It wasn't a calm shift. I mean, no shift was calm—it was Llewellyn, after all—but it always got worse after a new Knot.
I kept one eye on Penguin, who'd napped a bit in his mug before discovering the glass of water I'd left on the coffee table and spending the rest of the night making tiny ice sculptures, melting them, and starting over.
The small miniature of Llewellyn I'd picked up in Mondwyn Harbor stood tall on the coffee table as Penguin eyed it, trying to replicate it.
I snickered. Even Llewellyn's miniature looked unwilling to model for a statue.
Online, the conversation went on as usual.
The forum in particular was overflowing with the same old complaints—no photos, no extended footage, etc.
I scrolled through the comments, hiding all the ones with profanity and marking the most inflammatory ones in case we needed to find them again.
These comments hit differently now that I'd actually met Llewellyn. It was difficult not to grind my teeth.
A new thread called "Why No Pictures of Today's Knot??? Again???" had popped up seven hours ago and it already had 950 comments.
I clicked through, scrolling for anything that needed immediate attention.
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[knot_grind]: kjsjaksdfksjd, right?? only that one photo from the press conference last year where he looks like he'd rather be anywhere else 😂
[glowstickcrisis]: imagine being that good at your job but hating every second of it
[screamingtable]: LMAOOOO maybe he just doesn't like people?
[mildlyspiteful]: Same, honestly.
[potatopotato]: it's not his job! it's not like someone is employing him! he could easily not do any of that
[clamentropy]: 🙄 the government is… queen Seolene literally endorsed him on the Crown's website. I'm still recovering
[mildlyspiteful]: yeah but he never agreed to it
[snailboy_89]: how do you know tho
[radishcore]: uh… that press conference??
[grissini]: hellooo?? he's clearly working for the system??
[lordofthecookies] We. Want. Pictures!!!!!!
[knot_watcher99]: imagine thinking the system's golden boy isn't part of the problem 💀
[username404]: as if you ppl don't keep dropping AI art of him everywhere 💀 what do you even need more pics for
[kwifi]: to make more AI art, obviously. NEXT!
[pebble.exe]: does he even have friends? he's so intimidating
[snailboy_89]: nah man, he's probably just quiet
[noodlescar]: quiet people are the scariest
[fauxknot]: name one person you've actually seen him with
[kwifi]: his PR manager, I guess?
[pebble.exe]: LMAOOO yes they always look like they're negotiating hostage terms 😂
[teador]: and she never says anything about him anyway! what kind of PR is that????????
[kwifi]: right! she could release some pictures! for science!
[radishcore]: that girl signed 37 NDAs and a blood pact minimum…
[peanutnutter]: she's like his handler or hostage no in-between
[praxis]: drop the pics or drop dead. respectfully.
[teethjar]: does he even care about the people he saves?? he always looks like he hates everyone
[pickledphone]: fr, like saving people personally offends him 💀
[ovenchips]: what does it matter, he's still saving them…
[tinfoilkind]: you sheepl3 will believe anything. we don't know what happens in d&drs, we barely have pictures of him at knot sites. hes probably just there to look good. it's a psyop
[kwifi]: 🙄🙄🙄
[fauxknot]: exactly. otherwise why does he always run away instead of explaining what went on???
[treadmiller]: not everyone wants to be interviewed every time they make a public appearance 🙄 besides, maybe he's just not good with people?
[blenderhead]: or at pretending to care?
[sangria]: lowkey respect that he ghosts everyone after saving the world 💀 introvert icon
[voidsnacks]: nah bc if i had to deal with y'all i'd disappear too
[filecorrupt]: maybe he ghosts everyone because he knows you'd ask for selfies mid-DR
[rhinestonedead]: like, imagine saving a city and your reward is a thread about your hair
[emotionalbandwidth]: yeah, exactly. I'd go full reclusive too if strangers kept dissecting my facial expressions online
[txtfromadungeon]: what do you ppl want??? he just shows up, does his thing, and leaves
[tinfoilkind]: yeah like he's above it all
[softbunker]: exactly. man acts like a little gratitude would kill him
[bitemetwice]: llewellyn is just state-sponsored fanfiction to distract terminally online girlies wake up
[softscreaming]: no, ur right bc he's like. hot and marketable. do you think the government wouldn't use that???
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I rubbed my eyes. These idiots. I'd been doing this for quite some time now and still couldn't believe this bullshit.
A soft "prrp?" sound made me look up. Penguin had abandoned his ice sculpture and was now peering up at me.
"Just work," I told him. "People being stupid online."
Penguin made another inquiring noise and climbed onto the sofa and into my lap to peer at my laptop screen. I scratched his head gently.
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[mildlyspiteful]: well, I find his attitude refreshing
[softbunker]: I find it arrogant. who does he think he is???
[cursedfolder]: uh… only the strongest person in the world????
[datafumes]: ok but what if he's literally a defense department artifact or sth
[teethjar]: what does being strong have to do with being an asshole
[ghostlywife]: what makes you think he's an asshole?
[tinfoilkind]: srsly? and we're just supposed to trust him? without pictures or proof?
[kwifi]: there's literally footage of him fighting knots
[tinfoilkind]: yeah, like three videos total and it could be AI 💀
[kwifi]: 🙄 are you guys serious, it's not AI
[potatopotato] he's literally on the news like 6 days a week!!!! what's in ur brains!!!!
[404hotdog]: ok but all the vids are blurry as hell. like 2001 found footage tier. and if they're not they're probably AI
[tinfoilkind]: this. all of THIS. the only clear photo of him is from a speed camera and y'all are acting like that's proof
[ghostflesh]: real people don't move like that. man's definitely AI
[blurloop]: explain how his hair still looks like that after an explosion and 80 mph wind. go on. i'll wait
[postitwitch]: real question, are y'all stupid or what
[palladiumfax]: idk why ppl act like AI is the end times. they said the same shit about photoshop and electronic music lol
[ratatouqueue]: just say you want to marry your AI boyfriend
[ghostknot]: maybe he just doesn't want pictures of himself everywhere
[tinfoilkind]: or maybe he has smth to hide
[teethjar]: yeah like what's actually happening in those knots
[fauxknot]: Exactly. No pictures = something to hide
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I kept scrolling, gnashing my teeth. Users started fighting. I hid the most offensive comments and watched them disappear. Not that it helped—more popped up within seconds.
I'd fought next to Llewellyn only a few hours ago. Reading these comments made every muscle in my body clench in anger.
Another wave of comments rolled in. More complaints. More demands for pictures. More conspiracy theories about what really happened in Dungeons.
Some nights I wondered if these people had ever met another human being. Not everyone wants to perform for strangers. Not everyone needs validation from random Internet users who've never faced a Knot in their lives.
Every post made my blood spike higher. Not being able to reply was torture, but I had to follow the guidelines.
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[RightSideofHistory]: Keep talking like he's not just using this for fame and clout while the Knots literally kill people. Do NOT tell me this is fine!!! Make no mistake: the silence, the disappearances, the vague PR spin—all of it contributes to the ongoing normalization of Knot violence. To its creation. To death. I'm sorry, but if you're okay with glorifying someone who refuses to speak out while people bleed, you're part of the problem. If I'd awakened, I wouldn't be posing for the Crown—I'd be dismantling the entire fucking System from the inside. What is he doing??? This isn't hate. This is a call-in. This is love in action. Because I want him to do better. But he won't if we keep treating silence like it's noble. It's not.
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More outrage ensued—now from Llewellyn's fans.
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[feralkettle]: girl be serious rn he literally evaporated a mountain. what more do you want. a podcast?!
[frozencarrot]: Not them blaming natural disasters on vibes again 💀💀💀
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…Wait.
I scrolled back up quickly, bracing myself. I remembered that username. Wasn't RightSideofHistory the worst of those fuckers who started that whole ridiculous idea that Knots are caused by people's toxic thoughts and behaviors?
It had gotten so out of control that the Knot Institute—the scientific body dedicated to studying the nature of Knots—had had to intervene and release a statement about how there was no evidence connecting Knots to moral failings. It ended with: "We advise the public to disregard pseudoscientific claims."
Of course, the response had been:
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[cigaretteloop]: lmfao imagine thinking you can study MAGIC with the scientific method 💀💀💀 pls touch grass
[furrious]: not these clowns trying to peer-review MAGIC now?? and y'all are eating it up. be so serious rn
[conspiracychurros]: bro you really think you can fix magic with DATA?? that's why the world's dying lol
.-
I searched through the tags, trying to piece together the whole picture of RightSideofHistory's activity since then. However, it looked like this person had only posted sporadically in the last year, so there wasn't much to add to what I remembered.
After some digging, I found the concerted #KnotOnOurWatch campaign from last year.
The manifesto post still pinned at the top read:
"Knots don't just happen. They're the result of problematic individuals thinking and doing harmful things. It's time we held them accountable. #KnotOnOurWatch"
I scrolled through the feed. All the comments were still there.
…Just looking at them made my blood boil.
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[ragebento]: posting about avocado toast during a knot?? wow brave of you to speak your truth 😭
[gokartwheel]: People who post memes about Knots are normalizing disaster. Humor is complicity. #KnotOnOurWatch
[phantomcore]: knots literally exist because ppl think they can joke about disaster and go unpunished
[flowerpurist]: if you've ever posted a dungeon thirst post you're part of the problem
[grimledger]: If you like Llewellyn, GET 👏 THE 👏 FUCK 👏 OFF 👏 MY 👏 FACE 👏
[allforparkour]: we're all struggling, but some ppl are still buying dungeon artifacts???? disgusting. #KnotOnOurWatch
[bronzehexed]: saw a fanart of him smiling and my soup curdled. stop normalizing death #KnotOnOurWatch
[knotebook]: if you didn't cry today thinking about knots you're complicit actually
[magentalake]: the ppl buying that Dungeon and Realms game need to die in a fire 💀 he's clearly making money & feeding off the knots too, are you ppl stupid??? no one can be that powerful on their own. the sooner he goes, the sooner we'll get rid of the problem #KnotOnOurWatch
[echoingvault]: if you're not actively denouncing Knot-causing behavior, you're enabling Knot formation. let that sink in.
[inthevortex]: my cousin literally died in a Knot and ppl are out here thirstposting this guy like he's a kdrama actor
[swimmingspider]: Knots aren't entertainment! They're mass death events and you're playing dress-up in merch bloodied by silence. hope your little hoodie was worth it
[rambon5]: wild how some mutuals are still following Knot apologists. couldn't be me
[plaqueberry]: I deleted all my old posts that might contribute to Knot culture. what are you doing to help?
[closebyte]: hate llewellyn with every fiber of my being
[sweetcree]: every time there's a new knot I go and check if llewellyn's dead yet. always a disappointment ngl
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I clenched my fists. My hands itched to throw my laptop across the room.
Eventually I found RightSideofHistory's posts. Not the same channel, but I remembered the username and the fact she always used proper grammar. We'd had to flag her repeatedly to Emma for months.
All her comments were still tracked, so they were now all showing up together under their own tag.
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Hi. Just a reminder that supporting Llewellyn's silence is not neutral. It's harmful. If he truly cared about the communities affected by Knot fallout, he'd say something. He has the platform. He chooses not to use it.
I'm tired. I'm tired of watching people support someone who won't even acknowledge the realities of Knot trauma. If you think saving a city excuses his refusal to speak up, you need to re-evaluate what heroism looks like.
"But he saved people!" Okay? So does my local firefighter. And he doesn't disappear into thin air every time someone tries to ask him a question. Holding someone accountable isn't an attack. It's basic community care.
You can't separate the aesthetic of the savior from the violence of silence. If you're thirstposting Llewellyn while ignoring what he enables through inaction, you're part of the problem. Full stop.
Llewellyn's PR team has no comment again? Must be nice to transcend accountability like that.
Every time someone calls Llewellyn "above this bullshit", I hear: "He doesn't care about you." And you cheer for that?
I used to respect him. I really did. But silence is a choice. You're either with the people or you're above us. And he's made it very clear where he stands.
Every time I see someone say "he's just not good with people", I think about the families that never got answers. The kids who still don't know what happened in their schools. But sure, let's protect his privacy.
The worst part is how easily people excuse it. Like emotional detachment is sexy now? Do you even hear yourselves?
Seeing certain people stay silent during all this says a lot.
If someone like him won't speak out, what chance do the rest of us have? He could lessen the harm. Reduce Knot formation. He chooses not to.
Say what you want about Knot activism, but at least we show up. He only shows up when there's glory in it. Then he disappears. Don't fall for it.
I'm so tired of being gaslit. It's not hate. It's disappointment that became clarity. The moment I stopped idolizing him, everything made sense.
I just removed ten people from my following list who still haven't posted about Knot accountability. It's not hard to show you care.
This user was seen at a Knot site cosplaying Llewellyn and taking selfies. Do they think this is a joke?! #KnotOnOurWatch
Just saw someone say 'Llewellyn saved lives today.' Cool. How many did he let die by not speaking out?
Do people seriously think silence isn't violence when it comes to Knot complicity????
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My jaw hurt. I must've been clenching it since the beginning of my shift.
I couldn't believe I was having to read her bullshit again.
She'd tried to stalk Llewellyn at one point, to "give him a good talk and make him realize what he was enabling".
The memory alone made my blood pressure spike.
These people's whole argument was that, since—according to them—problematic behavior caused the Knots, literally saving people wasn't enough because it didn't stop new Knots from forming. And besides, the more Knots appeared, the more chances Llewellyn had to play the hero.
In the end, it had all escalated to one belief: it was Llewellyn's fault the Knots kept appearing.
I'd spent countless nights flagging her comments, watching her try to frame him as some kind of monster who enjoyed seeing people suffer. She was relentless. Flooded every channel, and even started writing posts tracking his movements.
Her posts had grown more and more aggressive.
She lived in the US, so the team didn't take her seriously as a threat, assuming she wouldn't fly over here.
But the hashtag caught. And people started blaming Llewellyn.
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[pricklysloth]: have y'all considered maybe it's llewellyn's toxicity that's causing the knots?? if they're shaped by behavior & magic and he's the strongest… like… do the math??? #KnotOnOurWatch
[papercross]: maybe if he didn't show up to every knot with main character energy and unresolved trauma we wouldn't be here. just a thought. #KnotOnOurWatch
[tvsheen]: ok but if knots = magic + negative emotions + problematic behavior… who's got more of that than mister brooding apocalypse over there??? #KnotOnOurWatch
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As the campaign picked up, factions started accusing each other of hypocrisy.
Some activists claimed the real problem was people not posting enough about Knot-causing behavior. (What counted as Knot-causing changed weekly.)
Others went after influencers for using Knots for visibility.
Popular people got cancelled for minor infractions, like posting about avocado toasts during Knot emergencies.
Niamh had almost burst a vessel—and so had the rest of us on the team. For a while, we could barely keep people on, and most of us were working double shifts.
A week ago, someone had posted a photo of a Knot site with a caption: "One dead, two injured. Hope you're proud, hero." Considering that, it was not that surprising to see this user online again. Better flag immediately that she was active again, and likely looking for trouble.
Honestly, if toxic behavior caused the Knots, these people would've ended the world twice over. Maybe if they touched grass we'd get fewer Knots. I could write that in a manifesto, too.
I wrote a quick report for Niamh and left a note for the next shift.
When I finally logged off, I barely managed to tip myself sideways before passing out on the sofa, my muscles still screaming from the Knot mission earlier.
If saving city after city made people wish for your death, there was never going to be a way to make these people happy. And even if he hadn't saved a single city, what the fuck did they even imagine they stood for?