#ASSASS GAME TIME

[triple--a--threat]

i am so bad at playing games

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

chapter xxv – gust & flame

Eris Vanserra x Reader

Eris Vanserra has been a prisoner in his own home since the day he was born. He has done what he had to in order to survive and protect the few he loves. And he is playing the long game. Waiting, waiting, and waiting for the right time to make his move, to usurp his wicked father and become High Lord of Autumn Court. But things become even more complicated when a human girl drops into his life. Perhaps Eris can wait no longer to take his throne.

Word Count:  4,100+

masterlist

Y/N wanted to wake up to Eris’ warmth wrapped around her, to have his autumn scent taking over her senses once again, and his strong arms reminding her that she was protected, safe. 

But Eris had left hours ago – and so stealthily that Y/N had no idea when. 

Instead, Y/N had shot up in bed breathing heavily. 

There had been a surge of power. So strong that it jolted the witch from her deep sleep. 

Both her movements and the surge woke Ronan up, growling as if there was danger in the bedroom. 

“Eris,” Y/N breathed. 

Somehow she knew the power had erupted from him. 

Something was wrong – very wrong. Even the night Eris had defeated Beron, even the night Y/N followed him deep into the forest to test his new strength…she had never felt such power come from Eris. 

If he were using it now, then he was under some sort of attack. 

Y/N jumped out of bed, flinging off her nightgown and threw on trousers and a tunic – quicker than worrying herself with a dress or a damn corset. 

If she was off to battle, she would order a sentry to fetch her the same armor Eris had forced upon her before. 

But Y/N needn’t look far, for as soon as she flung the door open, she was met with a handful of sentries standing guard outside her chambers.

Amongst them were all of Eris’ smoke hounds. And as soon as they heard their master’s mate open the door, they had shot to their feet and whined with anticipation. 

Y/N’s eyes raced amongst the sentries, half expecting Lucien to be with them.

But Eris’ brother was nowhere to be found, which meant he was surely with him. 

“Where is the High Lord?” She asked curtly. 

“There was rebellion in Drumenthoul,” the highest ranking responded quickly. She recognized him well enough to know his name: Captain Respen. 

Her brow furrowed. “Lord Muiris’ demesne?” 

“Yes, my lady. It is one of Autumn Court’s largest cities. Its subjects attacked the manor of the late lord, after they heard of the attack on you. His son retaliated, using what was left of his father’s army to wreak havoc on his own people. But it appeared to be an attempt at a trap.” 

Y/N’s stomach dropped. “Walk with me,” she ordered all of them. 

Instantly, they fell into step with her. 

“Ready my horse with my weapons,” she continued. One of the sentry rushed ahead to do as she asked, making his way to the stables. “I must go to him.” Then she looked at Captain Respen and silently told him to continue.  

“Before the attacks started, Lord Muiris’ son had called for reinforcements...from any Lord who did not agree with the High Lord’s usurping.” 

“They knew Eris would aid his people and they used that to lure him intro a trap with a bigger enemy than he could have anticipated,” Y/ noted aloud. 

“Precisely, my lady.” He didn’t hide how impressed he was with her intelligence. She had the makings of a High Lord's wife, despite her mortal and witchling upbringing.

“Do not fear though, Lady Y/N. Eris anticipated such an attack. He brought his best infantry.” Respen hesitated before he added, “And he has gained much power since becoming High Lord.” 

Y/N knew Respen was trying to calm her, to assure her Eris couldn’t be in danger. But no words would calm her.

“And you were left behind to guard me?” Annoyance was clear in her voice. 

“Protecting the High Lord’s mate is no lowly task, Lady Y/N. It is a great honor. The High Lord will take no chances at you being attacked while he is preoccupied with civil war. It would be the exact time for an assassination attempt.” 

When they reached the courtyard, Aengus was indeed ready, with her sword, bow, and satchel of arrows attached to the saddle.

But Y/N suddenly remembered that Drumenthoul was on the north coast of the court.

She had included cardiography in her Autumn Court studies. And it would take days to reach. 

Why had no one said anything?

“Can someone winnow me?” She asked. 

All the soldiers shifted uncomfortably, not meeting her gaze. 

Captain Respen was the one who broke the silence. “We are under strict orders to do no such thing.”

He at least had the decency to look guilty about it. 

That was why no one had questioned her orders to grab her mount: she would never get close to the danger in time.  

“Lucien is with them?” She asked quietly. 

He nodded. 

“So I am to just wait here?” 

Before anyone could answer her, there was another surge of power. 

Between the courtyard of the Forest House and the outer gates, there was a half mile. 

But despite the distance, Y/N could see him – no – she could feel Eris. And she sensed that something was not right. 

The next second, she was jumping onto Aengus, and digging her heels into gelding. The horse needed no other signals to throw him into a run. 

“Accompany Lady Y/N,” was the last thing Y/N heard before she was in the forests and meadows between the courtyard and outer wall. 

When she was close enough to take in her mate, she noted that while Eris was walking on his own, his entire body was tense. 

A gust of wind hit her. “He is injured…faebane…faebane…faebane.”

Another gust of wind. “He took…his beastly form.”

Y/N had heard of the High Lord’s beast form from a night of drinking with Cassian. He tried to scare her by sharing the murderous creatures she could stumble upon in the Prythian wilderness. 

“But none are more terrifying than the beasts of High Lords," he had whispered to her for dramatic effect. Then went into great detail of the few times in his centuries when he witnessed Rhysand’s own beastly form. 

Y/N still didn’t know much about them, but she did know it drained one's power. It was no parlor trick, but a skill that only a powerful High Lord could wield – and use sparingly. 

That must have been the blast of power that had woken her up. 

When she was just a few yards away, Y/N swung her leg over the side of the saddle and jumped while Aengus still cantered and had yet to come to a stop. 

“Eris!” Y/N gasped at the sight of him. 

Though he walked on his own, Lucien watched his eldest brother with caution a few steps behind him.

And now Y/N could see that Eris had at least twenty arrows sticking out of his back. 

Then she heard the galloping of her guard catching up to them. 

As soon as Eris’ spotted them, his posture straightened even more. 

He does not want to appear weak in front of his men, Y/N realized. 

“The infantry?” Y/N asked the two of them. 

“Only a handful lost,” Lucien told her. “But many injured. They are being winnowed. The rest will return on horseback.”

Y/N turned to her guard. “Ready the infirmary tents! The injured will be returning any moment. Have a female alert the human women that I will need their help. They will know what to prepare.” 

Captain Respen barked orders at the others, but he and another lingered. 

“Leave us,” she ordered them, more harshly than she ever would if the situation did not call for it. 

Respen eyed Eris. 

“Do as my mate demands, Captain.” The High Lord finally spoke.

Y/N was surprised by how strong his voice sounded, when it was becoming more and more clear to her how much pain he was in. 

Respen and his lieutenant nodded before galloping back to the Forest House. 

Once they were out of eyesight, Eris fell to his hands and knees. 

“Eris!” Y/N whispered, not wanting any fae senses picking up their panic. 

“For Cauldron’s sake!” Lucien growled as he helped his brother off the ground with Y/N. 

Y/N carefully put one of his arms over his shoulder, while Lucien did the same with his other arm.

“How bad?” She hissed.

“I shall live,” Eris muttered. 

His pale skin was not its usual glow, but sickly looking. His hair was covered in mud and blood – and she could only hope most of it was not his. 

“It’s the faebane,” she acknowledged. 

Eris and Lucien looked at her with surprise. But she ignored them. 

“Can you ride?” She whispered to Eris. 

He gave her a shaky nod. “Behind you,” he clarified. 

She nodded and whistled for Aengus. “Lucien, help me get him in the saddle.”

Y/N climbed on first, and pulled him up as Lucien lifted from the ground. 

Eris growled at the pain, making her heart race with panic. 

As soon as he was sitting, Y/N gave orders. “Lucien, get a cot brought to my witchery.  Do it yourself and tell no one. Discretion is key.”

Lucien nodded and winnowed to the Forest House. 

“You want to show them how strong you are, then show them,” Y/N muttered before she urged Aengus into a gallop. 

When they got closer, she softly urged him. “Take the reigns.”

Eris did as she said. 

Y/N knew why Eris did not winnow back into the Forest House on his own. She knew why he would not show pain, despite his back being littered with faebane-poisoned arrows. There were those who still questioned his power. Therefore, he would not show weakness. 

Instead, it looked like two lovers returning after sharing a relieved embrace. 

Y/N jumped down from Aengus and handed the horses to a stableboy, making sure not to watch Eris with worry as he dismounted on his own. 

“Make sure all the healers have been alerted,” Eris told his sentries. Then he looked over his shoulder of the forest and meadow they had just come from. 

With the wave of his hand, a hundred tents appeared out of nowhere. Healer tents for the injured that would soon be brought back. 

“Come,” Y/N offered her hand to her mate. 

Eris didn’t hesitate, taking it and letting her lead him into the Forest House. 

——

Y/N had offered Eris a pain relieving tonic, but he refused it. 

Not having time to argue with him, she fluttered about her witchery, brewing a potion and cutting herbs. 

All while Eris sat patiently on the cot Lucien had snuck in.

Within minutes, Y/N had a healing paste ready. 

“The arrows,” she gulped. “Shall I remove them one by one or all at once?”

Eris met her gaze over her shoulder, “All at once.”

“I will help,” Lucien offered. 

“Touch me with your grimy hands and I will set you alight,” Eris growled in warning. 

Y/N ignored the outburst. “Ready?” She whispered. 

He nodded. 

But Y/N moved in front of him and crouched before him. She took both of his hands in her own, squeezing them lovingly.

She closed her eyes and started chanting a spell.

And Eris immediately felt his back start to heat. 

Even as a bystander, Lucien felt the witch’s power fill the room. 

Eris almost forgot he was about to suffer, too enamored with watching his mate take over with her magic. 

Y/N’s eyes snapped open, but they looked at no one and nothing. 

Lucien watched as they glazed over in white, which they had all put together was only when she was stretching her magic to new and powerful heights. 

And then, as if there was an invisible lasso around all of the two dozen arrows in his back, Y/N’s spell got louder and then abruptly stopped. Along with her spell ending, the arrows were all ripped from Eris’ back in one pull. 

But the only noise that came from the High Lord was a low growl. 

Y/N gasped at the exertion of power, and was quickly trying to catch her breath. 

But her eyes had returned to normal. 

Lucien leaned over to look at Eris’ back. “Well, you sure got all of them.” Then he bent down to pick up the fallen arrows from the ground, burning them in his palm until they were ash. 

“You better clean that up,” Y/N warned as she saw it flutter to the floor. 

She turned her attention back to Eris. “Alright?”

He just nodded. 

“I must clean the wounds individually now,” she told him gently. “Some will need stitching, but not many.”

Silence filled the room as the real work began. Y/N treated Eris’ wounds as if he were made of glass. She was gentle and kind, always giving him a moment when his body tensed with pain. But he never complained and barely made a sound. 

“It was not…it was not how it should be,” Lucien finally spoke after some time. He was sitting on the ground now, knees propped up as he watched from the corner.

“What do you mean?” Y/N asked with confusion. 

Lucien watched Eris, who would not meet his gaze. “Beron’s beast form was that of a multi-tailed fox – still a tremendous size – and with the wings of an owl. Smaller than the beasts of the other High Lords, but still ever so deadly.” 

Y/N’s eyes narrowed. “And…?”

But Lucien didn’t speak. 

“I was something else,” Eris finally answered, trying to pass through the subject. 

“Something more,” Lucien corrected darkly. 

“I don’t understand,” she admitted quietly. 

But Eris just stared at the ground, his face emotionless. 

Lucien cleared his throat awkwardly, but continued. “He too turned into a fox, but that of a bear – something to rival even Tamlin. He had the antlers of our court’s stag. And the flames…he was engulfed in flames.”

Was it fear in Lucien’s tone... or awe? Y/N couldn’t figure it out. 

Lucien finally finished with, "The arrows you pulled from his back are just those of hundreds that failed to take him down.” 

“Then I shall thank this beast when I see him,” Y/N snapped. “For he seems to be the reason that Eris returned alive.” 

That was her only warning to Lucien to stop his antics. 

“Leave us,” Eris ordered his youngest brother. 

He didn’t need to be told again. 

“I will check on the injured,” Lucien announced to no one in particular. 

He closed the door louder than necessary, making both of them roll their eyes. 

The only sound to be heard was the crackling of the fire in the witchery. 

“How do you know how to treat faebane?” Eris’ tone instantly switched to the softness that was only reserved for his mate. 

“I shall tell you when you tell me why you ran into battle without waking me," she countered grimly. 

Eris was smart enough to look guilty, even though she couldn’t see his face as she worked on his back. “I did not wish to worry you.” 

“And being woken up by your surge of power was not more worrisome?” 

“I did not realize you would sense my magic in such a way,” he admitted. 

Y/N paused her healing and walked around to look down at him. “You could have been killed, Eris. And I never would have even said goodbye.” 

Without hesitating, Eris reached up and gently grasped the back of her neck, pulling her down until her lips crashed to his. 

She was sure the movement did not feel good for his back. But one would never know from the way his body only tried to pull her in further.

The subject was lost for a few moments, while their lips moved together.

Eventually, they pulled apart. 

“You are right,” Eris told her, voice raspy. 

“I am right?” She questioned, suddenly forgetting what they had even been talking about before he kissed her. 

“I should have woken you before I left,” he clarified. 

Then he smirked. “But I knew you would have tried to come.” 

“Of course I would have!” She admitted with a playful glare. 

His eyes darkened in warning. “You cannot rush into battle alongside me every time there is danger I must face, Y/N.”

“And why not?”

“Because I need you safe. Do you forget why you are here? And because these are not your battles to fight."

Y/N looked into his eyes before she answered, “They would be if I accepted the bond.”

She yelped when she was suddenly sitting across Eris' lap. He had pulled her so swiftly that there was no stopping it. 

“Do not tease me with such things, witch.” 

His body felt so hot, it was as if there was fire itself beneath his skin.  

Y/N swallowed. “I need to finish healing your back, High Lord.” 

Eris watched her before allowing her to get up. 

A tension filled silence settled in the room. 

“Will you let me see your beast form?” She finally asked him, her tone innocent. 

Eris smirked, only because he knew she couldn’t see it. “Why, so you can make me your pet, like Ronan?”

“I think it would be rather hard to cuddle a grizzly fox that was immersed in flames…” She thought aloud. “Cuddles would be much easier when you are in this form.”

Y/N had finished with her spells and healing salve, and was now wrapping Eris in gauze to keep it in place and protect the mending. 

“Where is this torment coming from?” Eris asked as he slowly stood. 

Y/N stepped to him, her eyes seemingly innocent. 

Then she suddenly kissed him again, but pulled away only after she bit the corner of his lip, making him hiss – not from the pain, though it did sting – from arousal. 

“For not waking me,” she answered, as if it were obvious. 

She stormed out of the witchery and threw open the door to his bedchambers that were next down the hall. 

“Also, I put a sleep tonic on my lips. So you will want to get in bed in the next few minutes, or you will be passing out on the cold, hard floor. And if you ruin my hard work from that, I shall punish you even worse.” 

Eris looked at her, utterly stunned. 

“You poison your High Lord?" His eyes narrowed playfully. “Finally, your true self is revealed: you are an evil, little witch after all.” 

She ignored his teasing. “To bed, now.” 

Eris sauntered past her into his personal bedchambers. 

She waited until he sat on the bed, then she slammed the door behind her. 

Instantly, she started chanting a protection spell. 

Yes, she had just knocked Eris out, which left him even more vulnerable than he already was with his injuries and exertion of power from using his beast form. 

Therefore, she would not leave him unprotected. 

She knew his guards would be lingering further down the hall. Lucien would have ordered to give the two of them space until further orders. 

All of them straightened to attention when they saw her round the corner.

“The High Lord is to stay in his rooms and rest,” she explained firmly. “If he comes out, do not engage. One of you is to inform me immediately. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Lady Y/N.” They all said in unison. There was no mockery or questioning; their tones held only respect and understanding. 

—🍁—🍁—🍁—

Eris awoke feeling much better than he probably should – and he knew he had Y/N to thank for that. 

It was dusk now. And he’d left for battle before the sun had risen that morning. So he must’ve been asleep for quite some time. 

Y/N’s poison had knocked him out so quickly that he hadn’t even bathed since battle. Though she had cleaned his wounds, he probably smelled of sweat and blood. 

Eris quickly went to his bathroom and bathed, finally ridding himself of the battle filth. 

Then he threw on a simple tunic and trousers, and rushed out of his chambers. 

His sentries were waiting for him and bowed immediately. 

“The injured?” He asked, getting straight to the point. 

Captain Respen stepped forward. “Tended to, High Lord.” Then paused before he added, “More were lost, their injuries to dire. The healers did all they could.” 

Eris frowned, but gave a slow nod. 

“Where is my mate?” 

All the sentries behind their captain shared a look, silently communicating. 

“She insisted that you are to stay in your bedchambers and rest,” Respen explained.

Eris ignored that. “Where is she?” 

——

Eris entered the grounds where all the healer tents had appeared. He expected to hear moans of pain or tears of grief. But there was a subtle peace amongst the camp. 

The sun had just passed the horizon, leaving the forest and sky with a unique mixture of faded blues and oranges. 

“This way, High Lord,” Captain Respen nodded in a direction past the tents. 

Servants had erupted countless fire pits to both warm the camp and make visibility easier for everyone, despite faelights glowing inside each healer tent. 

Eris’ walk slowed when he heard the giggling and laughter. 

It was not a common sound in Autumn Court.

Once they walked past the last of the tents, Eris halted. 

Y/N, ran around with the mortal children they had been sheltering. It appeared they were playing a game of tag. But every time one of them got away from her grasp, a gust of wind would tickle them, causing a fit of giggles. 

“She has been running around all day, aiding the healers in any way she can. She has saved many lives today.” Captain Respen told him quietly. “When someone finally managed to get her to take a break, she came to entertain the children whose mothers were still helping the wounded.” 

Eris didn’t respond, just watched his mate, who looked utterly exhausted, yet smile and played with the children despite it. 

“Will she stay?” Respen dared to ask his High Lord the question that all of Autumn Court had come to wonder. 

Eris ignored him, but the clenching of his jaw was visible. 

He stepped towards his mate, purposely making noise to bring attention to his arrival. 

The children’s laughter stopped immediately at the sight of the High Lord. Some of them even eyed him with fear. 

“It is alright,” Y/N assured them.

Then she beckoned Eris closer, to her. 

He did as requested, following that invisible string attached to his heart.

“Is it true you turned into a beast?” One of the brave children asked hurriedly. 

Y/N bit back her smile. 

“Can you show us?” Another cried out before Eris could even answer. 

“I do not think your mothers would appreciate that,” Eris told them. 

“I don’t have one. So can you at least show me?” Another begged. 

“Now, now,” Y/N playfully scolded them. "The High Lord is far too powerful to show off his gifts like some court jester.” 

“Awww!!!” They all whined in unison. 

But Eris kneeled before them, pausing dramatically to get their attention back. 

The children leaned in, believing they changed his mind. 

With a subtle and small flick of Eris’ wrist, his palm twisted to the sky, and fireworks erupted above them. 

The children cheered and jumped underneath the fireworks as they continued to erupt in every color they could ever want, some even turning into little animals before exploding. 

They tried to catch the falling light in their hands. But it would always disappear before they could, creating a new game for the children. 

Y/N moved to her mate’s side to join him in watching the new joy.

“Neat trick," she told him.  

Eris gave her a shy smile. “I used to do the same for Lucien when he was a child. Sometimes it was the only thing that could stop his crying fits after father… reprimanded him.” 

But they both knew it was more than reprimanding.

Eris sighed. “It has been so many centuries, I almost forgot about it entirely...until now. 

“How are you feeling?” Y/N asked him. 

“I am fine,” he answered too quickly. 

She sighed, but didn’t push. 

“My guards say you have not rested since tending to me,” he pointed out. 

She shrugged dismissively. “There were many injured. And the healers were overwhelmed. I helped as much as I possibly could.”

“And I am grateful for it.” He countered. “But for someone who does not wish to join this Court, you certainly care about its inhabitants.” 

“Shhh,” she warned. “None of that. I am quite tired.” 

The next second, Eris had scooped Y/N up in his arms. 

“Eris!” She admonished. “Your injuries!”

“My injuries are healing – thanks to you.”

Eris passed his guards, who had been watching over them from a distance. “Once the fireworks finish, make sure the children return to their mothers and caretakers.”

“Of course, High Lord. The children will be looked after.” Captain Respen bowed. 

When they were at the doors of the Forest House, Eris locked eyes with one of the footman who stood at the ready. 

“Bring dinner to her bedchambers,” he ordered. 

The footman nodded and rushed off. 

Eris looked down to see that Y/N had closed her eyes and rested her head in the crook of his neck. 

“Are we too tired for a bath?” He asked quietly. 

Without opening her eyes, Y/N mumbled. “Never too tired for a bath.”

Eris huffed a laugh. “Good. It is my turn to take care of you.” 

“Will you promise that I will wake up next to you tomorrow morning?” 

“I promise, Y/N.” 

-----------

Thank you thank you thank you for your patience. I'm sure no one will read this...but work was really terrible around the holidays. I was trying to find a new job, but the job market is so terrible. So my mental health just took a real hit. I've also really gotten back into reading, so that because my thing unwind after work, instead of writing. I had also been doing a lot of different personal art projects – painting, editing, and photographing. And those started feeling better than writing for me.

Anyways...thank you for those who stuck with me and were patient and supportive.

[mikaila-orchard]

Anduin still gets more respect and dignity than Sylvanas ever did and I'm still mad about it.

Aight, the new WoW trailer stirred up some old animosity that I have to get out lest it fester.

The problem I've had with Anduin for the past few years is something that isn't even strictly his fault, and is just symptomatic of how shitty the writing staff is. In theory, Anduin is an interesting bit of flavor for the Alliance. Someone who was raised in a very turbulent time in the Alliance's history, gone through some shit when he was too early to handle it and is plagued with self doubt because of it. All of this complimented by Velen's vision of Anduin's future going down two very different roads.

Alas, the problem is in execution. Because what we are left with in practice is a character who goes through comparatively less than other legacy characters (Thrall being raised as a slave, Jaina losing her home and loved ones regularly and Sylvanas with fucking everything) but who, by the time Shadowlands rolls around, insists that he is the one suffering the most and everyone else needs to get over themselves. And that wouldn't be so bad (hell, in Shadows Rising, it's kinda treated as a genuine character flaw) but that's not the case because WoW treats Anduin like the moral barometer of the franchise for many years now.

There are multiple examples of this throughout, but the biggest culprit is all across BFA and Shadowlands, where Anduin is made to understand the hardships that Sylvanas and the Forsaken have suffered, most of it by the Alliance's hands, and just shuts it down with "Everyone suffers, stop hiding behind your trauma and rise above it," and because BFA is framing him as the hero and Sylvanas as the villain he gets away with it. In the fucking Sylvanas book, he has the gall to say Sylvanas had a better life than him because she knew her mother and calls her selfish for committing suicide. And of course the book frames Anduin as being in the right about all of this because they decided Sylvanas holding him captive was the time they would even allow to let her reach out to someone and hope they understand her. The deck was always stacked against Sylvanas and in Anduin's favor in terms of audience sympathy.

But then, what happens in Shadowlands? He gets dominated by Zovaal, stabs the Archon (doesn't even kill her), maybe kills a bunch of unnamed npcs off screen, and fights his friends. Not a single tally to add to his body count while he was a puppet. And when he is freed from Zovaal's control, he doesn't lose his support system, he doesn't lose the respect of his loved ones or his people, and he's not put under pressure to just be okay again.

AND YET!

He still goes on this self imposed exile of his, and has been on it for over half a decade at this point, because he is just too haunted by everything he's 'seen and done'. Things that we as the audience don't really see. So in practice, the justification for all this on screen angst is so painfully weak. And yes, there's no wrong way to respond to trauma and there never will be, and Anduin's trauma responses are far from unrealistic.

But compared to Sylvanas, Anduin is giving a great deal more respect and dignity by the narrative for, comparatively, much less. Sylvanas was enslaved and forced to murder her countrymen (onscreen too, we MADE HER DO THAT in warcraft 3) and when she was finally freed, she had no support system besides her rangers and Nathanos, she was feared by her former homeland who only accepted her help out of desperation and was hated and distrusted by enemies and allies alike way before she might have done anything to deserve it. The game even leans into the idea that the Sylvanas who suffered all this trauma isn't the real Sylvanas and we just needed to restore her soul to have the pure pious ranger general back (barf). And she still has to toil away in superhell because the writers were too chickenshit to fully backpedal on the deliberate character assassination the sexual predator on staff forced upon her.

"Oh, but M'Kay! That's the writers fault, not Anduin's! You can't blame him for all that."

Maybe not but a lot of the issue here comes from the fact that so long as the people who enabled this inequity of care remains on staff (IE fucking GOLDEN) this won't stop. So what choice do I have but to loathe the byproduct of this fuckery when it's being shoved in my face like this? What other way could I possibly interpret this disparity other than as misogyny?

[chin-chilla-7]

I see! Fair enough! Then, I have another thing to ask your opinion about! I thought of ridiculous nicknames for the rest of them instead of some of their usual nicknames! I already said MonMon, & TanTan so I thought of LuLu (Lucifer. I didn't create this nickname. it's actually for a character named Lelouch from Code Geass), ViVi (Leviathan), AzAz (Asmodeus. I also didn't create this one. It's for a character with the same name from Mairimashita! Iruma-kun), ZeZe (Beelzebub), and PhePhe (Belphegor). Do you think it's ridiculous enough to confuse all of them?

Hey, first I want to say holy heck it's been a while since I've giving this blog any love, which I am sorry about. I found myself getting overwhelmed by the amount of writing requests I was getting when I originally intended this blog to be a silly little space for me to do my silly little writings. Anyway, considering this is a silly little ask (/pos in the best way), I figured this was a great way to get myself back into it.

Also, thank you for your patience to everyone. I'm gonna try writing some stuff again!! I do love this blog and am excited to keep it going after some time away from it.

Anyway, now to actually address your ask, I think it's so funny to call the brothers silly nicknames, especially if they're a little out there. Of course, they'd all have a mix of reactions.

Lucifer would stare daggers at you if you called him something like 'Lulu' in front of others. "Please refrain from referring to me with such an outrageous name". Really, he's not in love with being referred to as nicknames. At least, not if there are other people around. If you're alone, there's going to be a bit of a different reaction. He'll tolerate it, perhaps even finding it amusing. "You're the only one who can get away with calling me such silly things". And he'd make sure to be clear that you can only call him that in private.

Mammon would have a love/hate relationship with that nickname 'Monmon'. He loves that you call him that, because it feels personal between the two of you. But would hate it if it became something his brother's started calling him. Which, let's face it, that's very very likely considering they love making him the butt end of a joke. So, while he likes hearing the name from you, even if he doesn't want to admit it, he gets so annoyed when he hears it from his brothers.

The first time you call Leviathan 'Vivi', he's pure red in the face. You probably call him it during a gaming session in his room, so he's thankful that no one else is around to witness the pure mess you've made him. He actually finds the nickname really cute, but is surprised you even went so far into considering that he deserved a nickname like that. But don't stop, though. In fact, only ever call him that from now on. He thinks you're mad at him if you call him anything other than 'Vivi'.

Satan simply raises an eyebrow the first time you call him 'Tantan'. It's not the most practical nickname in his opinion, but it's certainly unique. Still, he can't deny the warmness he feels blossom in his chest at hearing you call him that. It's cute, he'll admit it. But he only let's you call him that. The minute his brother's try, they'll be met with his wrath immediately. Lucifer's the only one who consistently calls him it besides you. It makes him chuckle.

Asmodeus is in love with the fact that you gave him a nickname like 'Azaz'. Though, it's the thought of giving him a nickname that he really loves, he feels the actual nickname could use some work. "How about Azzy. That's cuter". If you continue to call him 'Azaz', he'll be pouty. It's not as cute as it could be, especially after Mammon pointed out it sounded like 'Assass'. Like, Asmodeus knows he has an ass, but come on man. He wants a cute nickname, not an ass one. Still, he thinks it's adorable that you tried.

Beelzebub blushes when you first call him 'Zeze'. He finds it adorable. He's the one most normal about the nickname, and feels his tummy twist into knots whenever he hears you call him it. The feeling confused him, at first, because he thought it was hunger or something, but he eventually began to realize that it was the nickname that was getting him to feel like this and not any hunger.

Belphegor also quite likes 'Phephe'. Though, it did take him a few times of hearing it to get used to it. At first, he may have even scoffed at the name, but it was something he warmed up to pretty quick. It wasn't as bad as he was making it out to be, and after hearing Beelzebub also call him it, he was won over.

Thank you so much for your request and patience! I hope the wait was worth it <3

[nooneeverlookedforagirl]

I feel like some people wandered into Zion and found a tribe of people who needed help and Joshua Graham there seeking shelter and helping them and took that at face value, without ever actually talking to people and learning the full story.

Let’s recap:

Joshua and Edward decide to start a slave army. By “Joshua and Edward” I mean that there was literally no way to communicate with the first tribe without Joshua’s help. Edward, Caesar, would have been left pointing at things without him. And by “start a slave army” I mean that they taught the people holding them hostage how to use weapons and explosions and about military tactics of their own free will, at which point they get promoted from hostage to commander and start forcing other tribes to join their army or die. A recurring trend.

Some 30-ish years into this, Joshua personally meets the Dead Horses and starts preparing them to join the Legion. Which, according to Ulysses, means the strong males become members of the slave army by force, the weak males and the women become slaves, and their entire culture is wiped out. Before they can actually be assimilated, Joshua is called away to join the fight for the Dam.

He fights, he fails, he gets thrown into a canyon while covered in pitch and on fire. With nowhere left to go, he turns home, to New Canaan. Despite knowing Caesar wants him dead, this manages to become common knowledge even to slaves in the Legion war camp and Joshua doesn’t have the decency to pack up and leave once he’s more or less healed to protect his old community and the people who helped him in his time of need.

So Caesar sends an emissary to the White Legs - who is to them what Joshua was to the Dead Horses not long ago - and tricks them into attacking New Canaan by promising they’ll be inducted into the Legion. Again, they will be no more than slaves and their culture will be intentionally erased. This is not something they or anyone else is told, as Ulysses states and as we see in the game itself with the Great Khans.

The White Legs were aided in finding weapons and learning about New Canaan, and attacked when most of the able bodied were away. They killed everyone they could find. Men, women, elderly, babies, doesn’t matter. They killed their priest. Then they followed them and killed any too slow to flee. A few dozen were left, at most.

Meanwhile, the Dead Horses, a previously peaceful people, took Joshua’s teachings to heart and started raiding the people around them. This led to them being driven from their home by said people, despite living in peace for generations before Joshua showed up. They flee south, to Zion, home of the Sorrows since immediately after the bombs, where they encounter Joshua again.

Things Joshua has done so far:

1. Helped start a decades long campaign of murder and rape across the wasteland, taking an active roll as second in command of a slave army.

2. Personally taught the Dead Horses to idolize him and Caesar and to be violent, getting them kicked out of the home they’d had since after the War.

3. As the person who helped create said slave army, been responsible for arming the White Legs, just as he did the Dead Horses, albeit not in person.

4. Sheltered in New Canaan while knowing Caesar wanted him dead (he was thrown off a cliff while on fire and had assassins showing up) and led to the destruction of the place and death of her people.

5. Sheltered in Zion while knowing Caesar wanted him dead (he was thrown off a cliff while on fire) and leading to the destruction of the place and death of her people.

So here he is, standing in front of a tribe who he radicalized, in the home of a second tribe that his friend - who just lost his home and family because of Joshua - tells him are a peaceful people, being chased by a obviously violent and murderous third tribe his army supplied and told they’d only help if they killed Joshua, knowing he’s a target.

And instead of heading out to draw the White Legs and the many assassins sent by Caesar away from these people, he decides to become their war chief.

Because the last time he did that it turned out so well.

And Daniel - his friend who lost his home and family due to Joshua’s slave army and Joshua’s presence - is saying “we have to get these people out of here” because he’s known them for over six years and cares about them. Joshua, instead, decides they should stand and fight because he’s decided it’s fine and good to turn peaceful people into warlike people as long as he does it for his own personal vengeance barely disguised as protecting Zion instead of for Caesar.

Again: the Sorrows are not Joshua’s friends, he stays with the Dead Horses. Zion is not the Dead Horse’s home. They do not remain there once the White Legs are dealt with. Zion is nothing more to Joshua than a battleground.

Let me clarify:

I do not like the White Legs. I do not think Salt-Upon-Wounds deserves to live. My courier has killed many raiders, which the White Legs were before the Legion got its hands on them - albeit weaker raiders - and I see no reason to make an exception.

But Joshua - who brought them here (as a target, as a guide), who would have done the same to the Dead Horses, who DID do the same to so many other tribes, who only left the Legion because he was thrown out, who is doing nothing more than continuing a campaign of violence that started over three decades ago, who would be doing the same thing as a commander of the Legion if he had a choice - Joshua does not get to make that decision.

It is Daniel who should decide if vengeance is due for New Canaan. It was his home, for 30 years when it was not Joshua’s. He goes back to his people, after all this, unlike Joshua, who can invent lies about them to wage further war. Daniel has chosen peace.

It is the Sorrows who should choose to fight for Zion or to escape. To learn to fight people - as if they don’t already fight bears! - or to remain peaceful. (Note: they are not pursued by the Legion. It is Joshua that they want, not the Sorrows.)

If the Dead Horses want to go home and reclaim what was theirs and apologize for their actions, then Joshua is clearly welcome to help with that. He would not stay, if he had the honor he claims, as he would make them a target, but they would let him.

Joshua is not a victim. This is not a redemption arc. He’s doing the same thing he was before, but claiming it’s for God instead of for Caesar, despite having no right to speak against the beliefs of the New Canaanites on behalf of their God. He’s not making anything better. He’s not atoning for what he did. He’s doubling down because he is angry that his friend Edward tried to kill him and that his long since betrayed people are dead.

Joshua does not have the right to make Zion his battlefield.

[kokoika-koi]

ok you know what i mean though right? (and btw im a different person from the other anon!)

Apologies, thank you for the distinction. I'm glad to share some of my thoughts about them, and please do correct me if I get some of the facts wrong, I am writing quite a bit.

Why do I ship Oceleva?

I'll include some personal context on their ship; as much as I love Ocelot, I was more interested in exploring things with EVA's character, and just generally drawing her more.

Changing public perception of Ocelot is a no for me, I will never try to pass off Oceleva, that is not platonic or on serious terms, as canon. It's important people research his character, and archive accounts and discussions over the development of his character are very important, and why they made him relate to Big Boss in that way.

I'll pick out points you made in the original ask, and try to explain what's interesting about Ocelot and EVA's relationship, regardless of what I'm shipping.

1 —

The first point was based on their on-screen interactions being negative.

The two times they appear are in MGS3 (1964) and MGS4 (2014), before the Patriots were established, and the one where all the founding Patriots had to die.

This is after the stories of MG1, MG2, MGS1 and MGS2 were established, so EVA would have been created, then killed with very little knowledge and emotional weight to her character.

In MGS3, Ocelot knew very early on EVA and Tatyana were the same people, and that she was a Philosophers' spy. He's extremely smug about the whole situation, dropping very obvious hints that she was lying about her role, but he couldn't kill her because he knew she was the key to get Snake out of the mission.

In MGS4, Ocelot is supposedly under the Liquid persona, so he would likely been out of character anyway. In a different scene, EVA recounts the history of the Philosophers from her perspective, and mentions her connection to Ocelot and Big Boss, with an apparent emotional connection with Ocelot.

In the novelization of MGS4, it's also implies she knew about their later joint plans to erase the existence of the Patriots.

EVA being part of the Patriots, then splitting to help Big Boss with the aid of Ocelot is an extremely important role, though most of it is only mentioned through exposition and small details.

2 —

The second point is the perception of them is different from them in the games.

In MGS3, they're not supposed to be how their perceived, they're both fronts. They're both liars for different reasons, but they're spies like how they were trained to be.

For EVA, she's just doing her job in reconnaissance, and obtaining a sum of money for her higher ups.

For Ocelot, he's working to eliminate branches of a hyper capitalist organization that steals children to put into petty proxy wars and missions for their own personal gain.

When Ocelot has any encounter with EVA, it's either to keep an eye on Snake, or to keep an eye on EVA so she wouldn't do anything out of line. Again, reiterating a previous point, he was very smug about knowing her gimmick.

3 —

I need to play the games again.

Yes, I do actually, and I will do it again. I've played most of the mainline games several times, it's my main fixation.

4 —

Last point is that EVA/Zero has more weight than EVA/Ocelot.

EVA said she disliked most of Zero's ideas of the revival of the Philosophers in her MGS4 monologue, and had more faith with Big Boss even if she knew he was wrong as well.

Maybe it's her being rescued, maybe it's their discussion after the Ground Zeroes events, maybe it's the Les Enfants Terribles project idk.

Even if I weren't shipping them, Ocelot and EVA would still have more connections and similarities as allies.

They're both heavily influenced and inspired by the Boss, as children raised by the Philosophers, and Big Boss as her successor.

They both witnessed the events at Tselinoyarsk.

They both worked to stop Zero's plans and ideas from proliferating; one example, by both planning the assassination of Paramedic.

They worked together for over four decades, under a cover people did not know about, against a scheme people did not know about.

—

As characters that are insanely unrealistic and live in a different world compared to us, it's fine to explore the weirder and less functional aspects of them. Their perception of relationships deviates from the norm, their morals are way different, the way they would comprehend of sex or love or just relating through experience is different. Which is what also makes things like Big Boss' and Ocelot's relationship interesting to explore as well.

My ideas of them are fluid, everything about either of the two characters I want to know more about, through talking with other people who also have cool headcanons.

I have one where Ocelot's orientation is closer to ace or demi, I have one where he's trans, I have one where EVA is ace, I have one where they both go on missions. I have one where Ocelot and Big Boss met as ghosts at the end of MGS4, like at the end of MGS3 with the Boss and the Sorrow.

I don't think I'll delve into less grounded headcanons but there are a lot of other reasons why I took up the whole Oceleva shipping thing.

[wilsons-journey]

🎼 Valefor - Music Prompts🎼

Music Prompts Template --- (All Songs link to Youtube!)

... THEIR BACKSTORY? The old witch sleep and the good man grace - The amazing devil

... THEIR PERSONALITY? Jekyll and Hyde - Adam Jensen Villain - MISSIO

... THEIR ANGST? Hurt - Johnny Cash Mad World - Palaya Royala

... THEIR COMFORT? Here’s a Health to the Company - The Longest Johns

... THEIR LOVE LIFE? Sea meets earth - Fever Fever

... A FIGHT SCENE? Warrior - Disturbed

---

Some Lore / explanation below the cut:

Their Backstory: “I'm all yours, but you're all mine Let's dance together, you and I 'Cause I'm not trapped with you, you see You're the one who's trapped with me

'Cause I've been here so many times before Don't you think I look pretty Curled up on this bathroom floor? But where you see weakness I see wit Sometimes I fall to pieces Just to see what bits of me don't fit”

When you face death so many times, you start to embrace it - challange it. And sometimes even yearn for it.

Valefor has faced many close calls in his life. But still he seemed to stubborn just to die. But it shaped him and left it’s scars.

---

Their Personality “Am I a villain or a saint? Let me lead the way Resting bitch face on the move, fuck you have to say? I know I am tough as a stone I've lived a lot of life that not a lot will understand The type of life that gives you scars before you take command I know I am tough as a stone“ - MISSIO, Villain

Sometimes you have do to things, no one will understand and make you seem as someone evil. But what is evil and good in the eyes of others?

Valefor is a person of grey. He neither sees himself as good or evil. But he understands how people see his actions.

The whole “Jekyl and Hyde” just describes Valefors two very differend sides.The joyful Vagabund and the merciless Assassion.

---

Their Angst “And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad That dreams in which I'm dying, are the best I've ever had I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take When people run in circles it's a very very mad world, mad world“

Sometimes you just want to close your eyes and rest in peace. But it’s a mad world, we must keep going. Nothing will change if we give up. But sometimes,... sometimes the world just weights to heavy.

As I mentioned in a little Comic, Valefor works for someone who he can’t escape. He hates it, but he has no choice. The only escape is death. And so Valefor someday decided, if he just had enough of everything he will take Israfil with him - killing them both. But the moment Valefor met Kying and lost his heart to this old warrior,... this plan changed. Now he will get free alive.

Their comfort “Our ship lies at anchor, she's ready to dock I wish her safe landing, without any shock If ever I should meet you by land or by sea I will always remember your kindness to me“

We have to say many goodbye’s in our lives. But the memories and the kindness - that I will cherish forever and never forget.

Their love life “And I could feel the breaking of my cold stone heart was about to begin The moment that we, locked eyes Now everywhere you go my eyes follow close I'm just waitin' for the time to be right To tell you how I've loved you for a while“

Love is a dangerous game. It gives a lot,... makes you strong. But it can break you. It can break you a lot,...

Well,... he never thought he would feel love again. But he is quite afraid of that. Because if Kying ever would betray him, that for sure would break Valefor once and for all.

Fight Scene “Come on bring it, don't sing it, better believe it Broken down till your hope has died Beat down till victory's mine Stand up and show me some pride And now are you ready?”

Valefor never grew up in a traditional Fahrar. With some other Charr he was solely raised to fight and serve. Far far away from home.

So this song could be a view into his head or what he got taught. > You are a Warrior. You have to fight until you win. Losing is no option.

And thats was Valefor does - fight. In every aspect of his life. Be it against real people or just his own inner demons.

[mazeru]

I just realised I've never really shared a picture of her anywhere outside of the games she was in... but anyway, old coloured sketch of my assassing rogue drow, Vlos'veldri. She was technically the first D&D character I ever made (not counting ones I made in cRPGs like Baldur's Gate), back when I was 13, and is now one of my oldest characters ever... though I only got to play her for the first time around two years ago in an actual game ♥

[lochnessies]

"imperialism genocidal and racist rhetoric". It's not that deep. The devs just wanted a cool evil empire who hated dragons. being an edelgard fan or thinking she's right (which is stupid) doesn't mean a persons racist or whatever for having a different interpretation of Edelgard who's got both the shortest route and doesn't have her ideas fully fleshed out in any of them. She talks about tearing down the crest system. She and other characters talk about it, yet we never get told WHAT this crest system entails only that it exista.

In other routes Edelgard sucks. Yet in crimson flower she doesn't suck *as* much despite not having any actual developement outside of Byleth...standing nearby while she does shit? Like, she's barely a character in her own route. She *says* that because of Byleth she didn't become like the worst versions of herself.

Presumably, this means that crimson flower Edelgard is better morally than other route edelgards (which is technically true since unlike the others she's not dead and thus can *have* morals unlike a corpse.)

Do we see HOW Byleth made it so Edelgard supposedly didn't be as villainous as other routes' Edelgards? No. We talk to her a couple of times about her past and random shit, but thats it. We never have a moment where she's about to do something morally fucked and Byleth goes "hey we don't NEED to do this thing".

Hell, the closest thing to even having an option moral wise is choosing to do the Paralogue where you save TWSITD's researchers. But even then you can let them all get murdered and it changes nothing.

Sure, Edelgard does the morally bad thing of conquest. But depending on your views she's either justified or not justified in it. That's the whole reason we even have 'Edelstans' and 'edelcritics'.

They never fleshed Edelgard out, so any number of interpretations can be SORT OF correct. Sure, we get TOLD shit by others about things edelgard does. But we never actually get into her head. Why DOES she conquer fodlann knowing that she's doing exactly what TWSITD wants?

Why DOES she hate the Children of the Goddess? Is it purely because of her hatred of the crest system and the church of seiros? Is she genuinely racist about nonhumans and wants to kill them all? We get a few moments of her calling them monsters and inhuman, but for all we know she's purely against the ones who are part of the church and would be fine if there were other dragons. We can never be entirely sure, as she isn't able to interact with a dragon who ISN'T part of the church of Seiros.

The one chance she DOES have to interact with one who's mostly neutral doesn't happen because Linhardt decides to vaguely go "It has to do with the church and it'd be bothersome if she found out about it" which can mean any number of things.

It *can't* be because he knows she'll try to murder Indech, because he had no idea Indech was even there. He just knew a rad magic bow was there and didn't even want to go on the trip. You'd think if he knew a dragon was there he'd be excited to go. Besides, he goes "Fill edelgard in when the time is right", so clearly he either doesn't think she'll hunt down Indech, or he just doesn't give a shit.

Sorry if this became an incoherentrant. Basically TLDR: anything Edelgard related is always super vague or poorly fleshed out and thus people are able to have several different interpretations of her. The bad thing comes in that this was likely NOT intentional, and more so just a symptom of them rushing the game out and deciding on making an Edelgard route late into the game making process. So instead of her being a complex morally gray character as was maybe intended? She's just a villainous character who's motives are poorly explained outside of "I've been traumatized and need therapy" and who's plans and goals have holes in them such as her assassation plan that would end in her death (that she also never follows up on? Like, she never tries again. There's never any other attempts of genuine assassination.)

So. Yeah. Edelgard is smelly.

"imperialism genocidal and racist rhetoric". It's not that deep. The devs just wanted a cool evil empire who hated dragons. being an edelgard fan or thinking she's right (which is stupid) doesn't mean a persons racist or whatever for having a different interpretation of Edelgard who's got both the shortest route and doesn't have her ideas fully fleshed out in any of them.

well i’ve never said that being a fan of edelgard makes someone racist, imperialist, or genocidal. literally not once. and edelgard does have her ideals listed in her route.

She talks about tearing down the crest system. She and other characters talk about it, yet we never get told WHAT this crest system entails only that it exista.

she does say what she believes the crest system to be to lysithea. the foundation of the nobility system. she believes nobility wouldn’t exist without crests which isn’t true.

In other routes Edelgard sucks. Yet in crimson flower she doesn't suck *as* much despite not having any actual developement outside of Byleth...standing nearby while she does shit? Like, she's barely a character in her own route. She *says* that because of Byleth she didn't become like the worst versions of herself.

what about edelgard doesn’t suck as much on crimson flower? she does the exact same shit on her own route that she does on the others. the actions of white clouds don’t change. she still uses twsitd. she still invades sovereign nations. she still lies to her people. she still lies to her allies. she still casts the nabateans as the reason society is the way it is. she still destroys the church. she still causes the faithful to flee. just bc she blushes around byleth doesn’t absolve her of anything and suddenly makes her a better person.

Presumably, this means that crimson flower Edelgard is better morally than other route edelgards (which is technically true since unlike the others she's not dead and thus can *have* morals unlike a corpse.)

it’s not true. once again, nothing about her morals change. not a thing. being dead or alive is irrelevant since it’s her shitty actions that led to her death on non cf routes and also keep her alive on cf.

Do we see HOW Byleth made it so Edelgard supposedly didn't be as villainous as other routes' Edelgards? No. We talk to her a couple of times about her past and random shit, but thats it. We never have a moment where she's about to do something morally fucked and Byleth goes "hey we don't NEED to do this thing".

bc byleth doesn’t do shit. we don’t see it bc byleth is the equivalent of a bobble head on crimson flower. they don’t care about edelgard’s dubious actions. byleth doesn’t make edelgard a better person on cf bc byleth isn’t a great person either when they choose the invading force.

Hell, the closest thing to even having an option moral wise is choosing to do the Paralogue where you save TWSITD's researchers. But even then you can let them all get murdered and it changes nothing.

so deliberately choosing to side with an invader and destroy a church/orphanage/school isn’t a moral decision?

Sure, Edelgard does the morally bad thing of conquest. But depending on your views she's either justified or not justified in it. That's the whole reason we even have 'Edelstans' and 'edelcritics'.

i don’t care what others views are. conquest of independent and sovereign nations because you view them as inferior “mere offshoots” is despicable. there’s no way you can morally justify that without using worrying rhetoric.

They never fleshed Edelgard out, so any number of interpretations can be SORT OF correct. Sure, we get TOLD shit by others about things edelgard does. But we never actually get into her head.

god forbid i sound like an edelstan here but i disagree. i believe that edelgard is pretty fleshed out. we also never get into dimitri’s head. claude’s. rhea’s. any of the characters really. this isn’t a first person narrative. that’s why we have the characters talk about their motives… which edelgard does… a lot.

Why DOES she conquer fodlann knowing that she's doing exactly what TWSITD wants?

twsitd don’t care about uniting fodlan. it’s never brought up as a motivation for them. they care about ridding the world of the nabateans. the empire is a means to an end for that.

Why DOES she hate the Children of the Goddess? Is it purely because of her hatred of the crest system and the church of seiros? Is she genuinely racist about nonhumans and wants to kill them all?

she hates the children of the goddess because they, in her own words, are a plague on humanity that have been controlling the hearts of the people of fodlan by making them dependent on a goddess that doesn’t exist. thus making a world where the “goddess’ blessings” are the standard for nobility. to her, they’re not humans and lack humanity. the hide among humans in secret, manipulate them, and therefore they deserve no place among the people of fodlan.

We get a few moments of her calling them monsters and inhuman, but for all we know she's purely against the ones who are part of the church and would be fine if there were other dragons. We can never be entirely sure, as she isn't able to interact with a dragon who ISN'T part of the church of Seiros. The one chance she DOES have to interact with one who's mostly neutral doesn't happen because Linhardt decides to vaguely go "It has to do with the church and it'd be bothersome if she found out about it" which can mean any number of things.

“mostly neutral” he’s been in a lake for 1k years. he has nothing to do with the church of seiros at this point. linhardt isn’t vague about anything. he says exactly why they shouldn’t tell edelgard and hubert. it has to do with the church, an institution she hates due to the reasons i mentioned above. do you think he’s just leaving her out for shits and giggles?

It *can't* be because he knows she'll try to murder Indech, because he had no idea Indech was even there. He just knew a rad magic bow was there and didn't even want to go on the trip. You'd think if he knew a dragon was there he'd be excited to go. Besides, he goes "Fill edelgard in when the time is right", so clearly he either doesn't think she'll hunt down Indech, or he just doesn't give a shit.

if edelgard were alright with nabateans why can’t she spare seteth and flayn? why is rhea held captive on non cf routes to be handed over to the people who helped genocide her race? why is flayn kidnapped and the flame emperor involved? why does the game physically stop the player from taking her and hubert to indech? why does she rejoice at the fact that the nabateans have been defeated? why does she explicitly state that she wishes to “obliterate” them also byleth never tells edelgard anything in canon. they never have an option to tell her about indech.

Sorry if this became an incoherentrant. Basically TLDR: anything Edelgard related is always super vague or poorly fleshed out and thus people are able to have several different interpretations of her.

this isn’t about interpretations. this is about people seeing the color purple and saying it’s orange.

The bad thing comes in that this was likely NOT intentional, and more so just a symptom of them rushing the game out and deciding on making an Edelgard route late into the game making process. So instead of her being a complex morally gray character as was maybe intended?

she wasn’t intended to be a morally gray character. the devs have said that they made her the red emperor archetype and the empire are villains in the story.

She's just a villainous character who's motives are poorly explained outside of "I've been traumatized and need therapy"

she is villainous but her goals and motives are explained in the game.

conquest? well ionius leaves “fodlan” to her not adrestia. the empire still sees faerghus as traitors. the kingdom and alliance are “mere offshoots” that pale in comparison to the empire. the kingdom and church are “illegitimate” bc the church stole them in her view.

nabateans? just read the thing i wrote above eariler

crests? “blessing” from a false goddess used by the church to enslave humanity and hurt her family.

and who's plans and goals have holes in them such as her assassation plan that would end in her death (that she also never follows up on? Like, she never tries again. There's never any other attempts of genuine assassination.)

her assassination attempt does have merit to it. edelgard is strong. incredibly so. in byleth and ferdinand’s supports we learn that she is able to take down two demonic beasts by herself. she has the power of two crests. she’s arrogant and thinks that she can overcome anything. what’s a few bandits compared to her? all she has to do is outfight claude and dimitri (who have the disadvantage of being taken by surprise) and then cry crocodile tears when the knights show up and learn that she was the only survivor of an attack to “kill as many noble brats as possible”. she also doesn’t stop trying to kill dimitri and claude… they’re constantly put in danger in white clouds and dimitri is also framed for murder right after the time skip.

[mikufigure]

nintendo direct summary time:

here’s the cream of the crop. some games cut out since they don’t really matter

- no mans sky switch

- new mario strikers

- more splatoon news

- disney kart racer

- assass ceed ports

- kirby news. game comes out later next month. he turned into a car. funniest shit i’ve ever seen

- mlb game

- wii sports sequel. switch sports

- klonoa 1+2 ports

- portal 1+2 ports

- taiko switch featuring megalovania and the jjk opening

- earthbound online port

- mario kart dlc

- xenoblade 3

[jzmn8r]

Hello friends I am going to put my DBQ outline here because I think I’m funny so here we go (some names taken out for privacy reasons)

Outline by yours truly Jasmine [lastname] on this momentous date of march the 12th 2thousand and twenty

Mrs. [last name] if you actually open this and read it hopefully you won’t I would like to formally apologize for the mess, it has been a wild ride.

I really don’t know how to outline essays so here we go cracks knuckles

These notes will all be deleted later so I apologize if someone logs into go guardian and sees this outline because it will be a mess. I cannot write outlines very well yeah I’m not deleting them, they’re funny, and on that note let’s get into it:

If you cannot handle the swag get out of the essay B)

The Primary Causes For The Fall of Rome:

1st paragraph: *sips tea* welcome, the game is afoot

The Roman Empire started out as a republic (details about said republic). Though this republic wasn’t set to last. It fell after 500 years. Yada yada yada yada the Roman empire rose to power in (insert date) and for many years was a prosperous and stable empire. Yeah, that didn’t last. It fell faster than my bio grade after a test. (I swear I know the material I just cannot take tests to save my life) Soon this empire fell into corruption and just like ms Keisha, died. There were many reasons for this but the most important ones were political deaths, invasions, and natural disasters.

2nd paragraph: Alexa play body by mother mother

Let’s see index cards shuffling hmm political deaths!! Fun topic!! So in the span of about 50 years, 22.5 emperors died (they’re still not sure if the last one is still living or not it’s Coolius Jaeser) but most (13 I think) were assassinated funnnn hrrgh hrrgh. So yeah this caused invasions n’ thingstm and economic failure because who doesn’t want that (everybody???) but holy cow this caused a bunch of sad things to happen. Rome was a mess ya’ll. Don’t go to Rome it’s not good for your mental wellbeing. Anyways yeah details and more details, conclusion.

3rd paragraph: another body paragraph to you queens, kings, and monarchs.

Next scene: we set the scene in Rome in (insert date) talking about invasions (as mentioned above)

HmmmmM, Mama Mia here we go again, but this time with invasions!! Those are always a fun family activity for the weeked, just go invade your local empire. Anyways towards the end of the ye olde empire people started migrating and bum bum bummm i n v a d i n g. (The Huns were the ones migrating in the beginning (They then snatched some of Rome) but the romans were evil little meanies so they called them animals and said they were invading but thats another story for another time.) anywAYS, the invasions were obviously a problem considering that land was Rome’s D:< but the invaders didnt really care so they invaded anyways. (evidence evidence evi evi evidence) yeah Rome then started falling faster than lightning mcqueen’s career in cars 3 or something its been years since ive watched the movie. But yeah, slap a conclusion on that there tractor and skiddaddle.

4th paragraph: oh no I am going to start crying over moulin rouge again am I not?? Anyways, its the final countdown dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun.

OHHHH NATURAL DISASTERS IN THE ANCIENT WORLD!!!! (fun fact my birthday is on the anniversy of the eruption of pompeii :) take with that information what you will)

Rome was really going through it in its final years. The poor empire was struggling with a capital s. In the (insert century and/or year) there was a large earthquake, shaky, and then a tsunami. Wow, so much fun, really sad I missed that. (side note, what a love story some of these events would make. Like a love story set in these times, hmmmm gears turning, oH gears are mega turning. (side side note, this obsession with love is probably because of Moulin Rouge)) So if that wasn’t enough to go cause this empire to go cry in a closet, there was a measles outbreak. Plagues, earthquakes, and tsunamis, that sounds like a name of a band. (add details later cause I cannot remember any of them atm) end scene.

Conclusion: well if youve stuck with me this long I am impressed and as it seems the case has come to a close, thats so sad alexa play despacito

So, overall Rome fell for a variety of reasons but the most important were political deaths, invasions, and natural disasters. Rinse and repeat the intorduction but change it up a bit so that it seems like I did more than I really did. Alas our journey ends here, and as the curtain falls I would like to remind everyone that it will rise again and that in the wise words of Shmi Skywalker (yes I am bringing a Star Wars reference into this because I have a problem) “You cannot stop change as much as you can stop the sun from setting” with that note I will always be here for more essay outlines and you can never get rid of me.

This outline was sponsored by Costco- Costco, where’s the beef? *whispers* oh thats not it, thats wendys??? Oh ok

Costco, do the right thing :D

THE END

[luminois]

Im a gamer as well. I want a ps5 so badly but Im a broke university student also dont have time to play...Omg omg i just imagined : Stray Kids in the AC world 🥺 they would be a group of awesome assassins. Chan the leader with that scar ( i loved that makeup scar on him idk why ) Hyunjin the flirts with everyone before disappearing into thin air and the signature half ponytail half down hair ( and now i dont even know if blonde or black haired Hyunjin assassing would look better bc either is killing with only the visuals haha )

Ah i loved AC so much ( all of them ), but my heart will belong to Dark Souls 3 i guess >.> Im usually that kind of player who rarely plays with her friends and almost never play in front of others but when its some dumb local multiplayer game Im the shy idk what to do person who ends up winning all the time bc I just idk xd play well and everyone is teamed up against me and I still win xd or at online games i somehow ends up being friends with some admin and in fact end up being friends with the cool popular guys even tho im a noob but they put effort into lvling me and give me stuff 😅 too bad that i only have time to play Among us a few times xd

literally the only game i play now is the sims 4 and among us RARELY 😭😭 i hate being a uni student WHERE HAS MY FREEDOM GONE??? should’ve played more as a kid smh who thought

AND STRAY KIDS AS ASSASSINS YES YES AND YES AGAIN THANK YOU SO MUCH JUST IMAGINE THEM WITH MAMA 2020 AESTHETIC PLUS THE ICONIC ASSASSINS HOODS I NEED IT

[projectomerta]

Kindred Souls - Chapter 10: Depleted Genius

Fandom: Assassin’s Creed

Words: 1623

The moment Wá:ri noticed that the client was Robbie, she knew they had been lured by Kevin. She started panicking and looked up in hopes of finding Shay. She needed to tell him that it was a trap, but she was afraid of being caught if they saw her moving.

“Miriam, we know you’re there, just come out.” 

Kevin’s words sent chills down her spine, but at the same time she was relieved that Shay knew they had been lured into a trap. 

Though Wá:ri was nervous about the situation, she wasn’t too surprised that it was a trap. She knew she should have listened to Shay, and to her own gut, but it was too late. Kevin had always been the smartest amongst the Rhodes siblings and he had outsmarted her once more.

“If you don’t come out we’ll come looking for you, we know you followed us…” Kevin insisted.

“Miriam, come out please… Explain yourself,” Robbie stuttered. 

Robbie still had some faith in her. He wanted to hear her side and that made her happy. The thought of it being a trap might have come across her mind if it had been any of her other siblings speaking, but not Robbie. 

Coming out of hiding would mean compromising Shay’s ability to act, and that’s the last thing she wanted. Her only move was to wait for Kevin and Robbie to look for her and for Shay to catch them by surprise.

“It’s a shame you can’t even work up the courage to confront us, Miriam. I guess I judged you wrong… I guess we’ll go looking for you.” 

Wá:ri knew Kevin was playing mind games with her, but his words cut deep. She could faintly hear footsteps getting closer to her and she pulled out her Tomahawk. Though Kevin won most of the sparring between the two of them, they were never easy wins so Shay would have plenty of time to jump in, if needed. 

The footsteps got louder and louder, so she stood up as much as she could, behind the boxes. Wá:ri felt a drop of cold sweat run down her face. In all the years she spent as an assassin, nothing compared to the pressure of fighting her family. Not only was it heartbreaking, it took a toll on her body. The footsteps kept coming until it got to a point where Wá:ri noticed a shadow being cast on the ground and that’s when she decided to act.

Wá:ri took a step back, readying herself to strike her opponent. Suddenly, someone came from behind the boxes. She instantly Kevin and lunged at him with no hesitation. The sound of metal clanging echoed as Kevin parried his sister’s strike with his sword. As Wá:ri pulled back for another strike, Kevin kicked her in the stomach and tried stabbing her neck with his right hand hidden blade. Wá:ri wasn’t having it. She grabbed his hand and took a huge step forward headbutting her younger brother on the forehead, knocking him back.

Both of the siblings had just had an intense trade of blows and were ready round two when they heard a scream come from a fair distance.

“No! Don’t kill me! Please!” 

Kevin had a horrified expression on his face. His cool attitude was gone and Wá:ri knew very well why: that scream had come from Robbie. Kevin looked Wá:ri in the eyes before walking back where he came from to see what was happening to their brother. The split second in which Kevin looked at her face, Wá:ri took a look at his face, noticing everything from his dark eyes to his messy brown hair. She walked after Kevin, to see why Robbie was screaming, though she knew what it was.

On the other side she found Robbie on the ground shaking, with his nose bleeding and Shay standing over him with his flintlock pointed at him and the boy’s sword in his hand. Wá:ri was hit by a wave of mixed feelings when she saw that scenery. She knew Shay was just helping and that Robbie was the most innocent in all of it, but he was still a Rhodes. Everything only served to confuse her even more but seeing how Shay didn’t kill him right away made her happy, in a way. 

“Drop your weapons, lad,” Shay ordered Kevin. 

Kevin didn’t move an inch from his spot. Shay cocked his flintlock and Wá:ri took that as a queue to act: she got closer to her brother and pointed her hidden blade at his throat.

“Drop everything Kevin.” 

Kevin laughed, “Like you’ll do anything. Traitors are spineless by nature, even more so if they’re Templar sympathizers like you.” 

Wá:ri felt like she was being stabbed even though she was the one pointing the blade at her brother. 

“Has Layla come back home, Kevin? I can’t imagine she has, you know?” 

Wá:ri couldn’t believe she had just said something that low, but after the words that her brother had just said, her pride spoke louder than she’d like to admit. Kevin dropped his sword.

She could feel Kevin’s rage building up, and she thought she saw his expression change slightly, but the height difference didn’t let her see his face from there. 

“I’m sorry Robbie…” 

What is he say-

Suddenly Wá:ri felt Kevin’s weight push her back. She looked up just in time to see his body rotate as he kicked her in the face and she dodged just in time, or so she thought. Kevin had a hidden blade in his shoe which made a cut across Wá:ri’s forehead. 

“Argh!” 

“Lass!” Shay yelled.

In a panic, Shay picked Robbie up by his collar and pushed him forward just to knock him out with a hit to the back of his neck, like he had done to Wá:ri, when they first met. You’re lucky she wants you alive, lad. He threw away Robbie’s sword and turned to Kevin, looking for a clear shot at him, which he couldn’t find, so he made his way towards the fighting siblings. 

Wá:ri was enraged, and had dropped her Tomahawk when she got cut by her brother. She wiped the blood out from her eyes in time to see her brother approaching with his sword back in his left hand. He thrust it at Wá:ri who could have dodged it, but she took another approach. For the second time that night, she grabbed the hand of her opponent, stopping the attack. Kevin aimed for Wá:ri’s heart with his hidden blade but she grabbed both of his wrists. In that moment, she decided to resort to her only advantage over Kevin: her strength. She gripped and twisted her brother’s arms with all of her strength, making him groan in pain and drop his sword as he slowly got down on his knees. 

Unfortunately, Kevin wasn’t out of moves to make. Before his knees touched the floor, he let himself go, hitting the floor with his ass, knocking Wá:ri off balance and making her stumble forward, in his direction. As she got close he kicked her in the stomach with both feet which made her loosen her grip as she gasped for air, and he took that opportunity to pick up his sword. 

Wá:ri was on the ground now, wiping from her eyes the blood that came down from the wound on her forehead. She looked up just as Kevin was about to stab her. Fuck! She despaired. She couldn’t move away in time. She closed her eyes. She gave up. Goodbye…

Before it could pierce her heart, Kevin’s sword was sent flying. Wá:ri heard something, and opened her eyes. She saw Shay’s back. The Irishman stood between her and Kevin, wielding his cutlass and dagger. A sense of relief and safety came crashing down on her as she kept wiping blood out of her eyes. 

“Damn Templar…” Kevin jeered.

“You’ve said enough, lad.” 

Shay spoke in a low and serious tone. He may have come off as cold, but somehow Wá:ri knew he was angry. 

Shay attacked Kevin with a flurry of attacks that the poor boy struggled to defend against. After a few blows Shay noticed something: Wá:ri had held back. He knew her strength from the brief fight they had had when they first met and he knew Kevin’s was no match for it. It saddened him that Wá:ri couldn’t bring herself to seriously fight her brother, but he could understand her only too well. Shay’s empathy for Wá:ri’s sadness and anger translated into anger towards the Rhodes family, making his blows faster and faster with each strike, pushing him back with each one. 

“Die Assass-”

Blood came spurting out of the boy’s head. From the side, a Tomahawk came flying, hitting Kevin’s head, killing him instantly.

Wá:ri, now standing where she had dropped the Tomahawk, was looking at her brother, who she had just killed. Shay’s look of disbelief went right over her head as she was completely focused on what she had just done.

“I did it, Shay…” She said in a weak voice, “I did it…”

Shay hugged her. “Yes, lass... You did it.”

After a long hug, they let go of each other. The hug helped Wá:ri calm down. It’s done, for today. That thought echoed for a few seconds in her head before she realized they had forgotten something.

“Shay! Where’s Robbie?”

“Calm down, lass, he’s right over-” 

Shay was pointing at where he had knocked out Robbie, but there was nothing there.

Robbie had escaped.

[sqrrlbot]

It happened you guys, I finally lost my V-card ... of not having boned characters in a video game. Assass(in’s Creed) living up to it’s name, eyyy. *fingerguns* Okay, I’m done being 12 now. XD But yeah, finally find someone that I both was able and WANTED to romance at all - it’s been the slimmest of pickings for the first 30 levels of this game and then all of a sudden BOOM - two excellent prospects. Might still try to go for the second as well, the game did actually let me angle for a threesome but sadly it did not happen. Doesn’t mean I can’t still try and go for the other one separately though...

Such a pretty game though, and I am mostly just talking about the scenery - why did we as a civilization ever move away from greek/roman style building?!?? Like we had it, we nailed it - we perfected civilization in terms of aesthetics and architecture! The details and art of it, the COLUMNS - why did we ever stop using columns?? I’m just going to scoff in disgust every time I walk past any boring modern-style building now.

[jeichanhaka]

If Any Would Avenge: 11

Chapters 01-10|| Chapter 11|| Chapter 12|| Chapter 13||

Chapter 14||Chapter 15|| Chapter 16|| Chapter 17||Chapter 18|| Chapter 19|| Chapter 20|| Chapters 21+||

-Morning Of The Accident-

A few of her soft, chestnut curls fell into her face, refusing to stay behind her ears or in the loose bun she'd fastened with a hair clip. Belle bit her lip in thought, staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her furrowed brow deepened. The sounds of feet pattering on the hardwood floors and giggling drifted in from the hallway. She raised an eyebrow and stared askance out the slightly opened bathroom door.

"Having trouble getting Gideon dressed, Rumple?" She called out to her husband, partly teasing, partly serious.

"I'm fine." Came Rumple's reply, accompanied by Gideon giggling and pattering quickly down the corridor. Morning dressing time had recently became a game for Gideon, the two-year-old found it hilarious to run away from whichever of his parents attempted to dress him. Today was Rumple's turn.

"Remember, no magic. It's cheating." Belle called out playfully, grinning ear to ear as she pictured her husband's grimace. She chuckled quietly when Gideon chirped 'magic cheatin' and laughed, while Rumple grumbled. Though she knew she shouldn't encourage Gideon's misbehavior, it had become as much a game for Rumple and her as for Gideon. A competitive one, in which she was in the lead.

"...ther….uc…." Rumple muttered, his words muffled by distance and the bathroom door. There was a pause, followed by Gideon giggling and saying something Belle couldn't make out. Her eyebrows shot up after her husband hissed out: "Shit!"

"Rumple! Language!" Belle scowled, her jovial grin vanishing as she thought about Gideon learning swear words.

"Uh...yes, I…Um…." Rumple stammered, muttering an apology for swearing around Gideon and reassuring Belle that he'd teach the toddler to not say that word.

Belle simply shook her head and sighed, understanding the difficulty of stopping a toddler from using a swear word once learned from having talked with a few of the other mothers in Storybrooke. Her gaze returned to the medicine cabinet mirror, her reflection once more showing a thoughtful expression; which spread into a soft smile as she glanced down at her hands holding an unopened pregnancy test.

xx

"...if you dare lay a hand on her, I'll…."

Belle blinked, brought out of her thoughts by her father's alarmed voice. At first she thought he was at the foot of the bed, based on the volume of his voice, but she quickly surmised he was just outside the bedroom door. The dragon plush lay on the floor, having dropped from her arms as she sat up. Her eyes slowly drifted from it to the bowl of soup cooling on the nightstand.

"Threats? Really?" A stranger's voice answered her father's, its tone causing Belle's skin to crawl. Her gut twisted and roiling, her breath caught in her throat. And though she wanted to ignore him, her brain clung to his every word. "Well, how do you think that daughter of yours will react learning that her son's dead because her father hired Nemesis to kill her husband?"

"...I canceled that hit years ago! Before the curse!" Maurice's voice rose, angry and tinged with fear. "And I fucking paid you despite you blundering it! Claiming I owe a blood price…." He growled, and Belle listened as someone was slammed against the wall, her cheeks drained of color. "...you should've killed me, not my grandson!"

Having approached the door without being fully aware of leaving the bed, Belle flung open the bedroom door. Her eyes, red-rimmed from grief, widened at the sight of her father holding another man against the wall. His arm pressed tightly against the other's throat. "...father?"

"Belle?!" Maurice turned to his daughter, his hold on the assassin weakening. His heart raced, ecstatic seeing his daughter up and about rather than curled up in bed, but at the same time his stomach clenched. Just how long had Belle been at the door? How much had she overheard?

"...what's going on?" Belle observed the scene warily, her bright blue eyes lit with alarm and her chin scrunched up in worry. The whole of her face carried a perplexed mix of dread, worry, and horror, a tumult of emotion that made its way in her careful tread towards her father. "Father?"

"I got this handled, Belle, just a foolish trespasser who'll be leaving soon." Maurice answered, indicating the red-eyed man he held against the wall. Turning to glare at the assassin, a threat on his lips, Maurice bristled in fear at the man's expression. The red-eyed man smiled a smug, triumphant smile; one aimed at Maurice though his gaze was pointed towards Belle.

"No. Tell me the truth." Belle demanded, her face pale and eyes livid. Her brain reeling over every bit of conversation she'd overheard. She tensed and glared at both men when Maurice backed off the red-eyed man to approach Belle, wanting to alleviate his daughter's distress.

"Seems your lovely daughter overheard our tête-à-tête just now." The assassin grinned, his eyes burning a fierce red as he feigned shock. It was such a horrid performance that it was obvious to Maurice that the other man must've known Belle was awake and close enough to overhear. "Sorry, not used to such thin walls. I would've kept my voice down." The assassin smirked, leering at Maurice while dusting off the faded motley shirt he wore, its once vibrant hues now nothing more than colorless swathes of gray.

"Shut up." Belle hissed at the red-eyed man, before glaring from him to her father. Her heart throbbed and quickened, her gut twisting into knots - her brain already done analyzing what she'd overheard and its meaning, though no part of her wished to believe it to be true. "Father, what were you saying about a 'hit' and a…'blood price'?"

"It's...nothing. Just lie down and relax...I'll…." Maurice took a step towards his daughter, reaching out his arms to embrace her; his mind racing to find some way to make Belle forget. It would be less painful and much easier than explaining the truth to her.

"No!" Belle backed away from her father, her chest heaving. "If you love me, father, tell me the truth. Is what this...man here….said, true? Before I interrupted, he claimed that Gideon…." Belle faltered a moment, her lips trembling. "...my son is dead because of you? I….how? What…." She sucked in her bottom lip, biting on it harshly; her eyes pools of pain and grief and pleading. Confusion as well. "...father?"

"Belle, I...I'm….no." Maurice tensed, standing up straight. He scowled scathingly at the assassin. "I'm not at fault. This vile man and his brethren are. They claim I owed them a blood price, but….it's nonsense."

"Nonsense?" The assassin scoffed, amused by the other man's lie. He had nothing against clients who lied outright or twisted the truth about the hits they ordered when cornered, they were after all just covering their asses. But he never heard a client - a marked client like Maurice - claim the blood price to be nonsense. "I guess you hiring the Nemesis faction to hunt down the beast who took your daughter was just nonsense too? Hm?" The red-eyed man leered at Maurice, his tone chilling. "Perhaps a blood price was too lenient a punishment. If it was all a joke…."

Maurice bristled, chills running down his spine. His heart pounded with fear, recalling the small bit the assassin showed of his true power back in the Enchanted Forest. It was a power that chilled him and made his stomach turn in horror.

Belle watched quietly as her father flinched and backed away from the red-eyed man, her eyes not missing the shaking of her father's head nor the trembling of his hands. Nor had her ears missed any of the stranger's words. Words that triggered a long locked away memory to burst free.

xx

"Well, dearie." Rumplestiltskin leered at the foolish trespasser who minutes ago attempted to stab him with an interesting but inadequate bodkin. When that failed the wannabe assassin had shot a barrage of throwing knives dipped in some kind of burning liquid that scorched the flesh of whatever it touched. None had hit the Dark One, even if one had, the concoction wouldn't've done anything to him. "I'm not sure if you're brave or foolish or just have some sort of death wish." He paused, his dark gaze shifting towards Belle.

The young woman whimpered, nursing a burn on her side, one of the poison-coated knives having grazed her. It was painful enough that she couldn't stand or pay clear attention to what was happening around her.

"Well…." Rumplestiltskin scowled, his narrowed eyes returning to the assassin. "A death wish it is then." He growled, breaking the stranger's neck with a twist of his fingers. Next he knelt by Belle and healed her injured side - the poison though foreign to the realm was not at all magical, and so was simple to negate. "There, all better."

"I...thank you." Belle gasped in relief once the scorching pain subsided, her brain clouded from how excruciating it'd been. She didn't quite notice the way Rumplestiltskin faltered at her gratitude, or his confusion at his own actions.

"It….I couldn't very well let you remain injured, you wouldn't be very much help to me as a maid then." He replied coolly, the next moment magically rounding up the throwing knives littered around the room and in the walls. Next his attention shifted to the bodkin the foolish assassin had first tried using - the engraving on its blade distinctive and familiar: that of a large gilded scarab that also resembled a skull if observed upside down. "...one would think after their first few botched attempts, these Nemesis assassins would give up trying to kill me." He muttered before teleporting himself away to his vault with a flick of his wrist, bringing with him the assassin's corpse and all the things the fool had brought.

xx

Belle frowned and tensed as the memory played out in her head, taking no more than a handful of seconds. Her hands shaking and her chest feeling heavy, she glared at her father and the assassin.

0Sheriff's Station:

"...there was another car. The accident…." Emma took a deep breath, her brain reeling from what David had discovered. Her eyes met Killian's. "It wasn't a single car collision - there was another car involved. One that crashed into yours."

Killian blinked, his first impulse to deny the presence of another car that night since there hadn't been one around when he was struggling to get to Gideon. That was, however, the only part of the accident he remembered clearly, every other bit of it was a blur. Or blank.

"Do you remember another car being there that night, Killian?" Emma asked, her emotions a jumble of wanting there to have been another car and fearing that same possibility.

"I...I don't. It's a blur. All of it. The only thing I remember is frantically trying to get to Gideon. To make sure he was…." His breath caught, the memory of pulling the toddler's crushed body from the child seat flashing before his eyes. Emma hurried forward, wide eyed at the way her husband's arms shook, Sadie still sleeping cradled in them. She swiftly braced his arms with her own underneath to protect against Sadie falling, something that drew Killian out of the vivid flashback. His eyes widened. "...shit. I...bloody hell." He swore, trying to calm his racing heart and to chase away the phantom sensation of holding Gideon's broken body. He held Sadie in his arms, not the unfortunate toddler.

"Killian, it's alright, I have her." Emma soothed her husband, correctly deducing that the pirate was alarmed that he may almost have dropped their baby. "She won't fall."

"I know, luv, I…."

The sheriff station's door opening interrupted the pirate, the sound drawing their attention even before Regina's sharp inhale accompanied by the sound of clicking heels. Emma could feel the mayor's glare, the tiny hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. "What the hell is this?!"

"It's me letting my husband hold our daughter." Emma snapped, glowering.

"While leaving the cell door open?" Regina scowled, tempted to magically slam shut the jail cell door. Instead she stopped a few feet from the cell and crossed her arms. "I'm assuming you opened it because David called and told you what he and Henry discovered."

"That another car may have crashed into Killian's that night? Yes, I just got off the phone with my dad." Emma replied, a snappy undercurrent to her voice. "It took five days for anyone to check it, but he said it was obvious on inspection that someone rammed into the car."

"...There is evidence that another car collided with Killian's, after which the driver drove off. But…." Regina met Emma's glare with her own cold scowl. "That doesn't change the fact that Killian was driving drunk. Both he, and this other driver once located, will serve jail time. Killian for DUI and this other driver for fleeing the scene of an accident."

"Regina…." Emma frowned, taking Sadie from Killian before standing up. Her heart still clenched at the idea of her husband being imprisoned for any length of time, but the accident being a hit-and-run improved the chance that Killian wouldn't be jailed for too long.

"No." Killian mumbled, his lips slightly gaped and his eyes pointed towards the floor though his focus was on his thoughts. He shook his head slowly, bile bubbling in his gut with a mix of fear and dread. It started the moment Emma mentioned the other car ramming into his, and with the dread came flashes from before the crash. Most was still a blur, but one bit did slide into focus. "I...stopped."

"...Killian?"

"I stopped. Emma." Killian met his wife's eye, the few seconds he remembered growing clearer and clearer. With the memory came a growing dread, a numbing horror of something he'd seen in those seconds. Something that had made him slam on his car brakes, confused and horrified, and completely unaware of his surroundings. Unaware that he had stopped in the middle of an intersection and unaware of a car speeding towards his. "I stopped the car. I...bloody hell."

"You mean you pulled over?" Regina inquired, scrutinizing the pirate, wondering if he was going to try and blame the other driver who'd left the scene. Her eyes widened when he shook his head, while between them Emma gasped and tensed.

"I didn't pull over. I stopped in the middle of the intersection." Killian admitted, closing his eyes as he tried to recall more of that night.

"Why the hell would you do that?! Did your car break down or run out of gas?" Regina asked, while Emma focused on Sadie who had woken up and started fussing. Her eyes narrowed when Killian shook his head. "Then why?"

"I saw something. Or thought I saw something. Something….I'm not sure what." Killian paused, his head pounding as he tried remembering what he'd seen, but the brief memory faded swiftly and all that remained was dread.

x

Author's Note: Wow, this fic has become very different than I planned out; though admittedly I planned originally planned to do a jumpskip almost immediately after Sadie was born, so I could focus on an almost grown up Sadie, and Gold's plan for revenge. I am still trying to move the story towards that, it's difficult though. Especially since I have an idea for another Once Upon a Time story that I came up with after the Series Finale, and I have to fight my urge to start a new fic. (I have a horrible habit of starting new stories before I finish my current ones and never going back to finish them.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fic, and continue until I finish it. (It might take a while longer than usual to update after this chapter since I have terrible writer's block and have already rewritten chapter 12 (the next chapter) three times.)

[sonocomics]

Breath of the Wild Masterpost

So I know that the comics haven’t even started yet, but I already know that they’ll have more than 20 comics so rather than waste time putting the links in the assorted post, I thought I’d just go ahead and make this right off the bat!

If you’d like to read the comics in the order they were posted, click here! If you’re looking for a specific comic, the links below may help!

NOTE: Because of the open world nature of the game, the links below aren’t chronological, if you’re looking for the order, click the link above! Below comics will be listed by category (combat-related, horse-related, korok-related, etc.)

DISCLAIMER

Why are there two Links? Why the bad armor?

OPENING AREA

A-lure-ing

It’s the bomb!

Leading astray

By the formula

Displeased tease

100 years of torture (fan suggestion)

ASSASSIN RELATED

The assass-IN crowd

Switching targets

B-A-N-A-NO

COMBAT-RELATED

This rocks

Says you

Just out of smite

Once in a blue moon

HORSE-RELATED

Of horse that’s his name

Objection to my affection

Name game

Rare-aglider

Soothing atmosphere

Don’t look a gift horse in the method

Watch and freezerburn

Horsing around

KOROK-RELATED

Rage by rock

Apple of my why

What you a-spire to do

PLOT-RELATED

It’s about high moon

Message from the dead

Ms.Take

Scape-goading

Thanks for the memories

Still waiting

Tricky trickery

Silent sword (fan suggestion)

He’s a champion in my heart (patron suggestion)

TRAVEL-RELATED

You’re in brambles

Beeline right there

To Zora’s Do-Pain

Para-shoot

Geru-OHH?? Valley

UNSORTED

A journey of selfie discovery

The right to be wrong type

No good deer goes unpunished

Lack of divine judgment

Thank you fairy much

Lie-nel

A True Heron

More at 11

Motor-cycle of pain

Spring Jumped

Excellent plat-formation

Photo-OOPS

Two heads are clumsier than one (patron suggestion)

Ru-plea