#ok but my idea with Duni is that

[starrysymphonies]

Posting these before I go to sleep bcs I’m tired but I couldn’t stop thinking of this, D-GANG REDESIGNS GRAHHH

Ok so I have my own thoughts and little tidbits about the designs soooo hehehe!!

Don:

I LOVEEE designing jester outfits I had to give him the whole fit

Spades motif because spades represent rebellion, transformation, and acceptance. Since he was the first d-gang member we saw be redeemed-ish I thought it’d fit

Trident from s3 :)

Richard:

Adapted his s1 design, slicked his hair back bcs Nick would wear his down/forward. I didn’t want to give him the cowboy design he had in s3 because although it’s cool I also don’t think he’d want to continue being like Nick when by then he’s come into his own identity as a person

Diamonds motif for hard-working, growth, and hidden depths, but also diamonds are one of the lower classes and Richard was a grunt man for Duni

Dashlie:

Similar to Richard where I adapted her s1 fit, I think she’d experiment more with fashion though and end up with a more alternative style compared to Ashlie’s preppier one

Clubs motif for hotheaded, recklessness, and strength. Like diamonds it’s lower in the ranking

She has a scar through her right eye, mainly due to the 100th episode, she has a mechanical eye and you’d sooner catch her DEAD for the hundredth time than going near an eyepatch and end up being compared to Duni

Duni:

Tried to give him a warmer, cozier look. I have a good amount of headcanons about Duni, one of which being he isn’t actually a clone of Uni but was just so obsessed with him he kept resetting the world, doing whatever it would take for him to fall in love with him, and slowly became more and more like him in an attempt to have him love him more

Mostly based on his s3 design but take off the eyepatch and give him his regular eyes and it’s just what I imagine for his s1 design

Hearts motif for romance, dependance, and passion

DDawn:

Very fancy man, his design doesn’t change much from season to season other than him getting more banged up so this is a s1 design and then in later seasons his clothes are more torn and his screen cracked

Instead of a card suit he gets the “A” for ace, the most powerful card in any suit. This is mostly to represent how he planned to kill Duni and take the wish for his own, he was the last living D-Gang member

Ngl, accidentally Squip inspired with the circuit pattern

All of them have a “D” emblazoned somewhere on their outfits

#Don and Richard have their ‘D’ symbol on opposite sides of their chest because uhhhhhhh #I love the lgbtq community #the hardcore quest #thq #Unicomics THQ #thq d-Gang #DonDon THQ #Richard THQ #Dres THQ #Dick THQ #Dashlie THQ #Duni THQ #DDawn THQ #ok but my idea with Duni is that #in the original timeline before any of the resets #he was just another random pug that uni met #named something else completely #and he found and used the runes to reset the world when something really bad happened and uni died #and he met uni again and fell in love with him #and he realized he could just keep finding the runes and resetting the world #until he got it right and uni fell in love with him #and he became so obsessed that he started dressing similar to him #dyed his hair similar to him #set up these schemes to always have his attention #made his own dawnbot #made clones of his friends to be ‘closer’ to him #cause to me it’s weird that a clone would be in love with the original #especially if he’s a clone then unis sibling would already be his siblings and that’s just weird #I dont like the duni x uni ship though cause it’s toxic. but I just want it to be a little less weird in universe #Reese’s art

[king-finnigan]

Ok with the striga story with the incredibly yikes description of the 14 year old, there's actually some interesting lore things in there. (Not even remotely defending that description, it is objectively horrendous)

Basically, it was written a while before any of the other witcher things and was originally entered into a short story competition. And it was never intended to have a massive story spring from it.

And like, because of that, some of the lore is so different. A whole thing in the witcher is that witchers are essentially a dying cast and also are no longer needed because of the great reach of humans.

But in this witchers are new and there are a lot of them! And it's definitely not a timeline thing, because Foltest is king, which he also is in the main events.

And also how witchers come to be is different. You know there's the incredibly awful trials and those male you a witcher with superhuman senses and strength and ability to drink potions?

In this short story witchers are basically fighters who built up a tolerance to potions over a very long time. Other than this (and the powers they have when they take said potions) they're basically just strong dudes who are good with swords.

I can't think of any other blatant contradictions off the top of my head (except the characterisation of Geralt at times, particularly at the start when he kills 3 people to get the attention of a noble who has a conract, which is very out of character)

I just find it really interesting.

There are also other instances of direct contradictions, particularly with the short stories in the last wish which were written quite far apart and often without any idea of a larger narrative.

Another one I can think of is the fact that apparently Pavetta needed to not be a virgin to be able to use her power, whereas later this is a misconception that Ciri has, which is categorically said to not be true by Yennefer.

Also even whether or not a) witchers have to be children of surprise and, even better, b) whether Geralt himself is a child of surprise, are said both ways.

(Moussack says Geralt is a child of surprise in the Pavetta Duny short story, Geralt says he's just a simple foundling to Calanthe when he goes to try and check up on Ciri when she's 6 (which he actually does in the book))

Anyway, this ask is rather long, I just find this really interesting and infodumping is a thing

It's just really interesting!!!

Even how well witchers can see in the dark is changed!

The lore is a nightmare!

oh my god is this why in ep3 a wolf witcher died n geralt was just like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ "sux to be him" like i was always so confused by that cause aren't witchers???? supposed to be rare????

also i realized this after watching the witcher for the second time but Sorceresses are supposed to be infertile!! and yet geralt's mom is a sorceress!! but ESKEL'S the one who's good with magic!!! andrzej it doesn't make sense!!!

you're absolutely right tho, dearest anon, the lore is an absolute nightmare

#even if it was never supposed to be a big story #i've written fic where i had to make things up later and fit it around the earlier chapters' lore #if i can do it so can he tf #audience with the king #anonymous

[marvellouslymadmim]

Hi!! I was wondering what your headcanons were about Calanthe after she loses Pavetta? Also do you have any plans to write a fic featuring Calanthe x Eist after Pavetta dies (whether it be in A Night With the Queen or otherwise)? I love your writing so much (I’ve reread every fic you have for them about 5 times each) and I’m curious about your take on Calanthe’s grief. I do love to feel pain 😭

oof. I have a few. And yes, we’re gonna see some of it in A Night with the Queen. But due to that story’s format, we won’t be able to go as in-depth as my actual headcanons are, so here we go:

I feel like Calanthe is someone who does two things when she is hit with a loss: instantly lash out at everyone around her (banquet scene, anyone?), and then immediately internalize it and blame herself for everything she didn’t do to prevent the situation. She’s used to getting her way (I mean, it’s canon that she was a spoiled child, and we definitely still see that she’s politically powerful enough to very rarely hear “no” by the time she’s ard rhena), and I think sometimes she truly has bought into her own mythos as the Lioness of Hochebuz--she was a child who triumphed over an army, and I think part of her believes in her own invincibility and therefore her own ability to truly make anything and everything go her way, regardless of the odds. So when things don’t go her way, it isn’t because they never could--but rather because she didn’t try hard enough. 

So when Pavetta is lost at sea, Calanthe does both of those things. In Blood of Elves, we see in a flashback from Ciri’s POV that Calanthe definitely lashed out at Crach (and most likely Eist, once he returned from searching) for ever allowing Pavetta to leave the isles with Duny. The book also talks of Eist’s “stony, pale face. And the queen’s silence.” So...definitely things were happening there. I think that after Calanthe blamed Crach and Eist for allowing Pavetta to go out to sea, she began blaming herself for not preventing it--for allowing Pavetta to travel to Skellige, for not searching long enough and hard enough for her afterwards, for not eventually bringing Pavetta’s body back home to rest.

In A Night with the Queen, we’re gonna see Calanthe becoming obsessed with the idea that until they find a body, there’s still a chance that Pavetta is alive. Because her daughter is powerful beyond anything anyone has ever seen--she can create her own tempest, so what could a tempest do to her, truly? She constantly pushes Eist to keep looking, to keep sending out search parties farther and farther away from the wreckage site, still convinced that Pavetta washed ashore, completely unharmed, and is merely waiting to be found and brought home. 

I think it takes a while for Calanthe to truly admit that her daughter is gone forever. And I think when she does, it creates a new grief spiral as she accepts it. That is the moment that she truly turns inward and shuts out the rest of the world.

As someone who, unfortunately, is very deeply acquainted with grief and loss, I can tell you that grieving is an extremely private process and even if you share a loss with someone, the journey of your grief is entirely solo. You heal at different rates, in different ways. You heal...apart, in a way. And then you have to figure out how to grow back inwards, together again. I think Eist and Calanthe grew apart in their grief and then did have to make a conscious decision to turn back into each other, to find and give comfort as a team. 

I think in the beginning, Calanthe is very unaware of how it affects Eist. She’s too wrapped up in her own grief and definitely relies on his support even as she pushes him away and continues lashing out. Ciri is definitely the main reason that she doesn’t freeze him out entirely during this time--just as she fixates on bringing Pavetta back, she obsesses over Ciri’s wellbeing to deflect from dealing with her own issues. 

And I think she uses Cirilla as a shield, too. Constantly puts their granddaughter between her and Eist to avoid dealing with the growing gulf between them. Ciri has always spent a lot of time with her grandparents, but after Pavetta’s death, Calanthe keeps Ciri at her side at all times. For months, Ciri sleeps with them, and stays within Calanthe’s line of sight during her every waking moment. Eist misses having time to simply be with his wife and his best friend, but of course, how can he say anything when it’s for the wellbeing of their granddaughter, who just tragically lost her mother? And how can he say anything when Ciri obviously brings Calanthe comfort in turn?

Once Calanthe does realize that Eist has also experienced loss, and that he’s spent his time trying to take care of her, rather than deal with his own grief, a shift occurs. She acknowledges the burden she’s put on him and becomes apologetic--and from there, they gingerly and slowly start to move forward, together. Ultimately, I think it’s what strengthens their relationship past everything they were before. Because Calanthe recognizes that she has pushed him in ways that would cause most people to abandon her, and yet he stayed. I think that given her first marriage, she always kind of assumed that there was a chance things might fall apart between her and Eist--but when the worst possible thing imaginable happens and they survive it, she abandons all thought of them ever truly being separated, emotionally or physically. (and honestly, it makes her little Tommen toodley-boop out the window more understandable, too--because she doesn’t want to be in a world without him, because he’s been one of the only people who has ever seen her and made the world bearable....she’s done what she could to correct her folly with Geralt and has sent Ciri into safety, and now all she wants is to be with Eist again) After that, she truly becomes the all-in, completely devoted and adoring lover that we see in her final scenes with Eist. They understand and see each other on a level that no one else ever has or will, at that point, and they’re both highly aware of it--and eventually, they find a way to see it as something to relish and celebrate. 

As the years wear on and the grief become less startlingly painful, I think Calanthe is able to find comfort in seeing Cirilla become so much like her mother. We see there’s a stark difference in how Calanthe reigns/presents herself as queen between the time of the betrothal feast and the sacking of Cintra. I think some of it is due to the fact that Calanthe genuinely tries to be more of the influence that Pavetta would have been on her daughter. And she tries to honor Pavetta’s legacy by teaching Ciri in a kinder, softer way than she taught Pavetta. She tries to raise Cirilla not according to her own ideals (most of the time, at least)--but rather what she thinks Pavetta would have wanted. 

Ok, I feel like I’ve rambled enough for one post...thank you so much for dragging me down the headcanon rabbit hole (and for re-reading my fics, the thought brings such joy!) and hopefully we’ll actually get to see some of this come up in future fics. 

#thanks anon! #headcanons #pavetta #calanthe of cintra

[gayregis]

wacky and definitely incorrect idea but,,,they killed off renfri in TWN because she'd take one look at duny and be like "ok thats a predator" (pavetta is 15?!?!)and unlike Netflix!geralt (who's very busy being mean and grunting and not talking to anyone)she'd actually get rid of him(Throw HIM off a ship, etc) before he had the opportunity to plot pavetta's murder an creepily gaze at ciri/ciri's potential for immense power

netflix nerfed themselves by controversially introducing a clear protagonist (Renfri) who's interesting and likeable and complex with a strong definable goal (revenge) and then immediately killing her off in favor of following the static antagonist (Netflix!Geralt) for the rest of the season. like interesting stylistic choice! I especially liked how they had him carry around her broach like a trophy!!! Totally not creepy to take something from the 18 yr old he could have avoided killing

uhhhhh i understand this take coming from solely the netflix show and seeing the witcher as a continuous story that’s like a bunch of episodes that fade into one another, but yeah, its a “wacky and definitely incorrect idea.” 

renfri continuing to be a character in the rest of the series wouldn’t make sense for a number of reasons. to begin with, she is confined to her own story. understand that these are short stories that are meant to stand on their own to each have certain messages. the lesser evil and a question of price are different stories and renfri belongs to the lesser evil because to kill her was “the lesser evil.” she isn’t meant to be a character outside of this story because the short stories aren’t really meant to overlap. they each have their own specific cast of characters, setting(s), plot, and morals that define them. i think the best way to think of them are like fables or folk tales. if snow white suddenly showed up in another fairy tale, that wouldn’t make any sense. i’d be like, get out of here, this isn’t your story!

not to say that it wouldn’t be cool, i mean, i definitely think it would be cool if princess adda and vereena teamed up and kicked geralt’s ass back to kaedwen, but that would defeat the entire message of both of their stories.

in addition, i think you are misunderstanding renfri’s character (but this is just my opinion and interpretation of the lesser evil). renfri and stregobor are both bad people, they are both evil that geralt is forced to decide between. i see way too many netflix fans saying renfi is cool/hot/sexy/a good character solely because she is a woman that fights with a sword and kills people, when in the witcher there are many women that fight with swords and kill people and the fact that they are woman is not really something the witcher ever focuses on. i don’t think sapkowski thought of making “strong female characters” to impress an audience like lauren hissrich did, he wasn’t trying to appeal to a diverse demographic by having more diverse characters. thus, it’s not really any better when a woman has a sword than when a man has a sword in the witcher. 

the sword is a burden. the sword kills, the sword is merciless. causing death with no feeling and no remorse is a bad thing, it is so horrific to geralt that it literally drove him to part with his daughter which he loved and adored and wanted desperately to raise, it drove him away from her because he was terrified that he would give this burden to her and thrust death and killing upon her. this is the message of the witcher, that to cause death is horrible. geralt was born into a profession that kills, he was raised and trained to kill, and he abhors this about himself, he loathes himself so viciously it annoys the absolute fuck out of anyone he’s around and they end up arguing with him that he needs to stop focusing on the fact that he’s a witcher and think about himself for himself. the fact of the matter is that 

a woman with a sword killing people isn’t a revolutionary thing in the context of the witcher, it’s not intended to be a feminist statement or a “cool” or good thing to admire. in other pieces of media, it might be because that’s their messaging, but in the witcher, the gender of the swordwielder doesn’t matter, it’s about how they wield the sword. there are certainly badass women in the witcher that are cool and easily idealized and seen as role models because of how cool and powerful they are, but you have to understand why they are powerful. renfri has turned to banditry because she was scorned from her royal inheritance, she feels cheated by fate. she is hateful towards her past and has no reason to adhere to peace, she is blinded by revenge. 

revenge is a very powerful and encompassing theme of the witcher. renfri is only one taste of it. revenge consumes another princess that later picks up the sword and turns to banditry out of desperation for something to rely upon and the feeling that she has been cheated by fate. she kills blindly because she is in pain. this is tragedy. this is sadness, cutting down innocents out of one’s own vicious pain is not an act to admire.

but on TV, “a girl has a sword” is such an incredibly revolutionary statement because everyone is starved for such a thing that they all become immediately thirsty to see more of this girl, more of her actions, even when she is not meant to be an ideal, not meant to be seen as something to emulate.

i think of the scene in baptism of fire when the rats arrive and begin to kill mercilessly, ciri runs men down. she ends up sparing one of the men, who saw such hatred and fury and pain in her eyes. when he returns home, he finds his own daughter trying to dress up like ciri, wearing her mother’s scarf tied around her neck and a stick tied to her back like a sword, because she thinks ciri falka and the rest of the rats are powerful and beautiful and wants to be like them, even when the girl she is dressed up as came a hair’s width close to slaying her father mercilessly in the street.

renfri is not a protagonist by any means. she is literally the antagonist of her own story. she’s a tragic character, her life was lost long before she gave geralt her ultimatum. 

i think what is important to keep in mind here is that these were meant to be adaptations of books. books that were published 30 years ago. if lauren hissrich and the rest of the team had done their jobs correctly and successfully, they would have abided by what was written and not written their own fanfiction which detracted massively from the themes and meaning of what was written. i understand that you dislike netflix geralt (who doesn’t?) but had they actually stuck to the books which they were meant to be adapting, you would likely like him. he doesn’t waste his time grunting instead of speaking. but netflix didn’t “nerf themselves” by killing off renfri... that’s literally what happens in the books that they are adapting, and in the books it happens for a clearer reason driven by themes and messages that the story conveys to you (not just flashy gore).

i also understand wanting to kill duny because he is a 30 yo engaged to a 15 yo pavetta, but that is more of sapkowski’s effect on the story as he treats this and other situations of dating 15 yo girls completely normalized within the fantasy society he has created, which is his fault as an author and not a character flaw of the characters in-universe. they didn’t have a choice for that to be normalized in their society, they’re characters. it’s wrong, but you can retcon it if you choose. also i think the idea of killing duny is just amusing because if you kill him, you would not get the massacre of cintra, you would not get cahir, you would not get rience, stefan skellen, vilgefortz and thus leo bonhart, schirru and thus nightingale and fulko artevelde and angouleme, there would be no stygga, there would be no lodge of sorceresses, there would also likely be no thanedd coup. the entire conflict of the entire series would just be gone. so interesting idea but it wouldn’t make sense at all and would defeat the entire story

#like idk i guess you can have fun with this AU in your head but this isnt the kind of storyrevisionism that i like for the witcher #ask #anon #renfri #the witcher #the witcher netflix

[gotarcher94]

The Witcher

So I’ve watched the first season of the Witcher on Netflix and all I can say is holy motherfucking shit. That was a good season. 

I wanted to jot down a few things that I liked about the season, bearing in mind that I haven’t yet read the books and have only played the Witcher 2 and 3. I will be using spoilers so consider this a spoiler warning.

(Also this will be a long post)

OK? OK

Henry Cavill

When Henry was announced I gotta admit I had some doubts over the casting. Not because I don’t rate him as an actor but I just couldn't picture him as Geralt. My personal pick was Zach McGowan, known for playing Charles Vane in Black Sails. He had the gruff voice, he looked like the game version of Geralt, and he even had similar hair. Just dye it white and he was good. 

But having seen the show... I recant every syllable of my foolishness.  

Henry Cavill is perfect as Geralt. He perfectly embodies the White Wolf. From his sarcastic sense of humour, to the subtle emotion on his face to the conflict he has while making the decisions he does. Absolutely perfect casting.

Anya Chalotra

Speaking of perfect casting, Anya is an incredible Yennefer of Vengerberg. Like Henry she perfectly embodies Yennefer. Anya plays the evolution of Yen superbly, from her beaten down and almost broken early days to the immensely powerful and confident sorceress she becomes later, she performs both absolutely perfectly.

And to all those who say that Anya is wrong to play Yennefer because she doesn’t “look like her”.... I cannot say shut the hell up loud enough. She was incredible and deserves all the accolades that should be sent her way.

Freya Allan

And rounding out the three main characters, the show is three for three in terms of perfect casting. I loved her independent and driven nature, continuing to keep going on despite all the trouble going her way despite only been about 11 or 12 (i think, not 100%). Her strong bond with both Queen Calanthe and Mousesack is evident, despite the relative lack of screentime devoted to it. I can’t wait to see how both the character and actress evolves over the (hopefully) seasons to come.

Geralt and Ciri

I loved the “the girl in the woods will be with you always” transition in the first episode, that eventually came full circle in the finale with the two finally meeting (with the run and hug scene!). Having seen their bond fully established in the games (I know they aren’t canon) I cant wait to see it develop on screen

Queen Calanthe

Is a badass. End of story. Ruling a kingdom, fighting at the front of every battle, effectively flipping off destiny and law of Surprise and being an incredible role model for Ciri. Absolute awesome character and Jodhi May did such an incredible job playing her.

Yennefer’s backstory

As a game only fan in terms of knowing much about the characters when I went into this season, my knowledge of Yen’s backstory was pretty much nonexistent, as I can’t remember it even being mentioned in the two games I played (of which Yen was only physically present for one). However, the show delved deep into it, and I’m glad they did. It simultaneously made us empathise fully with Yennefer but also established the basis for her desire to grow stronger and be in control of her own destiny and future, and why she was then so frustrated being in the mire of courtly intrigue, not able to grow higher.

The Yennefer and Tissaia dynamic

One of the most unexpected but welcome events of the show was the dynamic that they two shared. It was not the typical mentor and apprentice relationship and I appreciated the change from the norm. From Tissaia’s initial attempts to bring Yennefer to heel before eventually being the one to tell Yennefer to unleash her chaos during the battle at Sodden was great. 

The striga episode

I mean..... just wow. As soon as they mentioned Temeria I had a feeling that it would be the striga, as it was one of the few things that I knew about from the books. And holy shit they did not disappoint. From the investigation aspect, to the fight scene, to the music. It was incredible episode and one that I cannot wait to get back to when I re-watch the series

Battle of Sodden

The main focus of the incredible finale. I had heard of the Battle of Sodden during the games but to see it was something else. A great battle scene combined great fights, solid battle plans and incredibly cool magical skills. And also,during the night scenes, you could actually see what the fuck was happening. See GoT! It isn't hard!!

Vilgevortz

As soon as his name was revealed in the episode, I’m not gonna lie but i may have gone full fanboy. I know a little from what was mentioned in the books and have read a little from other sources about his story in the books and was immensely excited when he showed up. And I cannot wait to see his story unfold on the show and see him interact more with Yennefer and meet Geralt and Ciri.

Jaskier

From what I know, calling him Jaskier (his original name in the Polish stories) instead of the English name of Dandelion was one of the problems people had with the show. And I have to ask... does it really matter? He still acts like him, talks like him, annoys Geralt like him. He is the same character, the showrunners are just honouring his roots. 

And he brought some comic relief to the series in just the right ways, especially in the djinn and dragon hunt episodes. Joey Batey was great.

Music and Cinematography 

Both of them were absolutely fantastic. Every episode looked and sounded phenomenal. I’ve been listening to a few tracks from the soundtrack that have made it onto YouTube on repeat for a while, most notably “Toss a Coin to your Witcher”. However, one track that I really liked but haven't been able to find is the battle theme from the striga fight. If anyone could send me a link to it, I would be incredibly grateful

Fight choreography 

All of the fights this season were absolutely fantastic. Both the human fights and the monster battles. Geralt and Duny vs the Cintrian soldiers, Vilgevortz vs Cahir and (my personal favourites) Geralt vs Renfri and her gang from episode 1. All of them superb and I couldn't have asked for more from the fight scenes. 

Magic

I really like the magic system they set up in this series. Not only is it incredibly diverse (with the finale alone showing us Vilgevortz constantly creating swords, Triss making poison mushrooms grow beneath the feet of the army and Coral wiping out a whole section of the Nilgaardian army) but I really like the idea that it isn't just them tapping into a great power, that there can be a great cost to performing these spells. Not something that a lot of fantasy series do.

Cahir

He was a great antagonist throughout the season and again I know little in specifics about him but I know that he is important to Ciri’s story, so I am looking forward to seeing that develop further.

Geralt and Visenna

I loved the scene of the two of them in the finale, even if it proved to only be a dream/hallucination. The “How do you like my eyes?” line legit gave me chills. Incredible acting by Henry there

Geralt and Yennefer (Yenneralt?, I think certain parts of the fandom have settled upon)

Now, as a game only fan prior to this, my exposure to the relationship between the two of them was limited, as the games only touched upon it in the Witcher 3. Before then it was told that Geralt and Yennefer had an epic love but it was very much tell and don’t show, as Yennefer didn't appear in person until the Witcher 3 and by then CDPR had developed the Geralt and Triss romance story in the Witcher 2. And I’m not gonna lie, I was fully into their romance during my playthroughs. Not that I didn't like Yennefer but I just didn't have the same basis into their bond that the book fans did. 

After Season 1, however, I am fully onto the Geralt and Yennefer ship, having seen it develop as it did.

Methinks it may be time for another playthrough, as well as buying the books.

Things I’m looking forward to seeing on the show in the future 

1. Yennefer and Ciri meeting

2. Seeing Geralt and Ciri bonding more, with some time together at Kaer Morhen

3. Thanedd Island (eventually)

4. Zoltan! 

5. Regis!

6. Vesemir!

#the witcher #witcher spoilers #henry cavill #anya chalotra #freya allan

[thatlesbiannudistcult-stories]

Sorry for the delay

No the story isn’t dead, and neither am I. I’ve just been away from home for a while that’s compromised my ability to get any writing done. But just to keep you tided over, I’ve provided an excerpt that should hopefully whet your appetite. Subject to change, of course. Enjoy!

------------

"Going for a run. Be back in about forty."

"Have fun. Don't fall down a manhole again!"

"Hmph."

The door closed shut as Erin left the apartment, leaving Mindy all by her lonesome as she lied on the couch in the living room, reading her mom's book. Interesting thing it was. It definitely helped to...contextualize a lot about what those girls in that lesbian nudist cult actually believed.

Mindy still couldn't believe what a mad coincidence it was. On the same weekend that she and her sister found out about the Zenrist religion, it would appear her mother had as well. First through text-messaging and then through online chat, she learned from Henrietta that the two older women had a formal meeting with the Zenrists, going so far as to enter their place of worship and speak with the head priestess. She didn't go into detail about what exactly they talked about or did in there, but the important thing was that Carol had developed a very keen interest in the religion. Enough to not only read through their tome rather extensively if her bookmark was anything to go by, but to even consider joining it. Mindy couldn't help but be a little concerned about that.

Oh, she didn't mind if her mother was going to be a nudist. The teen already knew she was. Carol had tried to be sneaky about it in the past, tried to hide the fact that she liked to roam around in the buff, but she couldn't fool Mindy. They had been living in this tiny little apartment for nearly a decade; keeping secrets of that caliber for that long would be difficult even for a ninja master. There would always be a door left ajar where you could see a nude woman prancing around, there would always be some lack of discretion in a phone call where someone would say something like "I'd be naked all the time if I could," or "Be at your place in 15. No clothes on of course," and there would always be a time where you would catch a naked adult crawling around desperately trying not to be seen by you like a skittish housecat.

No, the real issue Mindy was having was that if her mom was considering finding religion, then did that mean something was going on with her? Was she depressed? Lonely? Secretly dying? Henrietta didn't say. She just said Carol was seriously considering joining the religion because it would give her the freedom to be nude all she liked. And that she really liked being nude. Mindy wanted to take her word for it, but she couldn't be sure; Carol had been acting weird yesterday ever since Mindy and Erin got home. She seemed really sad somehow. Deflated, like someone was letting all the air out of her. She didn't eat much, hardly touched the Indian takeout they ordered, and seemed to always look to the side, or down at herself. And this was all after the cold way she threw Henrietta out of the house.

Erin didn't notice of course. She was too damn preoccupied with her own crap to pay any attention to her mother. But Mindy did, and it worried her. She didn't know what was going on, and from what she could tell, neither did Henrietta.

Speaking of which, it was probably high time they continued their conversation from last night. Picking up her phone, Mindy started writing her next text message. She would have preferred just talking to her mother's girlfriend, but she was at work right now, so she had to make do.

"are u sure mom was ok b4 yestrdy?"

A few moments passed. Then a reply popped up.

"Yes. Carol was happy day before. sed she was go ing 2 convert."

"Ready to convert? To Zenrism?" Mindy mused out loud. "What could possibly happen to change her mind? Was it when Erin said..."

Oh. Ohhhhhhh. That must've been why. That's what caused Mom to get so depressed. It seemed so obvious now. It was because of Erin. It was all her fault. Again. Seems that rotten twin sister of hers just had to find more ways to drag everyone else down with her.

"First thing when she gets back, we're gonna have a long conversation here," she said, standing up and marching purposely back to her room. She didn't know how she was going to take this issue on with her mother; the whole idea of her converting to a new religion was an odd one to her after all. But she did know how to handle Erin's deal: she had to make the girl come to terms with what she had done at Duny Beach.

As Mindy stepped into the room, she couldn't help but notice something odd. Her sister's sleeping clothes were strewn about on the floor, and her running clothes were gathered neatly on her bed on the lower bunk. Like she pulled them out, but forgot to put them on.

She didn't...