#Ch: Emil

[rogue-coyote]

"This is what I want: I want to grab my brother's hand and run back through time, losing years like coats falling from our shoulders."

jandy nelson | i’ll give you the sun

[syndeticism]

Rally - Work in progress

[jesterraconteuse]

I know they're 6 and we forgive the children in this house whence they learn but goddamn

Ewen and Emile talk a lot for being the bros who didn't get absolutely SOCKED in the face last time Anya was pushed. Maybe consider the health of your bossboy, the hubris is insane. Homie you did NOT just tell the girl with the finisher punch to eat a pencil, your bossboy is already teetering on life and death with what he just said

[whos-that-demon]

Emil Sinclair: I. FUCKING. HATE. THIS. TEAM

My teammates and manager make me dance with the maracas while they stand back and shout go white boy go

[lavampira]

Merry Starlight ⛄❄️

d'alia enjoyed the festivities in gridania with her fake husband emile (@hythlodaes) and her drk family ❣️

[valeriefauxnom]

I think there's an interesting slight shift in Leonidas' attitude between chapters 8 and 12, and one that kinda makes a bit more complete narrative between the more obvious 12-16 jump.

First, in a niche Dragalia trivia, Leonidas (and Chelle) in his technical ch.7 debut says this:

"And so Aurelius's brilliant star falls as a new and dark star rises—as well as another dim light at the periphery. But the flames of battle will not reach Valkaheim. Should any fool approach, it is they who will be reduced to ash."

While there's a lot to say with later context in these lines despite their initial ambiguity of his character, note here of the 'dim light' refers to Euden. He's starting to cause a fuss in the world after ch.6's shakeup in the official rebellion and new kingdom-starting he's engaging in, but to Leo, this is all mostly meaningless compared to the true power players.

Ch.8 Leo, though, comes out swinging with his general attitude regarding the world and his family:

There's something funny that he's aware enough of Euden starting his own kingdom, but still seeing him and going 'nope, I care not a whit about you, grain of dust' is amusing. Maybe after Valyx, Leonidas just got tired of having baby siblings?

Regardless, Leonidas mostly spends this chapter leaving them to presumably die bad deaths, having deemed them too weak and unimportant to even bother attending to personally.

But even within chapter 8, as Euden and co refuse to die and keep up their dogged pursuit, Leonidas starts to acknowledge Euden as a brother. Not enough to stop him from trying to leave him to get torn apart by beasts, of course, but, y'know, baby steps for someone who was denying kinship not a day ago.

He also continues his star metaphor.

For Leonidas, who viewed himself as the absolute pinnacle of the family, it was surprising anyone could survive him, however narrowly. He's being forced to consider that perhaps those beneath him in the family aren't quite as useless as perceived. Heck, Euden's 'reputation' overall in the family before canon seemed to be largely one of weakness, -even Valyx outright claims he thought him feeble, and Emile's earlier fondness of him stemmed from being 'better' than Euden. That's how Euden framed himself, to appear non-threatening to attempt to maintain harmonious relations so his elders didn't see an upstart threatening their power, as I've went over a long long time ago.

Now he's being forced to consider and wonder how high, how powerful Euden's dim star can rise before it will be crushed by someone or something greater in his 'one star' viewpoint.

Enter chapter 12. One of the things that makes Leonidas so dangerous, I've also said, is his adaptability. He learns and changes behavior.

And in this chapter, he takes a much more personally involved attack, sending in his 'big guns' (before he acquired a real one) in much quicker. He now views Euden as a threat enough to warrant the measures, even if he doesn't believe in his capacity to win.

Moreover, he's starting to oddly (at least, to me?) stress a quick death for Euden and his group, whereas before, it was of absolutely no concern to him whether they died slowly and agonizingly from Mars' burns to getting torn apart by fiends. It comes across to me as a sort of recognition of Euden's ability and/or bravery, a sort of respect for him as a warrior enough to not prolong his death or otherwise make it painful.

He's also starting to actually communicate on some level what his true goals are and why, whereas ch.8 Leo largely seems to think even that level of communication would be wasted on such 'insects'. And while he doesn't entertain Euden's counterarguments for long, it might indicate a sort of acknowledgement of Euden as a opponent to lock ideals with instead of a simple obstacle to hurdle mindlessly?

All in all, it reads to me as if he's made the shift of viewing Euden as an insect to an opponent, a weaker opponent, of course, but one nonetheless. Able enough to be acknowledged as being kin, even as he's seems like he's trying to distance himself when preparing to kill him.

This trend continues immediately after the tables are turned. Leonidas acknowledges Euden as brother and king, and is more upset at the notion that Euden doesn't want to kill him since he likely thinks that now Euden sees him as the 'able to be safely ignored weakling' as well as wanting to die of shame.

Continuing into ch.13, Leonidas immediately then protects Euden from Phares, even incorporating a new word into his vocabulary in the process!

Then, of course, is his and Chelle's conversation to further bridge the gap, in which he starts establishing Euden has earned a more complete respect as kin now despite not actually sharing a true lineage, and respect enough to ask another sibling to protect him.

So yeah. Even if ideally I do think some more dialogue would help to bridge the gap between before-16-Leonidas and after-16-Leonidas, I do think that they overall tried to make a cohesive progression even in the 8-12 shift from 'insect' to 'opponent I can somewhat respect' to 14-16's more complete respect. Alas, since the writing team only had so many story sections they could have and a lot of characters and plotlines to juggle, they could only spend a bit of time re. Leonidas, but for what it's worth they did a decent job with what they had.

Extra aside: I find it funny Leonidas was the first to 'exit' the main campaign. He features in 8, 12, and 16, with smaller appearances in 7, 10, etc, but after 16 he's effectively poofed even if he's still influential in the plot. Even Valyx lasted longer for on screen chapters since he was tagging along with Nedrick and Zethia, before he and most all siblings exited at ch.23 to then die in ch.25 (this is why leaving the protagonist's party isn't a good idea Chelle-)

[sy-on-boy]

Damianya Fake Marriage AU Part 4: Like It Could Be Love!

Anya meets up with her Eden friends, Damian and Anya attend a lavender marriage, Damian slips up in front of all their Eden peers, and Anya reflects on their relationship.

-

This was a chapter split in half, and it lays the foundation for the next chapter. And I really enjoyed fleshing out the adult versions of the Eden kids :D

[noramsblog]

What if by the end where the parents come rushing worried about their children's safety damian is just standing there ... :'l

[shysheeperz]

[rogue-coyote]

my brother's blood boils in my arms it balls my fingers into fists it bubbles blisters burns my palms it floods with fury, fights and fits it's got the good guy in me hiding it kicks my humble heart around it's got me fiending for the fire that could finish off this town i don't know one thing about my brother's blood no, i don't know one thing about my brother's blood

[hythlodaes]

time tethered together

emile x estinien - 1.2k words set the night before they meet vidofnir / ARR patch + DRG quest spoilers. 

There’s something about the way the world blurs at night. The distant canopy of trees reduces down to shifting shapes against the star studded sky, looming shadows that don’t have to mean anything—not the weight of tomorrow, the enormity of the task before them, or the grief that each day bears, with scarcely the time to dwell on it. 

And the night carries a chill of its own, Dravania no less cold even in the absence of snow. Emile clutches his cloak around his shoulders as he shifts closer to the fire, eyes stinging with exhaustion even as he keeps himself awake. There are moments, just like this, when he feels like he can catch his breath. It feels like he’s the only person alive in the world, a ghost of himself no less, but still, despite the waning darkness and the lost hours of sleep, there is the smallest chance of respite. 

He takes this time, because after everything he’s gone through, after everyone he’s lost, his resolve only strengthens. 

There is no choice but to keep going. 

He isn’t alone tonight, though. His attention snaps at the telltale sound of approaching footsteps, and he looks up to see the tall figure of Estinien cut through the shadows. There’s a softness about him like this, with his long hair pulled into a loose ponytail, missing the jagged edges of his armor. It's still a sight that Emile’s growing used to—he hadn’t realized how much he relied on the distance Estinien’s helmet created between them until it came off. 

Meeting his gaze is an entirely different matter he needs to get used to. 

“The Warrior of Light forsakes an opportunity to rest,” Estinien says, his voice quiet as he sits beside him. 

“It happens on occasion.”

“I don’t imagine you have many such occasions.”

And Emile lets out the barest laugh. “No, not quite.”

He knows better than to read any concern into the exchange. After their last confrontation, their working relationship stands on shaky ground. Whatever part of Emile lingered on those first meetings, whatever stayed with him all this time, still isn’t sure what to make of him now. 

He turns his gaze back to the blurry line of trees in the distance. “Why are you awake?”

“Nidhogg stirs,” comes the answer. 

There’s no need to explain. It’s enough. 

And they’re silent for a long moment, the flames cracking before them, the air humming around them. Emile closes his eyes for a moment, listening to the sound of the river that flows through Tailfeather, and he finds it more comfortable than he should, perhaps too tired to perceive any awkwardness between them. 

But then— “You hide it well from Master Alphinaud.” 

Emile glances over at him, the warmth of the fire’s glow coloring his pale skin. “What?” 

“The weariness you carry with you,” Estinien answers. “Your demeanor changes the moment he’s near. The effort is worth naught, though. He still sees it.” 

I sense the many battles are beginning to take their toll. 

Emile presses his lips together, only able to keep Estinien’s gaze for a few seconds before he turns his attention down to his hands, still clutching the cloak around him. Words fail him, his own defenses rendered useless in the face of the truth, but Estinien clears his throat, and then after a moment—

“As do I.” 

A sharp feeling digs into Emile’s chest, but there’s no anger in his voice when he says, “You presume to understand.”

“I only observe.”

And it goes unspoken: I knew you before you were like this. 

“He’s young,” Emile murmurs. “He carries enough burdens, I will not add to them my own.”

“That you would protect him so.”

“He’s like a brother to me.”

Alphinaud is younger than Emile’s own sister, but what they’ve been through has bonded them in a way that isn’t easily shaken. The boy’s heart and courage, his character and his determination to do good, to help, is what often gives Emile the strength to keep going. 

“Have you known him long?”

Emile shakes his head. “Scarcely a year.”

There’s another long pause between them as Estinien seems to think this over, and then finally— “Much can happen in a year.”

There’s a question somewhere in the statement, but it bears the truth even if it feels like such a simple way to say it. Much does not describe everything that happened in those last days in Ul’dah, nor those last moments in the tunnels. Emile still burns with shame at the resentment he carried towards Minfilia at that time, and the regret he felt at the realization that he may never see her again. 

But it’s true for him and Estinien as well, isn’t it? From the Eye awakening once more, the first time two Azure Dragoons had been chosen, to the burning sound of Estinien’s voice—In you I thought I had found kindred. There's the memory of Alberic at Emile’s back, the power of Nidhogg called upon and used against him. They crossed lances in the snow, and then there was only the strange emptiness Emile felt in his absence. That they can sit here like this now, smoke billowing up from the fire and softening the edges around them, with something like peace settled between them— 

“Yes, much can change” he agrees. He finds this to be the extent at which he can speak on it, though. Instead he leans his weight closer to him and bumps their shoulders together, just for a second, just the briefest touch. “So you could stand to show Alphinaud a little kindness.” 

Estinien’s only response is the upturn of his lips, the beginnings of a smile shadowed by the flame’s flickering light. Emile’s gaze lingers on it, an unexpected warmth bleeding through his chest at the sight, and he turns his head away again—of all the monstrous things he’s faced in this realm, he finds his courage fail in this simple matter. 

“Perhaps I should take the chance to rest after all,” he says, and he stands, pulling his cloak a little tighter around his shoulders. He makes himself look back at Estinien, who stays seated but nods his head at him. 

“Sleep well, Warrior of Light.”

Emile huffs. “Thank you, Azure Dragoon.”

“Ah, but that is a title we share.”

The air stills between them. They may be bound in this, but they still have yet to talk about it, and tonight is not the time. Whatever exists between them allows understanding, at least, and the tension in Estinien’s shoulders softens with a breath before he murmurs, “Goodnight, Emile.”

“Goodnight,” he returns. 

His exhaustion catches up with him as he returns to the hut, his body heavy as he settles in his bunk. It’s dark enough that he can only make out the faint outline of Alphinaud across the room, but the slow, even cadence of his breathing reassures him that he’s asleep. 

Perhaps he does see through Emile, but if he can be spared even the smallest amount of worry, Emile would bear anything. 

And maybe Estinien sees him for all that he is, but that feels like something else altogether. 

Strangely, it’s a comforting thought as he turns over, the light of the fire outside just a distant glow in the window, and it doesn’t take him long to fall asleep—the phantom memory of Estinien’s smile the last thing on his mind. 

[anominous-user]

I sure do hope that flame-chasers anime includes Dystopia and Griseo's parents, and perhaps some Emile content as well

oh yeah I'm also kinda hoping for that as well.. though considering the anime's set in the Golden Courtyard AU apparently (same as Summer Survival Rhapsody A+B) i'm not sure if they'll make in-person appearances. though i wouldn't be surprised if they appeared in flashbacks, just for that good dose of angst

[ilhansens]

litany in which certain things are crossed out // richard siken

[lavampira]

vacay between adventures

d’alia feat. emile (@hythlodaes) + estinien + zero

[connoisseursdecomfort]

The thin line between Waku Waku and danger - what awaits Anya after ch.94?

[Manga spoiler alert]

Anya. The baby of the story. The star of the show. The leader of the Twiyor ship (she even created the slogan "Chichi to haha icha icha".) The telepath. The gremlin. The peanut. The heh.

In SxF, we saw how she forged the Forgers, how she fortified her friendship with Becky and Damian, as well as Emile and Ewen, and how she improved academically. It all started because she found it to be waku waku to have Twilight to be her father.

Same reason for choosing Yor to be her mother:

Of course, I love her for doing that. But there is no denying that she's drawn to danger. She likes it to be exciting. She wants to be the hero. And we all do. We, like Anya, like things to be waku waku.

It is good for the audience. But is it good for Anya?

Not really. Slowly but surely, Endo is revealing to us how it would affect Anya.

She thinks it is waku waku to have a spy and an assassin as parents because she is obsessed with Spy Wars. It is totally understandable for people to be want to imitate the cool characters on TV, and it is mentioned once again in Ch.94.

But it's something more than that. Loid being the top spy and Yor being the top assassin gives us a feeling that no matter what they will save her, and more importantly, they will be able to save her.

In the first chapter, her desire to make the spy work more waku waku has got her into trouble. Twilight rescues her, all ends well. In Chapter 7 she gets into trouble again, and Yor rescues her.

We have a sense of security that the Forger parents will do anything to get their baby back. And while that's VERY true (that's not up for debate - sorry), it also gives Anya the sense of security that she could maybe play with fire a bit more. So in Short Mission 1 we see her deliberately holding onto the bad guy's clothes, trying to get Yor to help. And Yor saves her and kicks the bad guy's ass.

Nonetheless, I should specify that Anya doesn't only want waku waku only for the sake of it although she does gloat over her successes. She understands that she needs to be careful, both in the doggy crisis arc and the cruise arc. But she still runs towards danger because she wants to help.

We already know she would do anything to keep the family together because of her love for her parents and also her abandonment issue especially when it comes to Operation Strix. That includes running towards a building that is going to explode in the doggy crisis arc and heading to the front deck where Yor is fighting with other assassins in the cruise arc. She has a good reason wanting to get involved, and she always succeeds too.

But that isn't all. She actually sees how her parents work towards their goals tirelessly.

That, of course, has something to do with what Endo chooses to focus on when it comes to the jobs of spies and assassins. He doesn't actually focus on the waku waku part that much (which has been one of the most common complaints). Literally in the first chapter, Endo has already shown us what the nature of spy work is - It can be freaking boring.

Same with the assassins' work.

One could even argue that Endo is deconstructing the images of spies and assassins in popular culture. While it is still waku waku for us and for Anya to see them working as spies and assassins, most of the time it is just a job for Loid and Yor. That means we AND Anya also see how tired they are after they've finished their jobs.

But why? If their jobs are ruthless and even thankless, why did they do it? The answers have been given in the cruise arc and ch.62. And for Anya who has been with them for quite some time now, she is inspired by their goals.

Anya wants to do good. Just like her papa and mama. And I think this is probably a good time to revisit the bus arc, particularly this moment:

Other children are thinking how their parents would come and save them. When Anya thinks about her parents, what would she think about?

Is it her parents' goal(s) - to make the world a better place?

Or is it the fact that she has always been the one actively doing something in order to save people, just like how she saves her parents and keeps her family together?

Even in the movie trailer, we see Anya desperately trying to help despite being all tied up.

The bus arc is also when the adults starts to scold her for being reckless.

It is not really the first time they've seen her being reckless. In the doggy crisis arc, Anya is told not to wander off.

Twice.

And even the childcare lady told her the same thing in the cruise arc:

But before it can be brushed off as kids having a tendency to wander off. But it is becoming more and more clear to the Forger parents that it seems to be something even more serious.

Endo is definitely dropping hints here, no?

It reminds me of what Loid told Bond:

This applies to everyone in the Forger family. Yor in the cruise arc. Loid in the mole arc. And Anya in the bus arc.

Anya has learned so many things in the process. Her grades have improved. She has learnt to read the clock. She has to try to write something that is readable so she can eat the gifts from Damian. But it seems she hasn't learned the most important thing yet.

PS Meanwhile, Bond went from not knowing how to play in the dog park

to suggesting an alternative game to Anya in Ch.94

Bond is best boi \o/

[valeriefauxnom]

South Grastea, Annotated (and the geography for why the Halidom is a prospective attacker's worst nightmare)

So, even if we got some info on geography for Grastea, keeping track of where exactly everything is can be tricky. Thus, I made a small, crude map to help give an idea of where the 'big' locations are, story-wise! Hopefully it helps any fic-writer out there who might want to have an easy consult for where stuff is.

Thus, Euden's path in the main campaign is as follows, as represented by this even cruder drawing wherein black lines are like ch 1-4, blue 5-9, yellow 10-14, purple 15 (the filled in white circle is 'start' in Sol Alberia, filled-in black circle is 'end' of South Grastea shenanigans at the border:

Some of these are guesses (Chanzelia to Clave Loy'elune and Clave Loy'elune to Murgia Village, ex) but others are evidenced or shown outright, like Euden's path from Sol Alberia to the Mistholt forest.

Still a terrible map, but it does show how Euden was bouncing everywhere. The early chapters do make a lot of sense: he approached the Halidom through its southern forest route, then left to leave through Myriage lake to approach Sol Alberia from the north, then got turned around and fled to Mt. Adolla. Guess Euden was lucky when deciding to then flee to the Halidom instead of running to nearby Leonidas for help, though!

Oh, and I also kinda have figured out the vaugeries of how the Halidom is even approachable, because it was kinda confusing as to how people could access it from the west if it only has that main drawbridge in its near-island position.

Long story short, it is still effectively an island, with the only 'permanent' bridge being the stone bridge from the southeast, but even that has a drawbridge they could pull. However, the Halidom does have a wooden rope bridge that goes to the west.

This can be better seen on my own picture (which also shows how the Halidom on the map would change depending on how far you've developed the Halidom!):

From a near distance, it looks like so:

This is where it becomes funny in the Blood That Binds, wherein most the family split up to try and bait the replica Alberius from all sides. Leonidas is to the north, Valyx the south, Chelle to the west, and Emile (and Phares) to the east.

But, as we can see, the only true feasible routes to march any decently-sized force through is the west and the south. Any other route would require a lot of swimming and then mountain-climbing to scale the rocky walls, which is not recommended to keep an energetic and safe force.

Thus, replica Alberius and his brutish strength decides to strike west, north, east, and then south. If I had to guess, Leonidas was put to the north to either be a one-man army himself by being able to fly over the lake separating him from the Halidom, or as a stealth source of reinforcements to either Emile or more likely Chelle to hopefully catch Alberius off-guard.

But Emile? Emile was likely put to the east just to keep him out of the action. And they still didn't trust him to lead that force well enough in case something did happen that they plunked Phares there to babysit!

Interestingly, the Halidom's layout has unique implications for the tunnel system that exists. We know it goes from outside the castle into it (and specifically into Euden's room at one point), but from where does the other side emerge? Is it still on the island, or is it a long long journey to the under the water surrounding the Halidom and under that, followed by a long climb up? We can see some more tunnels in the Halidom map in game, so who knows.

We also see Halidom strategy come into play for Gala Leif's story.

As we can see, it's technically possible to get very creative and 'make a route' from the east, likely in the form of a long bridge to span the gap between the island and the mainland. This, however, is still a very unconventional and dangerous endeavor (defenders just need to break the bridge), characteristic of Harle, and likely not a recommended warfare strategy if one dreams of attacking the Halidom.

Honestly, though, it's a phenomenal position defensively. The biggest risk would be a siege because of the easily cut-off routes in and out, but even that is mitigated by the presence of flying dragons that could carry food as well as its own mini-forest on the island they could cultivate and sustain a small force with. Its likely water supply also is hard to disrupt, being an absolutely massive lake surrounding it and entering via a waterfall, which would be hard to stop or poison entirely.

Last but not least, the weather is also favorable to defenders who know the land well, as Chelle explains in the Blood That Binds:

The water surrounding the Halidom, combined with its temperature swings from day to night, causes thick fog that a defender could utilize (even if it's not magically thick as it was in the very beginning). Yes, in this case, it's the offense taking use of it, but the replica Alberius, possessing Alberius' memories, had a 'defenders' knowledge that the rest of the family wouldn't know as well since Euden as the only current firsthand source of nitty-gritty details for how the Halidom works defensively had not shown up.

It really does sound like a nightmare for an invader. It's no wonder Euden is able to defend it with such a small standing force, and quite likely a bit part in why so many left him alone in the early stages; the time and resources it would require to truly root him out would be disproportionate.

So...yeah. There's a bit about Southern Alberian geography and why the Halidom is a defensive monster!