Of course, the truth in the struggle with falsehood must be written and it must not be something general, high or ambiguous. Falsehood stems precisely from this general, high, ambiguous approach. When it is said of someone that ‘he said the truth,’ then some or many or someone else said something else, a lie or a platitude, but he said the truth, something practical, actual, undeniable, and that’s what it’s all about.
Natürlich muß die Wahrheit im Kampf mit der Unwahrheit geschrieben werden und sie darf nicht etwas Allgemeines, Hohes, Vieldeutiges sein. Von dieser allgemeinen, hohen, vieldeutigen Art ist ja gerade die Unwahrheit. Wenn von einem gesagt wird, er hat die Wahrheit gesagt, so haben zunächst einige oder viele oder einer etwas anderes gesagt, eine Lüge oder etwas Allgemeines, aber er hat die Wahrheit gesagt, etwas Praktisches, Tatsächliches, Unleugbares, das, um was es sich handelte.
—Bertolt Brecht, “Fünf Schwierigkeiten beim Schreiben der Wahrheit,” Unsere Zeit (Apr 1935)
[Scott Horton]
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Chapter 4: True and False
Narrated by Zoey.
~Content Warning: mention of blood~
Narrator: The pure blue in Cole’s eyes vanished, replaced by a bewitching crimson.
Cole: When did you realize it?
Zoey: I had my suspicions ever since we were in the carriage.
Zoey: You were the one who hired me, huh?
Narrator: Cole nodded. With all pretenses dropped, he seemed much calmer now, no longer like an innocent youth.
Cole: Yes, I’m your client. As well as this castle’s owner.
Cole: I was accidentally put under a sleeping curse 100 years ago and only woke up recently to find my home occupied.
Narrator: Those intruders desired the secrets of the Bloodborne. They even brought special weapons in case they ran into any.
Cole: I haven’t completely recovered yet and don’t want to fight them myself.
Zoey: So that’s why you hired me?
Cole: I heard Zoey from Black Water City is building an army.
Cole: I don’t mind paying you handsomely in exchange for your wits and courage.
Cole: It turns out I hired the right person.
Narrator: Cole moved closer. A smile, cold and glinting, was on his face.
Cole: Thank you for the help. You have my trust and friendship.
Narrator: He bowed gracefully, and a black cloak appeared out of nowhere, wrapping itself around the mysterious blond youth.
Narrator: In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the darkness.
Narrator: The blood on the ground, still wet, was the only proof of all that had transpired.
Narrator: I untied the kidnapped civilians and brought them back to the carriage, giving the castle grounds one last look before I left.
Narrator: The castle no longer looked eerie. After a hundred years, it had finally welcomed its true master.
Narrator: Perhaps, one day, I’d get to see those red roses in the garden in full bloom, being lovely under the moonlight.
Narrator: I down the last of the red wine. My story ends here.
Yeeso: So what happened after that? Is Cole still living there in the castle?
Lianne: Why are you so invested? You know this is something the commander just made up.
Zoey: Oh? You think I was lying?
Lianne: Of course. The Bloodborne no longer exist, right?
Yeeso: People from Pigeon Kingdom think otherwise. We’ve been told bedtime stories about those creatures since we were kids.
Caprico: Dark magic... To be that powerful... Human experiments.
Yeeso: I don’t know what you’re thinking, Caprico, but you better stop.
Yeeso: And why are you zoning out, Corleone?
Corleone: Just remembering that time Commander went to a masquerade ball in a Bloodborne gown she designed herself.
Corleone: Was this what inspired that design?
Lianne: ...Am I the only one who thought the story was made up?
Zoey: What do you think, [Your Name]? Was the story made up?
Choose either “It’s real” or “Doesn’t matter. It’s a story.”
If “real,” ...
You: It’s probably real. Miraland is vast. The Bloodborne could still be around somewhere.
If “story,” ...
You: As long as the story is interesting, does it matter if it’s real or not?
--
Zoey: To me, whether or not you like this story is important.
Yeeso: I have an idea! Halloween is coming soon. How about we have a Bloodborne-themed party then?
Lianne: Sounds fun. Caprico would make a great mad scientist.
Caprico: ...
Corleone: Commander, is there anyone you want to invite to the Halloween party?
Zoey: You’ll come, right, [Your Name]?
Choose “Of course.”
You: Of course I’ll be there.
Zoey: I’m looking forward to it.
Zoey: Well, let’s continue drinking. The night’s still young.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
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What was true? What was false?
Lydia Martin hadn’t had a vacation since she graduated from her journalism program nearly three years ago. She’d spent much of her first year working late and nearly every night to earn some respect at the magazine. She’d eventually earned the privilege of covering up and coming influential women in the workplace. She’d covered whoever her boss loved the most that year and this past year she’d had a lot more freedom over who she got to cover, but she was exhausted. She’d taken short breaks home to Boston over last three years, but no significant time off. This year she’d gotten a new boss and he was forcing her to take two weeks off. That was how she’d ended up in Greece. She figured if she was going to be forced to take time off. To waste time she could be using to develop new stories lounging and “seeing the sites” then she was going to go somewhere she could get a tan and appreciate history.
Today she was just going to be roaming the streets of Corfu. She was going to stop into whatever local restaurants looked busiest and have her meals whenever she liked. She was going to shop and take today easy. Tomorrow she would resume her rather packed schedule. She would change islands and at the end of the week, she was heading to the mainland to take in the ruins and the history of Athens. Right now, she was standing just outside a little restaurant with the most gorgeous view. She leans against the wrought iron railing and feels the linen of her sundress whip around her thighs and loose hairs from her braid brush across her cheeks. She pushes up onto the toes of her wedges to get a better look at the gorgeous turquoise ocean and the sandy beach. It was gorgeous here and she felt more refreshed than she had in a very long time. She was almost inclined to admit that her boss was right. She’d needed this time away from the office and her job more than she’d realized. She closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath of salty, Mediterranean air and suddenly there’s a hand on her arm, turning her around. She gasps, “Hey! Hands off!” She bats away the hand on her arm as her eyes fly open to see who put their hands on her.
@stilesstylelinski
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