.

There was no point in the pair of them entering the Delta together, alerting the giant to his approaching doom. The moment Apollo paused, meeting his eyes in silent askance, Hades activated the Helm, disappearing from sight and tangibility. His nephew’s eyes widened, focusing on where Hades stood for a moment before flickering around, taking in their surroundings and, Hades realised, a futile attempt to find where he had gone.

Apollo would be no match for Alcyoneus – even if he had his full archery prowess, Alcyoneus was one of the most powerful giants, and even taking into consideration that Orion was specifically crafted to oppose him and his twin, Apollo had struggled badly against the weaker giant. Hades was not so overconfident as to assume he could defeat Alcyoneus single-handed – such thoughts would be foolish in the extreme; it had taken the combined strength of himself and Herakles the first time – but Apollo would be of little help in close quarters.

He would leave it up to his nephew to determine how best to intervene, given his current limitations. The brief thought flickered through his mind that Apollo would stay back, out of the fight, but it was banished almost immediately. If there was something about his nephew Hades had learned since their time together in the Pit, or perhaps remembered was the more accurate term – it was that Apollo did not back down, even when he was nominally outmatched.

Sure enough, as he slipped forwards, cresting a ridge of membrane and finally laying eyes on his bane for the first time in millennia, he caught sight of Apollo shifting where he stood, creeping forwards on silent feet and raising his bow.

The Helm united Hades with the shadows; even in Tartarus, it held its effect – in fact, Hades suspected the deep darkness of the Pit drew out degrees of shadow that not even the Underworld could emulate. With his back to him, Alcyoneus had no way of registering his approach until it was too late, Hades’ sword raised and ready to run him through as he increased his size to match the giant’s stature.

It wouldn’t be enough to kill the giant, but it would set the advantage in Hades’ court, pinning Alcyoneus on the back foot – so to speak – as their confrontation continued.

Giants could not see through the Helm. Hades recalled the discord he had sowed between Giants and Titans alike during the wars clearly enough to recall that. Orion’s hunting instincts had allowed him to react to the attacks, but even he, with his keen eyes combined with Hephaestus’ technology, hadn’t been able to see Hades.

Alcyoneus – a creature of the Underworld, of the darkness and shadows, Hades’ opposite and equivalent, in a body whose revived form had been reconstructed by Pluto’s own daughter – turned, black opal eyes boring straight into Hades’ own. The gigantic staff in his hand slammed into Hades’ blade, turning it aside and deflecting the stroke harmlessly past.

“Hades,” the giant greeted, dropping the fake pitch. His voice rumbled around the Delta loudly, the sound akin to a collapsing cavern. “Marvellous!” The staff swung back around, the intangibility of the Helm somehow doing nothing to stop its collision with Hades’ side, sending him crashing sideways.

Dazed, and caught a little off guard himself at how little Alcyoneus appeared affected by the Helm, Hades pushed himself back off the ground. His bane didn’t seem interested in hitting him while he was down, instead those black opal eyes bored straight into his with rabid, hungry delight.

“I thought I would have to content myself with destroying your children,” the giant loomed, leaning on his staff. Dark red hair liberally threaded through with gemstones of every type fell across his shoulder as his solid silver teeth bared in a manic grin. “But it seems Hades himself has fallen into my trap.”

Hades threw himself to the side as the staff whipped around again, lightning fast, and deflected it with his sword as it swung too close for comfort. Alcyoneus laughed, an awful grating sound not too dissimilar to Styx’s original curse on Apollo’s voice, and Hades slashed at him with his blade.

His actions were rushed, hurried in a way millennia had taught him he shouldn’t fight, but on the back foot, unable to determine why the Helm was failing to work on his bane when it clearly concealed him from his nephew in the direct opposite of Hades’ ideal preference, and facing the real threat of one of the most powerful giants, it was difficult to find the opportunity to recentre himself as Alcyoneus pressed forward, holding the same advantage Hades had intended to have.

The arrow that glanced off of the brassy shoulder powering the staff startled him almost as much as Alcyoneus.

The giant paused, glancing around their surroundings to no doubt find the source, and Hades took the opportunity to pull himself back up to his full, giant-equivalent, height, and adjusted the Helm on his head as his thoughts took advantage of the split second of Alcyoneus’ distraction to reorganise themselves.

Invisibility was doing him no favours; it would be disorientating Apollo, whose aim was clearly suffering dreadfully – the arrow hadn’t even made a dent in the metallic sheen of Alcyoneus’ skin, and Hades was certain the shoulder had not been where Apollo intended to hit, either – and the giant could see through it with ease. More than that, he was also managing to counter the intangibility it gave Hades, and Hades had no way of telling if that was specifically relating to Alcyoneus’ attacks, or if it also opened him to unexpected friendly fire from Apollo.

Given that Apollo’s aim was obviously dreadful, the chances of ending up on the receiving end of a arrow were far higher than the usual zero (wayward, at least. Intentional arrows were another matter entirely, but Hades did not think Apollo would shoot him, not while they were in Tartarus and united against a common enemy – and he liked to think not even otherwise). Hades cursed Styx for her choice of retribution – he and Alcyoneus were in theory equally matched, but Tartarus favoured the giant and Hades’ only ally was his nephew. Having his nephew’s greatest offensive skill stripped from him did not put them in a good position.

Fear would also likely impact Apollo far worse than the giant, so with a displeased frown, Hades let the Helm’s power fade away, bringing him back into the visible realm.

Alcyoneus laughed again, sharp like raw diamond, no doubt sensing weakness, and pressed forwards again, ignoring Apollo much the same way Orion had ignored Hades.

Hades could not expect Apollo to forcibly draw Alcyoneus’ attention towards him in the same way – the younger god would not be a match for the powerful giant by himself even at full strength, let alone with two of his domains compromised – but he hoped Apollo would continue to find at least some methods of assisting, despite his limitations.

He didn’t dare look away from Alcyoneus to see what Apollo was doing, however. Not when the giant was pressing forwards, staff spinning and whistling through Tartarus’ miasma with all the skill of a master wielder. Hades stood his ground, however, his recentred mind putting an end to any desperate defensive flailing.

Instead, he pressed forwards in turn, the inky darkness of Stygian Iron leaving voids in its wake as he fought back, no longer panicked but in control as he pushed back, planting himself firmly against the ground and refusing to be driven any further backwards despite the giant’s efforts.

Alcyoneus’ body was a strange thing. It was alive, in the same bastardised fashion that anything could be considered living in Tartarus, but it was not constructed of flesh and ichor, unlike the rest of his giant brethren. Instead, it was an amalgamation of precious stones and metals, fused together into a humanoid structure – completed by the typical gigantic serpent feet, which bore his weight well and provided an unfair degree of evasion as they bent and folded in directions ordinary legs never dared to mimic.

Hades – and Pluto perhaps even more so – had always considered that a great insult. That his greatest bane, the giant created specifically to oppose him, was constructed entirely of his own domains, yet remained outside the realm of absolute control despite his best efforts. There were things he could do, gemstones and precious metals scattered throughout Alcyoneus’ hair which could be yanked back and tangled, but it was negligible, and frustrating. He could feel the diamond cluster which made up Alcyoneus’ heart, in this form, but he couldn’t reach them, couldn’t yank them out from within Alcyoneus’ control and pull him apart from within, dismantling his body from the innermost workings outward.

Frustration was not a new feeling against Alcyoneus; it had been millennia since he had last faced the giant in person, having chosen to contribute to his brethren’s assault on the giants from the safety of the Underworld, rather than provoke Zeus’ wrath for some no doubt inane reason – his brother had been on edge quite enough during the entire revival of the giant affair and Hades did not care to become a target through whatever bastardised logic Zeus summoned. He’d felt Alcyoneus there, of course – it was impossible to miss the feeling of his own bane – but he had not come face to face with him even as he’d split the ground open beneath his feet and thrown him straight back into the Pit.

He could have gone without seeing him a while longer.

Hades seized the gemstones flying around in crimson hair, gesturing with his empty hand and throwing his arm out to the side. A part of Alcyoneus that actually fell within his domain, that sang out to him like gems of his own, they obeyed his violent gesture and Alcyoneus’ head was yanked viciously to one side.

Letting any advantage slip past untaken in this fight was a recipe for disaster, and Hades lunged forwards, his sword skating off of the vibrant hues of the god’s gemstone body. He didn’t allow Alcyoneus a moment to recover, hacking and slashing at the giant the instant opportunities presented themselves, seeking a way to break through the brass skin that kept turning away his blade.

A second arrow whistled past him, lodging itself in the mass of red hair. Behind him, he heard Apollo huff, and surmised that once again the arrow had not gone where Apollo had intended for it to go.

Alcyoneus made a distractedly irritated noise and yanked it out, losing some strands of red in the process, before pinning Apollo with a distant glare.

“Stay out of this, little sun god,” he rumbled. “You have no power here.”

He threw the arrow like a javelin, straight back at Apollo. Hades didn’t allow himself to follow the trajectory with his eyes, didn’t allow himself to be distracted as he knocked aside the staff and drove his blade against the elbow of the arm that wielded it.

Alcyoneus’ grip slacked slightly, and Hades smashed into the same spot again, side-stepping as the giant snarled and lashed out at him with his other hand, whose fist was adorned with natural knuckledusters in the form of diamond and adamantine, sharp and solid materials that would break for nothing and cause a lot of damage even to Hades if they connected.

The damnable staff did not fall from his grip, Hades’ forced evasion giving the giant a chance to re-adjust, and whirled around again.

It was made of metal, a dull iron that twinged only weakly against Hades’ senses – the only part of his opponent that didn’t shriek out ostentatiously, gloating at being a part of his domain and yet uncontrollable. No; while iron was of the earth, it was neither riches nor of the Underworld, and sat tauntingly on the edge of his domain, closer indeed to Hephaestus’ forging. Alcyoneus had chosen it specifically, millennia ago, for that exact reason; Hades could not lay claim to it through his domains, could not yank it away from him or stop it.

It crashed into the side of Hade’s jaw, clipping below where the Helm protected him, and the sheer force of it annihilated his jaw, splattering ichor everywhere.

Chapter 22>>

#trials of apollo #trials of apollo fanfiction #riordanverse #riordanverse fanfic #pjo hades #pjo apollo #pjo alcyoneus #tsari writes fanfiction #eclipse

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queers-gambit · 2 years

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Angel is the Centerfold

prompt: insecurity runs deep when Eddie's secret lady-love finds the worn pages of a centerfold - marked on a woman who looks nothing like her.

pairing: Eddie Munson x female!cheerleader!reader

fandom masterlist: Stranger Things

note: you ever just get overwhelmed and wanna dip off for a week because you need to recharge your battery? reader's actually able to do that here - lucky ducky.

word count: 2.7k

warnings: cursing (when isn't there), insecurity, small angst, comfort ending i guess.

Let's be honest, high school wasn't easy on anyone. Sure, some people could slip through the cracks while remaining unnoticed, unseen, unheard, and never bothered. Others weren't as lucky but it wasn't as bad or pressured as some other lives in high school.

I wasn't gonna make excuses for the other jocks but I found life just flowed a little simpler if I nestled myself securely on the outskirts of social circles.

I was once lead in the spring musical last year and liked to keep up with my drama friends; I was voted in as class president in October; pitcher on the softball team; might've even found myself on the cheerleading squad.

Did it make sense? Probably not to others.

But for the way my mind liked to race, keeping extra busy with a plethora of friends was easier. I was never in one 'crowd' and could hop around freely to my choosing; occasionally even hopping over to the Hellfire Club on a few random days.

Those were the conversations I was most animated in.

These guys never gave a fuck and liked pushing creative envelopes. So, they wouldn't push me about my home life but sure as shit pushed me into whether or not I thought Luke Skywalker was hot or not. Gareth was running a very important poll and it was vital I give them my honest opinion on the Jedi.

If I wanted, I usually had a seat at Hellfire, too. I couldn't make every game and usually my character was someone fleeting due to my busy schedule... But it was how I came to really get to know Eddie Munson better. He was the Dungeon Master and was always willing to hang for an extra hour to go over some details about the campaign or game.

If I didn't understand something, he was breaking it down for me. He teased me, sure, but never made me feel lesser-than for not grasping a concept completely.

It could've been the reason we started hanging out at his trailer.

Maybe it was also because life was finally catching up to me and overwhelming me in a tsunami wave of stress, and I needed an escape.

Either way, one moment, I'm content being a busy little bee, and the next, I'm crying my eyes out at Eddie Munson's trailer as a roach smoldered in a glass ashtray between us.

It became something of a regular occurrence for us. Sometimes, I ran into his Uncle Wayne on his way out to work and other times, it was nearly pitch black when I arrived. But Eddie was always welcoming; never complaining when I'd burrow into one of his hoodies for comfort; content to roll a joint and let the pair of us rant about our weekly worries.

I guess he got sick of hearing me complain so much because one evening, perhaps while rambling, Eddie leaned forward and seared his lips on mine. He made some comment about shutting me up like this from now on before pressing his tongue into my mouth and commandeering every known thought I had.

It worked... For the first couple months.

It was nice to feel like I had something private, 100% for myself. Nobody knew that Eddie Munson was the guy I spent my free time with; they didn't need to know I started blowing them off in favor of him. They didn't know how we would lay in his bed, fucking, talking, laughing, smoking; they never needed to know how he whispered sweet nothings in my ear, and like a fool, how I ate it up.

It was private. Eddie was private.

Stolen glances in the hallway, a few kisses in empty classrooms.

But then... It turned a little repetitive.

Once, I'd met him in the woods (per his request) and when I arrived 'early', he was in the midst of another deal. Waving me off as "another customer that can wait", he turned to the boy in front of him and all but basically ignored me.

I knew we weren't public, but damn, right?

And there was the time when my Mom's car tire blew and she couldn't pick me up from softball practice... But Hellfire had just let out and when I asked Eddie for a ride home, he chuckled, "I would, princess, but I don't think I could fit your reputation in my van."

I get there were some other people around when I asked, but shit.

Oh! And there was that other time when he and I went to the corner store for a few snacks and his arm was securely around my shoulders. It was about 12:30 in the morning on a Saturday, and sure, not many people were out but a few had come in after us... And Eddie had dropped his arm so quick, you would've thought he was burned.

He had waited until they were gone before letting us pay together and leave...

It was starting to feel more and more like Eddie was ashamed of me. Like he didn't want to be seen with me... Like he couldn't stomach the idea of people knowing he was into me - or I was into him.

None the less, the idea started to gnaw at my mind because I couldn't begin to understand what was so wrong about... Well, me.

Eddie had called that night and asked if I was down for a movie and joint, claiming he had picked up my favorite candy at the store today and needed my company to break into it. I had agreed with the thought that maybe I'd just gently broach the subject; just ask in earnest if there was something about me he was ashamed of or not.

"Hey, sweetheart," Eddie panted when he opened the door for me, instantly leading me through his trailer, "I'm so sorry, I lost track of time. You mind hanging tight so I can hop a quick shower?"

"Oh, yeah, no problem," I assured, nodding with a small smile.

"Thanks, doll," he whispered, kissing my cheek, "be just a minute."

I nodded absently and watched him go, looking around his room and finding it only mildly messy today. I sat on his bed and rubbed my hands together, trying to think of the best way to ask him what was up, when suddenly, my eyes caught sight of a dog-eared magazine peaking out from under a pair of boxers in front of Eddie's bedside stand. Curiosity burned my stomach and I let the tip of my show gingerly toe the boxers to the side and cocked my head to get a better look.

Only... I almost wish I hadn't.

The woman in the worn-centerfold was outstandingly gorgeous and her curves were natural. You could say I was staring but there's a way you can tell - and that woman, staring up at me, was 100% natural. She was something lethally beautiful with sculptured thighs and a taunt stomach; defining outlines running along her curves.

Picture perfect.

An angel in the centerfold.

Her hair was even perfectly cascading around her, maybe akin to a halo that draped off her thin, highlighted shoulders. Reaching up to feel my own, I couldn’t help but scoff and drop my hand instantly as even our fucking hair was stark opposite one another.

I felt my mouth dry as I took note of her breasts and how they spilled from her lace bra before darting my eyes down to skim her body and land on the smooth, hairless cunt peaking out from a pair of pure white crotchless panties. Taking a sobering breath, I realized everything about her was in some way, shape, or form the exact opposite of me.

Insecurity reared its ugly head and made me question if this was the reason Eddie didn't want to be seen with me. If this was why he didn't want to commit; to date me; to let others know... Because I was wrong. I was all wrong in his mind - this woman with the perfect natural body was a reflection of what he thought was ideal.

His idea of what he wanted.

And it was the literal opposite of me.

Feeling sick, I let my foot jerk to push the boxers back over and stood nervously from his bed. The room was about to collapse on me and a ringing started in my ears, forcing my feet to move or else I'd break down in sobs right there.

Pausing at the cracked bathroom door, I knocked and called, "Hey, Eddie, I forgot my aunt's coming to town and I have to help my mom. I'll just call you later, okay?"

Praying to God my voice remained steady, I waited as Eddie mulled over my words. "A-Are you sure, sweetheart? I didn't get to see you much this week. We can always just watch a movie, or something?"

"I'm sure, I'll just call you later. Bye," I called, not leaving room for argument.

"O-Okay, call me when you get home! Bye! Drive safe!" Eddie called over the sounds of his shower; my feet surging to get me as far from the trailer park as possible.

Call it childish but I didn't call Eddie. I just didn't really have it in me to entertain a conversation where I wasn't okay. In fact, I didn't really have it in me to do anything that week. So, I took mercy on myself and canceled all of my obligations - only going to classes, and then straight home, where I remained alone in my room as my mother worked nightshifts at the hospital this week.

And at lunch, I just hung out in the SGA room where I made up for the work I'd miss from all my canceled after-school meetings.

So, it was easy to avoid everyone. Easy peasy.

Nobody seemed to notice because of how thin I constantly stretched myself, but my self esteem took a major blow that I wasn't really looking to actively heal and wanted a little peace to myself. So I made myself extra scarce by faking a really bad period so nobody would question me too much.

Turns out, maybe Eddie noticed my flighty behavior. I didn't know it, but after school on Wednesday, he caught Chrissy's elbow and ducked into an empty classroom to ask her what was up with me.

The head cheerleader assured him I was just feeling a little under the weather, not putting too much thought into why he seemed so worried. She knew you two were friends and figured he thought I was sick, not realizing he was actually trying to understand why I had blown everything (and one) off this week.

After school Friday, Eddie had enough and loaded into his van after clocking my absence at practice again. Not that he was paying attention (he totally was), but I'd missed the whole week, and he knew that wasn't normal.

So, when he showed up at my door, imagine his shock to see me answer it in my pajamas.

"Eddie," I felt my eyes widen, trying to subtly close the thick cardigan I was wearing around my leggings and tank top. "Uh, did I forget something in History?"

"Funny enough, you did."

"Oh."

"Yeah," he breathed, "see, by my observations, you've been blowing everyone off this week, and can mean you've forgotten your friends."

I scoffed, "No, not entirely."

"Yes, entirely," he repeated. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit," he shook his head. "You've not been in the cafeteria all week, you haven't been doing the morning announcements, you haven't shown up at Hellfire, or SGA, or cheer, or any of your other orgs - the hell's up with you?"

"Oh, I uh... Didn't think anyone really realized," I admitted quietly.

"When you move as quick as you do and then come to a screeching halt, yeah," he chuckled, "a few people notice. So, again, what's wrong?"

"It's literally nothing."

"So, why're you blowing me off too?"

"I'm not."

"You're standing pretty defensively in your doorway," he pointed out softly. "Am I... Like, am I not welcome anymore?" His question caught me off guard because I wasn’t sure how to answer it. My silence was enough of an answer as he whimpered, "Oh, shit, wait, what'd I do, sweetheart?"

"You didn't do anything."

"Well, obviously I did if - "

"No," I sniffled, cutting him off, "that's what's wrong, you just... You never did anything."

"Okay, darlin', I'm confused," he paused. "What didn't I do?"

"You... You were always ashamed of me, never wanted to be seen with me, or let people know we were hanging out. I get we weren't dating, but you never asked me to be your girlfriend, either. So, yeah, you didn't do anything... And then I just... I found something that confirmed I'm nothing like what you want. So, maybe you're not welcome here anymore because I don't think I was ever welcome in your life."

"Sweetheart, how can you say that?" Eddie asked in confusion. "I'm ashamed of you? No, that's the farthest from the truth! Where is this - I don’t understand.”

"C’mon, Eddie. You literally run the other way when it comes to even seeing me in public," I pointed out. "If you're ashamed, that's one thing. If you just don't want to be in a relationship, that's another. But I don't think you really want to be with me, so, let's just cut our losses."

"What the hell could you have seen that made you think I don't want you?" he scoffed. "Darlin', I just - I'm not very good at this shit, okay? And I'm the Freak, remember? You're gonna take more of a social hit dating me than I will - I just wanted to try and protect you from the ridicule coming your way for even being seen with me."

"Then that's my decision to make," I shrugged.

"You're right," he agreed. "And I'll let you make that decision on your own, but that's if you even want to be with me. 'Cause apparently you've found something that's so Earth-shattering, it's making you think I don't want you. Darlin', I worship you, okay? So whatever it is, I promise it’s not what you think.”

"Then why... Why don't I look like them?"

"What?" He asked. "Like who, doll?"

"I know it’s stupid but… The women you look at in magazines, okay? The women you fantasize about - those women. Why don't they and I look alike?"

Eddie looked gobsmacked for a moment but recovered quickly, speaking softly but strongly, “Because they're exactly that, pretty girl, a fantasy. Nothing like the real thing," he smiled at me. "And for whatever it's worth, I look at a variety of things, so, the odds of you lookin' like one of the women I look at... Are actually pretty high."

"Eddie - "

"No, I'm serious," he smirked, "'cause I just think about you most of the time. Those women might get me started but it's the thought of you that takes me out, hmm?"

"Oh, my God," I couldn't help but laugh, "okay, okay, you've made your point.”

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I guess I just got a little in my head.”

"So, why're you home instead of at practice? You’re always over thinkin’ something, why’s your head all in a twist?”

"Well, you, Munson, put my head in a twist pretty consistently. And for the record, it started as an insecure week that required a lot of self-care."

"Well, what's on the agenda for tonight?"

"Um, gonna paint my nails and watch a few movies?"

"Got room for one more?" He pouted dramatically. "Missed you this whole week, and I barely got to see you last week, too."

"I think I could squeeze you in somewhere," I smiled with a nod, opening my arms to let him step over the threshold and into my embrace. Against his chest, I spoke, "If I didn't want to be with you, Munson, I wouldn't be. So, don't go worrying about protecting my reputation, because I'm only concerned with my happiness - and you make me pretty damn happy.”

I felt Eddie's arms tighten and his lips press to the top of my head, "Good plan, baby. And I'm only concerned with your happiness, as well."

"All right, kiss-ass, you’re already invited in. Don’t gotta lay it on too thick.”

“Oh, so, I don’t have to offer to paint your toes?”

I paused, letting my chin press to his chest as he smirked down at me. “Well now, wait a minute…”

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson imagine #eddie stranger things #eddie x reader #stranger thing s4 #stranger things 4 #stranger things season 4 #stranger things #stranger things x reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x oc #eddie munson x y/n #requests open

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wisteriabookss · 4 years

Text

An Extensive Analysis of Eris

The recent excerpt from ACOSF has got this fandom spinning on it’s head because it includes a feral-smiling Eris waltzing with Nesta. As a result, people have now delved deeper into his character and whether or not he deserves a redemption arc (or an arc of any kind).

So naturally, he has been compared to Rhys, because Rhys also appeared to us in the beginning as a cruel, cunning person, who was eventually revealed to have a bigger heart, and a valid excuse (at least amongst the IC) for his behavior.

I made this post to mainly catalogue all that Eris has done, analyze his actions, see if he indeed can be compared to Rhys, and to determine whether or not he should have a redemption arc.

What We Know So Far

Our first mention of Eris is in ACOMAF, when Rhysand is explaining to Feyre what happened to Mor. I could put the quotes here, but just to save some time I’m gonna make a long story short.

Mor’s father, Keir, declared that she was to be sold in marriage to Eris. Eris is known for being cruel, and Mor begged Rhys to stop it. Rhys brought her to the Illyrian camp for a few days, and she decided to sleep with Cassian in order to ruin her “pure” image. Because she slept with Cassian, Eris refused to marry her. Said, “she’d been sullied by a bastard-born lesser faerie, and he’d now sooner fuck a sow.” Her family, although it’s not said explicitly, basically beat her, and then dumped her body on the Autumn court border with a note nailed to her body that said she was Eris’s problem now. Eris left her for dead in the middle of their woods.

Now, we’re going to look at what he exactly said during this event, given to us from Mor’s POV in ACOFAS:

“Don’t touch her.” Those steps stopped. It was not a warning to protect her. Defend her.

“No one touches her,” he said. Eris. “The moment we do, she’s our responsibility.”

Cold, unfeeling words. “But—but they nailed a—”

“No one touches her.”

A pale, beautiful face appeared above her, blocking out the jewel-like leaves above. Unmoved. Impassive. “I take it you do not wish to live here, Morrigan.”

He must have read it in her eyes. A small smile curved his lips. “I thought so.”

Eris took a step away. Someone behind him blurted, “We can’t just leave her to—”

“We can, and we will,” Eris said simply, his pace unfaltering as he strode away.

“She chose to sully herself; her family chose to deal with her like garbage. I have already told them my decision in this matter.” A long pause, crueler than the rest. “And I am not in the habit of fucking Illyrian leftovers.”

Now that we have Mor’s side of the story, we’re going to look at what Eris has said about that fateful day during a discussion with the IC in ACOWAR:

Mor snarled, rattling the glasses. “You never gave any evidence to the contrary. Certainly not when you left me in those woods.”

“There were forces at work that you have never considered,” Eris said coldly. “And I am not going to waste my breath explaining them to you. Believe what you want about me.”

. . . .

A frown at Mor as he drained his wine and set down the goblet. “I’m surprised you still can’t control yourself around him. You had every emotion written right on that pretty face of yours.”

“Watch it,” Azriel warned.

Eris looked between them, smiling faintly. Secretly. As if he knew something that Azriel didn’t. “I wouldn’t have touched you,” he said to Mor, who blanched again. “But when you fucked that other bastard—” A snarl ripped from Rhys’s throat at that. And my own. “I knew why you did it.” Again that secret smile that had Mor shrinking. Shrinking. “So I gave you your freedom, ending the betrothal in no uncertain terms.”

“And what happened next,” Azriel growled.

A shadow crossed Eris’s face. “There are few things I regret. That is one of them. But … perhaps one day, now that we are allies, I shall tell you why. What it cost me.”

A main takeaway from this is that there seems to be much more to story of what happened between Eris and Mor.

Does that mean him leaving her in the woods is excusable? No. Absolutely not. He didn’t try to take the nail out of her (which would’ve been the bare minimum), he didn’t alert Rhys that she was there, he didn’t do anything to help her. He started to make the situation even more traumatic by saying vile things to her. Whatever reason he gives for not helping her will be just that: a reason. But not an excuse. Those are two very different things.

Eris say’s that leaving her there is one of the few things he regrets. There’s something in that. I’m not saying under any circumstance that he should be forgiven because he feels guilty, thats stupid as hell, but it is showing that he’s not some apathetic, other-worldy evil person. There’s some semblance of a conscious in him.

He also say’s that one day he’ll tell them why he did it and what it cost him. By what it cost him, I’m guessing he’s talking about the cost of ending his betrothal to Mor, because I can’t think of what he lost by leaving her there.

I don’t think there’s been any mention of someone getting revenge on Eris because A.) Rhys told Feyre that, “Azriel found her a day later. It was all I could do to keep him from going to either court and slaughtering them all.” and B) her family was obviously going to do nothing cause they’re the ones who hurt her.

I’m not going to try and theorize what cost Eris had to pay. It obviously is something (or someone) important to him.

But to me, one of the biggest things we got from this discussion is that it seems Eris knows Mor is gay. That secret smile of his that had Mor shrinking, the way he says he knows why she slept with Cassian, and that he gave Mor her freedom by ending the betrothal without giving a reason . . . he knows.

He knew she was gay, so he ended their engagement, no questions asked. And then Mor was dumped in his woods, and he did nothing to help.

Morally grey, indeed.

(P.S. To the person that posted something along the lines of, “I can’t wait to see Mor’s face when she see’s Eris dancing with Nesta,” . . . get help)

Another excerpt I wanna look at also happens during the recent discussion we’ve just seen, but it has to do with Feyre and Lucien.

“You hunted me down like an animal,” I cut in. “I think we’ll choose to believe the worst.”

Eris’s pale face flushed. “I was given an order. And sent to do it with two of my … brothers.”

That little hesitation before he says ‘brothers’. . . sus. That’s all imma say. (maybe there’s more than one illegitimate son in that family . . .)

“And what of the brother you hunted down alongside me? The one whose lover you helped to execute before his eyes?”

Eris laid a hand flat on the table. “You know nothing about what happened that day. Nothing.”

Silence.

“Indulge me,” was all I said.

Eris stared me down. I stared right back.

“How do you think he made it to the Spring border,” he said quietly. “I wasn’t there— when they did it. Ask him. I refused. It was the first and only time I have denied my father anything. He punished me. And by the time I got free … They were going to kill him, too. I made sure they didn’t. Made sure Tamlin got word—anonymously—to get the hell over to his own border.”

Where two of Eris’s brothers had been killed. By Lucien and Tamlin.

Eris picked at a stray thread on his jacket. “Not all of us were so lucky in our friends and family as you, Rhysand.”

We see another semblance of conscious here when Eris refuses to take part in the slaughtering of Jesminda. To even be in the same room as it. He then made sure that Lucien wasn’t going to die by making sure Tamlin was at his border.

I’m not putting these quotes here to say, “Look, he cares about stuff , so let’s excuse everything he’s done.” No. There is no excusing any of his actions. Just like we can’t excuse Rhysand’s behavior in the first two books, or Cassian’s, or Nesta’s, or even Feyre’s, etc. But what we can do is see the reasons for their actions, and try and understand why they acted the way they did. They have their reasons, and Eris has his. (P.S. I’m not trying to compare what they’ve done, I’m just noting that they all had reasons to do what they’ve done, and they all deserve to be heard out.)

Comparison To Rhys

As I said earlier, Eris has drawn a lot of comparisons to Rhys. I agree with most of them.

This fandom has catalogued all of Rhys’s questionable actions like . . .

*TRIGGER WARNING: words like sexually assaulted*

Rhys sexually assaulting Feyre three times in the first book by drugging her, and then compelling her to give him lap dances in front of the folks Under The Mountain. He then displayed Feyre again in a sexual manner in the second book in front of The Court of Nightmares as, and I quote, “The High Lords Whore.”

In both situations he could’ve done things so much differently. In the first book, he could’ve just, oh I don’t know, kept her in her cell? Or maybe brought her upstairs as a normal person?

And in the second one she literally could have been ANYTHING else. Everyone thinks she’s his prisoner, so why didn’t they go with that? Why couldn’t he have just dressed her in some raggedy-ass clothing, messed up her hair, and then tell her to act super stoic or frightened? Really Rhys, she just had to be your whore? (I know it was consensual but that doesn’t make her persona okay. He could’ve picked literally anything else)

Did he have his reasons for doing this? Yes. Does his reasons excuse what he did? No. You don’t have to make everyone else around you act a part just because you do.

So while we may not excuse Rhys’s actions, we can understand his reasons even if we don’t agree with them. Same with Eris. We know Eris has his reasons, and I doubt we’ll all agree with them, but he still has them.

Let’s also not forget that Rhysand made a deal with Eris and Keir that he would support Eris’s claim to the Autumn Court throne when Eris decides to kill his father for it. He also allowed Keir and his court to come into Velaris, and even though they’ll be turned away by every vendor, he still allowed them in. While he had his reasons for doing this (the Darkling army for ACOWAR) he still did it. It still hurt Mor.

Redemption Arc

My biggest hesitation in thinking Eris will get a redemption arc is wondering where it would fit in the books for him to have one. We don’t know how if his waltz with Nesta is just a one-time thing or if it’s a result of a friendship between the two. The second book is supposed to be centered around Elain, Azriel, and Lucien, so that could also be a spot where he get’s an arc, maybe through a relationship with Lucian or Azriel.

Either way, I’m not gonna bring down the hammer and say that he shouldn’t get a redemption arc. Tbh, the term ‘redemption arc’ kinda annoys me because it shouldn’t be about redeeming what was done in the past, but more about learning from past mistakes and taking the initiative to grow into a better person. That’s what I want for Eris. He’s not going to magically be revealed to be this super sweet fun-loving guy like Rhys. I don’t want him to be revealed like that either.

I just want to see more of his character, see why he is the way he is, and, like i’ve said a million times in this post, know his reasons for acting the way he does.

One last thing before I go. I’m not interested in seeing any relationship blossom between Eris and the IC, or Nesta, and I think it’s unlikely anyways. There’s a possibility for them to have an understanding, sure, but no friendship. I know there are some people who automatically adore Eris because they hate Mor and that’s just stupid. Mor isn’t my fav either, but I won’t cheer Eris on just because he hurt her.

That’s all I’ve got. If you’ve made it this far, I appreciate you. Really.

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lancermylove · 4 years

Text

Teenager MC 4 (HC)

Fandom: Obey Me

Pairing: Platonic hcs with all boys.

Warning: Mentions of depression, self-harm, scars, and insomnia.

Requested by: Anon

Prompt: Can you do an obey me with. A teenage mc who suffers from insomnia, depression and sh(old scars and new cuts) I saw in the last post you said Simeon was well with teenagers so I was wondering if you could do all the boys but if not then the brothers and Simeon? Sorry you don’t have to I’m just looking for some comfort right now

A/N: Sorry for taking so long! Anon and anyone who is depressed and/or self-harms....life is difficult and there are times where it’s too much to handle, but please reach out for help. By no means am I saying this just to say something (or preaching) because I know how you feel as I have been suffering from depression for quite a few years now and also have insomnia. I can’t bring myself to talk to anyone because I feel like I would burden them, and I hate going to the doctor due to multiple negative experiences in the past and because they charge way too much. Recently, I came to a realization that I can’t keep going like this and have been trying to push myself out of the darkness. It is difficult, especially since I have an unhealable chronic injury that gives/has been giving me a lot of pain for years. BUT, I refuse to let the pain win. I have been quietly suffering for a long time, and it’s not a good place to be in, so PLEASE reach out to someone if you can or at least try. You can also find creative outlets to help distract yourself. My outlets are writing and art.

———————————————

Prologue:

He noticed that there was something wrong but didn’t give it much thought. Humans are different than demons and angels, so he brushed it off as a human thing. He realized that he may have to look into the issue when he saw you wandering aimlessly at night. Multiple times.

He asked you if something was wrong, but you said everything was fine. He noticed that your mood would change often, and that you weren’t eating properly and weren’t talking much. He once again asked you if something was wrong, but your answer remained the same.

This went on for a while, until he reached his patience limit. “Will you tell me what’s wrong? I don’t want to hear ‘everything is fine’.”

But you still gave the same answer, much to his annoyance. Then, he grabbed your hand, accidentally pushing your sleeve up. Red, purple, blue, brown, and cream stained your wrist and forearm. You managed to pull away your hand, but he got the answers he was looking for.

———————————————

Lucifer

His pride is hurt because he wasn’t able to stop you from hurting yourself; moreover, that it took him so long to figure it out.

Luci takes you to his study and asks why you are doing this to yourself but doesn’t push you to answer.

If he sees that you’re hesitating, he assures you that he only wants to help you.

The Avatar of Pride sets aside his seemingly aloof personality and opens up a new, softer side to you. A side that not even his brothers have seen.

He tells you that you are not alone, and he’s here for you.

Luci asks you to promise that if you feel like hurting yourself or if you’re sad, you will come talk to him. He even says to come to his room if you can’t sleep or can’t get your mind to calm down.

Lucifer realizes that this is not something he can help you with overnight and is fully prepared to stay by your side as long as you need him to.

Before he sends you to your room, he pulls you into a firm hug and whispers, “I care for you more than you think and seeing you hurt yourself pains me.”

Mammon

He is speechless. As the first demon to make a contract with you, he thought he knew you better than anyone else.

It hurt him that you didn’t think of talking to him or even consider coming to him.

Mammon ends up crying...a lot.

“Mammon?”

He wipes his tears and nose with the sleeve of his jacket, “Y-you thought I wou-wouldn’t care, right? Do I have to spell it out that I c-care about you more than anyone e-else.”

He cups your cheeks in his hands and presses his forehead against yours, “(Y/N), why are you hurting yourself? Are you in that much pain? You know you can talk to me and share your pain with me, right?”

Mammon pulls you into his chest and wraps his arms tightly around you, “Cry if you need to. Hit me if you need to. Yell if you need to. But don’t hurt yourself.”

He insists on staying in your room, and even if you say no, he’s not going to take no for an answer. The Avatar of Greed has made up his mind that he’s going to help you through this no matter what.

Levi

He freezes and starts to feel lightheaded.

Levi knows what it feels like to be depressed and to have a low self-esteem. He knows what it feels like to be looked down upon. He knows what it feels like for life to be constantly unfair. He knows...

He knew there were others out there who felt like him, but never once did it crossed his mind that you, the only normie he dearly cares about, would be like him.

Levi takes hold of your hand and takes you to his room. He sits you in his gaming chair and pulls a spare chair next to yours before handing you a controller.

While the two of you play, he mumbles, “Who knew my normie was just like me? Now, we can be sad together...but normie, know that I will not let you hurt yourself.”

He glances at you with a small smile, “If something happens to my norm-friend, I don’t know what I would do.”

Asmo

He gasps and covers his mouth, “What did you do to your beautiful skin?”

It takes Asmo a second to realize that his question may have been insensitive. No, that was not his intention, but beauty is very important to him.

He apologizes for his question before taking you to his room. “My dear, what’s wrong? Why are you doing this to yourself? You may not want to talk about such a delicate subject, but I really want to know. Please, tell me.”

If you choose to tell him, Asmo will lend you an ear, but if you don’t talk, he gently nudges you until you talk. If you cry, he lends you a shoulder and rubs circles on your back.

“No matter what you need, I am here for you. I will gladly listen to you and help you in any way I can. I promise.” He places a hand on top of yours, “Let me take care of you and your health.”

Asmo places a friendly kiss on the top of your head. “You may not feel like it, but please allow me to pamper you for the day. We can go shopping, get our hair and nails done, and go to the spa. How does that sound?”

Satan

He has read so many books that he’s familiar with the ways of humans. It doesn’t take him long to know how and why those scars and cuts got there.

Satan sighs. He knows he can be scary when he’s angry, being the Avatar of Wrath and all, but is he really that scary? To the point where you wouldn’t be comfortable talking to him about your pain?

He wanted to ask you if you were scared of him, but he knew this was neither the right time nor the right place; instead, Satan places a hand on your shoulder and asks one question, “Would you trust me enough to share your feelings with me?”

Whether you say yes or no, he assures you that he will not judge you in any way.

He takes you to his room and tells you to wait for him. In a few minutes, he returns with an unusual colored concoction.

“Drink this. I know you have not been sleeping properly. Let’s worry about everything else tomorrow, but for tonight, drink this and rest.”

He sits in his reading chair and watches you sleep. “I am sorry for not realizing that you were in pain. Starting from tomorrow, I promise to stay by your side.”

Beel

He is extremely confused seeing the scars, new and old alike.

Beel thinks that one of the lesser demons hurts you and is more than ready to destroy the one responsible.

When he asks you who caused these injures, you reply no one. He pushes you a little to tell him how you got those injures.

Not answering his question, you walk away, leaving Beel even more puzzled. He decides to ask one of his brothers but leaves your name out.

After Beel learns the reason, he comes barging into your room, and without thinking one, he bear hugs you.

“W-why would you hurt yourself?” He asks, tears filling his eyes. “Please don’t...if you’re sad, then tell me what I can do to make you happy.”

Beel looks you in the eyes and says innocently, “I will give you all my food if it makes you happy. You can even use me as a punching bag if you need to get your emotions out. Don’t worry, your punches won’t hurt me.”

The Avatar of Glutton draws you into another embrace and pleads that you stay in his and Belphie’s room. “We will have fun and eat a lot of good food!”

Belphie

The usual sleepiness and fatigue that surrounds him quickly disappears. He has never felt so awake or alert in his life.

“(Y/N), what’s bothering you to the point where you would go this far?” He waits for you to answer but continues talking when you remain silent, “I know you haven’t known me as long as my brothers and may not trust me fully, but I care for you.”

Belphie takes a firm hold of your hand and studies your face. “I can tell you haven’t not been sleeping. What do you say we take a nap? Naps always make me feel better, so it may help you too.”

While taking you to his room, he looks at you, “We can talk about this when you’re ready...but don’t hurt yourself, okay?”

Belphie’s hug and warmth lull you to sleep in no time.

Diavolo

Various expressions dance across the Demon King’s face - anger, sadness, confusion, and pain.

Anger because he failed to notice earlier, sadness and pain because he dislikes seeing you suffering, and confusion because he can’t understand why you would harm yourself.

In many conversations related to the human world, he has heard that the world of humans can be ruthless. Humans say that demons only dwell in hell, but from what Diavolo has heard, he believes demons also exist in the human world.

“I am not sure what to do as I have never faced such a situation, but please allow me to share my feelings with you.” He places a hand on the top of your head, “Having you hear in Devildom makes me happy. You are far different than what I imagined humans to be like.”

He studies your expressions before speaking once more, “Many demons in Devildom disagreed with my decision to invite a human to RAD, but despite their protests, I stood firm. Now, I can say I made the right choice by inviting you here.”

Diavolo gently touches your cheek, “I have found a friend in you, and I hope you have found a friend in me. If you have, then please share your feelings with me, be it happiness, sadness, pain, or confusion. I promise to listen to you and will do anything for you. Even if you ask me for the most difficult thing you can think of, I will bring it for you.”

Barbatos

This was one of the possibilities he had seen in the many doors in his room.

He dearly hoped that he would never have to encounter this moment, but here it was.

Barbatos had prepared himself in case it may come true, but all his preparation was for naught. Seeing the cuts had made him forget everything.

He wasn’t one to take feelings into account, and he wasn’t qualified to handle these situations. In this mind, Simeon, Solomon, and even Lucifer could help you a lot more than he could.

But, he also couldn’t let this continue.

“I realize that I may not express myself nor do I seem friendly, but if you wish to talk, I shall lend you an ear.”

His usual stoic expression was nowhere in sight; instead, an unexpected softness found its way on his face.

“Shall we talk over a cup of tea? I have baked your favorite dessert. I hear that humans believe when one is down, they should consume sugar to brighten their mood.”

Simeon

Simeon winces. Even though you pulled your sleeve over the scars and cuts, the image stays in his mind.

It pains him to learn that you have been suffering...possibly all alone.

He asks you a series of questions to learn the reason behind harming yourself. Are demons hurting you? Do you not like it in Devildom? Is something bothering you? How long have you been hurting yourself?

Though he wants to ask more, he doesn’t want to overwhelm you.

Simeon takes you to Purgatory Hall and asks you to stay there with him.

While making you a cup of calming tea, he says, ��You are a strong, beautiful, and kindhearted person. You don’t deserve pain...you deserve all the happiness in the world.”

He hands you the cup and smiles softly, “Drink this. It will help you. I am not familiar with the human world, but my dear, as your friend, I am here for you.”

Simeon sits next to you and gives you a warm, heartfelt hug. “Think of me as your guardian angel and share your pain with me. In return, I promise to listen to you and always watch over you.”

Solomon

His first thought is to brew a potion for you to help with your pain, but he stops himself.

Solomon knows that rather than thinking like a sorcerer in this situation, he should think like a human first.

“If it’s not too much to ask, will you tell me what bothers you?” He asks in a tender voice, “The demons may have told you that I am not trustworthy, but do believe me when I say I care about you.”

Upon further examining your face, he deduces from your dark circles that you have not been sleeping properly. He also realizes that you may be depressed which would explain sleeplessness and self-harm.

Sighing quietly, he brings you back to Purgatory Hall and asks Luke to stay with Simeon for the time being.

If at that time you talk, Solomon listens to you without an ounce of judgment, but if you wish to stay quiet, Solomon decides to try again later.

For the time being, he hands you a potion and explains, “This concoction will help calm your mind and help you sleep. If your insomnia is left unchecked, your health will further decline.”

He helps you remove your shoes and pulls a blanket over your body. “I will be here for you when you wake up. Rest well and sweet dreams, (Y/N).”

Solomon avoids telling you that he added a special ingredient to the potion - an ingredient that will give you pleasant dreams...happy dreams.

Luke

He is shocked to see the injuries and doesn’t understand; in fact, he’s traumatized.

Luke doesn’t say anything and just stands there, even after you walk away.

For the next few days, he has trouble sleeping at night and ends up asking Simeon a few questions.

Luke gets angry at the demons for not taking proper care of you, but for your sake, he doesn’t say anything to them.

He shows up at your doorstep unannounced with a basket full of baked goods.

Luke doesn’t ask about your scars/cuts as he assumes it would be rude, instead he asks, “Do you think of me as your friend?”

Regardless of what you answer, he says, “I am here for you whenever you need you...even if you don’t need me.”

He takes a tight hold of your hand and looks at you with tears. “I want to be your guardian angel, so please let me be.”

———————————————

➣Obey Me Masterlist ➣ Buy me a Ko-fi or Commission?

#obey me #obey me lucifer #obey me diavolo #obey me mammon #obey me levi #obey me asmo #obey me satan #obey me beel #obey me belphie #obey me solomon #obey me simeon #obey me barbatos #obey me luke

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lambourngb · 3 years

Text

day 6: lesser known creators and creations- the hidden gems of fandom

Belated for @roswellnewmexicocreate [last few days have been challenging!]

New creators are the lifeblood of fandom, because not everyone stays in fandom or stays inspired to write for it. While there are times I just want to re-read a classic, there really is something fun about clicking on a new name to see what they think of our beloved alien show.

We have very long hiatuses, and sometimes people pull away until the show comes back, so I thought I would also highlight some lessor known creations as well from our last hiatus. As we are blessed in the malex side of fandom, there’s a small but mighty group of fans and creators, churning out new works every day, so maybe you might have missed these works.

***

calamitous by @bubblesyoh (3,962) - Two times they apologize to each other and three times they are so in love they can't even fool one another.

why i like it: most of us know bubblesyoh as being a supportive friend, reblogging and commenting so prolifically- but they are also an author! Malex have without a doubt hurt one another in canon, and there is an art to writing a good apology fic and this story does it well.

***

kill me tonight, darling by u1ltsa (4.867)-Alex and Michael have a memorable first meeting at a party. They keep running into each other and can't seem to get enough of one another.

why i like it: It’s a human AU where over the course of months, these two keep running into each other. Michael is so smitten in this story and can’t help chasing Alex and how Alex makes him feel. It’s sexy and kinky and ends happily ever after. My favorite meeting is still the bar scene that ends up at a hotel- wow.

***

next time will be the last time by kit alridge (1,715) "It's not how it's going to happen, next time. Because next time will be the last time we do the falling-back-together thing." After a close shave, Alex and Michael come close to falling back into old patterns, but have a much-needed conversation instead.

why i like it: I’m so weak for the “we survived let’s fuck to celebrate” trope, and this story explores what it means for Malex to fall into it, and how closely it mirrors some of their past, unhealthy behaviors. Anyway this hits all the notes that I pray we get in the second half of season 3, where these two finally talk and admit what they want.

***

tell me what you’ll do, please by @entropychanges (3,054) So, Michael, dripping like a wet mop on the restaurant’s tile floor, stood silently as he looked between the sister of the girl whose murder he covered up only two months ago, and his lover who would rather be sent off to war than be with him. Great. He swallowed, figuring he may as well break the silence.“Sorry, I wasn’t sure if-”“The kitchen is closed,” Liz interrupted, looking him up and down before saying, “but you can stay until the storm lets up.” Or, in which Michael gets caught out in the rain while sleeping in his truck, and ends up taking shelter in the last place he wants to be.

why i like it: Sometimes I like to cry about Michael, especially Michael at 17-18, after the shed. This story serves up all the angst of what his life looked like then, along with the grief that Liz was living in and the grim determination that Alex had about his own fate. They were all such babies and they were in such pain, and ugh that breaks my heart.

***

I’ll take care of you by @cosmiceverafter (2,055) When Alex stops by Michael's airstream to confess how he's feeling, he ends up taking care of the alien he loves so much instead.

why i like it: classic hurt-comfort here, which I always eat up with a spoon. Highlights for me in this story was Michael was hurt working on a project from a natural disaster, and not anything self-inflicted, and then Alex finding that iconic picture of the two of them in the desert with guitars. Ooof so many feels!

***

look after you by @ravens-words Everyone checks in on Kyle. 3x04 Coda

why i like it: well before we had it in 3x06, EJ delivered the whole found-family feels of everyone coming together to make sure Kyle is okay. As they should. Kyle holds the only brain cell. EJ has been a coda-writing machine since returning to RNM with the show, so definitely check out the whole collection for season 3, and not just the chapter I linked to because they are all so good.

***

honey, i’m going to love you all my life by wwwjudedotcom (3,729) Alex leaves Michael a voicemail after he loses his leg because he doesn't want to die without telling Michael that he loves him.

why i like it: this part of a great little series of fics surrounding prompts about ‘ways to say i love you’ - I’ve probably imagined Alex’s life post-injury in Iraq a million times, I so badly want to know if he dared to call Michael, did he call out for him in his morphine daze, is that how Greg knew about Michael? And I’m unsure if the show will ever answer this question, so it’s up to fanfic writers. Anyway, I love this little AU that lets Maria know just how important Michael is to Alex right from the start and where Isobel sends them to be with Alex in Germany. Ugh what a sweet thought (probably too sweet for the angst machine that is RNM).

#rnmcreate21 #day 6 lesser known creators #malex #malex fic rec #roswell new mexico

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catboylupin · 4 years

Note

you have rly interesting takes abt wolfstar!! I was wondering if you had any head canons about the Prank like why Sirius did it and what Remus' reaction was?

hello and thank you and i’m So sorry that this has been sitting in my drafts for like Weeks at this point.... i’m physically incapable of doing anything intellectually demanding in a timely matter and this is such a hard topic because, like, i don’t know!! i’m not very well acquainted with the Fandom Mythology surrounding the Prank or the mainstream interpretation of events so i really don’t know what to make of it, especially in terms of sirius’s motivation. here are a few things that i referenced when typing this all out: meta meta/fic fic beautiful art

the first thing that is interesting to me, and something to keep in the back of our minds when thinking about this, is that when discussing the prank in the shack during PoA, sirius says that “it served [snape] right.”

also i think that the song hospital by the modern lovers possesses some outstanding post Prank vibes...

ok so re: sirius’s motivation. i don’t know. i think it was a combination of things. i don’t even think that sirius entirely knew why he did it, or what there was to gain.

i guess the thing to sort out is to what extent sirius factored remus into the equation. was he not thinking about remus at all and how it would affect him and just wanted to hurt snape because he hated him, or was he like “this is for remus and remus will think it’s funny too”?

i think that he felt slightly goaded by snape because snape was being a massive asshole trying to get them expelled, and he also just did not like him at all. like, the most obvious motivation or end goal in sirius telling him is that he just wanted to scare snape so he would leave them alone and also it would be a little funny because hahaha he is a slimey wizard nazi (at age 15/16 do you think sirius would be politically advanced enough to have a ‘punching nazis’ outlook on snape? i don’t know)

and i don’t think that he ever seriously thought that remus would react well (like, how could he? sirius had to have known that remus’s worst fear ever was hurting someone). and he was literally risking the entire school finding out he was a werewolf. but maybe a small part of sirius was like “take that snape!! that’s what you get for bullying my beautiful mysterious friend!! remus will love this lol”

but i think the thing that makes the most sense is that he wasn’t thinking about remus that much and didn’t think he would react well.

and here i where you can start thinking about sirius’s upbringing and how that affected how he viewed werewolves/remus.

i think that sirius was probably raised surrounded by some pretty intense anti-werewolf beliefs and he dealt with remus being a werewolf by 1. separating remus from the wolf and 2. kind of like romanticizing it. so much of sirius’s attraction to remus stemmed from this sort of fascination.. james was so similar to sirius and generally uncomplicated, but remus, even though he was kind of weird looking, always sort of elicited this morbid curiosity from him. and he saw remus’s lycanthropy as something he could fix, or at least help (see: the animagus thing, my personal headcanon that he was very into taking care of remus during their relationship). remus was his tragic werewolf friend. but remus never thought that sirius understood his lycanthropy the way remus wanted him to, that there was always this sort of tension, a lingering sense of “you think you’re so different from your family, but you’re not really.”

sirius could have thought that snape actually knew about remus and wanted to make him prove that he knew, like: “sirius, i know what remus’s secret is, hint hint wink wink” “okay, if you really know then go to the shrieking shack,” like snape kind of goaded sirius into telling him, and sirius thought that he would know better. but that is just such a profoundly stupid thing for sirius to do, and i feel like putting too much blame on snape is being too generous to sirius.

leescoresbies has an interesting headcanon that the prank happened around the time sirius ran away from home and he was thus was very emotionally volatile. and so it was in part a result of sirius’s trauma/anger/joy, and i like that idea, those emotions had to have been a factor. and if you are someone that has a really hard time reconciling with sirius’s shitty behavior as a teen, that’s kind of an easy/ canon compliant way of saying “yeah, he was an asshole, but there was also this other thing going on...etc.” however, i don’t think that was the only reason, or even the main reason. i think that sirius is a deeply flawed person and thinking about the prank from the perspective of said flawed-ness makes his and remus’s relationship all the more complicated/interesting.

and unfortunately a lot of this sort of boils down to whether or not sirius wanted to kill or seriously injure snape. those were the stakes he was dealing with in this situation. i don’t think that sirius wanted to kill him, just because that’s not really the sort of thing teenagers do, you know. and, as further evidenced by how he treated kreacher, sirius doesn’t always treat those he considers lesser than him with any sort of respect. maybe sirius just didn’t care that much about whether or not he died. he knew on an intellectual level that he was sending snape to his likely death, but maybe he just didn’t make that calculation in the moment? like sirius was so used to not facing consequences that maybe he thought things wouldn’t turn out that badly.

i can understand, maybe, in sirius’s version of events, in his own reckless, teenage narrative, that he thought it would be okay to hurt snape. but remus? did he seriously fail to make the calculation that he would be turning him into a murderer? what sirius did was such a major, major trespass of trust/friendship in a way that is actually sort of unforgivable.

doesn’t sirius say in PoA “i’d rather die than betray my friends!” ? well, he did : / he betrayed remus..

and i think that remus would be massively upset and i don’t think he ever really completely forgave him.

when did this happen? 5th or 6th year? i think that by this time remus would kind of be relegated to a state of melodramatic, shame-ridden misery that came along with being sort of in love with sirius. and so the prank really tore him apart, because of course it would. remus was so used to being defined by his lycanthropy, used to facing discrimination, and his friends were his one refuge from that. but then sirius who he loved used him basically as a means to an end. what sirius did was incredibly exploitative— he exploited remus’s marginalized identity for personal gain without thinking about how it would affect him. and i think that remus really did care about him enough to want to forgive him. he probably felt like he had to forgive him (his friends were too important for him to lose, and, importantly, there was probably this feeling of “i am a werewolf and therefore i need to be extraordinarily forgiving in order to be perceived as non threatening, and this is just how the world treats people like me and i can’t and shouldn’t fight back”). and those are just such deeply fucked up feelings to feel towards a friend, especially one you admire and have a major soul crushing crush on.

i think that there was a period of time after the fact when they weren’t really talking, remus was very rightfully upset, everyone was angry at sirius... i think that sirius apologized, but sort of begrudgingly. because twenty years later he still thought that snape got what he deserved.

at times i think that remus was someone who saw his relationships as very transactional. and initially he felt in debt to the other marauders because of the animagus thing and just because they were his friends. and, as dear @direwolf-summer said in this post, the prank changed the dynamic between remus and sirius: remus was no longer the one in debt, sirius was. and that is such an interesting point. remus starts demanding more from him and he finally feels that, even though sirius was really popular and closer to james or whatever, they were on even standing. this is how he was able to be more forward about his feelings— sirius stopped being this precious object who demanded endless patience in order to retain as a friend (or so he thought, this is remus’s insecurity showing). he stopped feeling so bad about having a crush on sirius. he’d be like “fuck you sirius. i’m in love with you. deal with it and you have to be nice about it in order to repay your debts.” like he wouldn’t say that out loud but it would be in his internal monologue and he would kinda hint at it.

there’s that line in eclipse and transit where remus says: “You say one thing and do another and half the time you don’t even try to say it, it’s like, I don’t know, like you’re daring me to leave. And everything—every single thing Sirius, it all comes back to January of sixth year, whether you’ll ever admit it or not. Or whether you even realize it” and i think it’s fitting. during fights remus probably would bring it up, and sirius would fail to understand why remus never got over it. like, sirius: “i apologized i was 15!!” and remus: “this is bigger than just that, what you did was emblematic of your flaws as a person and how even though you understand me more than almost anyone else you still don’t understand me completely and it frustrates me!!! and also i feel like you never fully understood that what you did was extraordinary fucked up.”

and i think that remus was so in love with sirius that he did forgive him, or otherwise allowed his love and affection to forget about it. but it was always bubbling under the surface...and that��s why their relationship was sort of volatile, that’s why he was so willing to believe that sirius was the spy (as in, “he betrayed me, why wouldn’t he have betrayed james and lily?”)

now i’m remembering when, in one of the snape’s memory /pensieve / flashback scenes in OotP, sirius says “i wish it was the full moon” and remus says, darkly, “you might.” now, we don’t know if that scene takes place before or after the Prank (before probably? idk), but i feel like it further compounds the extent to which sirius seems woefully unaware that remus is a werewolf and it’s not something he can separate from himself and that lycanthropy impacts every facet of his life. sirius came to understand it as just some fun thing to do every month. his sort of ignorance towards other people’s needs and experiences is also further evidenced by how he treated harry like he was james. sirius has a pretty good track record of taking other people’s pain and making into something for him to enjoy. and he doesn’t do so in a way that is entirely selfish either, i think he really thought he was helping harry and remus. maybe it all goes back to his family and childhood trauma or something (doesn’t everything? “it all started one afternoon in the 1960s..”)

#i have vague thoughts about other things but that's the extent to which i am capable of articulating my feelings #this is all gibberish isn't it? idk. no tldr im forcing you to read all my illegible brain soup #wolfstar #wolfstar meta #the prank #ask #meta #this is the thing i got done today i guess i'm a genius!!! if i finish my overdue econ ia i will be god!!!!!!!#op

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hungarianbee · 4 years

Text

Way of the Witcher: bits of lore

Disclaimer: Post contains spoilers to the Witcher games These things may be canon-typical, but the following trigger warnings apply if you want to check out the cards: gore, monster dismemberment, needles, body horror, insects and spiders

“In a world plagued by horrors and monstrosities humanity desperately needed a new type of weapon to turn back the tide. Created by ingenious Alzur, witchers — professional monster slayers of exceptional strength, speed, and agility were tasked to end the threat once and for all. Organized into different schools they honed their craft and passed their knowledge onto novices in training. Some of them were destined to become the legendary heroes and protectors of humanity. Others — the very thing they were supposed to fight…”

Since the gwent expansion was anounced I followed it with rapt attention; every bit of lore is a gem in my eyes. I decided to write down my thoughts of the cards and lore pieces revealed in a post. Share that knowledge around, amirite?

The post references Gwent cards which were leaked (2020 november-december). The theme is mutation and everything that comes with it; namely sweet-sweet lore of the lesser known witcher schools: the Bears, Cats, Vipers and Griffins.

Tucker in, under the cut there is 4.5k analysis of each card that came out.

We’re starting with a theme, then work our way throught the 4 schools (each contain the following: a leader, a mentor, an adept, a general witcher, a specific job, an item, a school relevant monster, 2 known witchers and a location), then go through a Witcher 1 throwback, Salamandra, and round it with a few new monsters and neutral cards.

While I describe most of the cards concisely and all the known witchers and locations are on my blog, you might want to look the cards in their (small) glory: [DO IT HERE]

Sounds good? Here we go!

Edit: [this source is better]

The theme is mutation - be it monsters created by transmutation, witchers or salamadra

If that is true, there are monster cards that seemingly stand out: the Succubus and the Phooca

If we are to believe that they do connect to the mutation theme, then

(1) we can conclude that Phoocas (a rare, and more dangerous form of Nekkers; they can pull your head off by sheer force, watch out) are a natural mutation of the original species,

(2) but we’re still left with the Succubi (an inherently demonic creature). They might have chosen it because of its appearance: succubi have horns and goat-like legs. (Note: in the graphic novel “House of Glass” the succubus character has wings, but lacks hooves. In that sense, she could be mutated.)

Breaking it down into factions/schools (some of the cards can be paired up; these cards are interpreted together):

School of the Viper: starting with the vipers, because they are my favourite

Viper Witcher Mentor & Viper Witcher Adept: the flavour text says that the Viper mentors are exceptionally cold and ruthless, and that’s underlined by the story the art tells: the mentor busies himself with sharpening a blade, and in the background we can see the adept attempting to kill his best friend goat, as was ordered. The mentor watches this from the corner of his eye. Young Vipers are to kill their pets (which they nurtured for years) before becoming a fully-fledged witcher. The latter could mean that the boy depicted on the card hasn’t even gone through the Trial of Grasses.

Viper Witcher: On the card we see an unknown Viper crouching over a royalty he killed. I feel like this type of card is meant to represent what we think a general Witcher of said school would be like. Apparently Vipers just like to slay the nobility *shrug*. The flavour text informs us, that Vipers call their two swords “fangs”, and that their style consists of fast and furious attack aimed to overwhelm the enemy.

Viper Witcher Alchemist: Every school has a specialty; Vipers are proficient in potion or poison making. The right side of the alchemist’s face seems to have healed burn marks; a blown up concoction might have caused it.

Ivar Evil-Eye: So far there’s little to know about Ivar. He was either the Master of the Viper Keep, or the founder himself (gwent suggests the latter). He’s described as heavily scarred (facial scars suggests burns and slash marks too), and each of them has a terrible story to tell.

Warritt the All-Seeing: Warritt is a (newly introduced) Viper with heavy disfiguration to the upper part of his face: his eyes are sealed shut (possibly by burn marks, though his hair remains intact). The art shows Warritt drawing a modified version of the Supirre sign in the air to help with his loss of sight. As the wiki says: “Supirre is a Sign used for eavesdropping. Drawn on a solid surface, it allows the people near this surface to listen nearby conversations which would be normally inaudible due to the distance or background noise.” It was only used in Sapkowsky’s second volume of the Hussite trilogy (not yet translated to English), which is entirely separate from the Witcher novels.

Kolgrim: Fate laughed at this Viper. As a kid he was swapped by a weeper, saved by a witcher, than rejected by his own mother who believed that the fake child was the real one. Later, as a grown witcher Ivar instructed him to find a lost weapon diagram. On his journey he was accused - ironically - in White Orchard of kidnapping a child. Invoking a Temerian law, Kolgrim was told to cleanse their crypt (as seen on the card) then he can go. The truth is revealed in Witcher 3 - Kolgrim was beheaded by the villagers before he could even step into the crypt. To add insult to injury: the child was eaten by a drowner. The gwent card therefore shows the optimistic outcome: that Kolgrim reached the crypt and passed in battle. And what’s up with a crypt full of wraiths anyway? White Orchard is shady, guys. (Lil’ trivia: Kolgrim’s eyes are yellow-green.)

Vypper: Basically an overgrown snake that likes damp marshes (they even fight the local kikimores for territory). They only relate to the mutation theme by their nature - they resemble the “school’s animal”.

Gorthur Gvaed: The Bloodgate Keep is located in the chasms of the Tir Tochair mountains. It’s built so high were you to look down from the bridge leading into the keep, you would only see fog (one could wonder how the vipers trained in these conditions). The bridge is made so that you’d have to cross the lookout tower - it might have served as a check in spot. The post itself is circled by the stone coils of a snake; the top is open and has a huge lit bonfire in the middle for warmth-keeping and possibly signaling. Unluckily, it didn’t stop the Usurper’s army from destroying the keep.

Coated Weapons: They leaned heavily into the alchemy and assassin side of the school. Vipers coat their blades with an acidic liquid, so they can kill a man with a nick of it.

School of the Cat:

Cat Witcher Mentor & Cat Witcher Adept: On the adept card we can see a young Cat walking the tightrope blindfolded (they start with close to the ground and slowly increase the distance with time); the mentor is looking up at him. Like the Vipers, Cat mentors are nonchalant about risking the kids as seen from the flavour text: “If you fall, it’s over. Your nine lives are up, kid.” Furthermore, the background of the Cat Witcher Adept card shows the not yet destroyed Stygga Citadel. The Cat Witcher Mentor is in the same scene and we can see lots of potatoes and cabbages; cats definitely eat their veggies.

Cat Witcher: The card shows a Cat in the heat of battle mid-jump; his hood is up, blood is flying everywhere. The flavour text emphasizes that cats are known for their mad bloodlust, not stopping killing even after the enemy capitulated.

Cat Witcher Saboteur: A Cat perches next to the window, a smoking bomb in hand, eavesdropping on nobles. A rope is hung from somewhere out of the pic, possibly for a quick exit. Vesemir comments that these are many-a deeds the cats did that taint the reputation of witchers.

Gezras of Leyda: Gezras is a not yet known redheaded Cat witcher. Following the pattern he seems to be the founder of the Cat School. His flavour text shows that even back then (when the mutagens made Cats emotionless) they were inclined to dislike humans: “Take a contract from Aen Seidhe over a dh’oine any day, as you’re far less likely to receive a knife between the ribs in place of coin.”

Brehen: Now this cat embodies the Cat madness. He’s known as the Cat of Iello because he massacred everyone there. He was consequently shunned by all the schools, and he was even convinced that Vesemir put a kill order on his head. He met Geralt later in the 1240s on his way to claim the bounty for the princess. Thinking that Geralt was there to rob him of his chance of the bounty, Brehen took a priestess as hostage (this is what we see on the gwent card). Geralt managed to convince him to put away the blade, and they parted without crossing blades. When meeting with the striga he scoffed into her face that “she won’t be his first royal”. But his luck ran out. The Temerians buried him and fabricated the story of a cowardly witcher stealing their coin. I’m halfway convinced we see Brehen in the netflix series.

Gaetan: This boy broke into the fandom like a bulldozer. After the folks in Honorton cheated him of his pay and tried to kill him, Gaetan flew into rage and killed everyone there except Millie, a girl who reminded him of his sister. That’s the scene we see on the card. And then Geralt robs/kills him.

Saber-Tooth Tiger (Stealth): Another huge animal/monster related to the school. It’s story is this: “The prized possession of royal menagerie, until a commando of Scoia’tael assaulted the exhibition, released the beast, and set it upon its cruel masters. Since that day, it has acquired a selective taste for human flesh.” Another cat turning against humans.

Stygga Castle: An outside view of what we already saw on the Cat Witcher Adept card. It’s located on a cliff, and the sun shines into it just right (so that the Cats can bask in the light). The walls form a circle where they shelter the inner grounds, and a bigger tower emerges in the middle. The Castle could be reached by the thin bridge connecting it to the mainland, or by the cliffs (if one is brave enough).

Making a Bomb: Cats seem to have a specialty in bombs. Guess where Lambert got his interest from *winkwink*

School of the Griffin: lots of pairs in this one

Griffin Witcher Mentor & Griffin Witcher Adept: Compared to the other schools, this pairing is tame - the adept is climbing a tree to retrieve a crossbow bolt. We can see the mentor in the background. On the mentor card the adept waves down with the retrieved crossbow bolt in hand. It shows a kind of comradeship that’s not present in the other 3 schools. The flavour text emphasizes the importance of knowledge. Students are afforded to choose their final Trial: recite the entire Liber Tenebrum (Book of Shadows; one of Keldar’s favourite books) or steal a griffin’s egg. Noone’s chosen the former.

Griffin Witcher: The witcher is shown shooting down a griffin. According to the flavour text they prefer hunting with silver-tipped arrowheads instead of swords.

Archgriffin & Griffin Witcher Ranger: On the Griffin Ranger card we see the witcher crouching over track marks. On the archgriffin card he found the albino (or very old) monster, who’s already killed someone (probably a lumberjack, judging by the axe). According to the flavour text, Griffin Witchers are trained to be professional trackers; nothing can stop them to reach their prey. Even though archgriffins are considered the embodiment of courage, loyalty and fighting spirit, the gwent card corrects the notion that the Griffin Witcher were named after the monster. In truth, they got the name in honour of their founder’s mentor, a knight named Gryphon.

Erland of Larvik: Continuing the trend, Erland is the founder of the Griffin School (one of the two that are confirmed 100%). He’s from the first generation of witcher, mutated by Alzur himself. After the Order began fracturing he had a confrontation with Arnaghan (who’ll be the founder of the bear school). Arnaghad almost killed one of his brothers, slashed Erland across the face then parted ways with the Order and left Morgraig Castle with his own group. Seeing that the the remaining witchers couldn’t go on like that, he grabbed his 13 best friend and left to Kaer Seren, where (after purging it from spectres) he founded the Griffin School which focused on magic, preparedness and flexibility. His teaching emphasized knightly values (mimicking his long-dead mentor, a knight named Gryphon) in hopes that it would make future witchers’ life easier. It didn’t.

Coen & Keldar: The cards are mainly connected by background. Coen is finished killing what appears to be an albino arachas (but it’s definitely an insectoid), while Keldar’s taking notes. We can rightly assume that he’s updating their bestiary, since he’s one of the teachers/mentors who focus on gathering and sharing knowledge. Coen’s flexibility shows in the flavour text: “There is no such thing as a fair fight. Every advantage and every opportunity that arises is used in combat.” Not very knightly, is it?

Kaer Seren: The “Star Keep” Erland and his friends fled to. It was used by the Order’s mages to mutate witchers (that’s why it was haunted by spectres). It’s located at the edge of the Dragon mountains by the sea between Poviss and Kovir. It’s said to possess the great library, which later mages tried to get for themselves. They messed up: by bringing down an avalanche on the Keep, that knowledge was destroyed. The keep was badly damaged and many witchers died.

Target Practice: The Griffin School’s specialty is their precise aim - they “can split an apple in two from a hundred paces”.

School of the Bear:

Bear Witcher Mentor & Bear Witcher Adept: The adept card shows that young witcher are taught to catch fish by hand (just like their school relevant animal). On the mentor card the elder witcher leads a group of younglings in the mountains; possibly out to teach tracking. The cards are connected by flavour text. The young Bear witcher-would-be’s need to complete the Trial of the Mountain, which consists of them climbing Mount Gorgon (also known as the Devil Mountain; it is the highest peak of the Amell range) to retrieve a runestone. The Trial often ends with the kids frozen to death. The Bear Mentor card’s flavour confirms it: “If you’re unsure of the way, just keep a lookout for markers - the frozen corpses of would-be witchers.” This sounds ominous - don’t they collect their fallen?

Bear Witcher: Bears are solitary hunters as seen in the flavour text: “life alone can be tough”. The witcher in the pic just dismembered what looks like a ghoul (with a tail?).

Bear Witcher Quartermaster: This one I like. The Quartermaster is an amputee (missing one of his arms, which was taken by a bear; must have won that fight one-handed), yet they still found a job for him where he can be useful. His flavour text suggest he likes Mahakam mead.

Arnaghad: The founder of the Bear School, he never felt kinship with his fellow witchers. After attacking a witcher named Rhys over a contract, wounding him deeply from shoulder to waist, he returned to Morgraig, attacked Erland then left with his possé to found the Bear School - Haern Caduch - in the Amell Mountains. Later he almost died in a betrayal, which resulted in another schism and the foundation of the Viper School.

Gerd: Gerd’s a legendary witcher who fled to Skellige after allying with a Usurper instead of his daughter, who later issued a warrant for his arrest. He has a busy time in Skellige: first slaying a dragon, befriending the Jarl Torgeir, killing a bunch of sirens, losing so many weapon diagrams you wouldn’t believe, losing half his pay and silver sword on gwent, escaping Nilfgaard and managing to slay a striga, killing some of his pursuers, only to be caught up in the siege of Torgeir’s castle, where he died in the ruins. On the card he’s showing Bear-typical strength: he’s tearing apart a siren with his bear hands.

Junod of Belhaven: Junod had a dubious background, but was thought to be the child of a brave dwarf and a giantess. He’s a huge man, with a big bushy beard and bald head. His sobriquet is false; he took it after Ivo, because he liked the ring of it. He was known as a strict haggler and a bit of a gambler. In 1243 he took a contract in hopes of cash (he wanted to forge the Grandmaster Ursine Armour). The subterranean monster was said to live in the caverns. Junod drew bear signs and wrote a warning on the wall (this is the scene we see on the card). He was however ill-prepared; the beast turned out to be a shaelmaar (a type of relic Gaetan slew once) that killed him in that very cavern.

Dire Bear: Once again related to the school in question, the Dire Bear is stuck with so much weaponry that it looks like a walking armory. Lots of witchers must have tried to slay it, yet it still kicks - just like Bear Witchers, it’s resilient till the very end.

Haern Caduch: Built into the side of the Amell Mountains, it’s the coldest environment of all the schools. As with the other schools, the Bears were forced out of it due to folk riots. It was left in disrepair to be buried under snow and ice (as seen on the card). It’s name could be translated as “Piercing Whiskers”.

Armor Up: As Bear’s are more likely to stand in the way of attack than dodge, they need to wear a heavy armour at all times.

Salamandra:

Roland Bleinheim & Gellert Bleinheim: Witcher 1 characters. They are thought to be brothers, leading the Salamandra organization. As drug lords one heads the fisstech operation in Vizima’s sewers (Roland), the other in the swamps (Gellert). The flavour text pretty much matches: both of them wondering what the other one is doing.

Salamandra Mage: The art itself was already leaked in China around 2 years back, and there were a few theories. One of them was that the man depicted is Zerrikanian, and I think that’s correct. Both the facial tattoo, darker skin, thinly braided hair and fire magic points in that direction. Azar Javed (a known Salamandra fire mage) happens to be a Zerrikanian escapee too.

Salamandra Lackey: A girl with the Salamandra-stapled mask runs from a city guard. The flavour text says the following: “Lackeys are expected to perform their first five jobs for no pay, demonstrating their passion for the gig.” The organization monitors from the beginning that only those remain who are extremely loyal to their cause.

Fallen Rayla: A little background for those who are unfamiliar with her: Rayla of Lyria was a veteran of the Nilgaardian Wars. She harbours anti-nonhuman sentiments after she was captured by Scoia’taels and severely maimed. The Rayla we see on the card is a mutant - in Witcher 1 she was supposedly shot down by Scoia’tael, and Salamandra found her close to death, subjected her to mutation. She was killed by Geralt.

Salamander: The card shows a bright blue spotted salamander. It has two tails and heads (possibly grown together?). The Salamander is a symbol of the organization. Metaphorically speaking it could mean, that Salamandra thought of itself as something untouchable: “best to avoid petting them, as the salamander, when threatened, secretes a deadly toxin”.

Failed Experiment: The card - ironically - thrives when it’s poisoned. The “experiment” only resembles a human in shape. It’s clutching the table ends, as if trying to escape still. It’s fair to assume that they later dissected it: “even failed experiments can serve a purpose”.

Salamandra Abomination: A step further from the failed experiment - we see the results of pushing science’s boundaries. Only the skull is left intact, everything else of the body is covered with insectoid-like growths.

Stolen Mutagens: Gruesome organ harvesting. The witcher heart (?) glows, which is either an artistic decision (probable) or the mages sent magic into the body, and the mutagens light up (like angiographia). Three types of mutagens can be harvested: red (strength), blue (magic) or green (resilience). I headcanon that the amount they inject of the three types can vary - that’s how you get strength inclined witchers like the wolves (red), or big ass mothers like the bears (green).

Salamandra Hideout: There are multiple hideouts in Witcher 1 (outskirt of Visima, crypt in sewers and one in the trade quarters). The one depicted here is the fisstech lab in the sewers. It shows a dimly lit, cobwebbed room. There’s an elevation where a body lays on the table. The elevation’s floor is gridded, so the blood and other fluids can freely flow down into the sewer water, where many bodies are already discarded recklessly.

Neutral:

Alzur & Viy & Koshchey: Alzur was a charismatic mage and spell inventor, who created many horrible monsters, like the koshchey (with the spell: Alzur’s Double Cross) and the Viy (a huge centipede-like insectoid). He was also the one who did the lion’s share of work with the witcher’s mutation.

Cosimo Malaspina: Cosimo was the teacher of Alzur. He was known for his knowledge in hybridization and genetic modification. Him and Alzur were the true creators of the witchers sect. On the gwent card, three man are shown prodding at a mutated body. Cosimo (the old dude) is in the middle, Alzur might be the one on the left and that leaves Idarran on the right. His flavour text paints him as cold and clinical, someone without empathy: “Children keep asking him for gifts. He doesn’t know why, but it really helps with finding subjects for his experiments.”

Idarran of Ulivo & Idr & Wererat: Idarran was one of the contributers of the witcher experiments. He’s an expert in hybridization and genetic modification, whose teacher was Alzur. He was a pale kid who lived in the canals of Vizima and experimented on rats at the age of 5. He found beauty in gruesome creations, like the Wererat (a human-sized rat on roids) and the Idr (a big centipede-like insectoid). He’s disdained by Geralt for his many monsters.

Triangle within a Triangle: It’s a magic spell used to introduce a series of mutations and to greatly increase the mass of a given body. That way they can create huge monstrosities, like the koshchey. Adepts often confuse it with a pentagram which can lead to infernal disasters.

Selective mutation: The card shows a close up of a young man’s eyes - one mutated (catlike) one human. His skin shows his high toxicity level, ashen with prominent veins. He’s held down as alchemists prepare to inject a yellow concoction into the human eye. It’s possible that after the success of witchers the mages tried to recreate the changes in smaller scale, then unmake it in turn, unsuccessfully.

Witcher Student: This is not really a card, but I included it anyway. The card’s ability is - ironically - doomed, and to add insult to injury, its flavour text is the following well-known fact: “Four out of ten boys survive… at most.” It’s also a point for black humour that the gwent commentators added: the Trial of Grasses card boosts this unit significantly.

Berengar: He’s a Wolf School Witcher who blamed his school for denying him a normal life and consequently abandoned them. In Witcher 1 Geralt can decide to kill or spare him. In a letter he admits that he was a coward because he betrayed Kaer Morhen and worked with Salamadra in hope that they can undo his mutation. His card references a questline in Witcher 1, where he tried to reason with the vodyanoi (~lovecraftian fish people) to spare the village’s prize-winning cow, named Strawberry. This is non-canon; in the game Geralt takes over the quest to do this instead.

Leo: Another Witcher 1 character. He was an orphan taken in by Vesemir. He was a kind-hearted but hot-headed man, who had all the training but not the mutations and the experience - he never killed a man. The flavour text of his gwent card kind of mocks his death: “He would have caught the arrow if he only had some heads-up.” He’s burned on a pyre and his cenotaph can be found south of Kaer Morhen.

Geralt: Quen: The last classical sign that wasn’t yet a card. In the art, Geralt is wearing the Manticore armour

Snowdrop: She’s a not yet seen character; impish looking female bard with light blond hair (flowers braided on the side) who plays a medieval version of the fiddle to a rooster. There’s a horseshoe hanging from the hem of his pants. She’s also seen in the gwent: journey #3 launch trailer. She’s narrating that she was saved by Alzur. Alzur told her about his plans of creating witchers to fight the beasts of the Continent, and she admired him so much she spread his story (”let me tell you about the greatest sorceress to ever lived”). Their story will unveil in the next week, I’ll probably update accordingly. It’s also interesting that Alzur says in the gwent intro (regarding witchers): “Bards will toil to do justice to their feats.” As if his own successes and experiences will be mirrored in his creations. Projecting much?

Monsters:

Viy & Idr: both of them are centipede-like insectoids conjured by infamous mages (see: Alzur and Idarran)

Wererat: same can be said about this one. Idarran experimented on Vizima’s sewer rats since the age of 5. This human sized abomination was the end result.

Succubus: We already discussed how the “Succubus” doesn’t fit the theme. Other interesting thing is the surrounding of her - in the background we can see a skull full of some kinda of dark liquid; she’s also holding a goblet. I’m not saying she’s drinking blood, but if she does, it would shed some questions as succubi don’t need to drink blood at all.

Phooca: As nekkers’ rare big brother, phoocas are ogroids that have the strength to rip a man’s head off with their bear hands. According to the wiki, in Celtic folklore they are regarded as shapeshifting fairies.

Koshchey: A witcher 1 boss, koshcheys are spider-like abominations summoned by mages. The woman standing her ground in the picture is Visenna (Geralt’s druid mom). In the story she’s the one to kill the first koshchey ever created.

Spontaneous Evolution: Under the Red Moon the wolf mutated into an amalgamation of eyes and teeth. Malaspina possibly added something to the mix that proved unstable. The card’s name is kind of ironic - this change is not spontaneous (it was induced) but could be related to evolution (it would imply that this form is somehow advantageous to the current environment and helps adaptation). (Note: in my opinion spontaneous generation would be a better term: it’s the thought that living creatures could arise from nonliving matter.)

Hybrid: the card shows a two-headed wolf or dog. Pretty straight-forward.

Chimera: A creature created my Cosimo Malaspina. He combines the genes of a fiend and griffin, then added a trace of insectoid and wyvern. It kind of looks like a furred wyvern with antlers. Interestingly the frightener (an insectoid; a rare result of magical experiment) is also called a chimera.

Dol Dhu Lokke: a new monster lair location. The depending on how you translate “lokke” the Elder can be read as “black valley place” or “alluring black valley”. It’s so dangerous - housing many-a horrors - that even a witcher thinks twice before going near it.

Interesting tidbits

Coen has hair, which is weird because so far he was described in all sources as bald.

There used to be a card that was also called Viper Witcher, which is now referred to as “Kingslayer”

The Bear Witcher’s face was drawn after one of CDPR’s employee.

The Koshchey’s card title has a typo: “Koschchey”.

Easter eggs (mainly in flavour text)

The Spontaneous Evolution card references The Powerpuff Girls intro: “Professor Malaspina accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction - compound X.”

The Bear Witcher card might reference a song of Baloo from the Jungle Book (The Bare Necessities): “Life alone on the road can be tough - be sure to bring all the bare necessities.”

#my shit #the witcher #gwent #witcher meta #witcher lore #i worked really hard on this #i hope it shows lol #if y'all have any thoughts i'd be happy to hear about them #cross my heart i don't bite

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blackjack-15 · 3 years

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Adoration to Ashes, Dust to Just — Thoughts on: Alibi in Ashes (ASH)

Previous Metas: SCK/SCK2, STFD, MHM, TRT, FIN, SSH, DOG, CAR, DDI, SHA, CUR, CLK, TRN, DAN, CRE, ICE, CRY, VEN, HAU, RAN, WAC, TOT, SAW, CAP

Hello and welcome to a Nancy Drew meta series! 30 metas, 30 Nancy Drew Games that I’m comfortable with doing meta about. Hot takes, cold takes, and just Takes will abound, but one thing’s for sure: they’ll all be longer than I mean them to be.

Each meta will have different distinct sections: an Introduction, an exploration of the Title, an explanation of the Mystery, a run-through of the Suspects. Then, I’ll tackle some of my favorite and least favorite things about the game, and finish it off with ideas on how to improve it.

If any game requires an extra section or two, they’ll be listed in the paragraphs above, along with my list of previous metas.

These metas are not spoiler free, though I’ll list any games/media that they might spoil here: ASH; mention of a whole host of previous games with the Hardy Boys in them; mention of SCK; mention of STFD; mention of FIN; mention of DED; small spoilers for SPY; unflattering mention of the Nancy Drew: Girl Detective series; brief mention of erotic-shifter-romance book Bearllionaire.

The Intro:

Welcome to the Nancy Games, lads!

Before we begin, since we’re at the beginning of a new “section” of games, let’s go over exact what the “Nancy Games” entail. Unlike the other games, this section (which runs from ASH through SPY) of games is most concerned with Nancy’s personality, growth, and showing her through a different character foil each game.

These games not only give us a better picture of who Nancy is, but also how she fits (or doesn’t fit) into the world around her and with the people that she meets. Rather than solving the case, these games are made to make Nancy react to things; rather than ‘where is Nancy Drew’ or ‘what case is Nancy Drew tackling’, the preeminent question for ASH and the four games after it is simple: ‘Who Is Nancy Drew?’.

Though only possible because of the nature of the miscellaneous games (WAC, TOT) and the Faerietale Games (SAW, CAP), the Nancy Games have been sorely needed since the series graduated past the first few cases. For a lot of the series, the games weren’t really concerned with the main character of the series, preferring her to be a blank slate that players could superimpose themselves onto…which, as recent media (such as Twilight, and Twilight But With Bondage This Time), isn’t a good basis for a character outside of a dime-store bodice ripper.

But these games aren’t Bearllionaire, they’re detective stories, and detective stories need a strong main detective to carry the story — not to mention the stakes.

That’s where these games come in. Building obviously to the story in SPY, each game explores another facet of Nancy’s personality, and shows what she could become — or could have become, in a few instances — should she let the more negative sides of her personality take over, or if she trusts the wrong kind of people and makes the wrong friends.

How better to illustrate than by showing exactly the kinds of people that Nancy’s friends are? That’s what ASH is primarily concerned about — showing who Nancy is by showing the reactions of people who have known her all her life to a crisis. The only difference between Nancy and her Foil in this game is the fact that Nancy has good people — good friends — fighting for her. It’s how she gets herself out of jail, and how she manages to solve the crime.

And it’s a fun (if a bit clunky) game mechanic as well.

This is why this story can only happen in Nancy’s hometown. Not only is it delightful for fans to see (modern-day, as we saw the old version in CLK) River Heights for the first time and get to explore a bit around the town, but hometowns in media are quite significant when looking at who a character is.

Almost always, a hometown is used as sort of a microcosm for the character, giving us a bit of a cheat sheet into who they are as a person just by showing their environment. Think about it — how many times in cop shows (which are the most blatant offenders by far) are we told that a character is from a small town, and thus they’re intent on proving themselves, probably a ridiculously hard worker (to get out of “that place”), and a bit more innocent than their inner-city colleagues? Or that a character grew up overseas to justify their interest in international crime, establish them as a bit of a wildcard, and handwave them knowing about 16 languages? Or that they grew up “on the streets”, justifying a hidden juvenile record, skills in hand-to-hand combat, and a soft spot for Youths Just Like Them?

(But enough about Criminal Minds. I’d rather focus on something that actually has thought put into it.)

The same thing is happening here in ASH; from River Heights, we can extrapolate that Nancy is well-off, straight-forward, comfortable largely around adults (think about it — ignoring the usual phone characters, we only meet one person around Nancy’s age in RH, and she hates her), and has a drive to be Somewhere Other than her small town.

Another interesting point is that River Heights is chosen as the backdrop for something that has only happened twice in the series, and only once been done well: a personal revenge story against Nancy herself. Sure, RAN attempted it, but RAN’s story is — if you haven’t read that meta, spoilers — hot, flaming garbage, and the personal revenge plotline is bungled to the extreme, resulting in it not putting across that theme very effectively.

ASH is different; from the very beginning, it’s obvious that whoever is doing this is working off of a person grudge against Nancy specifically — and burned down the town hall in order to implicate her, so they’re not playing around. It’s the reason that the culprit search is so focused, which really benefits the games as well. The question isn’t really “who would want to get rid of Town Hall”, it’s “who hates Nancy enough to burn down a building to get her in trouble”. It makes questioning so much more interesting — and very full of mines, which is Great — when it’s the person, rather than the specific crime, that matters.

The last thing I’ll touch on in this introduction is a question that the fandom has posed both seriously and jokingly many times over the last….almost exactly 10 years (10 years!!! I need to lie down my land!!!) since the game first came out: where are the Hardy Boys? Surely, if there was ever a game where they made sense to appear, it would be this one; their friend is in prison and needs the help of practiced investigators — you’d think that even if Carson wouldn’t think of hiring them (which, as desperate as he was, he totally would have), that Nancy would have given them a call, if only to see if ATAC had anything on the suspects.

There are two reasons why the Hardy Boys don’t appear, from a storytelling perspective (ignoring the issue of how much money it would cost to include them or any other technical considerations), no matter how much I would have liked them here, or how much sense it would have been to at least name drop them, if not make them phone friends.

The first is to keep the game centered on River Heights. Everyone in the game — both suspects and allies — is from River Heights and is a part of the town’s makeup. Our suspects reporter, a politician-slash-ice-cream-store-owner, an ex-detective-turned-antiques-dealer, and a college student born and raised in RH. They represent different facets of the town — the media, the political, the business, and the rising generation — and so each represent a part of the town. Nancy’s allies all fall under the “rising generation” — the “Future of the Town”, if you will — or under the justice system category, with Carson. Even the Chief represents another facet — the law — that can both hurt and help Nancy in turn. By keeping all suspects and allies tied to the town, the mystery and the story can focus on exactly what’s going down in River Heights, without any distractions.

The second reason that the Hardy Boys don’t appear is a little less obvious and a little less cut-and-dried plain fact, but I find it compelling enough to mention here: Ned is present. Other than as a foil in CAP (and an oddity in CRE/VEN), the Hardy Boys don’t appear in the games where Ned is present — it tends to be an either/or thing as far as phone characters are concerned. The why of this is, admittedly, conjecture, but I do find it fascinating that the two (three, technically) don’t intersect — and when they do, it’s to compare them.

Also there are not enough fics of the time Nancy sent Ned to hang out with the Hardy Boys like their house was a vacation kennel and Joe broke Ned’s car. Just saying.

Ned represents River Heights, safety, security, constancy, and comfort — the same things that the other River Heights phone friends (Carson, George, Bess, Hannah) do, albeit to a slightly lesser extent. The Hardy Boys, on the other hand, represent excitement, danger, the unknown, new discoveries, and growth — as do, in different extents, the non-River Heights returning phone friends (Hotchkiss, Savannah, Prudence).

Nancy sits squarely in the middle of these two extremes; she’s from River Heights, but she’s not exactly of River Heights, if you get my meaning. As the games have progressed, they’ve shown Nancy moving further and further away from safe, small, friend-related cases to professional jobs with more than a few people actively trying to kill her. For me, that’s the reason we don’t see the Hardy Boys and Ned mostly in the same games; they represent different spheres of Nancy’s life.

And, had competent writer(s) stayed and the games not, well, imploded due to Penny being one of the worst business people I’ve ever encountered, it would have been interesting to see that push-and-pull dynamic being expressed in Nancy’s relationships. As it is…thank Heaven for AO3, am I right?

Now, let’s refocus on ASH in specific, and talk about its composite parts, shall we?

The Title:

Other than being catchy and evocative (and telling us exactly what crime was committed here — that of arson), Alibi in Ashes is also a notable title for its flexibility in meaning. Like CAP, there are so many different connotations for “fire”, and all of them apply neatly to this game.

First, we’re dealing with the literal fire that sends Town Hall up in smoke, and the inciting incident for our mystery (and Nancy’s jail time). Next, we have the word “fire” standing in for “emergency” — as in “where’s the fire” — and there seems to be a new emergency every five minutes in this game — the fire, Nancy’s arrest, Bess breaking the vase, Carson’s absence, etc.

After that, we venture even further down the abstract hole, and dive into the political — whistleblowing, which is often referred to as “setting a/the fire”. This is partially what Nancy does, and is also what Brenda likes to do, no matter the accuracy of the report. Finally, we stay with Brenda for the term “media wildfire” – which is exactly what Nancy’s arrest (due to Brenda’s machinations) causes.

The title in total — “Alibi in Ashes” — also works in a few different senses. Literally speaking, Nancy’s alibi — and the evidence to prove it — is in the ashes of Town Hall, waiting to be discovered. More metaphorically, due to the work of the culprit, Nancy’s alibi (aka her innocence) is in pieces, in ashes — it’s been destroyed. Finally, in a literary sense, Nancy’s situation can be shown in the “ashes” of a past life — in the “wildfire” that destroyed Alexei’s life and career as a detective.

Its acronym being “ASH” is also pretty awesome, not gonna lie.

It’s the multifaceted nature of the title that really gives it its staying power, catchiness aside. Many titles are just as good as ASH’s, but almost none work harder at having so many possible meanings that are all represented in the text of the game itself.

The Mystery:

Sufficiently chastened into spending more time at home (at least for a few days), Nancy comes home in order to spearhead her team (consisting of Ned, Bess, and George) to victory in the River Heights Clues Challenge. This friendly little competition that included No Cheating Whatsoever on the part of Other Teams heats up, however, when a clue leads Nancy to the historic Town Hall — only to have it erupt in flames minutes later. Coughing but still moving, Nancy escapes the inferno…only to be greeted by the suspicious press, declaring her guilty of setting a beloved building on fire.

Things only get worse when Chief McGinnis shows up the next day, taking Nancy into custody due to political pressure in the town. An arsonist is afoot in River Heights, and unless her friends can dig up some dirt on someone — or everyone — else, it looks like Nancy Drew won’t just be convicted by the press, but by the town that raised her…

As a mystery, ASH has some great personal stakes — for Nancy and for our suspects — and pretty layered motivations. The cast comes alive through their relations to Nancy, especially as she’s unprotected with Carson being in Australia. The shift in the mystery that occurs when Nancy can finally get out and speak to the suspects — and seeing how differently they treat her than how they treated the other members of the cast — really helps to add something new to a mystery that’s tying itself up a bit, and give it the last push of gas it needs to get us to the conclusion.

While it’s not the most involved, complex, or thematic Nancy Drew mystery ever, it does what it needs to do, and does it well – and that’s honestly all I want in a game more devoted (as it should be) to character than it is to a twisty plot.

The Suspects:

ASH has a rather full cast (not because of the size of the suspect pool, but because there are so many people involved that should be mentioned), so let’s get started with our suspects, then move on to our other cast members.

Brenda Carlton, resident Reporter of River Heights News and perpetual thorn in Nancy’s side, is both our first suspect and our culprit, proving once again that the media cannot be trusted. We haven’t had a reporter be our culprit in 21 games (TRT’s Lisa being the previous example), so I guess we were due, but Brenda is a delightfully hateful example of just how bad the media can be, so kudos for that.

And this game didn’t even come out in an election year. How refreshing.

As a suspect, Brenda is awesome. Catty, arrogant, and with a penchant for dressing up as Nancy – titian wig and all! – to perform her dastardly, dastardly acts, the game doesn’t try to be subtle for one second that she’s up to no good. While Nancy and Brenda are equally as interested — and equally as talented, by all appearances – in ferreting out a good story, Brenda takes it a step further and makes one if she can’t find one – and nurses a grudge against Nancy for exposing her for it.

Up next is ice cream shop owner and scaly politician Antonia “Toni” Scallari, a woman with a bright-eyed, smiling public face — and if you don’t like that face, don’t worry…she has others. Toni is your typical politician — pretends to be nice and pleasant, is actually a scheming villain, hates people who do honest work, and thinks that fairness in government is a luxury – but the game does stop shy of making her The Villain, preferring instead to show the crimes she’s committed in her search for money and power and letting her quietly bow out of the election.

So definitely better than she deserved, but at least the game shows her corrupt nature rather than sweeping it under the rug.

As a suspect, Toni would have made a decent villain, but it would have turned the game into a tale of cold political expediency and machinations, rather than hot-blooded revenge, and that would have been a shame. I’m a fan of how the games from about TOT on always have multiple characters who Do Crimes and Bad Things, and Toni is a prime example of a bad guy who just happens not to be The Bad Guy.

Third on the docket of suspects is our resident grumpy old man (and Nancy’s foil in this game) Alexei Markovic, who provides not only some of the best voice work in the game, but whose age is also proof that Nancy’s dad really is the silver-haired DILF we’ve been waiting for.

C’mon, he prosecuted Alexei when Alexei was 20. The youngest Carson could have been was 25 if he booked it through college, took no breaks to study for the LSAT, and blazed through law school — and immediately got a job the day after graduation. And seeing as Alexei has the “old coot” personality and grey hair…well, Carson is probably straddling the line between DILF and GILF.

(I’m so sorry for that aside, guys, it got away from me. I’m equally sorry for the first recorded use of the term “GILF” in the Nancy Drew fandom. It’s not the legacy I wanted, but perhaps the legacy I deserve.)

Back to Alexei!

Alexei is a great character, full-stop, and his VA just improves the experience more. Bitter and jaded, but by no means uncaring or evil or myopic about his troubles, Alexei is, where Nancy is concerned, a bleeding heart whose blood happens to run cold. While he could be bitter about Carson playing a part in taking away everything he had, and thus treat Nancy poorly, he instead empathizes deeply, wants to help, and, in effect, treats her the way that somebody — anybody — should have treated him.

As a suspect, Alexei, as Nancy’s foil in the game, would have been a poor choice; he’s not really there to be suspicious, he’s there to show the stakes of the mystery. No matter if Carson could find a world-class defender to get Nancy off the charges, no matter if they couldn’t even indict her, the stakes aren’t “Nancy will go to jail for Realsies” — the stakes are the town turning its back, she loses those she loves, and is unable to do the job that is the essence of who she is. In other words, if things go poorly, Nancy becomes Alexei.

One of the reasons that Alexei is such a good character is that he recognizes this immediately, and is determined to do all he can to prevent that. Sure, he knows the odds are stacked against him, and the whole town is his enemy, and he won’t get anything for helping out — but at his heart, he’s still the Magnificent Markovic; “no case too big, no fee too small,” remember?

Last of the actual suspects is noted red-light runner and girl in envious, envious green, Deirdre Shannon. Deirdre’s a rather divisive character in the fandom — especially of late — but is a character I stand firmly on the side of great, for a few reasons.

The first is that the games took a 1-dimensional, wouldn’t-cast-a-shadow-if-you-turned-her-sideways character from the Girl Detective books, there purely to make Nancy look good, and instead gave her a fully realized character, sympathetic motivations, and a whip-sharp tongue.

The second is her hilarious banter with the River Heights crew and wry sense of humor, which would be enough to make her a favorite character of mine alone.

Annoyed by constant, unflattering comparisons to Nancy from her parents (her father also being a lawyer in River Heights), she’s amused when Nancy’s arrested — though, if you read in between the lines, never suspects Nancy actually set the fire nor thinks Nancy will ultimately get the blame — though not as amused at Bess’ spying on her. She harbors a not-secret crush on Ned and enjoys spending time with him, girlfriend or no girlfriend — though it should be noted that even Ned isn’t spared her sharp tongue.

As a culprit, Deirdre would have been the obvious choice for writers who were the caliber of…well, of the Girl Detective series writers, but thankfully we’re on a higher playing field with Nik, Cathy, and the rest of the crew behind ASH. Deirdre is a snarky observer, but that’s as far as her ‘evil’ goes — and looking at her methodology for solving the Clues Challenge clues (and her commentary on her compatriots) is a joy — real detective work, indeed!

After our suspects, let’s talk about our players on the side of Right — or at least, on the side of Nancy — starting with the girl detective herself (as we will for all of the Nancy Games). ASH provides a better look at Nancy than we’ve had before (as befitting the first of the Nancy Games)

Nancy Drew is our main character, sometimes-protagonist, and at times villain protagonist — especially in the eyes of our culprits — when it comes to unearthing long-buried hurts and wrongs. Stuck in jail for a crime she didn’t commit due to political and community pressure, for the first time, the girl detective can’t really do anything by herself, and is relegated to “phone friend” while her boyfriend and childhood friends are running around frantically trying to introduce reasonable doubt in a frame-up par excellence.

Our source in SPY refers to Nancy as an autodidact — one who teaches themselves — and that’s a perfect summation of Nancy’s character. She’s no museum expert, nor cowgirl, nor entomologist, nor any other hat she’s put on — but she can fake it if someone hums a few bars. Her other big pluses as a detective are (once again according to the source in SPY) in interrogation and code/puzzle breaking — and the differences in the questions that Ned et al pose and the questions Nancy poses to our suspects does bear out the first point, at the very least. Her code and puzzle skills are the usual fallback for the games’ mysteries, more so in the modern games than in older ones (which is both a good and bad thing, depending on what types of puzzles you like).

In ASH, we learn about a key trait of Nancy’s — self-sufficiency, and, more importantly, the limits of that self-sufficiency. Able to fake most things until she makes it, Nancy is finally put in a situation where she can’t do anything by herself, and it’s a source of frustration and impatience to her that overrides other feelings (“Also, I’m in jail, and I would really like to get out,” anyone?). It’s rather stunning that Nancy goes from a triumphant Girl in the Dress to stuck in a police station, relying on the phone and her own intuition, and it does some good for her character exposure and development.

Next up is Edward “Ned” Nickerson, erstwhile boyfriend and long-suffering Emerson College student, Ned is part of an honors fraternity and is in River Heights for the Clues Challenge — and to see his girlfriend, of course. While his attempts to be Detective Ned have really only resulting in finding the keys that were in his pocket, Ned is nevertheless quite useful in getting information out of Deirdre (and is responsible for one of the funniest bits of dialogue in the game that’s not spoken directly by Deirdre).

According to the files from SPY, Ned’s defining characteristics are his honestly and his loyalty, both of which mean that he’s the ideal ‘phone friend’ when Nancy’s in a pickle — and means of course he’d be front and center, ready to do anything he needs to in order to help clear Nancy’s name. His main role in the game, however (and very interesting, as one of 6 or so Neirdre shippers in the fandom!) is to be the object of Deirdre’s window-shopping affections and to be made fun of (good-naturedly, of course) by his friends.

Because of his relationship (such as it is) with an overtly antagonistic character, Ned’s a lot of fun in ASH. I feel like he gets a lot of characterization that he often lacks in most other games (excepting CAP and SPY, of course), and it just makes me like him more.

George Fayne is also here to help — though, irritatingly, not required the same way Bess and Ned are — with her knowledge of technology and impeccable Togo-watching skills. George is a great character in the OG Nancy Drew books – the ultra-modern, straightforward, clumsy flapper, to contrast Bess’ more genteel sensibilities and Nancy’s down to earth, practical, yet fashionable nature — and one of the greatest disservices that the 60s rewrites, post-60s ND books, and, yes, the game series has done to the ND universe is to turn her into a “hurr-durr tomboy because name George like boy name” sort of mockery of her original character.

And no, I’m not crediting her as “Georgia”, because that was not her name in the books. Her name was George, full stop — once again, quite fashionable of her to have a “boy’s” name in the 20s/30s — named after her grandfather. You may fight me on this, but you will not win.

George is noted to have above-average skills in mechanical engineering, and indeed creates a jammer to stop Brenda’s broadcast in the game, but is otherwise…well, kind of pushed to the side in favor of Bess and Ned, her enmity with Deirdre notwithstanding. I’ll address this issue more in The Un-Favorite and The Fix, but a few tweaks while developing the game would have gone a long way towards defining George as a character — we’re ignoring MED wholesale, don’t worry — and helping the gameplay be a bit more varied.

George’s maternal cousin, Elizabeth “Bess” Marvin, on the other hand, is basically required to get what you need to know from Toni, but is very much not the favorite person of Alexei, due to her breaking an antique vase upon coming into his shop.

When a vase can survive the Nazis but not Bess Marvin, it seems a shame that Bess didn’t go to France with Nancy during DAN. They would have found that secret room with the artwork in like a minute and a half.

Bess is mentioned to lack judgment (her reveal of George’s crush on the snack shop boy illustrates that pretty well) but to have above-average intuition and, while manipulated easily enough, is too honest for that manipulation to really cause any lasting harm. Because of her sweet, open nature — and her open pocketbook when it comes to ice cream — she’s a favorite of Toni’s, and uses that in order to try to clear Nancy’s name and discover just what illegal, corrupt pies Toni has her grubby little politician hands in.

Going a little less friendly and a little less college-aged for our next helper, we turn to Chief McGinnis, a grumpy pushover of a cop who’s really only important for letting Nancy walk around a Police Station and solve a crime while under arrest because he didn’t wanna do his job, and for a hilarious diatribe about Pancake City.

Seriously, I go and watch that scene every so often when I need a good laugh. ASH has some fabulous comic writing, and McGinnis’ rant is a prime example.

McGinnis is pretty ineffectual as a helper, but he does allow for the first 2/3 of the game to happen by locking Nancy up (“You cannot leave jail! This is a very basic concept!), and for that, we salute him.

Rounding out our cast of Nancy-supporters is Carson Drew, who is (frustratingly, to him) stuck in Australia when all this goes down, and thus cannot use his legal prowess to free her.

Of course, as a prosecutor, I’m not sure how much help he’d be anyway, but hey, a lawyer is a lawyer is a lawyer, at least in the ever-wise eyes of HER Interactive.

Carson’s really just there (or not there, as the case may be) to explain how Nancy can be locked up with such a powerful lawyer father, honestly, but he gets some good lines in, so we’ll forgive it. He’s also there to round out the “River Heights Cast”, but I can’t help feeling that, if we were gonna have another Drew in this game, I would have taken the puppy over the golf ball. #Togo4Ever

The Favorite:

There’s a lot to love in ASH, so I’m going to focus on the biggest things. Suffice to say if a part of the game isn’t in this section but isn’t in the Un-Favorite, I love it.

I’m going to start off just by saying that the dialogue in ASH is wonderful. We’ve got distinct individual voices, sarcasm galore, enough cattiness to fuel the Halle Berry movie, and great interpersonal work, especially with Alexei.

One of the places Nik truly shines is dialogue, and a small-town environment like River Heights really shows off his skill. I sometimes hear the charge that “no one talks like this!!” leveled against the Nik games but, honestly, I talk to people every day who speak similarly to Nik’s characters, allowing for the differences in written and spoken speech, and so do most people I know. Allusions, analogies, metaphors, and aphorisms aren’t just for English class — they’re part of speaking well.

If you really wanna see dialogue where “no one talks like this,” look at the early ND games. FIN is a particularly bad offender, but SCK and STFD aren’t much better.

My favorite puzzle in the game is the letter swap puzzle inside of Scoop, by far. Sure, I enjoy other puzzles — Alexei’s number box, fingerprinting, the suspect board — immensely, and have a blast doing them, but I can spend hours figuring out old quotes on that aqua background and not notice the time passing one jot. It’s fun, references old games, and is exactly the kind of puzzle that gets me excited anyway, and I love it to pieces.

My favorite moment in the game is probably the moment Nancy takes control and goes and talks to Toni, oddly enough. The stark difference in what Toni says about Nancy while she’s in the station to what she says to her face is like a brick wall to the chest, and is, every time, the moment when you see exactly how River Heights turned on Alexei so completely as to push him out of his job and into the antique business. It’s a moment of almost stomach-sinking disgust, and I absolutely adore the game for not pulling its punches and instead keeping true to one of its major themes — that you need to see who people are in the dark, not when they’re facing you.

In the light of day, Alexei is just a cantankerous old man; Toni is a smiling, motherly ice cream store owner, Brenda is a hard-hitting reporter, and Deirdre is a vapid Queen Bee type. Under the cover of darkness, however, we see Alexei’s charity and heart, Toni’s corruption and two-faced nature, Brenda’s unethical and illegal means to her ends, and Deirdre’s soft center. And I love the game for pointing out the world of difference it makes to see what someone truly is.

For my last point, there are two characters are of note in this game that I love for very different reasons.

The first is Alexei, who is the inspiration behind the title of the meta. There’s something incredibly compelling about Alexei’s down-to-earth nature and the way he deals with being dealt the poorest hand in the world without ever dipping into “woe is me” or any other self-indulgent crap. Insatiably curious, bright, and caustic, Alexei feels like the perfect person to sit down, drink a cup of something warm, and talk about puzzles, antiques, and harsh truths with.

He’s a character who watched his entire life fall apart with one bad person’s actions — “one time, just once, I tried to speak truth to power, and man if I didn’t pay the price” — but still had it in him to keep going, even if it wasn’t what he was doing before. He went from being the town’s golden boy to a pariah, and yet still looks after River Heights and its history, even becoming the curator of the River Heights Museum (when it opens). The difference between his reaction to being falsely accused to, say, Noisette Tornade’s (DAN) reaction to being “falsely” accused is huge and, I think, rather inspiring.

The second is Deirdre Shannon, if you couldn’t tell by my gushing about her above, and, can I just say, I love everything about her. There’s a temptation to assume at first blush that she’s your average boy-stealing popular rich girl a la WAC, but actually looking at her tells a different story.

Sure, the rich part is true — but so is Nancy, and from the looks of their houses and all the trips/vacations they do, the Marvins and Faynes seem pretty well off as well. She shares the tendency for a sharp tongue with Nancy as well (as befitting her status as Nancy’s foil in DED, stay tuned!). Deirdre also doesn’t qualify as popular — her two “friends” that she hangs out with in ASH for the Clues Challenge are still in their “free trial”, and aren’t really her friends.

And her feelings for Ned? While she openly flirts with him (even if Ned doesn’t get it until the girls tell him), Deirdre isn’t looking to actually cause damage (if only because she sees Ned as completely unobtainable), and is up-front about everything she does to Nancy’s face. Putting yourself in her shoes, she’s a bright girl, in love with a boy who is the definition of out-of-reach, is constantly (and negatively) compared to the boy’s girlfriend, and feels stuck in her small town, desperate to move beyond the boredom. In other words, in any other story, she’s the protagonist. It just so happens — as she’s acutely aware — not to be her story. And that’s the kind of character that it’s impossible for me not to love.

And speaking of things impossible to love…

The Un-Favorite:

My biggest problem with ASH, as was mentioned above, is the fact that George is relegated mechanically and interpersonally to the “unimportant” bin. Nancy, Bess, and Ned all have suspects that like and don’t like them, while all George gets is a note that her and Deirdre particularly don’t get along — no extrapolation, no explanation. It makes the decision to include her as a playable character feel a bit like a last-minute decision, like Bess and Ned were planned and George was supposed to be watching Togo until the very end when she makes the jammer or something.

My least favorite puzzle in the game has got to be the stacking of the boxes and crawling towards the exit at the start to escape the fire; it’s a time-sensitive puzzle, which are usually my least favorite, and takes the mechanics of Renate’s bag puzzle and small visual distinctions, which we’ve already noted in the last meta are not particularly my jam either. I wouldn’t replace or get rid of it, it’s just my least favorite. I tend to start my game from a save I have after the puzzle — while I have to refresh on the opening occasionally, it’s better than the frustration from the combined puzzle.

I don’t have a least favorite moment from the game, to be quite honest, so let’s move on to the last section of this meta.

The Fix:

So how would I fix Alibi in Ashes?

The big thing I would change would to be to ensure that each member of Team Danger should have one culprit that likes them and one culprit that hates especially them. Nancy already has Alexei for her plus and Brenda for her minus, and Bess should keep Toni and Alexei, respectively, but both Ned and George need one more. Luckily, with four friends and four suspects, they’ll divide up evenly very easily.

My fix would be to have Ned keep Deirdre as his plus and give him Toni as his minus (local business owners usually don’t like football players for being rowdy and taking up a lot of seats, plus he’s Nancy’s boyfriend and staunchest defender).

George, meanwhile, keeps Deirdre as her minus (though flesh it out a bit more — what exactly went wrong there?) and gains Brenda as her plus. Not only would this make the endgame where she creates the jammer a little more interesting, I’d note that George and Brenda have a bit in common, due to Brenda’s technical and mechanical prowess that we see throughout the game. Throw in something with George having done a technical internship with the River Heights broadcasting network or something during high school, and we’d get a slightly different side of Brenda, even though George still dislikes her privately.

Just fixing this issue would be enough to where nothing in ASH would stand out as a real negative, but for my second, smaller fix, I’d make the friends able to call each other to change off, instead of having to call Nancy, then have her call the other person. That slows the game down and is needlessly clunky, and I’m still not quite sure why they did it.

Once those two things are fixed, there’s nothing in the way of ASH being a truly excellent game. Sure, it’s not as thematic as the few games preceding it, but it’s not supposed to be — it’s supposed to have an entertaining mystery while showing us a little more of who Nancy really is and why she does what she does, and on those (and most other) fronts, ASH is an incredibly solid, enjoyable game that I replay whenever I get the chance.

#nancy drew #clue crew #nancy drew games #alibi in ashes #nancy drew meta #long post #my meta #ASH #video games

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sunflower-swan · 3 years

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Title: Stay Author: sunflower_swan (me!) Fandom: Harry Potter (Next Gen) Rating: G Pairing: Scorpius/Albus Severus Tags: Pre-Slash, Friends to More than Friends?, mentioned drinking WC: 713 Summary: Scorpius is having a long week, Al saves it with a fantastic proposal.

@ziggystardustminifest Day 4!

This one had me stymied for a few days because I’ve barely read and haven’t written any Next Gen characters at all. So I had to do some research (reading). Then I started something and scrapped it because it wasn’t going to fit the song prompt. Might keep that one in the WIP folder for the future though; I liked where it was going.

Anyway, this is for @keepcalmandexpectopatronum934! You are an amazing human and a fantastic writer, and I’m so pleased to know you!

Read on AO3 or below the break.

With every passing second, the tick-tock of the clock on the wall drove him slowly into an insanity spiral. Scorpius stared at the never diminishing pile of paperwork and groaned.

Was it only Thursday? Why did this week feel like a month?

Before he could get too lost in ruminations about time flying and having fun — or, in this case, crawling to a boring halt — a little tawny owl swept in through his open office door. It dropped a small letter and landed on his desk, puffing out its chest with pride and importance.

Scorpius recognized Al’s inelegant handwriting and adrenaline coursed through his limbs. He ripped open the envelope to find a scrap piece of parchment bearing the words,

Hang out tonight and skive off work tomorrow?

Scorpius held his breath, the idea rejuvenating him from his previous stupor.

A three-day weekend would be nice. Plus, that mountain of work wasn’t going anywhere; it would still be there on Monday. Ignoring the nagging voice telling him to be a responsible adult, Scorpius flipped the parchment over and wrote,

You read my mind. My place, 7.

After accepting an owl treat and a pat on the head, the owl flew away to deliver Scorpius’ response.

If it had been difficult to focus before, it was now next to impossible. In a few short hours, Al would be at his flat and he wouldn’t have to worry about work for three whole days. Excitement pulsed through Scorpius until the end of the day; it would be just like old times.

While at Hogwarts, they would play hooky on the occasional sunny Friday afternoon — like the first warm day after the long Scottish winter when no one could be expected to focus on schoolwork anyway. Fueled by sweets and laughter, during those stolen moments in the lesser-known recesses of the castle, Scorpius and Albus’ friendship grew and blossomed into an everlasting fondness for each other.

Since they’d graduated and started big kid jobs, and acted like they knew what they were doing, opportunities for goofing off were few and far between. So before he left his office to floo home at the end of the day, he mussed up his hair and dishevelled his robes. As he passed his boss, he mimicked a terrible stomach cramp and muttered an incoherent, Not feeling well. Running the best he could while hunched over and fake moaning, Scorpius hastened to the fireplace and home.

The act was childish and immature, sure, but no one would question the Sick Day Owl tomorrow.

All that was left to do now was wait. Scorpius hated waiting.

Sitting on the couch and holding a book, reading but not comprehending the words, he attempted to not count down the minutes until Al arrived. Though his father disagreed, Scorpius was thankful for a friend as impetuous as Al. The pressures of being a Malfoy would have otherwise resulted in a breakdown long ago. Al helped keep life in perspective.

At seven on the dot, a green flame roared in Scorpius’ fireplace. Albus stepped out with a wide grin and dusted soot off his zip-up hoodie.

“Long week?” he asked.

“The fucking worst,” Scorpius replied with a laugh. “Firewhisky?”

Al wandered over to the bar cart. “Thought you’d never ask.”

He poured two generous servings of the amber liquid and joined Scorpius on the couch.

“Here’s to…” Al lifted an eyebrow held his glass aloft toward Scorpius. “...being a responsible adult most of the time—”

Scorpius chuckled but mirrored the gesture.

“—and a callow urchin the rest of the time,” Al finished.

“I’ll drink to that.”

The rest of the night slipped away in a tangle of drinks and laughter. All of the happiest moments in Scorpius’ life, when time lost all meaning, was when he and Al were together.

A peaceful and contemplative lull settled over their conversation.

Al leaned his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes.

“It’s pretty late. I should probably—”

“Stay?” Scorpius, acting on impulse, interrupted him. His heart palpated, awaiting Al’s reply.

Opening one eye, Al glanced over at Scorpius. “Ok, Scorp. I’ll stay.”

Releasing a breath, Scorpius did not ponder Why he asked Al to stay, he was just relieved that he said Yes.

#scorbus #albus severus x scorpius #scorpius malfoy #albus severus potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter next gen fic #gift drabble

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chibimyumi · 4 years

Text

Kuromyu 2021 asks

【Response to post: Kuromyu “Secret of the Boarding School Arc”】

Dear everyone,

As many of you have already seen, MKP announced a new Kuromyu after 3 years! “The Secret of the Boarding School Arc”. I have received some asks about this, so allow me to answer them here one by one ^^

Dear Anons,

Yes indeed! “Secret of the Boarding School Arc” is going to be a thing! Erm... well, as you must have seen, no Sebastyun anymore. The announcement is official.

I don’t know Tateishi beyond the most surface level, but from what I do know, he can sing. That’s at least one thing that is promising! But otherwise I have no estimate of him whatsoever. We shall see.

I hope this time the Kuromyu fandom won’t be as nasty about him as they were about Matsushita’s calling him “a helium balloon” or “he sounds like a girl.” And then about Furukawa’s nose at first... =v= I mean, everyone can complain about an actor, but if there’s nothing substantial you can complain about then.... ugh never mind.

【Response to: Werewolf Arc as most likely candidate?】

Dear Anon,

Yes, I did, but I feel like it is useless to answer that specific part of your question now (≽ω≼;) So let’s skip to your following questions.

Well, I wouldn’t call this post a prediction, but indeed, my reasoning that the Werewolf arc would be the most likely next candidate for Kuromyu is obviously wrong, and dramatically so! Here we are, Kuro Potter arc, even though I really thought it would be the LEAST likely one.

But, just like I have explained in the post from October 2019 about a hypothetical Potter Kuromyu, I can’t say I’m really hopeful without lying. I am interested, but not hopeful. All my concerns I spoke of at the time are still my concerns right now.

I worried about Kuromyu becoming Tenimyu, and the musical is mostly likely going to be Tenimyu. Nothing wrong with Tenimyu as such, but Kuromyu is just never made to be like a Tenimyu.

I worried about KuroPotter’s story not suitable for stage adaptations and an expensive cast... and well, indeed, no expensive cast anymore. But then, how will Kuromyu2021 sell their appeal without much of Sebas and Undertaker????

I worried about a different Sebastian inevitably going to be compared to Furukawa, and judging from my Japanese twitter feed, that prediction is not going to be off.

Japanese twitter isn’t even being mean about Tateishi, most people just go: “eh? Suddenly switching out the current prince of the musical world and the Sebastian praised so highly by sensei?” “Those are crushing expectations!” “Will Tateishi be alright? Will he be able to perform outside Furukawa’s shadows?”

All are VERY legit things to say! The scariest thing for Tateishi is not just having to play Sebastian - the perfect demon butler. Nor is it having to compete against Furukawa’s Sebastian. No, he needs to compete against Furukawa’s reputation as “the prince of the Imperial Theatre” no media outlet can NOT emphasise, and the Sebastian declared above canon by Yana herself, and the man who made the highly critical Editor K go gaga for. - Talk about pressure!

But yessss, in short, I am interested and concerned.

Dear Anon,

Grell is not even in the arc... so no, no announcement for any Grell, old or new.

As for Izumi Shuuhei, the thing about supervising the script of Kuromyu2021, that was Izumi’s retweet of Yana’s tweet, not his own. Yana is asked to return for the supervision of the script and the costumes.

There is no reason for any producer to ask an ex-actor to supervise a script for a musical he is not going to be part of.

For anyone interested in what Yana wrote:

In fresh wear that is befitting of a new season called ‘spring’, it has been decided that there shall be a new musical ‘Kuroshitsuji’! This time too I was called to supervise the script and the costumes, and I shall humbly partake. Please look forward to future updates【Toboso】

Dear Anon,

YES APPARENTLY THERE IS GOING TO BE, I AM ALSO SHOCKED!! Σ(ÔAÔ)!

About the new cast, I don’t know ANY of these new actors except 2 from the most surface level, namely Sebastian and Redmond... so I have no idea. Just from instinct though:

🏫Tateishi (Sebastian): You poor... poor man, your life is going to be so hard for at least a short while... Like I said above, Furukawa left impossibly large shoes to fill to begin with, but being made to compete against his reputation as literally the highest rank performers can achieve in Japan is just unfair.

Good luck to you, young man! You seem to be capable of singing, so I hope they at least capitalise on that!

🏫 Konishi (Ciel): ... I already thought 16 year old Sakamoto was too old for Ciel in 2009, and now there’s a 20 year old adult man playing a 13 year old baby-face O.o? I’ve looked up a bit of his acting, it seems decent!

After everyone being used to really young Ciel actors since 2010, and especially with the super small and adorable Reo though... I think this man too is going to have a really hard time getting accepted as Ciel. Though to a lesser extent than Furukawa’s crushing reputation, Reo’s reputation as Ciel really is very pressing too...

But yes, no judging before actually seeing! We shall see.

🏫 Ueda (Undertaker): Like I said in this post, Undertaker really has almost NOTHING to do in this arc, so I don’t have any opinion about Ueda. I have never heard of him before this announcement, but they could have cast an android for Undertaker and the damage would still have been minimal. (I stand by my old point; why bother adapting this arc at all??? Well, at least Ueda is unlikely to be overworked from studying his script.)

🏫 Sana (Redmond): I’ve only known him from Patalliro!, but I never watched it. But for Patalliro! Sana was cast because of his beauty and flair for Maraich. So I am sure Redmond will be just within Sana’s field too!

🏫 Tazuru (Greenhill): NO idea, never heard of him, but he LOOKS the part!

🏫 Satonaka (Bluer), Godou (Violet), Furuya (Clayton), Nakajima (Edward), Taguchi (Maurice): Idem.

🏫 Fukuzawa (Chesslock): Never heard of him either, but he REALLY REALLY REALLY looks the part (≽▽≼) His face just screams: “bruh, whaddya got, loser!?”

🏫 Uchino (Hearcourt): Never heard of him, he looks VERY cute... MKP, couldn’t you cast this youngest actor for Ciel or did he just lose the audition of Ciel? Oh well, he looks appropriately Hearcourt I guess! We shall see.

🏫 Hayakawa (McMillan): Never heard of him, but from the photos I could find he does not really look like what I’d expect of a 3D McMillan. But then again, neither do Furukawa and Uehara, and we all know how much I love them. Looks are just looks ^^ Acting is more important.

🏫 Yamaguchi (Derrick): Never heard of him, looks the part, I’m sure he’ll be fine.

🏫 Agares (Takahashi): Never heard of him, but from his photos he really does have that energy, so I’m sure he’ll be fine!

🏫 Okada (Soma): I..... am actually REALLY surprised, and even right now I’m not sure I found the right guy. Is this really the guy?? Not just a different guy with the same name? I mean, I am sure he is a great actor, but this man is 20 years older than the actual Soma.

They already got 15 young men, they really couldn’t find another one? Oh well, I’m sure he’s a great actor. And otherwise, the role is so incredibly small, any potential damage is limited.

Dear Anon,

Yes, my day is lovely, but also flabbergasting because I spent most of it thinking about this announcement. But I hope your day was lovely too^^

Erm.....about a potential anime adaptation. As has been proven, I am not very good at predicting stuff! So perhaps I am not the right person to ask stuff.

Even though the Universe is probably going to prove me wrong again, I THINK the chances are a bit low for the Boarding School Arc being adapted?

Let us not talk about the Mansion Murder arc, and just look at Circus and Campania arc. Those two are unambiguously the two most popular arcs, but when they got adapted the budget was so horrifically low it was almost embarrassing to look at.

As discussed in this post, Book of Circus was also aired at the weirdest possible times, and that was one of the two MOST popular arcs... as explained before in this other post, the Boarding School Arc is the least popular arc among the main/Japanese fandom... so I personally think the chances for this to get an anime adaption to be fairly low.

Just my thoughts since you asked. The Universe has proven me wrong more often, it might again.

#Kuromyu 2021 #Kuromyu #Secret of the Boarding School #Asks

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