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***HabsFanFromOntario*** · 03-19-2024, 09:05 AM

When you're the middle child of 3 boys, sometimes you have to fight for attention. Sometimes you have to fight to stand out, to be noticed or recognized to a degree similar to your siblings get for seemingly nothing. And sometimes you get tired of not being noticed so you go the other way, feeling the need to act out to finally have somebody pay attention to you. It's a tragic fact of life for many middle children out there, being left in the shadow of an older sibling or being ignored for a younger one who seemingly has more needs. While often this need to prove themselves brings out a competitive edge and gives them skills to succeed this is not one of those stories. This is the story of Elmar Atlason and how sometimes the shadow of a sibling can be cast too long to feel there's a way out.

As stated before Elmar was the middle child of Emilia and Birnir Atlason. Emilia, an IT specialist who focused on cybersecurity for the local school board had found a partner for life in Birnir, who was a nurse. To call the home loving would be a bit of a stretch, the Atlasons had fostered a competitive environment from the very second their children were born. They never let Elmar forget he was born 3 minutes after Ólafur, his first word was 6 days after his, he learned to walk a day later. Milestones that should be cherished in the moment and enjoyed were instead used as an internal ranking, the children vying for any minor achievement to earn their parents attention.

Time and time again, Elmar failed to live up to the precedent set by his older brother. He wasn't bad, he was probably slightly above average, but with everything Ólafur seemed to excel with ease, no effort required. To say Elmar was resentful would be true, but he also idolized his brother. He wanted nothing more than to put themselves on an even playing field to build a relationship based on mutual respect. He'd do well at most things he tried, he was a solid hockey player, an excellent student and a passable seaman when he went fishing. Wherever he went though, whatever he did he'd hear how Ólafur mastered this, or he taught us to do this better. Elmar didn't care that his brother revolutionized knot tying for deep sea Atlantic salmon fishing, he'd caught a big ass salmon himself and just wanted to hear congratulations for once.

The magnetism of Ólafur made it difficult for Elmar to make friends, he'd always worry about if people were just getting close to be near his brother or talk to him or learn about him. He'd been tricked a couple times before, opened himself up to friendship and love only to find out it wasn't meant for him. He began to retreat from people and stick to his own activities, hating the solitude but unwilling to put himself in a spot where he could be hurt again. Nobody really knows how or when but one day he started being seen with Viktor, a local delinquent known for petty theft and minor drug dealing. He began involving Elmar in his schemes, getting him to make deliveries since nobody suspected the brother of the golden child of Reykjavik.

It only escalated from there, he convinced Elmar to commit petty theft at a jewelry store. The store is known for custom high end watches made for the "who's who" of Reykjavik. On August 21st, 2019 he walked into the store, and took a Rolex off the counter while the shopkeeper's back was turned. As he was leaving, the shopkeeper called out to him and handed him another watch, an Audemars Piguet, and said to give it to his brother to go along with his. Something inside Elmar snapped, something about getting away with theft as long as he was related to his brother and helping them get noticed by him broke him. He took the watch and started attacking the shopkeeper with both of them until onlookers called the police.

The shopkeeper was taken to hospital with a concussion, three broken ribs and a severely broken nose. An agreement was reached between the Atlason's, the watch shop owner and the police to keep this quiet for Ólafur's future. Something like this might sully his reputation and the city couldn't risk their golden child having anything tainting him. On the way home, nobody said a word to Elmar. While it had been clear he had never been the favourite, disdain hung in the air like a thick fog of ammonia. It was choking Elmar and in that moment he felt that he would never amount to anything on his own or become his own person. Different accounts occur at this point, but the most prevalent rumour is that Elmar went to talk to one of Ólafur's friends to talk about how he could get away from the shadow of his brother. Following that alleged conversation, he was found face down in a lake, not breathing by a local fisherman. Paramedics were called on the scene and able to revive Elmar.

After this day, the news spread fast but nobody could pinpoint where the information started from. Elmar and Ólafur both became more reserved, rarely speaking even when spoken to. Elmar quit hockey, dropped out of school and began gardening. He owns a nursery to this day that employs people specifically looking for a second chance. Both brothers declined to comment on this story.

*Vandy* · 03-19-2024, 04:13 PM

>prove yourself

no u

***boom*** · 03-19-2024, 09:38 PM

Loving the boom in character media the last couple weeks

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