- Location
- USA
SV tends to hold back on the NTR ships and the Yaoi ships.
Husbando wars aren't too common either. Even when we have a female character they tend to ship her with another girl
SV tends to hold back on the NTR ships and the Yaoi ships.
Husbando wars aren't too common either. Even when we have a female character they tend to ship her with another girl
- Location
- United States
Note to self: initiate husbando war for next Gally Quest.
Bête Noire
Abhorrent Anathema
- Location
- Dark Alley
I really just don't care much about shipping really, the idea of intrigue via joining the peer group of the knights was very enjoyable for me, and directly romancing one of said knights was hilarious, but I feel like people are paying way too much attention to the potential romance aspects of this quest.
In Type-Moon, Mordred x Saber Lily is all but canon.
Also, I don't know who I ship SV with. I mean, we've had a few "No SV, You are the MC" situations. I remember that one time as Asuka and then there's PMAS, so that's Rei and Mumi right there at least.
KnightDisciple
Brotherhood. Unity. Peace.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
I don't mind shipping but my whole reasoning in this entire "Gemma runs away" business has been more focused on trying to keep Gemma from going to a really bad place.
Instead, we put her up to the point she's expressing some level of suicidal ideations. This is...less than ideal.
And I'm inclined to extend some grace to those who have stepped back for a bit, especially right after Gemma expressed that. Suicide's a difficult topic even if you haven't lost someone to it.
Instead, we put her up to the point she's expressing some level of suicidal ideations. This is...less than ideal.
And I'm inclined to extend some grace to those who have stepped back for a bit, especially right after Gemma expressed that. Suicide's a difficult topic even if you haven't lost someone to it.
And it's funnily easier to look at if you have been suicidal before. Or at least it is for me.
No, I don't get why either. *Shrug*
- Location
- USA
If female character wins a char gen vote I'd be more than willing to join you in that Crusade -- be it a Gally Quest or not.
Honestly, same. It's a significantly different experience for someone who's been in the dark place than for someone who's watched someone else be in that dark place.
- Location
- United States
Huh, me too. Weird. I hadn't considered that might be a mitigating factor for my experience of the story, emotionally speaking, versus others' regarding Gemma.
How bizarre.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
It'd be fine? I mean, Annabelle and a couple of others would be less understanding, but they also would have less to accuse us of without the deception. Killing a guy they woke up from slumber and the one who surrendered and came willingly is decidedly not how they operate. They also wouldn't have received their visions of the past that formed their view of Mordred in place of the man himelf, and wouldn't have the whole 'Mordred must be plotting something' angle since we wouldn't have had time for it.
We wouldn't have seen them in their 'natural habitat', and probably would have been less sympathetic towards them if we only got hostile treatment, but it wouldn't have been the end of us.
The whole running away and the deception business didn't improve their opinion on us, but softened our opinion on them instead... but we aren't the ones holding a Death Panel. Even though we get a say whether some of them live or die.
Last edited:
- Location
- United States of America
[X] Explain the facts and your motives, and leave it at that.
[X] Explain the facts and your motives, and leave it at that.
People v. Pendragon
Gally
Got the whole word talking King Kiba
Your tribunal, such as it is, consists of four teenagers with the weight of the world hanging heavy on their shoulders.
When the time comes for the Breakfast Club to decide your fate, Matthew enters Annabelle's room. You put your hands behind your back and he mumbles some words, and you feel heavy steel shackles click into place around your wrists. They don't feel sturdy enough to hold you for long, even without Caledfwlch, but you doubt you'd be able to break them before one of the Knights takes your head off.
Matthew shares a few whispered words with Annabelle before raising his hands and levitating her paralyzed body out of the bed. He places her gently in a waiting wheelchair and presses the back of his hand against her forehead.
"It'll pass," Annabelle says, when she sees the look on his face.
Matthew motions for you to walk in front of them, him pushing Annabelle's wheelchair. The door to Annabelle's room opens to a narrow concrete hallway, which you follow until you reach what you assume is the Observatory's central room.
There's a large round table in the middle of the room – not the Round Table, but a close enough imitation that you might confuse it at first glance. Large mirrors cover the far walls, reflecting strange scenes – you recognize Gavin's living room, and the lobby of Gemma's building. Connected to the mirrors are the cannibalized remains of an old 90s era desktop computer, and Xbox, and something that looks like a Ouija board. As soon as Matthew has Annabelle in position, he hops over to the mirrors and fiddles with the desktop computer – the images in the mirrors vanish, replaced with an unnatural darkness.
What remains of the Breakfast Club has assembled before you. Bailey, her hair damp as if she's just showered, twirls her massive, one-headed battle axe in one hand. Her other hand holds a can of cheap beer. When you meet her eyes you see nothing – no anger, or sadness, or even a glimmer of recognition. You can practically see her counting down the moments until she gets to kill you.
Piper stands next to her, arms crossed. Her blue hair is pulled into a severe ponytail, so tight it looks like it might actually hurt. She looks away rather than make eye contact.
Ginny sits on top of the round table, hugging one leg against her chest and letting the other dangle just above the floor. She chews on a strand of hair absently, as if she's not even aware she's doing it. When she notices you looking at her, her eyes narrow. But she doesn't move an inch.
Gavin sits in a chair with his legs spread, chin in one hand. He has dark bags under his eyes like he hasn't slept in a week, and his face is unnaturally pale – he looks so different from the boy you saw at Annabelle's house just hours ago. He looks like he almost wants to smile at you, but stops himself before he does.
Matthew has a headband in his hair, to keep his bangs out of his eyes. His expression is cool and distant – unreadable.
It surprises you, how little they intimidate you. They're so young. Younger than you, even. Seeing them in this context for the first time since the cave reminds you of who they were once, and how different they are from the people you knew. These people couldn't run a Queendom. They barely look capable of running your trial.
"Should we get started?" Annabelle asks. Her voice is clear, and strong.
The five share looks and nods, and Piper raises her head towards. "Annabelle told you what's going on, right?"
You nod. "You guys are gonna vote on whether or not to kill me."
"Um…yeah," Piper says. "Yeah, that's pretty much it. We thought we'd give you a chance to talk, before we voted. Since you helped Annabelle."
"We might ask questions," Matthew asks. "This'll all go a lot smoother if you answer them clearly and directly."
"Sure." You shrug your shoulders, then glance at Annabelle. Her expression doesn't change, but something about her face gives you the feeling she's trying to reassure you. Why is she being so…decent to you? Why isn't she furious at the lies you've told?
Does it matter? She's your only real ally here – Matthew might vote to keep you alive, but only as long as he can pump you for information. Piper might see the value in that, a logical reason not to execute you now, but will that be enough?
Your eyes find Gavin. His relationship with Annabelle is...complicated, and his friendship with Matthew in tatters, but from what you've seen at school he's still got a good relationship with the other girls in the Breakfast Club. Commiserating with Piper, joking around with Ginny, spending time with Bailey. Getting him over to your side would make any subsequent victories much easier.
Be genuine, Annabelle had told you. You had been pretty genuine with Gemma, and she had begged you to kill her because of it. The Camelot Court had watched you grow up, and they had whispered constantly of your dark temperament behind your back. The men and women you faced on the battlefield trembled before you, paralyzed by fear.
Be genuine, Annabelle had told you. But what if you're the problem? Meet an asshole in the morning, you met an asshole, but meet assholes all day…strip everything away from you, all the lies, the plots, the fragile platitudes you've clung to, and what are you left with, save a dark, violent ugliness?
Caledflwch leaps like bile in your throat. That raw, savage rage that brought you from the brink…the furious desire to command and be obeyed…the need to leap into the fray, feel iron crack against the strength of your armor, feel flesh part before the sharpness of your sword. Fight violence with violence, injustice with injustice. Destroy. Conquer. Burn.
That is Mordred Pendragon.
Piper clears her throat. The Breakfast Club is watching you expectantly. Somewhere outside your field of vision, a clock ticks, methodical.
"I…" you start, grasping for words, finding nothing. It's almost like you're on Cat Sith again, except your mind is clear and sharp, and the words won't come because there are no words, no way to give your thoughts coherence. "I…don't know what to say."
The Breakfast Club exchanges confused glances. You plow forward, desperate to say something, anything. "It wasn't that long ago I woke up in a cave…I had no idea what was going on, just that there were people that looked like…people I knew and…I was so confused. I figured I just needed time and space, and then I'd figure it out." You shake your head. "I figured, I just needed to find out who you all were, who you all weren't…then I'd know what to do. The right thing to do."
"So you were spying on us," Ginny says.
You nod slowly. "At first. Yeah. Yeah, I was analyzing you. Testing you, maybe. Were you smart enough to see through my disguise? Strong enough to take me in a fight? But…that only last a few days. The first week, maybe. Once I'd gathered enough information, I needed to decide how to move from there."
"What did you decide?" Matthew asks.
"I didn't." You swallow. "I just…never thought about it. I knew I should have been thinking about it, but there were always distractions. Bone needed something, or the Church was acting up, or Sa'Lanyah was pulling some dreamworld bullshit."
"Oh yeah!" Gavin shouts, eyes widening. "You were there!"
"That's not exactly a point in your favor," Bailey growls, her fingers tightening around the handle of her axe. "You cut my arms and legs off."
"I didn't want to fight you guys. You were under Sa'Lanyah's control. I was just trying to help."
"You did help," Annabelle says from her wheelchair. "I wouldn't have been able to fight off Sa'Lanyah if she wasn't busy with you."
Piper rubs the side of her neck, her expression thoughtful. "You could have killed us," she murmurs. "You got us all down…"
"What does it matter?" Ginny asks. "For all we know, he and Sa-whatever were fighting over who got to conquer the world."
"That's my point," you say, before anyone can get another word in and distract from what you're trying to do. "I know what you all think about it me. That I was just sitting on the sidelines…plotting or hatching schemes or waiting until you were too distracted to deal with me. But that's not what I was doing! That isn't me. Or…it isn't…who I want to be." You glance over at the wall, unwilling or unable to look at them as you speak. "I knew I had to make a decision about you guys but I just…didn't. I didn't want to. I liked living at the shop. I liked going to school. I liked the parties, and drinking, and just fucking around with you guys. I…liked being a teenager, I guess." You shrug. "I liked having friends. It was…kind of a new thing for me. I mean, I had a friend, but I don't know if I really…was one."
The Breakfast Club is silent, stewing in your words. You haven't apologized, or offered excuses, or even explained yourself, not really. But apologies and excuses and explanations aren't who you are. If there's any chance that the Breakfast Club can see…whatever it is Annabelle sees, whatever it is that makes her help you…you have to give them a chance. You have show them you, even the parts you don't particularly like.
"Look, I don't…I don't want to get into everything that happened…before," you admit. "I guess…well, you guys know that…this...job, it isn't easy. You guys have to know it wasn't all sunshine and roses back then, and…and I had to make choices, and things went sideways so fast, but I didn't want this. If I could undo everything that's happened to you, I would. You didn't deserve to get stuck with all this bullshit."
"Really?" Bailey asks. She taps the butt of her axe against the ground as she speaks, a slow methodical drumbeat. "Really? This is your play?"
You try to spread your hands, but they catch against your shackles. You settle for a shrug. "Not a play. Just…stream of consciousness, I guess."
"You can't honestly think we'd sympathize with you, after everything you've done," Bailey says.
Gavin shakes his head, a small but significant motion. "Jesus, Bailey, take it down a notch."
"I spoke too soon," Bailey groans. "I can't believe it. You're the biggest pussy I've-"
"What do you want me to say?" Gavin shouts, slamming his hand down onto the table. "You want me to just smile while you chop off our friend's head?"
"He was never your friend!" Bailey shouts back, pointing at you. "He's a liar, he's a killer-"
"He's in good company then!" Gavin runs both his hands through hair, individual strands of pink poking every which way. "I mean – I mean, he did some bad shit, yeah? Yeah! But what, we just kill him? We just kill anyone who ever does something shitty? What's next, we kill you? Or Annabelle? Or-"
"Or Lucy?" Ginny asks, the words cutting through Gavin's tirade and leaving him with his mouth hanging open in shocked silence. She tilts her head to the side slightly. "That's what this is about, right? Lucy? She did some bad shit, but that's okay?"
"It's not-"
"Don't do that," Ginny says, and she actually looks hurt when she says it. "Don't…don't do that. Look, I miss her too, Gavin, but…she's gone. She left. She tried to kill us. She joined up with, or hosted, Sa-whatever, and then basically tried to rape you. I don't…"
"Um," you say.
Five pairs of eyes all turn to you simultaneously, as if suddenly realizing you're still there.
"Do you have something to add?" Ginny asks, in a tone that makes it clear you have nothing to add.
"It's just," you say, before she can stop you, "you said Lucy was Sa'Lanyah's host? In the dreamworld?"
"She was the Empress," Piper says. "Sa'Lanyah needed a host body to wield power through, and Lucy's Heraldry made her perfect for the job."
You blink. Lucy had a Heraldry? How? You were sure Annabelle didn't have the power to bestow Heraldries – only the reincarnated Knights possessed one. "Look, I talked to Sa'Lanyah," you say, pushing that thought out of the way. "She bought her host. From Morgana."
The Breakfast Club stares at you in shock.
"The real question is Lucy," you say, chewing on the inside of your cheek. "It's funny, it's almost like she took Lorelei's place in this cycle, but…how does that even work with reincarnation? How does she have a Heraldry?"
"Morgan…" Annabelle says.
"You guys don't know anything about the cycle, so I guess you can't see how weird it is, but it's almost like…" you lose your train of thought. Bailey is still tapping her axe against the ground, but now the noise is almost overwhelming, reverberating through your skull.
"Morgan," Annabelle says again. Then she makes a noise like a staticky television set mixed with a backfiring car.
Your brow furrows. "What was that?" You ask.
She makes the noise again. Your brow furrows even more. You wish you could rub your temples, but these fucking shackles make it impossible to move your hands, and-
"Oh fuck!" Matthew shouts. "Someone's messing with his head!" You glance up at the brown haired boy and see an incredulous smile on his face – the same kind of smile Merlin used to get when something unexpected happened during an experiment. His eyes shine with a light halfway between frenzied curiosity and steely determination. "Someone's messing with his head," Matthew says again. "Like he was messing with our heads!"
"What?" You ask. "No. That…I would've noticed."
"That's what I thought!" Matthew said. "When you were fucking with our heads, I mean. After Morgana did it, I was sure I'd be able to see it, but that's the beauty of the spell, right? It stops the afflicted from thinking about it. You can't get rid of it because you can't even notice it!"
I can see its silken chains upon your mind. Who is Lucy?
Mathew claps his hands together, rapid fire, a burst of raw excitement expressing itself any way it can. "I want to crack you open soooooo baaaaaaad," he says. "I've never had the chance to look at Neuromancy like this up close and personal."
Ginny pinches the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "Please don't tell me you're suggesting what I think you are."
"Someone is fucking with my head?" You ask.
"We're getting distracted," Bailey says, banging her axe against the ground.
"Lucy was bought?" Gavin asks, wringing his hands together. "What does that mean? How does Morgana…"
"Forget Morgana!" Bailey shouts.
"No, Morgana's important," Piper says. "If it's all the same spell…the one she used, the one Morgan used, the one in his head right now…this could be our only chance to study it. We can't afford to get caught flat footed again."
"Piper's right," Annabelle says.
It's funny – when Annabelle speaks, she's not louder or more insistent than anyone else. But her voice carries across the room effortlessly, silencing all who hear it. The Breakfast Club, and you, stop, turn, and look at her.
"This is the second time we've been completely blindsided by mind magic," Annabelle continues. "That we know of, any way. How many of our substitutes could've been Morgana in disguise? How do we know anyone we meet isn't hiding in plain sight, the way Morgan was?" She turns to Matthew. "Are you sure his head is being fucked with? Can you study the spell if it is?"
Matthew smiles wide. "Of course. All the symptoms fit, like his face goes all dopey whenever we mention Lucy. I'd have to go inside his head to study it – I'd need Gavin and I'd really want extra backup, but I could definitely do it."
Annabelle surveys the rest of the Breakfast Club. "Should there be a vote?"
"You don't get a vote," Ginny says, jabbing a finger at Annabelle. "You agreed."
"I'm not voting," Annabelle promises. "But I can have opinions, can't I?"
"I think a vote is a good idea," Piper says. "Sorry, Ginny."
Ginny throws up her hands. "Fine! We'll vote! Who wants to waste time in Mordred's head? No!"
"Yes," Matthew says immediately.
Piper nods. "I say yes too."
"No, and we vote on the execution now," Bailey says. "He's manipulating us."
"Gavin?" Piper asks.
Gavin runs his hands through his hair. "I don't know…maybe we should just vote on the execution."
"Gavin," Annabelle says. "Whatever's in his head, it has something to do with Lucy."
Gavin wavers for a moment, but only for a moment. Then he nods. "Yes."
"Oh, fuck off," Ginny snarls. "No vote, my ass."
"I have an opinion, Ginny," Annabelle says calmly. "I'm sorry it doesn't always line up with yours."
Ginny looks like she wants to say something, but Matthew cuts in before she can. "Look, as excited as I am about this, it's all still academic at this point. There's only one vote that really matters."
"You mean me," you say, speaking up for the first time in several minutes.
"Him?" Piper asks.
"You guys don't have a link into my head, like Annabelle does. Or…did?" To be honest, you're not sure how Excalibur breaking would affect your soul bond with Annabelle, but that's a moot point for this particular discussion. "If I don't want you in, you're not getting in."
"I could get in," Matthew says, cracking his knuckles. "It would take a while. And you'd need a hospice nurse for the rest of your life. But I could get in."
"I'm not comfortable with that at all," Gavin murmurs. "At least killing him is quick."
All eyes are on you now, waiting. There's magic in your head, silken chains on your thoughts, hiding things from you. Letting Matthew do this would mean answers…but it would also mean opening yourself up to people who are still toying with the idea of killing you. Can you afford to let them in?
Can you afford not to?
[] Let them in
[] Don't
[] Write In
When the time comes for the Breakfast Club to decide your fate, Matthew enters Annabelle's room. You put your hands behind your back and he mumbles some words, and you feel heavy steel shackles click into place around your wrists. They don't feel sturdy enough to hold you for long, even without Caledfwlch, but you doubt you'd be able to break them before one of the Knights takes your head off.
Matthew shares a few whispered words with Annabelle before raising his hands and levitating her paralyzed body out of the bed. He places her gently in a waiting wheelchair and presses the back of his hand against her forehead.
"It'll pass," Annabelle says, when she sees the look on his face.
Matthew motions for you to walk in front of them, him pushing Annabelle's wheelchair. The door to Annabelle's room opens to a narrow concrete hallway, which you follow until you reach what you assume is the Observatory's central room.
There's a large round table in the middle of the room – not the Round Table, but a close enough imitation that you might confuse it at first glance. Large mirrors cover the far walls, reflecting strange scenes – you recognize Gavin's living room, and the lobby of Gemma's building. Connected to the mirrors are the cannibalized remains of an old 90s era desktop computer, and Xbox, and something that looks like a Ouija board. As soon as Matthew has Annabelle in position, he hops over to the mirrors and fiddles with the desktop computer – the images in the mirrors vanish, replaced with an unnatural darkness.
What remains of the Breakfast Club has assembled before you. Bailey, her hair damp as if she's just showered, twirls her massive, one-headed battle axe in one hand. Her other hand holds a can of cheap beer. When you meet her eyes you see nothing – no anger, or sadness, or even a glimmer of recognition. You can practically see her counting down the moments until she gets to kill you.
Piper stands next to her, arms crossed. Her blue hair is pulled into a severe ponytail, so tight it looks like it might actually hurt. She looks away rather than make eye contact.
Ginny sits on top of the round table, hugging one leg against her chest and letting the other dangle just above the floor. She chews on a strand of hair absently, as if she's not even aware she's doing it. When she notices you looking at her, her eyes narrow. But she doesn't move an inch.
Gavin sits in a chair with his legs spread, chin in one hand. He has dark bags under his eyes like he hasn't slept in a week, and his face is unnaturally pale – he looks so different from the boy you saw at Annabelle's house just hours ago. He looks like he almost wants to smile at you, but stops himself before he does.
Matthew has a headband in his hair, to keep his bangs out of his eyes. His expression is cool and distant – unreadable.
It surprises you, how little they intimidate you. They're so young. Younger than you, even. Seeing them in this context for the first time since the cave reminds you of who they were once, and how different they are from the people you knew. These people couldn't run a Queendom. They barely look capable of running your trial.
"Should we get started?" Annabelle asks. Her voice is clear, and strong.
The five share looks and nods, and Piper raises her head towards. "Annabelle told you what's going on, right?"
You nod. "You guys are gonna vote on whether or not to kill me."
"Um…yeah," Piper says. "Yeah, that's pretty much it. We thought we'd give you a chance to talk, before we voted. Since you helped Annabelle."
"We might ask questions," Matthew asks. "This'll all go a lot smoother if you answer them clearly and directly."
"Sure." You shrug your shoulders, then glance at Annabelle. Her expression doesn't change, but something about her face gives you the feeling she's trying to reassure you. Why is she being so…decent to you? Why isn't she furious at the lies you've told?
Does it matter? She's your only real ally here – Matthew might vote to keep you alive, but only as long as he can pump you for information. Piper might see the value in that, a logical reason not to execute you now, but will that be enough?
Your eyes find Gavin. His relationship with Annabelle is...complicated, and his friendship with Matthew in tatters, but from what you've seen at school he's still got a good relationship with the other girls in the Breakfast Club. Commiserating with Piper, joking around with Ginny, spending time with Bailey. Getting him over to your side would make any subsequent victories much easier.
Be genuine, Annabelle had told you. You had been pretty genuine with Gemma, and she had begged you to kill her because of it. The Camelot Court had watched you grow up, and they had whispered constantly of your dark temperament behind your back. The men and women you faced on the battlefield trembled before you, paralyzed by fear.
Be genuine, Annabelle had told you. But what if you're the problem? Meet an asshole in the morning, you met an asshole, but meet assholes all day…strip everything away from you, all the lies, the plots, the fragile platitudes you've clung to, and what are you left with, save a dark, violent ugliness?
Caledflwch leaps like bile in your throat. That raw, savage rage that brought you from the brink…the furious desire to command and be obeyed…the need to leap into the fray, feel iron crack against the strength of your armor, feel flesh part before the sharpness of your sword. Fight violence with violence, injustice with injustice. Destroy. Conquer. Burn.
That is Mordred Pendragon.
Piper clears her throat. The Breakfast Club is watching you expectantly. Somewhere outside your field of vision, a clock ticks, methodical.
"I…" you start, grasping for words, finding nothing. It's almost like you're on Cat Sith again, except your mind is clear and sharp, and the words won't come because there are no words, no way to give your thoughts coherence. "I…don't know what to say."
The Breakfast Club exchanges confused glances. You plow forward, desperate to say something, anything. "It wasn't that long ago I woke up in a cave…I had no idea what was going on, just that there were people that looked like…people I knew and…I was so confused. I figured I just needed time and space, and then I'd figure it out." You shake your head. "I figured, I just needed to find out who you all were, who you all weren't…then I'd know what to do. The right thing to do."
"So you were spying on us," Ginny says.
You nod slowly. "At first. Yeah. Yeah, I was analyzing you. Testing you, maybe. Were you smart enough to see through my disguise? Strong enough to take me in a fight? But…that only last a few days. The first week, maybe. Once I'd gathered enough information, I needed to decide how to move from there."
"What did you decide?" Matthew asks.
"I didn't." You swallow. "I just…never thought about it. I knew I should have been thinking about it, but there were always distractions. Bone needed something, or the Church was acting up, or Sa'Lanyah was pulling some dreamworld bullshit."
"Oh yeah!" Gavin shouts, eyes widening. "You were there!"
"That's not exactly a point in your favor," Bailey growls, her fingers tightening around the handle of her axe. "You cut my arms and legs off."
"I didn't want to fight you guys. You were under Sa'Lanyah's control. I was just trying to help."
"You did help," Annabelle says from her wheelchair. "I wouldn't have been able to fight off Sa'Lanyah if she wasn't busy with you."
Piper rubs the side of her neck, her expression thoughtful. "You could have killed us," she murmurs. "You got us all down…"
"What does it matter?" Ginny asks. "For all we know, he and Sa-whatever were fighting over who got to conquer the world."
"That's my point," you say, before anyone can get another word in and distract from what you're trying to do. "I know what you all think about it me. That I was just sitting on the sidelines…plotting or hatching schemes or waiting until you were too distracted to deal with me. But that's not what I was doing! That isn't me. Or…it isn't…who I want to be." You glance over at the wall, unwilling or unable to look at them as you speak. "I knew I had to make a decision about you guys but I just…didn't. I didn't want to. I liked living at the shop. I liked going to school. I liked the parties, and drinking, and just fucking around with you guys. I…liked being a teenager, I guess." You shrug. "I liked having friends. It was…kind of a new thing for me. I mean, I had a friend, but I don't know if I really…was one."
The Breakfast Club is silent, stewing in your words. You haven't apologized, or offered excuses, or even explained yourself, not really. But apologies and excuses and explanations aren't who you are. If there's any chance that the Breakfast Club can see…whatever it is Annabelle sees, whatever it is that makes her help you…you have to give them a chance. You have show them you, even the parts you don't particularly like.
"Look, I don't…I don't want to get into everything that happened…before," you admit. "I guess…well, you guys know that…this...job, it isn't easy. You guys have to know it wasn't all sunshine and roses back then, and…and I had to make choices, and things went sideways so fast, but I didn't want this. If I could undo everything that's happened to you, I would. You didn't deserve to get stuck with all this bullshit."
"Really?" Bailey asks. She taps the butt of her axe against the ground as she speaks, a slow methodical drumbeat. "Really? This is your play?"
You try to spread your hands, but they catch against your shackles. You settle for a shrug. "Not a play. Just…stream of consciousness, I guess."
"You can't honestly think we'd sympathize with you, after everything you've done," Bailey says.
Gavin shakes his head, a small but significant motion. "Jesus, Bailey, take it down a notch."
"I spoke too soon," Bailey groans. "I can't believe it. You're the biggest pussy I've-"
"What do you want me to say?" Gavin shouts, slamming his hand down onto the table. "You want me to just smile while you chop off our friend's head?"
"He was never your friend!" Bailey shouts back, pointing at you. "He's a liar, he's a killer-"
"He's in good company then!" Gavin runs both his hands through hair, individual strands of pink poking every which way. "I mean – I mean, he did some bad shit, yeah? Yeah! But what, we just kill him? We just kill anyone who ever does something shitty? What's next, we kill you? Or Annabelle? Or-"
"Or Lucy?" Ginny asks, the words cutting through Gavin's tirade and leaving him with his mouth hanging open in shocked silence. She tilts her head to the side slightly. "That's what this is about, right? Lucy? She did some bad shit, but that's okay?"
"It's not-"
"Don't do that," Ginny says, and she actually looks hurt when she says it. "Don't…don't do that. Look, I miss her too, Gavin, but…she's gone. She left. She tried to kill us. She joined up with, or hosted, Sa-whatever, and then basically tried to rape you. I don't…"
"Um," you say.
Five pairs of eyes all turn to you simultaneously, as if suddenly realizing you're still there.
"Do you have something to add?" Ginny asks, in a tone that makes it clear you have nothing to add.
"It's just," you say, before she can stop you, "you said Lucy was Sa'Lanyah's host? In the dreamworld?"
"She was the Empress," Piper says. "Sa'Lanyah needed a host body to wield power through, and Lucy's Heraldry made her perfect for the job."
You blink. Lucy had a Heraldry? How? You were sure Annabelle didn't have the power to bestow Heraldries – only the reincarnated Knights possessed one. "Look, I talked to Sa'Lanyah," you say, pushing that thought out of the way. "She bought her host. From Morgana."
The Breakfast Club stares at you in shock.
"The real question is Lucy," you say, chewing on the inside of your cheek. "It's funny, it's almost like she took Lorelei's place in this cycle, but…how does that even work with reincarnation? How does she have a Heraldry?"
"Morgan…" Annabelle says.
"You guys don't know anything about the cycle, so I guess you can't see how weird it is, but it's almost like…" you lose your train of thought. Bailey is still tapping her axe against the ground, but now the noise is almost overwhelming, reverberating through your skull.
"Morgan," Annabelle says again. Then she makes a noise like a staticky television set mixed with a backfiring car.
Your brow furrows. "What was that?" You ask.
She makes the noise again. Your brow furrows even more. You wish you could rub your temples, but these fucking shackles make it impossible to move your hands, and-
"Oh fuck!" Matthew shouts. "Someone's messing with his head!" You glance up at the brown haired boy and see an incredulous smile on his face – the same kind of smile Merlin used to get when something unexpected happened during an experiment. His eyes shine with a light halfway between frenzied curiosity and steely determination. "Someone's messing with his head," Matthew says again. "Like he was messing with our heads!"
"What?" You ask. "No. That…I would've noticed."
"That's what I thought!" Matthew said. "When you were fucking with our heads, I mean. After Morgana did it, I was sure I'd be able to see it, but that's the beauty of the spell, right? It stops the afflicted from thinking about it. You can't get rid of it because you can't even notice it!"
I can see its silken chains upon your mind. Who is Lucy?
Mathew claps his hands together, rapid fire, a burst of raw excitement expressing itself any way it can. "I want to crack you open soooooo baaaaaaad," he says. "I've never had the chance to look at Neuromancy like this up close and personal."
Ginny pinches the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "Please don't tell me you're suggesting what I think you are."
"Someone is fucking with my head?" You ask.
"We're getting distracted," Bailey says, banging her axe against the ground.
"Lucy was bought?" Gavin asks, wringing his hands together. "What does that mean? How does Morgana…"
"Forget Morgana!" Bailey shouts.
"No, Morgana's important," Piper says. "If it's all the same spell…the one she used, the one Morgan used, the one in his head right now…this could be our only chance to study it. We can't afford to get caught flat footed again."
"Piper's right," Annabelle says.
It's funny – when Annabelle speaks, she's not louder or more insistent than anyone else. But her voice carries across the room effortlessly, silencing all who hear it. The Breakfast Club, and you, stop, turn, and look at her.
"This is the second time we've been completely blindsided by mind magic," Annabelle continues. "That we know of, any way. How many of our substitutes could've been Morgana in disguise? How do we know anyone we meet isn't hiding in plain sight, the way Morgan was?" She turns to Matthew. "Are you sure his head is being fucked with? Can you study the spell if it is?"
Matthew smiles wide. "Of course. All the symptoms fit, like his face goes all dopey whenever we mention Lucy. I'd have to go inside his head to study it – I'd need Gavin and I'd really want extra backup, but I could definitely do it."
Annabelle surveys the rest of the Breakfast Club. "Should there be a vote?"
"You don't get a vote," Ginny says, jabbing a finger at Annabelle. "You agreed."
"I'm not voting," Annabelle promises. "But I can have opinions, can't I?"
"I think a vote is a good idea," Piper says. "Sorry, Ginny."
Ginny throws up her hands. "Fine! We'll vote! Who wants to waste time in Mordred's head? No!"
"Yes," Matthew says immediately.
Piper nods. "I say yes too."
"No, and we vote on the execution now," Bailey says. "He's manipulating us."
"Gavin?" Piper asks.
Gavin runs his hands through his hair. "I don't know…maybe we should just vote on the execution."
"Gavin," Annabelle says. "Whatever's in his head, it has something to do with Lucy."
Gavin wavers for a moment, but only for a moment. Then he nods. "Yes."
"Oh, fuck off," Ginny snarls. "No vote, my ass."
"I have an opinion, Ginny," Annabelle says calmly. "I'm sorry it doesn't always line up with yours."
Ginny looks like she wants to say something, but Matthew cuts in before she can. "Look, as excited as I am about this, it's all still academic at this point. There's only one vote that really matters."
"You mean me," you say, speaking up for the first time in several minutes.
"Him?" Piper asks.
"You guys don't have a link into my head, like Annabelle does. Or…did?" To be honest, you're not sure how Excalibur breaking would affect your soul bond with Annabelle, but that's a moot point for this particular discussion. "If I don't want you in, you're not getting in."
"I could get in," Matthew says, cracking his knuckles. "It would take a while. And you'd need a hospice nurse for the rest of your life. But I could get in."
"I'm not comfortable with that at all," Gavin murmurs. "At least killing him is quick."
All eyes are on you now, waiting. There's magic in your head, silken chains on your thoughts, hiding things from you. Letting Matthew do this would mean answers…but it would also mean opening yourself up to people who are still toying with the idea of killing you. Can you afford to let them in?
Can you afford not to?
[] Let them in
[] Don't
[] Write In
- Location
- Hong Kong
[x] Let them in
They want genuine stream-of-consciousness? Let 'em have it. Plus, mental vulnerabilities are a much bigger concern right now.
Just make sure to get them to swear a magically binding oath to follow a "look-but-don't-touch" rule. Especially Bailey. I wouldn't put it past her to try and mind-kill Morgan without anyone else's consent because "he's manipulating us".
They want genuine stream-of-consciousness? Let 'em have it. Plus, mental vulnerabilities are a much bigger concern right now.
Just make sure to get them to swear a magically binding oath to follow a "look-but-don't-touch" rule. Especially Bailey. I wouldn't put it past her to try and mind-kill Morgan without anyone else's consent because "he's manipulating us".
- Location
- singapore
[X] Let them in
To the beginning then, to the start of all things.
To the beginning then, to the start of all things.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Amusingly, yes. This is what this is about, on multiple levels. Frankly, I am somewhat surprised how a character who has zero on-screen presence manages to be so important to the story.
I've felt it for a long time that bringing Lucy back could finally change some things from how they usually go, but I didn't see the parallels between her fate and ours until now. Then there is someone pretty blatantly obscuring her from our vision. The only one with the motive and the means would be Morgana, - yet another entity that feels like she is everywhere and nowhere at once, - though I can't even begin to guess what that motive could be. Did she want us to not interfere with the deal she's made? Did she expect us to notice eventually, break the spell, and go after Lucy because like a rebellious child he is Mordred hates being artificially constrained and contained?
Lucy has been in the plot since the beginning, mostly through how noticeable a hole her absense left in the story and in the Breakfast Club was (we started speculating as soon as someone pointed out the number of the Knights doesn't match), and it drives me insane that I still don't understand her significance. I can't pass a chance to find out.
[x] Let them in
Even if we have to let a herd of elephants in the china shop that is Mordy's psyche.
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- Location
- My mom's basement
Wait didn't we sell lucy to sa'lanyah? Or am I misremembering things
Like during the movie arc?
Like during the movie arc?
- Location
- St. Petersburg
We let Sa'Lanyah (and thus her host, Lucy) go as a trade for Gemma's life.
But Sa'Lanyah bought Lucy as a host from Morgana in the first place, which was one of the questions she answered for us that were added to the update retroactively:
JoshieWoshie
Mister Doge
[x] Let them in
Its like Satan's dumpster fire.
Its like Satan's dumpster fire.
Rowknan
Roar
- Location
- The Unknown
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[x] Let them in
Seems fine. Although It would be interesting to see how a mental duel between Matthew and Mordred would go. My money is on mr old world magic and student of Merlin rather than a lesser reincarnated version of Merlin, but you never know.
Seems fine. Although It would be interesting to see how a mental duel between Matthew and Mordred would go. My money is on mr old world magic and student of Merlin rather than a lesser reincarnated version of Merlin, but you never know.
