#Nugylienshyd

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

dmvn reconciliation queen? 👀👀 (joking obviously you have a lot on your hands as is BUT........ I'd love to hear your thoughts)

okay okay okay okay. listen. have this little snippet that came to me in a dream.

Sylvain watched a lion hide away his own claws. He curled up on a rock, out of the sun, and did not lick his wounds for fear of bringing attention to them. “He’ll never say it, but Felix is glad to have you back.” A quill, swaying and flicking gently, came to rest midair. Sylvain met his eye, and knew there remained in this castle an invisible danger. Faces and names he had not recalled in years. “And you are not nearly so sentimental.” A swipe to the gut. What a fool he’d been. What sort of lion truly lost his claws? “Of course I’m glad to have you back.” “But you think this is where I should have been the whole time.” The words were salt in the wound, beading up in his eyes and dripping to his flayed-open heart. And yet, they weren’t entirely untrue.

Bitter and tenderhearted Sylvain who's inherited his father's deep-seated practicality you are so dear to me.

But on a more in-depth note: I think Dimitri is glad for Sylvain's higher standard??? if you will? post-canon. It's not that I think everyone is a pushover, but the people closest to the king, Dedue and Felix, are also known for not being completely normal about Dimitri. I mean, they both become suicidal if they're on a route where Dimitri dies before them--Felix more so if he's on the side who did the killing. Sylvain cares for Dimitri just as much, but as I kinda joked about before . . . he's his father's son. The consequences of Dimitri's six-ish years of absolute Bullshit (however empathetic they are as a result of his unchecked psychosis) do not go over his head.

Now, if you're asking my lizard brain? Dimitri is kinda wired to need someone to whom he can pay penance. It's a bad habit, and one that requires he see himself as lesser, but I think Sylvain would be great at asking him to get better while keeping him accountable for the things he has actually done wrong.

Anyway. I have to head off to classes right now, but trust I am going to be thinking about them all day.

[crossdressingdeath]

hi!! would you happen to have any mod recs for bg3? :з going though the nexus mods page for the game right now and feeling kinda overwhelmed lmao

Yeah, there are... so many. Let me see... First off, you're almost certainly going to need the Mod Fixer, most mods require it. Also the mod manager if you didn't get it already. Unique Tav (and the required Old Shader Pack that goes with it) is really good for character design stuff; I use it for Kyvir, that's where his tattoos come from. You can look through the requirements list to see all the mods that use it too, I think most body tattoo mods and things along those lines use Unique Tav. There's also the Leathery Garb mod which just adds some fun additional camp clothes (also what I use for Kyvir). For Durge specifically I've got an autopsy scar mod that's really good, and of course the Strangely Familiar Ring mod my beloved.

In terms of gameplay, first off you should absolutely get the Camp Events Notification mod. It does exactly what it says on the tin and it's netted me so much dialogue that I would've missed without it. Then I've got a mod that lets you buy all the camp clothes and underwear in act 1 so you can get all the fancy act 3 stuff right away and another mod that adds boots as camp footwear (both of them give their respective stock to merchants in act 1; Arron in the grove will have everything). Then there's Deity For All and the associated Deity Tag Activator if you want your character to have a deity without having to be a cleric (although keep in mind that if you use these everyone except Shadowheart—and your character if you change their deity—will be a Selûnite due to her being first in the deity list). There's also this one which adds more gods to choose from; the vast majority of additional gods are just for flavour, but from what I can tell gods who could be selected and had dialogue associated with them in EA but were later scrapped (eg the Dead Three) have that dialogue restored by this mod. Although I can't currently confirm that everything works properly together; side note, if anyone knows of a point where clerics of Bane got unique dialogue in EA act 1 please let me know, I'd love to be able to confirm if it'll show up for Kyvir. And of course if you're playing Durge Better Dark Urge is always fun; it basically adds some additional features that you can toggle on and off to give more of a sense in gameplay that you're not Just Some Guy.

That's everything from my list, but if anyone has any additional recs feel free to chime in!

[mwezina]

i love it when people unironically love homestuck bc it was a huge part of my adolescence and some of its part may have aged poorly but it still has a very special place in my heart <3 anyway i have a disappointingly normal question for you about it. who's your favorite character

I like Jade! I've always wanted to be like a half-animal half-human character, and I liked her upbeat attitude! I also liked that she was very no-nonsense with Karkat, who I found aggravating at the time (he's grown on me since).

I think Homestuck is a very interesting case of a bunch of stuff all mixed together. There are references to popular media and memes, and allusions to the English literary canon. And the classpect system is such a fun way of breaking down character & theme. It definitely had a lasting impact on my adolescence.

Anyways, thanks for the ask and who's your favourite character? O:

[youngerfrankenstein]

Tagged by @isleofair !

The game is to pick five of your favourite movies and have people pick which best matches your “vibe”.

…The problem being I’ve been wondering off and on what some of my favourites are. …And then if I even like movies. And now if there’s enough of a difference between them. But oh well! I’m probably forgetting a bunch but whatever.

Tagging @nugylienshyd @crookedmountain @rayne-showers and @roseofnohr (no pressure at all!!!)

[haejjoon]

had an absolutely bonkers day at work SO i reread the 5th chapter and immediately!! crops watered skin moisturiser anxiety gone im feeling so good now woah...........

moments i absolutely adore: goro knowingly utilizing gap moe, goro imitating ryuji and ryuji laughing with it, goro unused to being bickered over by HIS FRIENDS, the neat-o explanation for changing clothes in the metaverse, robin & ryuji, goro being a nerd and also loving the praise he gets but not allowing himself to bask in it for long, AKIRA

my bby is here again ive missed him 🥺🥺🥺 i love how nicely him appearing ties into with THE FOOL, because he sorta is one yeah? it's like a little nod to the canon p5 (where thematically akira can be said to be the fool, gaining enlightment and spirituality via his bonds as the game progresses; but also where yaldabaoth is the fool confidant AND is the one behind akira in the swap au). it's also a little 👀👀👀 with how goro unlocks the fool confidant the moment akira comes into the picture, like it's not just the ryuji-ann-morgana group who are the fool confidant for goro, akira is a necessary element there as well. also is goro suspecting something with those CLANG CLANG chains and cards? is he tying them to specific people in his mind and will he (mistakenly) tie the fool to akira?

um also i love love love what you do with the text formatting in those BREAKETH THY CHAINS sequences, it's very cool! and when you change the text in there a little bit, like turning "chains of captivity" into "captive" and then evolving it into "you are held captive" like woah...... foreshadowing!!

then the entire sequence of goro trying to understand why does he hate akira so much. lmao omg "he's so annoying and his smile is not ugly at all and also his lashes are soooo long. god what a fucking dick" goro babe please skdjeindosndj im very curious as to who will be the first to understand and acknowledge their feelings to the other. goro or akira akira or goro. goro is emotionally constipated akira is babygirl murderer place your bets

and then!!! goro immediately becoming suspicious bc of akira's slip up. it's going to bite everyone in the ass of course we know that but i can just FEEL how narratively satisfying it will be when everyone will write goro's suspicions off, like "nah goro's just got a hateboner for him" like ahhhh goro you're so correct but your actions and biases have led you here the cliff of your own doing

and then sojiro scene. the entirety of it. goro scrambling to fall back on some tried and true approach except sojiro's having none of that because HE. GENUINELY. CARES. poor monamona that whole breakdown and crying must've been so awkward for him

thank you again!!! ill keep saying it every time haha sorry this got so long im just. loving your work so much. truly a labor of love <33 hope you have a good day!!

before i say anything else, tumblr user nugylienshyd your asks are probably the very highlight of my days. i get SO giddy whenever i see your username pop up. im sorry i coudln't get to you until just now it's been such a day but (cracks knuckles)

GORO UTILIZING GAP MOE WAS SUCH A THROWAWAY LINE I WONT LIE HSKGLSD i was trying to figure out how to have him explain the difference between Pleasant Boy and Aspiring Axe Murderer and then i went wait. there's a term for this. gap moe. goro imitating ryuji also made me ugly laugh as all hell when the idea popped up into my mind because he would do that, wouldn't he.

AKIRAAAAA i'm glad you noticed the formatting ehe <3 ive said this before and i'll say it again, people need to utilize formatting more in fics!!! just because you're using words to create art doesn't mean you can't add a visual aspect to it as well!!! THE FOOL coinciding with akira's sudden appearance will forever be high point for my pride. i'm super happy with it. i'm glad you liked it too <3 (also your point about the phantom thieves somehow being incomplete and then akira appearing right when the bond formed is a neat one. i didn't mean to make it that way but damn thats an idea [writes down])

goro being a hater is another thing people need to use more often. listen its cute when he's like "akira :) responded to my date request hehe ok time to go to kichijoji" but its CUTER when he goes "look at this pathetic loser. he agreed to go on a date with me after Just One Text. this troglodyte. this buffoon" (asked him out in the first place)

and about goro immediately noticing akira's slip up!!!! of course he would. his entire thing is being Clever after all <3 iv ealso mentioned this in the past but i always found it so weird that ryuji and ann somehow picked up on pancakes so quickly? like these two are canonically the dumb blondes of the group..... and ur telling me... that they not only paid enough attention to morgana/akechi's words (ryuji SPECIFICALLY, who doesn't even like the two all that much at that point in time) to make the pancakes connection, but they ALSO remembered it enough to recall it to every new thief that joined their party??? really???????

im glad you liked the sojiro scene. it was honestly and truly such a long time coming, and they kind of... needed it? it was the only way goro could understand where sojiro was coming from, at least to me. goro's instinctive reaction to any unnatural behaviors is to lash out until the other person goes away or fights right back--both of which would be beneficial to him, at least in his perspective, because the strange threat is gone and he's back in his safe, lonely bubble. it's also why he was so taken aback when sojiro just... took it. he didn't expect him to agree. he didn't know what to do when he did.

thank you for such a well thought out ask, man <3 i did see this earlier last night, but i was in such a funk the whole day i couldn't collect my thoughts enough to respond to it properly until now. i hope your day's going well too. until next time <3

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

s i hope i'm not being presumptuous here but. i would like to hear your sylvain/seteth brainworms

MY AGENDA. IT'S WORKING.

Okay okay okay. Hear me out: (un)stoppable force v. immovable object, Sylvain being the former. Which isn't to say Seteth is a rigid stick in the mud--he can't be for this to work. Only that living for so long means his constant state (i.e. the thing he can't be moved from) is one of at least some adaptability. In other words: we have a volatile force who can (and does) at one point change for the better, and an object that's essentially a stalk of bamboo in the breeze.

The potentials here are endless.

I have another post somewhere in my blog about Setvain, but that's mainly pertaining to a blurb I had about them in Princes (in which they will not, unfortunately, be getting together). But I think Crests would invite a very interesting friction between them. Sylvain has a disdain for Crests that never really goes away. Seteth is one of the few people left in this world who understands what Crests are. And, as far as I'm concerned, Sylvain's attitude reminds him of how he felt when his people were first brutalized. To see the remnants of your family paraded around like trophies and lauded as blessings--I don't think the hurt that comes from that ever truly goes away. But once it's been done, it's done. You cannot strip Crests away from Fódlani society in one fell swoop without being utterly and indisputably morally bankrupt (read: dabbling in eugenics or creating a new social system wherein the Crested are on the bottom).

ANYWAY. Tangent over. Seteth has had time to come to this conclusion. Even if it'll never be true peace of mind, it's peaceful. The truth of the matter is that Sylvain has a Crest, and it is of value. I think Seteth is the perfect person to help him come to terms with that, given that Sylvain has a very nasty habit of objectifying himself, either as a son or potential spouse.

On the other hand, Sylvain has a very interesting and, dare I say healthy, relationship with duty. At least by the end of the game.

We're introduced to Sylvain as someone who's acting diametrically oppositional to how he knows he'll need to act in the future--but he never lets it affect him long-term. He enjoys himself (even if this enjoyment is debatably a method of emotional self-harm, given it feeds into his self-objectification), but when shit gets real he's one of the first to be on top of it. He's emotionally intelligent, even if it takes a while for him to become emotionally mature, and that informs a lot of his more level-headed beliefs. In this instance, when it comes to accepting the reality of the situation ("I'm gonna be margrave one day, might as well party-hardy while I can"), he's swapped places with Seteth.

Because Seteth has his own unrealistic ways about walking through the world, and they all boil down to Flayn.

Though not informed by nothing (see: that oft-forgotten genocide before the start of the game), he is incredibly, unhealthily protective of Flayn. I would argue he is unrealistically protective, the same way Sylvain has unrealistic expectations of women. Yes, some people are going to act the way you fear they will, but to let that inform every single decision you make in this one area of your life--flirting with someone or raising your daughter, for example--is to take the long route of shooting yourself in the foot. You become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You act as though women will treat you like meat, and so you're likely to attract those same women; you have been proven right. In Seteth's case it's more like confirmation bias, where he feared the worst and close to the worst happened, so all of his previous behaviours have been justified--though credit where credit is due, he does send Flayn to school in the interest of self-defence. (Emotional growth and human interaction being bonuses, I guess.)

Seteth does not need advice on how to raise his daughter, per se, but I think the input of someone who was raised with more weighty expectations placed upon him than he has fingers and toes would mean something. And depending on WHEN in canon we're talking about, this can take on different tones. Pre- any sort of relationship, before the kidnapping, and Seteth has actually managed to corner Sylvain and foist advice onto him? Sylvain would passive-aggressively offer advice he genuinely believed in pertaining to how Seteth managed his younger sister. Post-kidnapping, and perhaps a one- or two-night stand for stress relief on either end? Sylvain would be more earnest and serious in reminding Seteth he is not the goddess and couldn't have possibly done anything differently--not without making her hate him indefinitely for keeping her cooped up in a tower a la Rapunzel like he very clearly has the urge to at times. If he worded it specifically that way, I think Seteth would have perhaps a more volatile reaction--because while he isn't the goddess, he is her kin, and if the world were different he would have been able to use that truth of him to protect her more thoroughly.

So we now have two men who have been irreversibly altered by the world, in a way that allows them to offer a different, calmer perspective on the facts at hand, while at the same time giving them emotional blindspots that are perfectly in the field of vision of the other. We have the basis of what so profoundly intrigues me about them. Which leads me to my next and final statement:

I just think DDILF (dragon dad i'd like to fuck) dick would fix him <3 or at least calm him down a bit.

[crossdressingdeath]

oh how about alaris and his boyfriends and....... 12? or 17. for the ship kiss ask game :з

(The ship kiss ask game) 12. ...in grief. 17. …to distract. Two kisses for two boyfriends, hm? Fair enough!

Alaris stared at the porcelain scattered around his feet, the crash of impact still ringing in his ears. It had been such a lovely teacup, a distant part of his mind lamented; part of a set Dorian had just bought, the sort that cost enough to make his head spin even now. He’d picked it up left-handed without thinking, and the Anchor had rewarded him with a sharp blaze of pain and a spasm in his fingers that left the cup in pieces on the floor before he could even think of trying to catch it.

Dorian set his own cup down in its saucer with a soft clink. “Are you all right, amatus?” he ventured. “You didn’t burn yourself?”

“I’m so sorry,” Alaris blurted out, tearing his eyes away from the shards of his cup. “I didn’t mean to…”

“Well, I didn’t think you deliberately threw my teacup on the floor,” Dorian said. “Can I ask what happened?” 

“My hand—” Alaris began before he could think better of it. “...slipped,” he finished lamely. The others were worried enough about him as it was; he kept catching them staring at him when they thought he wasn’t looking, whispering about him behind his back. Even now Dorian’s brow was creased in concern, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. It looked wrong on him. “I wasn’t paying attention to it, I suppose,” he added.

The door opened at the same time as Dorian’s mouth, cutting off any further questions. Alaris was grateful until Bull walked in. “I heard something break,” he said, his eye roving from Dorian to Alaris to the teacup on the floor. 

“And you certainly took your time coming to check on us,” Dorian huffed. “We’re fine. Alaris just dropped a teacup.”

Bull grunted, his gaze now fixed solely on Alaris. “A teacup, huh. How’s your hand, boss?”

“I dropped it, I didn’t spill it on myself,” Alaris said. “My hand is fine, it just slipped.” He stared down at his hand as he flexed his fingers; anything to avoid meeting Bull’s eye. The big bastard could read him too well, and he was tired of awkward questions. He could still feel his pulse pounding in his hand, sending little sparks of pain up his arm with every beat. “I’m just tired, that’s all.” The best lie was the sort that wasn't a lie at all. 

“Hm.” Bull sat down on his other side, the sudden dip in the couch sending Alaris sprawling against him, and took his hand. Even the gentlest pressure of his fingers was enough to make the Anchor blaze to agonizing life; Alaris could barely yank his hand back before it made him cry out, and that was suspicious enough. “Kadan—”

“Just tired,” Alaris repeated, trying for a reassuring smile. “It’s been a long day.”

He stood, and the other two stood with him. “I think we could all do with some sleep before—” Dorian began.

“No!” For a moment the three of them just stared at each other; then Alaris cleared his throat. “No, I… don’t think I’ll be able to sleep until this is done. You two should rest, though”

He wanted nothing more than to let Bull and Dorian change his mind. He’d missed being able to go to bed with them ever since the last time the three of them were in the same place. But going to bed meant taking his gloves and coat off, and under his left glove and sleeve was the pulsing wreck of green veins and blackened flesh that was the Anchor. It would be better for everyone if he didn’t let them see it. Better to let them pretend things would be fine a little longer. And if he didn’t wake up—

…Well. If he didn’t wake up he didn’t want them to be the first to find him.

“I’ll see you in a few hours,” he said, praying it wasn’t a lie.

“We can stay up with you,” Dorian offered. “I’m sure neither of us would mind keeping you company…”

Alaris rolled his eyes. “Go to sleep. There’s no need for you two to wear yourselves out worrying about me.”

“Of course we’re—”

Dorian’s protests sputtered to a halt as Alaris cupped his face in his hands and cut him off with a kiss. It only took a moment for him to stop trying to speak, instead pulling Alaris closer against him, kissing him so slow and gentle that Alaris could feel tears pricking in his eyes. If this is the last time, some small part of his mind whispered, it’s at least a good one. “I love you,” he said when they pulled apart. “You know that, right?”

“I love you too,” Dorian said, only sounding a little dazed.

“Hey, any love left for me?” Bull playfully shoved his way between them, bending down to smack an obnoxiously loud kiss against Dorian’s temple. He ignored the other man’s complaints as he turned to Alaris. “Boss?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

It felt like the first time Alaris had laughed in months. He was almost disappointed when Bull silenced it by tipping his head back with a finger under his chin and kissing him. Only almost, though; one of Bull’s big hands carded through his hair, the other moving from his chin to the back of his neck, and he melted into it without hesitation. It’s a good one, he thought again.

When Bull pulled away there was something far too knowing in his gaze, but instead of saying anything he just kissed Alaris on the forehead. “I’m gonna stay here, actually,” he said. “Keep you company. Dorian?”

“Why not?” Dorian flopped back down on the couch, lounging against the arm. “We can make a party of it!”

“Why not,” Alaris echoed.

In a few hours it would all be over, one way or another. But for now Alaris could settle back down between Bull and Dorian and let himself forget what was to come.

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

s hiiii hope you've been well!! <3

Hello Shyd dearest 😌 I have been, mostly! Decided to crack the fuck down and redo my little princes mindmap which looks like this

and is being transplanted and reworked into this

which is . CONSIDERABLY more bare bones. and is not going to stay that way for long gljdfkgj. but, y'know, no rest for the wicked. When I publish the next chapter I want everything to maybe not be set in stone, but for it to have a solid, intricate plan that I was kind of just vibes-ing before lmao.

But, other than that, saw one of my all-time favourite bands for the past ten-ish years for my birthday, and I'm still riding the high of that to be honest flgkjdlfgkj. Thank you for the ask! ^^

[crossdressingdeath]

hello hi i have a small question!! sorry i forget if alaris drank from the well of sorrows in your cabin playthrough or not; but if he did, does it in any way affect him in between da:i and da:tv events? obviously we don't know how this choice will play out in da:tv proper (yet. teehee) but i'm sure you've had some thoughts on the matter :>

(also i went through alaris's tag and boy that letter written by someone who hates them? the way cullen spoke of him to cassandra? that half finished letter by a templar who barely lived the encounter with alaris? ohhhh i love <3)

He did drink from the Well, but honestly I don't really have any thoughts about what that means for him between games. I've already got such massive clown shoes on over Dirthamen that ten to one I'm already going to have to rework a good chunk of Alaris's backstory when DAV comes out and inevitably reveals Dirthamen isn't secretly a good guy (because Bioware doesn't want me to have any fun), I don't want to make that worse for myself. So I'm holding off on thinking about the Well, although I do suspect it'll go badly if Alaris tries to confront Solas directly.

Glad you liked the writing! I've been fiddling with Alaris's backstory since I started playing DAI again, but all the codex entries I think still fit.

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

disco elysium propaganda!!!! you get to be the worst cop ever and the game even assigns you a cop type. i was assigned sorry cop for apologizing too much

I'm about to whip out my laptop on this train an hit purchase

[crossdressingdeath]

OHH tranquil alaris..... heartbreaking. amazing. chewing glass. <3 does the inquisition inner circle ever learn about this? i'm assuming that dorian and bull do at some point but what about everyone else? i feel like with vivienne it could've been fun...

I definitely want the inner circle to find out at some point, although I'm having trouble figuring out if/how exactly that would happen; it's not something Alaris would ever willingly discuss with the inner circle unprompted, not even the ones he trusts absolutely. I'm toying with the idea of the spirit that possessed him showing up in the Fade during HLtA, but even then that would only reveal that he has an unusual bond with a denizen of the Fade (which is. a whole other post). Even if people figured out that he'd been possessed from that the followup conclusion wouldn't be that he'd been Tranquil, it would just be that... he'd been possessed. Which would be a whole other can of worms given the general assumption in Thedas that if mages get possessed they're either too weak to protect themselves or evil and deliberately got possessed to hurt people, thinking about it... He probably tells Cole, actually, because I like the idea of Cole being able to see past the Anchor enough to know that there's something going on there. But fuck the writers' nonsense, a spirit of compassion who can see into people's heads would know not to air all their issues in front of other people, so Cole doesn't say a word about it beyond the occasionally "Hey maybe stop" whenever anyone tries to defend Tranquility (or. the Circles in general for that matter) within earshot of both him and Alaris.

My other thought is that since he and Maddox were friends back in the Gallows it might come up after Maddox's death, given Alaris would not be able to keep quiet about everyone treating the friend who risked his neck to help Alaris escape like his death was the equivalent tragedy of damaging a nice chair. Which would also be a fun way of getting into the whole thing where... yeah, Tranquil are still people with free will who can go against the Chantry if they think it's the right thing to do, they just usually keep their heads down because it's safer. In general the Tranquil are really left out of this game where their skulls are used for a minor side quest and whether the Circles are just is an important question, which is something that makes making the Inquisitor a former Tranquil an interesting shift in the narrative! And I've seen that a couple times but only in a situation where everyone knows Quiz used to be Tranquil? And that's a very different thing from it being a secret that they're keeping. I like the idea of it being a gradual reveal, bits and pieces coming out over time (even things like "Alaris was in a Circle" and "Alaris was in the Gallows specifically" can be different and very fun reveals), but I'm still fiddling with the details. And yeah, it could be very fun with Vivienne.

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

s hello have any brainworms for roleswap dmvn formed in your mind yet....... bc im gnawing at the bars of my cage thinking about them

ALL RIGHT i've let this collect dust for long enough, I think.

Worldbuilding things!

Dimitri's parents are alive. Rufus is the equivalent of Miklan in this story, and I think he steals Areadbhar during month four of school. TBD.

The tragedy of Duscur doesn't happen, because Matthias' methods are the low-and-slow type rather than Lambert's "let's go have peace talks right now actually."

What DOES happen is the very beginnings of an armistice between Sreng and Faerghus, which is just as much a ploy by the slitherers now as it was in Duscur, and results in the incapacitation of Matthias as well as the death of the Queen and Miklan (and the usual cast and crew that got done in in Duscur, like Glenn).

Dimitri was there, but things play out a little differently. Still has absolutely bonkers levels of survivor's guilt. Why did Glenn have to lose his life instead of him? The queen and prince, too?

Felix's feelings on Dimitri are far more mixed because of it, I think. But that's another discussion (fic?).

Matthias shuts down on all attempts to make peace with other countries. He does put everything he has into trying to restabilize Faerghus, but his mind kinda snapped watching his son and wife die before his eyes. Sylvain straddles the line between hating him and feeling bad for him.

I'm sure I could have reworked this to make sense to include Duscur the way they have been, but brain running on fumes, so we'll take what we get. Feel free to imagine a character with a similar narrative role coming from Sreng instead. Maybe it's the son of the chieftain they . . . captured/took in/who the fuck knows.

Onto the dimivain of it all <3

Every hangup Sylvain has about people thirsting after his Crest and not him is cranked up to eleven, because now the chances of someone wanting the prestige of being his spouse (and by extension, a monarch) are ridiculously high.

Gautier territory is where it is, but the royal family lives in Fhirdiad. Because Blaiddyd territory is so close to where they actually are, the family charged with keeping them safe is pretty obvious. (Their monster of a Crest certainly doesn't hurt.)

Sylvain tries to poke Dimitri's buttons about this. "Doesn't it bother you? That you're stuck with me because of something you didn't choose?"

Dimitri doesn't have a real answer right away. He says something about being honoured, not caring to know another manner of life, same old same old. There's something in it about making your circumstances your own rather than fighting them tooth and nail that's at odds with Sylvain's perpetual "I know what I'm headed for but that doesn't mean I've gotta like it!"

Dimitri tries to tell Sylvain that bedding random women is not a great image for the crown prince. Sylvain loses his brain cells and asks if it'd be a safer rumour to have the crown prince be in love with his retainer.

Dimitri doesn't take him seriously for even a second.

Sylvain has never been more serious in his life.

"Dimitri, come on, you haven't ever said my name! I think you came out of the womb being all 'Your Highness' this, 'Your Highness' that." "I'm not sure what you mean, Your Highness." "You're so full of it! Just once? Please?" "I'm afraid not, Your Highness."

Sparring = flirting? Dimitri loses his composure whenever Sylvain really gets into it and tries to win, but it's a 50-50 chance on whether he actually succeeds.

Sylvain refuses to make the first move, when it's like that. Dimitri's heart's too big, and Sylvain doesn't want to know if he's being placated or pursued.

Unfortunately! Things get blown to bits during the timeskip. Dimitri damn near loses his life trying to prevent Sylvain from being captured by Cornelia's men, but he manages it. Unfortunately, he's still got a hell of a lot of wounds to lick while the Gautiers regroup in Gautier territory. The surrounding lords are skilled enough at diverting search parties before they can stumble upon a humble-looking cabin in the woods that houses Faerghus' most important people.

Sylvain's heart breaks when he sees his best friend, the boy who'd been sworn to him since the first time the sun came up, looking like hell now lived inside him.

"What are you doing? You've done your share, Dimitri. You don't have to do this anymore." You don't have to hurt yourself for me anymore. Please don't hurt for me. If you die for me, I worry that I couldn't even hate you for it.

Dimitri hasn't let go of Areadbhar since he returned. Maybe once, because eating had required it. But he sets it down in that moment and approaches so that there's no more than a handful of inches between them.

"You asked me if I was bothered by having to stay by your side. Do you think I would not have fled, across the sea or over the mountains, if I didn't want to stand where I've stood all these years?"

"But you--" But you didn't have a choice.

Dimitri looks off in the distance. "Does a hound choose to be a carnivore? A flower, to flourish in the sun?"

"Those are bodily functions, Dimitri. Don't think that counts."

"Ah. I haven't made it clear then."

Sylvain loses it a little when Dimitri leans closer.

"I breathe, and I wake, and I think of you, and if there was ever a moment of doubt that you're the cornerstone of my heart, Sylvain, I'm afraid that was an error on my part."

Sylvain wants to say something about how Dimitri could have easily had the entirety of Garreg Mach's student body chasing after him like a pack of wolves after prey, but Dimitri has willingly walked into the trap of his arms, so Sylvain is in no mood to spook him away (read: irritate him in the way Dimitri never admits to being irritated).

They have rings, Blaiddyd-silver and gems coloured Gautier-teal, that are always there under gloves and gauntlets.

People say that King Sylvain never married because he grew tired of the women that cycled through his chambers. Dimitri doesn't particularly like listening to people run their mouths that way, but protecting Sylvain from prying eyes and centuries-old expectation has always been more important than defending his honour.

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

something i had to quickly learn while playing disco elysium is to quickly let go of my second hand embarrassment. your cop will fail. that's just how he is 🫡 (hope you're having fun!)

My cop just died ❤️ so I've accepted failure. I'm having the time of my life though so no complaints

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

s hello!! i hope you've been well i just snuck into here to tell you i'm rereading your works and ahhhhh <3 princes of silver and gold has such a special place in my heart. i hope you have fun while working on it, be it rewriting, writing new parts or just thinking about it. that counts too. source: trust me bro

Brb bawling my eyes out

No but thank you so much for the encouragement 🥺🥺 it's hard to find time to actually Write It but you're so right, thinking about your blorbos is half the fun. Also thank you???? so much for making a point of reading my works lol???? You're so incredibly sweet, I feel spoiled 😭

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

hello resident claude expert!! i have an out of the blue question for you: do you think it’s at all possible for a post-cf claude to eventually become blinded by his desire for revenge? as in, would he ever abandon whatever convictions and morals stood in between him and her majesty’s death? (i remember you saying you didn’t like canon cf scenarios so feel free to ignore this kdnfkdnfkn)

Shyd I'm so sorry that I've left this alone for so long ;-; but! Let's get into it.

I should make it clear that me not liking CF canon scenarios is pretty much limited to "nooooo my blorbos :((( why'd they gotta die like that," and other writing things, but I'm always down to talk about them!

Back to the meat of it: The short answer to this question is yes, but it is very contingent on a few things.

All the Deer have to have died, or defected. I have my preference, but death is the more irrevocable, draining option, while having simply been abandoned by those he once called friends is the far more damaging hit to the psyche. For the sake of this, let's say the Deer have died.

He has to have returned to Alymra. It exacerbates all the old wounds that healed too slowly or improperly, and being back home in such an emotionally vulnerable state with nothing having changed for him here OR back in Fodlan gives us a blackboard primed for angsty chalk.

It has to be a very slow degeneration of his morals--a series of justifications, if you will, that what he's doing is for peace. It can't be one incident that snaps his brain, because he's a creature of logic and reason. So, that, by extension, implies a years-long endeavour to wipe out Imperial influence from Fodlan, starting with EdeIgard. The tragedy is upped by the fact that he's basically slowly convincing himself over time that he's doing what has to be done, that peace will come eventually if he just bends one more rule, and peace is paramount. One of his best traits, turned against himself, for what he's warped into being a step toward his "dream."

The last and saddest bit? He can't come back from it, I'm afraid. This will be Greek-tragedy levels of sad, if only because, essentially, the very fabric of his soul's been torn up and used to choke out the threats to Fodlan, but now there's . . . nothing really left for him. Pick your poison as to whether he dies having accomplished his goals or--

No, actually, I've decided: He spends the rest of his life wandering the world, always an outsider looking in, always a passerby, having dismantled Imperial rule in a place he'll never see again. He tells himself he'll return one day, to either Fódlan or Almyra. But it's easier to always be the outsider in a new place than the forgotten ghost in a place that, once upon a time, would have known him perfectly.

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

QUESTION THOUGH how closely are you going to follow anastasia's setting..... i mean like is it still 1180s in fodlan or is it a more modern-ish world..........

also re: dimitri's name, mitya is perfectly acceptable in my opinion but you could also pick a different form of dimitri itself! if you specifically want the name to have a full form. there's dmitri and dmytro and dmitr and a bunch others, my personal favorite from my mother tongue is mitrei lol

OH MITREI IS GOOD . . . might change that for the full fic 😗.

As for the setting: unabashedly closer to the 1920s. Call me a clown but I want that dimiclaude train scene if it kills me. That said, it is very much Fódlan if it were in the 1920s, but without magic. I'm still working out the finer details to be quite frank but I will obviously be babbling about it on this blog for the time being.