#agent caspar | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dragonsarecats · 9 months

Note

I definitely agree that the sway of Byleth as a lot of weight for SS! But I don't think it's the only important factor? Because to me if it was the case, Claude and Dimitri would have their own SS: the fact that it's specific to Edelgard do seems means something about the Eagles loyalty toward her.

Edelgard don't feel betrayed in Silver Snow nor did she trusted the other Eagles? Can you give specific dialog? To me Silver Snow, at least regarding Byleth and other student is kinda just what she expected to happen?

I do think the Hubert point has to be nuanced: Hubert is only one person in Edelgard huge lack of positive relationship, and more widely Edelgard truly awful situation. Edelgard is constantly watched by her abuser, she has to constantly worry that people she met could very much be TWSITD agent, ... Yes, she has someone to rely on but comparatively she has countless ennemies on her track ( unlike Claude who has mostly potential enemy, or indirect ennemies that have in no way the same weight as TWSITD or Aegir for example ). So yeah, while Claude and Edelgard trust issue are different in certain ways, I don't think Claude trust issue can be a point as to why found family is a fundamental trope of VW and not of CF?

For the inherent respect as a leader I'm sorry to have missed what you meant! But while you're right that Claude as the thoughest situation, the other lord don't take the respect as granted? The role of Emperor is now a puppet leader and the Prime Minister is supposed to hold the true power, Edelgard certainly does have to work for the respect and the amount of power she has in CF: she has to rely on TWSITD and make alliance with Caspar and Linhardt father for example. Even Dimitri who clearly has the best position of the three when it comes to natural respect has the whole Rufus affair!

For Ferdinand a the reason behind him being rival who don't litteraly seek to take her power, it's because he already has power over her so I don't think it's necessarily a strong point? Because of the insurrection, she's the puppet leader, he's the one with the actual power. And Edelgard noble connection are small and actually very unimpactful. Especially compared to Dimitri who has his actual group of childhood friend and adoptive fathers

How is Edelgard not inherently untrusting compared to Claude and Hubert? I mean, they made a choice to give one lord the line about being so untrusful they can't even trust themselves, they made SB about the hardship of trusting unlike GW where Claude surprisingly trust Shez to some extent quickly? I genuinely don't see how she has less trust issue, or at least less deep, and to me it kinda wouldn't make sense with her backstory ( especially on the Hubert comparison )?

I'm sorry for all the misunderstanding too, I hope I'm not too rude- And really if my ask bother you or take too much time to respond I really won't mind if you don't respond ^^" Thanks you for taking your time in any case

First of all anon, let's clear something up! I ADORE your asks! You're not rude at all, I really, genuinely enjoy disagreeing with you, if that makes sense? You're clearly super passionate about Three Houses and talking about this game with someone who is super passionate is really fun for me! And don't worry about how long it takes me to respond to you lol--which is very ironic considering this response took nearly twenty days when I normally reply within eight hours (finals hit hard D:) --because I love doing it! You're genuinely a bright spot in my day!

Now, to the rest of your ask!

So for me, the reason why Claude and Dimitri don't have a "Silver Snow", as you put it, is because thematically they don't really "need" one. The type of conflict dealt with by Claude and Dimitri both personally and politically doesn't require an additional route to explore, and also, Silver Snow is much more the Church route then it is the oppositional-Edelgard route. I think Silver Snow branches from Edelgard's route because that's the most interesting place to put it. As personally as Dimitri's route gets with Edelgard, he isn't her true opposition; Rhea is.

And thus for me, the Silver Snow route says much more about Rhea, Edelgard, Seteth, and Byleth, then it does the Eagles. I definitely think it says something about the Eagles-- that they don't appreciate Edelgard's methodology and could be convinced to opposed her (and have mixed feelings about them) puts them in a very similar boat to Claude, who is most frequently compared with Edelgard. However, when removed from the context of SS/CF (and thus, recruitment ignored, away from Byleth's influence), all of them do show up at Edelgard's side, and are willing to die for her. I think, similarly to the other routes, their relationships are different and more strained, but ultimately without the influence of Byleth they are loyal to Edelgard (and the Empire) in a way that can't be ignored.

"Edelgard don't feel betrayed in Silver Snow nor did she trusted the other Eagles? Can you give specific dialog? To me Silver Snow, at least regarding Byleth and other student is kinda just what she expected to happen?"

No, you're absolutely correct here, I definitely misspoke. If I were to try and correct what I said...I don't think Edelgard felt betrayed by the other Eagles, but perhaps, disappointed? It's a conclusion I come to from seeing her in CF more than anything else, frankly, because (and I'll elaborate on this a few paragraphs down), I see Edelgard as a very desperate person. She is desperate to trust even as she views everyone with suspicion, two traits that seem more diametrically opposed then they really are.

Go back into trust issues (and the leadership points), I think there is no "better" or "worse" when comparing Edelgard and Claude's trust issues, just "different." Edelgard's trust issues cause her to put on a front of suspicion, but it's not a strong one. This is the result of two things: her trauma, and Hubert. Edelgard has a peer she can trust anything and everything with (and this is a good thing for her), and that includes vetting people. Even with the Professor, Edelgard grows fond of her quickly, and begins to trust her (implied by game mechanics to really, really start at C+ but also scene in other routes the fondness really does carry), but Hubert holds off on Byleth until she makes that critical choice to go against the church. This to me symbolizes a sort of "safety" net that Edelgard has with Hubert? Further on her relationship with Byleth, Edelgard's trauma does result in her putting on a front of suspicion (which makes it no less apart of her, but rather something she deliberately does to protect herself), but I think Edelgard is just desperate for someone to reach out to her.

I haven't talked about this before, but I think one of the things that highlights the differences between Edelgard and Claude and also their trust level, is the concept of "adults." This affects Dimitri as well, but as a "rule" in three houses if something majorly affects two house leaders it affects the third in less dramatic/major ways. That is to say, that while Edelgard has never had an adult/authority figure she could rely on, Claude has. And while Claude has never had the ability to rely on a peer, she has. Edelgard removes the old guard almost completely when she rises to power, only compromising, as you said, with Lindhardt and Caspar's parents. She replaces everyone she can't rely one with people she can rely on, because she's learned the hard way through what happened to her and her family. Claude, on the other hand, had his parents. They raised him to be self sufficient and to survive in a world that hated him. Later, Claude had his grandfather, and now has Judith and Nader (who trained him in childhood). He had no peers and no friends until he arrives at the Academy. As a result, Claude simply...lives with the discomfort. He deals with the reverse of what Edelgard went through; instead of living with people who have harmed you, he experienced harm from other people and now is forced to be around people who think the same way and thus could harm him in the future. Whereas Edelgard clears out the rot and only compromises where she has to, Claude is a being of compromise. It's not just that he distrusts others, it's that others fundamentally distrust him.

Edelgard's place as the next Emperor is never in doubt. It just isn't. What really shows this off to me, is the silver snow cutscene in which the flame emperor is blatantly backtalking to the Agarthans! Talking about how she doesn't approve of what they've doing and how they're going to pay--to me it was really effective at showing off how well they were at manipulating her because there is a reason Edelgard goes after the Church first and not the people responsible for her own personal tragedy. It's never in doubt in the Crimson Flower route that Edelgard will be Emperor. She never doubts it. To better compare her and Dimitri to Claude--he's basically a bastard to the Alliance. Sure, Edelgard is at risk of being undermined and turned into a puppet leader, but the fact that she will be that leader is objectively not up for debate. Edelgard is not afraid of the people in the Empire (non-Agarthan) who caused the coup, and she's relatively easily able to steamroll over them. Edelgard has stability in her place in the world--her place has been custom made, after all, as the only survivor of her siblings. In a way, it's also what makes her such a tragic figure--she has a lot less agency in her route then it feels because she's trying to make the best out of a bad situation.

Claude, on the other hand, is implied to be in a very precarious position. He can't pull off the stuff Edelgard does because Edelgard is an absolute monarch in a similar way to Dimitri. She is the Emperor and Dimitri is the King. Claude is the head of the von Reigan house, but the constant pressure and presence of Lorenz combined with Holtz's looming (if pleasant) figure in the background shows to the player that Claude is objectively replaceable. It's why his ultimate strategy during the time skip is to stall, to take advantage of the lack of unification in the Alliance (the lack of unification under him), in order to keep the Empire's eyes off of his people for the longest period possible.

So I think their trust issues are fundamentally different despite how similar Claude and Edelgard are!

Before I go to that, though, I'd like to address Ferdinand. That man has absolutely no power over Edelgard lol. Their support chain honestly makes me feel a little bad for him? The other two rivals--Lorenz and Felix--get deeper, more meaningful resolutions with their Lords but to me, personally, it feels like Ferdinand just accepts that Edelgard is better than him and becomes humble in a way that feels almost self-depreciating (esp. in their line progression if you have them pull weeds together the whole run, like me and my friend lol). Ferdinand has no idea about the coup, and he's a rather oblivious character--he believes it's his job to keep Edelgard in check, and he is only allowed to be Prime Minister because when she ousted his father, she chose to keep him there. Edelgard has so much power over Ferdinand it's crazy--both personal and political--and I don't necessarily think they have a "bad" relationship or anything I just think that Ferdinand has self esteem issues, lol, and weighs his own worth against hers which she isn't responsible for. I think you're underestimating Edelgard here--while Dimitri does have a lot of personal and political connections, so does she! There's a reason she's able to almost instantly obliterate the old guard, and that's because she has replacements like Ladislava and Randolph waiting in the wings. She's also able to keep on nobles like Lindhardt and Caspar's father's. Edelgard is a very powerful character, I think it just feels otherwise sometimes because she's so deeply affected by what happened to her as a child (as she should be) and unlike Dimitri it doesn't make her large and imposing if that makes sense.

Edelgard is jaded in a way Claude is not. I did not mean to make it seem like she was trusting because she absolutely tries not to be. Her trust issues are bone deep, and comparing her and Claude as "more" or "less" was not something I intended to do, it's just that they manifest differently. What they each want from people they could potentially trust is different: Edelgard is desperate to have someone reach out their hand to her, and Claude is desperate for someone not to slap his away when he does. Edelgard is drowning in the same way Dimitri is, emotionally. The Hubert thing was less of a comparison and more of an example of why Edelgard wants to trust someone so bad and appears to "slip" more than Claude does with her mask even though hers is a lot more obvious partially because she has Hubert. She does not have to do all her vetting herself, and I think that's very good for her.

I think the reason for me, why found family seems to be a much bigger theme in Verdant Wind then Crimson Flower, is again, partially because of the power structure less inherent in the Golden Deer house. Lorenz is visibly worn down over time through conversation with Leonie (our queen!) about commoners, and despite everything about Claude being inherently political, the Golden Deer manage to be peers in a way no one else is, because let's be real, Claude is an equal to the other nobles the way Edelgard and Dimitri can't be. It doesn't make him closer to the others--Hubert calls Edelgard only ever by respectful titles and I think if they were any closer they'd merge into a single soul lmao--but it puts him on a more level playing field. Mr. Leader Man is treated with a lot more humor than grandiosity, and characters like Leonie and Raphael really do result in the Golden Deer all feeling like they're equals even if you're conscious that they aren't. This, for me, makes it feel a lot more explicit when you get your found family forming, because in a big big way, it's forming completely from scratch. There's almost no real positive relationship between any of the Deer when the game starts! And I'm including Raph and Ignatz in it because of Ignatz's massive guilt! It makes that development very tangible, because it almost doesn't feel like a natural progression. For me, the theme is so prominent because it's about the formation of found family, although I think you could definitely argue that other routes have other aspects of found family more prominent.

I'm so sorry this took me so long anon!! Know I've been slowly working on this and thinking of you, lol!

#twila talks #twila answers #fire emblem three houses #fe3h #claude von riegan #edelgard von hresvelg #fe3h meta #never fear anon i adore you and your asks!!!

4 notes · View notes

svartalfhild · 2 years

Text

ssinjixuz |sɪndʒɪksuz| - Drow, n. A fight to the death between two people who were once lovers.

This is and illustration of the final confrontation between my Spirit Bard, Vrae Zilivna, and the Kargat agent Caspar Arden. The location is just outside of Nevuchar Springs, Darkon in Ravenloft.

#Dungeons and Dragons #DnD #Ravenloft #Vrae Zilivna #digital art

18 notes · View notes

harrison-abbott · 2 years

Text

MOVIE TRIVIA

- Daniel Day Lewis wore his costume on set throughout the entire filming period of Gangs of New York, and didn’t speak to anybody else aside from when he was enacting scenes, in order to stay in character.

- A stunt man actually dies in the chariot racing scene of Ben Hur (1959) and you can see it in the film.

- Whilst hiring for the role of Shaun in This is England (2006), Shane Meadows happened to meet Thomas Turgoose by chance. Meadows suggested that Turgoose (a thirteen year old non-actor) audition for the role. Turgoose agreed, on the condition that he would be paid £5 for his efforts.

- The first woman to appear nude in cinema history was Annette Kellerman in the 1916 film Daughter of the Gods. Resources vary on who was the first man to appear fully-frontally nude. Though many suggest that this came in the 1963 film Cleopatra, and the actor was not a central character.

- The first sex scene came in a Soviet Union movie called Bed and Sofa in 1927.

- Bill Paxton is the only actor to have ever been killed off by a Terminator, Alien and Predator.

- The production for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy began in 1990, eleven years before The Fellowship of the Ring was released in cinemas.

- Incidentally, The Return of the King (2003) boasts the highest on-screen death toll, with 836 bodies. Second on the body count list is Kingdom of Heaven (2005), with 610.

- Gun violence has increased in movies with a PG-13 (or 12) rated certificate, since the rating was instated in 1985. From then, scenes of violent shootouts have tripled. And in 2012, leading PG-13 films actually overtook R-rated movies in rates of gun use.

- It can work the other way, though. In 1978, the animated film Watership Down was given a U certificate. The BBFC, years later, admitted it had made a mistake and suggested it should at least be a PG, over perhaps higher.

- When Alfred Hitchcock submitted Psycho to the censor board for the first time, it was rejected. Not because of the violence of the shower scene, but because they thought Janet Leigh’s nudity was too extreme, and asked him to make it less explicit. Hitchcock submitted it a second time, without making any changes to the scene. And it was accepted.

- The corridor fight scene in Oldboy (2003) took three days to film. (Also, the scene where Oh Dae Su eats the octopus is real, and not CGI.)

- Jack Nicholson’s first agent told him to quit acting because he had “no natural talent”.

- In Richard III (1955), Laurence Olivier gets shot in the leg by a real arrow in the battle scene at the end; he just kept acting and said his lines anyway.

- The scene where Captain Willard and Colonel Kurtz meet for the first time in Apocalypse Now (1979) is entirely unscripted and improvised.

- Robert De Niro visited Martin Scorsese in the late 1970s whilst he was in hospital, recovering from a cocaine overdose. De Niro offered to help him with his addiction issues, and after his recovery suggested that they make a film together about the boxer Jake LaMotta, with himself playing the lead.

- John Lasseter based Woody and Buzz on toys he had during his own boyhood for Toy Story (1995). Woody was based on a Caspar [the friendly ghost] toy, which had a pull string that made voices; Buzz was based on a GI Joe doll.

- The film Akira (1988) only depicts around the first half of the original Manga graphic novel / comic book series. The graphic novel is over 1000 pages in length.

- Elvis Presley’s first feature film was Love Me Tender in 1956. After its premier, the fans protested because Elvis’ character originally died at the end. So they changed the ending and let him survive. John Lennon saw it in the cinema when he was 15, and said it was the first time he thought about becoming a musician, “because all the girls were screaming at him – and I thought, ‘that’s a good job’.”

- A top criminological psychologist claimed that Javier Bardem’s portrayal of Chigurh in No Country for Old Men (2007) was “the most realistic depiction of a psychopath” she had ever seen in a film.

- After the scenes set in America were complete for the filming of The Deer Hunter (1978), Christopher Walken ate a strict diet of only rice and bananas for weeks, leading up to the scenes in Vietnam, in order to achieve a gaunt, spent appearance.

- In a similar manner, Oliver Stone encouraged his actors to smoke as much marijuana as possible on the set of Platoon (1986) in order for increased anxiety and hallucinogenic effects.

- For School of Rock (2003), Richard Linklater wanted to use the Led Zeppelin track ‘Immigrant Song’ as part of the soundtrack. But knew that Led Zeppelin are notoriously stringent on people using their material in movies. So he got Jack Black and the full concert hall of extras from the finale to do a special plea video, asking for permission, after which they all started chanting “Zeppelin, Zeppelin”. Linklater sent the tape to Plant, Page and Jones and they all said yes.

- Before the “How am I funny?” scene in Goodfellas (1990), Scorsese, Pesci and Liotta were the only ones who knew how Tommy would react to Henry calling him funny. I.e., during filming, none of the other gangster actors present understand that Pesci is only acting: their silent unease is genuine.

- ^ In the same movie, De Niro’s character Jimmy Conway is described as ‘Jimmy the Gent’. A real-life mafioso who knew the real Conway later said that this wasn’t an accurate portrayal of a man who was instead a “homicidal maniac who killed over 40 people in his lifetime.”

And, that’s all I can think of right now.

#movie trivia #film facts #film buff #history of film #cinema trivia

4 notes · View notes

geladaacomics · 2 years

Video

undefined

tumblr

A proposal for a sequel to Hidetaka Miyazaki´s masterpiece; Bloodborne.

People that have yet to earn the "childhood´s beginning" ending of said game might have a hard time following.

Continued from the video: M(other) is the first "other"

Motherhood is one of the core themes the original game revolves around; I wanted to continue to build upon the haunting images that beautiful game hosts. Bloodborne combined fears surrounding the mystery of motherhood, the shady links between females and nightly powers, with the general fear of the unknown, and the other “others” that may lurk within.Aliens are also "others "in the writings of Lovecraft. They are associated with savages and immigrants, with exotic foreign cultures.

Along with their more grandiose, fantastical counterparts, these “aliens” were perceived as a great threat, mainly because of the ideas and viewpoints, the alternative religions they played host to, assaulting the European perspective with their undeniable allure, assaulting Christian values and morality. In a way, Lovecraft was afraid of people different than him because he felt they were valid, and potential agents of mighty, secret, powers. I have to say I much prefer this to the bigotry of low expectations that permeates our culture today.

Dolls are humanity itself. The human body can feel quite "alien" when you look at it under the microscope, or if, instead of a pristine surface of etiquette and makeup, you perceive savage, foreign, beast-like insanity in a fellow homo sapiens, instead of an affirmation of commonly maintained narratives and customs. My version of “the doll” acts as a metaphor for this contrast between simplified, stylized, civilized surface and complex, messy, eldritch innards. Brief Commentary on each panel:

First picture: The Doll stands triumphant above a recently defeated (and consumed) foe; a lycanthropic inhabitant of the nightmare labyrinth. She appears to have used ectoplasmic fangs to suck out the creature´s blood, in order to feed the developing child within her. Jacques Derrida proposed "language" to be the core of our world (replacing old favorites such as "History" "Man" and "God"). Derrida, as I understand, understood language not to be composed of two different pieces (word and meaning) but rather, word referencing word, in time, one. My pictures are all meant to place pressure on the distinction we make between form and content, inviting people to reflect on that tired old antagonism that, in my opinion, has wrecked enough havoc on our world.

Second picture: The squid-like child repairs her mother´s body from within, using a mold to produce a replacement for some lost body part. Many elements are placed in relation to each other, as a sort of equation. Compare and contrast; Moon, mirror, water, blood, vase, container, broken container, the idea of Aquarius(which is featured prominently in the original game), gaze, inner gaze, mold, wave, darkness, depths, phallic tower, time, Christianity, England, movement, sperm, menstruation, womb, broken body/head etc

Third picture: The Doll sings (or perhaps screams) a magic attack spell, producing a Moon-like light source. She has lent one of her eyes to her child, who stared out into the world; a mundane crystal orb now host to an otherworldly gaze. Two being find blasphemous harmony with each other, to the point where it´s hard to say where one ends and the other begins. Saint Peter´s cross is a symbol I find very beautiful because of how ambiguous it is, and how it exposes the contradictions within Christian morality. The desire to humble yourself becomes the desire to outdo as well, two martyrs in competition, a shadow of a shadow of a shadow.

Fourth picture: A wider view of the previous moment, it brings me great joy to integrate the famous ruins so often seen in the works of Caspar David Friedrich´s works. Sound and light; two kinds of waves, bring destruction down upon a group of would-be rapist/predators. The famous idea that 0.999(etc) equals ONE is referenced. In videogames strings of nines necessarily represent the idea of "maximum" I find that to be very beautiful. Here a mix that concept with the "number or the beast" idea. This picture integrates a variety a Christian elements to produce a decidedly un-Christian vision.

5 notes · View notes

deadlinecom · 1 month

Text

0 notes

bobmccullochny · 9 months

Text

History

December 24, 1814 - The Treaty of Ghent between America and Britain was signed, officially ending the War of 1812.

December 24, 1914 - The first-ever German air raid against Britain took place when a German monoplane dropped a single bomb on Dover, England, during World War I.

December 24, 1942 - The first surface-to-surface guided missile, later known as the V-1 Flying Bomb, was launched by German rocket engineer Wernher von Braun. Called "Buzz Bombs" for the loud buzzing sound of their motor, they were used by Nazi Germany against Britain beginning in September 1944.

December 24, 1943 - General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force preparing for D-Day.

December 24, 1990 - On Christmas Eve, the bells of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow rang for the first time since the death of Lenin.

December 24, 1992 - Caspar Weinberger and five other Reagan aides involved in the Iran-Contra scandal were pardoned by President George Bush.

Birthday - American patriot Benjamin Rush (1745-1813) was born on a plantation in Byberry, Pennsylvania. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a doctor and humanitarian, whose writings on mental illness earned him the title "Father of Psychiatry." He also countered the prevailing notion that alcohol was generally good for people and was one of the first to describe alcoholism as a chronic disease.

Birthday - American frontiersman Christopher "Kit" Carson (1809-1868) was born in Madison County, Kentucky. He was a soldier, trapper, guide and Indian agent in the Old West.

Birthday - Howard Hughes (1905-1976) was born in Houston, Texas. He was a movie producer, aviator and industrialist whose legendary desire for privacy generated many rumors and much curiosity. Perhaps best remembered for designing an eight-engine flying boat, nicknamed the Spruce Goose, which was to carry 750 passengers, although it only made one brief test flight.

Birthday - Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) was born in northern Spain (as Inigo de Onaz y Loyola). He founded the Catholic Jesuits (Society of Jesus).

#today's smile

0 notes

discopaws · 9 months

Text

INTRUDER ALERT! CATCH THOSE RABBITS!

#my art #caspar #august #agent caspar #agent august #bunny #rabbit #spy #60s #retro #caspar is pretty good at getting into places but i dont think he's as good at getting out #so luckily the rabbit he's breaking out also happens to be an ex-THERA super spy #like nbd yknow

495 notes · View notes

bigbrainkatrina · 1 year

Text

Operation: Save Byleth! - a Black Eagles Spy AU fic

Agent Byleth Eisner is kidnapped by Those Who Slither in the Dark after a mission to destroy nuclear launch codes is botched. Thankfully for Arundel, Byleth knows the codes and he intends on selling those codes to Rhea.

But the Black Eagle Strike Forces leaves no one behind. Edelgard will do everything in her power to save her beloved.

At 1400 hours, the high speed bullet train will depart from Garreg Mach Academy Station to Enbarr. The journey takes thirty minutes. In this time, Arundel (Codename: Thales) will meet with Rhea (Codename: Immaculate One) and make a business transaction. Rhea’s buying nuclear launch codes, Arundel is just taking money.

But it’s not that simple. Never is.

One month prior, Agent Byleth Eisner was captured by Those Who Slither in the Dark. From insider intel, Team Leader Edelgard von Hresvelg has determined that Byleth is still alive and will be onboard the, sealed off in a capsule that can only be opened by a passcode.

What Rhea doesn’t know is the launch codes were destroyed. The only one who knows them is Byleth. Rhea thinks she is buying a stack of papers when really she’s buying a human vessel. The stakes have never been higher.

Edelgard gets up from her seat at the back of the train. Brown wig and sunglasses. High waisted suit pants and a red blouse to her black blazer. She makes her way through the train. “Is everyone in position?” she whispers.

“ Yes! ” Bernadetta squeaks, crouched besides Byleth’s container surrounded by mission gear.

“ Affirmative, Lady Edelgard ,” Hubert coos into his mic. “ Dorothea and Petra accounted for as well .” They are a mile out, prepared to steal a helicopter at any given moment.

“Don’t move until my signal,” Edelgard mutters. “Linhardt?”

“ Yes, ” he feigns a yawn. He’s the guy in the van. “ Caspar’s practicing his punches but he’s with me .”

“He doesn’t need to practice,” Edelgard snips.

“ You tell him that .”

“Fine,” Edelgard rolls her eyes and then narrows them. “Ferdinand?”

“ Yes ,” Ferdinand says and there is a heavy pause. Everyone waits with bated breath. “ I’ll admit though… ”

And everyone groans.

Ferdinand continues, “ I do not understand why I cannot work on the field. I’m very good and —”

“Ferdie,” Edelgard hisses between her teeth. “You are superior to driving a bullet train when compared to me. Please.”

Another pause. “ So I am! I shall add this to my list. ”

“Good,” Edelgard mutters and steps forward. She almost calls for Byleth’s confirmation out of instinct but she knows it’s futile.

Soon my love. Soon .

From afar, Edelgard can see the tops of Arundel’s balding scalp and Rhea’s elegant, emerald hair. Their heads bob up and down, deep in conversation. Quick round of poison darts and it’ll look they’re sleeping like the other passengers. Edelgard steals the briefcase and mission accomplished. She steps forward and something grabs her by the hand. Her shoulders retract like bat wings and she whirls around.

“Edelgard?!” Dimitri decrees. He leans back, a fake mustache under his nose. With the thick glasses, he looks ridiculous. “What are you doing here? Can you believe it, Claude?”

Edelgard looks back. Arundel shifts to get up and she swipes off her wig, kicking it under Dimitri’s chair. “Compromised, Code Red,” she whispers.

Claude raises an eyebrow playfully. “Ooh, Big D, why’d you do that?”

Dimitri blinks. “I don’t understand.”

Edelgard could rip his face off. “Why are you here?”

“Oh, I’m not sure,” Dimitri looks to Claude. “My good friend, Claude, just asked me to wear this silly outfit and get on a train with him.”

Claude rolls his eyes. “We’re working . And so is Edelgard, apparently separate from us.”

Dimitri lets out a hearty chuckle. “Well, there you are. So what’s the scheme, friends?”

“I’m not working with you,” Edelgard snips.

“Be calm,” Claude grabs Dimitri’s thigh as Arundel appears from behind.

“Why, if it isn’t my favorite nephew,” Arundel says with that usually oily slick that hardly passes for anything kind. “And Edelgard. What are you doing here?”

Edelgard catches Arundel’s side eye fast. “Just visiting my father in Enbarr.”

Arundel doesn’t flinch. “With your Academy friends? Last I heard, the three of you had a big fight.”

Claude leans, blocking Dimitri out of view. “It be like that sometimes. We just bumped into each other, and it’s pretty awkward.”

“ Edelgard, nooooo! ” Bernadetta screams so loud into Edelgard’s radio she’s afraid Arundel will hear. But if he does, his face stays as smooth as ever.

“Uncle, we should catch up!” Edelgard smiles. “We land in ten minutes, it shouldn’t be too much of a strain on you.”

Arundel shakes his head and swats at the air in annoyance. “Fine.”

He trails ahead and Edelgard follows, silently praying that Berandetta can come up with something — anything — else.

“ Edelgard, ” Bernadetta. “ X-Ray glove. Back right pocket. ”

Thank God. Bernie’s best when alone and surrounded by her gadgets.

Edelgard smiles to herself and discreetly reaches for it. It’s a thin screen that fits across her palm, and like an X-Ray, it can see through the surfaces of things it’s on. Powered by heat. She slides into the booth besides Arundel and locks eyes with Rhea, a briefcase on the table between them.

Rhea’s baby soft face twists into harsh lines immediately. “Edelgard.”

“Yes, yes,” Arundel drawls. “Edelgard. Don’t lie to me.”

Rhea leans back with a pleasant smirk, harsh lines already gone. “Did Edelgard used to work for you, Arundel?”

“Yes, for a long time,” Arundel coos, playfully scratching Edelgard’s chin like she’s a cat. “She resigned after she fell desperately in love with that former ward of yours, Byleth was it?”

Rhea looks like a child sitting on Santa’s lap. “You have bad taste in partners.”

Edelgard sticks her tongue out.

Arundel continues, “And in my mercy, I let her live with the request she leaves the country and yet here we are.”

“Here we are,” Rhea repeats.

Edelgard sighs.

“ Tell him you want to work for him again, ” Dorothea says pointblank. Dorothea: Master Masquerader. Perfect partner in crime to Hubert. “ That you realized in your isolation that it was a mistake to walk. ”

Edelgard can hear choking in the background of the call. Definitely Hubert chloroforming without the signal.

Edelgard looks to Arundel and places one hand on his knuckle and tells him just that.

Arundel cocks an eyebrow in amusement. “Is that to?”

“Oh please,” Rhea crosses her arms. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for that.”

Arundel glows. “Rhea, you don’t know Edelgard like I do. She’s quite proud of herself. Tell me about your friends. Have you kept in touch and are you ready to kill every last one of them?”

Edelgard double takes. “Why are my friends targets?”

“Because I detest you,” Arundel presses his teeth together. “Tell me you’ll kill them.”

Edelgard nods and stretches her arms high in the air, it’s incredibly awkward. She yawns and wow, it almost makes her cringe. What a horrible performance.

“ I am also a better actor than Edelgard! ” Ferdinand chimes in with inspiration.

Roasted. Edelgard rests her elbow on the table, hand falling onto the briefcase. She keeps her body open and vulnerable to Arundel, so he could shoot her if he wanted to.

Rhea slaps Edelgard’s hand away from the briefcase. “Don’t touch that you awful girl!”

Edelgard retracts her hand, hoping that gave Bernie enough of a reading.

In the backroom, Bernadetta drops at least five things as the code flashes on her reader.

6-1-9-5-8-0.

She runs to the capsule and begins mashing buttons. Please be it, please be it…

Mid speech about her new allegiance, there is a soft click from underneath the table. Only one of Rhea’s hands is visible. She cocks an eyebrow. “Arundel, you take Edelgard back to Those Who Slither, and we don’t have a deal.”

Arundel turns to Edelgard and laughs. “Well, then. Poo poo to you then, my child. I assume you are about to poison her with that gun.”

“Any sudden movement and yes, I will,” Rhea might as well lick her lips at this point.

Edelgard leans back, eyes frosty. “Rhea, do you know what’s in this briefcase?”

“It’s paperwork,” Arundel answers, a little too fast. Ha, Edelgard knew it. She knew Rhea didn’t know.

And Rhea notices Arundel’s haste.

Out in the backroom, the code flashes red. Every single time she tries it. 6-1-9-5-8-0. 6-1-9-5-8-0. 6-1-9-5-8-0.

6-1-9-5-8-0.

Red red red red red RED RED RED RED.

“ Edelgard, I need a second read, ” Bernadetta squeaks.

“ Hold on ,” Linhardt cuts in. “ Let me take a look, hold it in front of your cam please. ”

Edelgard smiles to herself, and speaks very slowly. “I’d explain Rhea, but unfortunately we’re about to pull up in Enbarr. Oh, if only we had more time. ”

Up at front, Ferdinand repeats that to himself. “If only we had more time… oh no, she doesn’t mean…”

“ Yes, ” Hubert says fast, always first to criticize Ferdinand. “ Miss the stop .”

“But I practiced so hard!” Ferdinand whines. “It’s my landings that make me superb at—”

“ I will burn your tea collection. Oh and Lady Edelgard will die if you don’t. ”

“...very well.”

“In the backroom,” Edelgard starts with a coy ass smile. “Is Byleth. They’re alive, trapped in a capsule, and they have the nuclear codes. Arundel is merely selling you the code to open that capsule… you will need to transport Byleth and get the codes from them.”

Rhea looks to Arundel very slowly and her voice is sharp as icicles. “Is that so.”

“ Bernie ,” Linhardt says, jolting Bernadetta back to reality. “ You had the code upside down. Try again. ”

“Oh,” Bernie’s face goes so red, at least no one can see. “Don’t tell anyone.”

0-8-2-6-1-9.

The capsule opens and Byleth flops forward, landing in Berandetta’s arms, knocking the two of them to the floor.

Bernadetta rolls over and looks at them. They’re pale, skin sweaty and clammy. Just black slacks and a loose white blouse that looks very lived-in. It’s what they had on when they got captured. “Byleth…”

Byleth’s wide eyes snap open and their limbs move like noodles. “I’m drugged,” they croak, reaching out with their hand. “Adrenaline. Now. While you set it up, explain what happened.”

“ Ooh, Caspar, get ready, ” Linhardt chides. “ Welcome back, friend. ”

Byleth smiles through the pain. “Operation Uppercut?”

Caspar then proceeds to blow out everyone’s ears with a mighty “ OPERATION UPPERCUT HUAAAAH!”

Everyone on the train starts screaming at once as Enbarr station zooms past in view. Both Arundel and Rhea turn to see the commotion, and that gives Edelgard the chance. She slips halfway under the table and wraps her ankles around Rhea’s calves, yanking her under, Rhea’s chin smashing against the table and drawing blood.

“Okay,” Bernadetta winces as she prepares the adrenaline shot. “Caspar, stop swinging! I need them to stay still.”

“ Sorry. Excited. ”

Byleth’s hands drop to their thighs, encased in iron gloves synced with Caspar in the van. He swings, Byleth swings in sync with him.

It gives Byleth the fighting prowess they’ll need when drugged like this. Even the adrenaline can’t help that.

Needle goes in and Byleth howls like a Wall Street tycoon reeling from a bump. They pat Bernie on the side and sprint out the door.

Bernadetta goes to a crouch again. “Hubert… we need the helicopter I think.”

“Of course we do,” Dorothea laughs into her walkie, standing over the dashboard. “Sorry, Hubie’s indisposed.”

Besides her, the final security guard is making out hard with Hubert’s poison lips, and then slumps.

“I hate leading people on,” Hubert groans, looking out the window. Petra’s already on board and lifting off. “ETA five minutes.”

Byleth runs like Hell, stumbling through absolutely everything. But they have speed and they blaze ahead. Even if it takes grabbing onto passing seats to stay afloat, they do it.

It’s El after all.

Byleth sees Edelgard going hand to hand with Rhea — who of course is an expert grappler — and with Arundel who only knows how to look cool like he’s fighting hand-to-hand.

Caspar swings so hard that the punches literally propel Byleth forward, and they make such short work of Arundel, Byleth is embarrassed for them. The guy just bounces around like a ragdoll and hits the floor, bleeding from everywhere he can. People are screaming and backing off as the fight with Rhea gets wild.

“Byleth!” Dimitri calls out from the back. “Byleth, do you see me? It’s me, Dimitri!”

“D,” Claude whispers. “Even if Edelgard gets what she wants out of this, a shit ton of people are watching. Black Eagle Strike Force is compromised… and the jobs go to us.”

Dimitri shoots Claude a look. “Claude.” He holds this gaze for a long time and Claude looks away.

So Dimitri grabs Claude by the chin and makes them lock eyes. “I’m upset with Edelgard too, for refusing to collaborate with us. But she’s our friend and was under a lot of pressure back then. Have a heart.”

“God dammit,” Claude says in a tiny voice, and pulls out his briefcase from underneath, and hands Dimitri a gun with a satellite dish on the end. “It’ll knock everyone out and wipe memories. Move fast.”

Dimitri holds the gun to his face and nods.

Byleth gets between Rhea and Edelgard, clobbers at Rhea. God they hate Rhea.

Their fists match and crash into each other, and even though Byleth has iron on and Rhea is bare fisted, she just doesn’t seem phased.

Byleth is pretty sure the woman is on some kind of steroid — and it’s killing the circuitry to the gloves. That becomes obvious when one of their arms just loses all sense of direction and flops over, with the rest of Byleth.

Rhea yanks Byleth in by the blouse and trains a regular gun on Edelgard’s head. She smirks. “What’s your exit?”

Edelgard doesn’t say anything.

Byleth coughs and looks over to their beloved El. A long hard look. No tears, just a quiet nod.

“Helicopter,” Edelgard grunts.

“Good,” Rhea backs up. “You follow me. No funny shit. And tell your driver to slow this train down so we don’t fall off.”

“Ferdie, did you catch that?” Edelgard asks.

“ Yes, ” Ferdinand tells her with some sorrow. “ Edelgard, you are the superior field agent and you will make this work. ”

Petra flies over the train, kicking out the rope ladder to run along the carts. She dips down and God this is dangerous. She is just skimming the trees but that is what it takes to save Byleth.

She doesn’t even know if they’re coming with her; walkie died when she hit the air.

So she sighs with some relief when Byleth stumbles over the top of the train. They all expected Byleth to be drugged up, so that makes sense that they can barely stand.

Though it does fill Petra with rage.

And it makes her even more angry when Rhea climbs onto the top, holding something that is almost certainly a gun. She kicks Byleth in the stomach and they roll over, fingers feebly gripping onto the metal plates to hang on.

And then Edelgard comes on. The gun is on Edelgard.

“Stop hurting them!” Edelgard screams, lunging at Rhea, backing off when the gun levels with her chest. “You’re awful.”

“Eh,” Rhea snarks, lifting Byleth up by the hair.

Edelgard winces, fists curled up. There is nothing she can do here.

The rope ladder lowers and Rhea hurls Byleth into it. “Climb, you idiot.”

Byleth hangs there for a second, corpse-like, and then finally starts moving. They climb slowly, but Rhea doesn’t seem to mind. She’s got the gun, she’s got the power, and she can still have one hand on the ladder so there’s no easy out for Petra.

When Rhea feels good, she latches on and waves Petra off.

The helicopter pulls away, it’s up to Petra now to save Byleth. It’s out of Edelgard’s hands.

Fuck that’s not fair.

Rhea still has a gun, and she catches up with Byleth fast. Petra can’t even cut the ladder before Rhea makes it.

A good agent would just crash the helicopter and kill the three of them. That’s how Arundel runs his ops, it’s how most people do it.

But the Black Eagle Strike Force is different. Petra is different.

Edelgard sprints down the train, fighting the velocity that wants to throttle her into roadkill. She uses everything she has and leaps off the train, grabbing onto the bottom rung of the rope ladder, dangling from it as it pulls hundreds of feet into the air.

Don’t look down , she says as she does that very thing. Her whole body waves in the wind but she is not dying here. She reaches up and grabs the second rung. She pulls up and she moves.

Rhea hasn’t noticed yet.

Edelgard moves far faster than recommended, nearly slipping off five times. But she moves faster than a normal person would and it’s not long before she catches up with Byleth and Rhea, all three of them at the top of the ladder.

Edelgard grips Rhea’s ankle hard, and pulls really fucking hard.

Rhea screams and falls off of Byleth, flying off the ladder—

—and grips onto Edelgard’s ankle, taking her with her.

The wood burns and shreds Edelgard’s palms as she is torn down the entire rope ladder, but she manages t hold the fuck on. Bleeding palms and all, Edelgard hangs from the bottom rung again, Rhea holding onto Edelgard’s ankle, Rhea’s entire body weighing down on bleeding hands that are about to tear into two.

Edelgard doesn’t know what to do. She can’t move, her whole body is at capacity. This is it. She looks up, Byleth makes it into the helicopter at least. Good. They deserve to live.

And then Byleth leaps out of the helicopter and throttles towards them.

It’s a massive drop, but Agent Byleth Eisner pulls it off with splender, dropkicking Rhea in her stupid face. Rhea’s scream is ear splitting and can only be heard for a half second before she drops out of range.

Byleth catches the final rung at the last minute and that’s it. That’s the mission.

Edelgard glances down. She can’t help it, she wants to see that body hit the ground—oh no, maybe she doesn’t. That’s gross. Don’t do that.

She looks to Byleth whose face is twisted in agony.

“I just broke my fucking foot,” Byleth moans. “Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit…”

Edelgard feels the pain too. She grits her teeth and throws her arms through the rung and hooks in by the armpits. It hurts like a bitch, but at least that area of her body isn’t torn yet. They’ll land soon.

Edelgard looks to Byleth. “Focus on my eyes, my love.”

Byleth nods through the tears. “I always am, El.”

“I’m here with you,” Edelgard rasps. “We’re…”

Byleth doesn’t let her finish, they just go for the kiss.

This is the Black Eagle Strike Force. They do missions that no one else can. Fuck the other spy groups, none of them have regrets. Wait. No. Edelgard… does, yeah, she has a regret.

Edelgard looks at the rolling green below, looks at the train. Thinks about the corpse that will be found in a few days. This was Plan B .

There was a Plan A that was so easy and simple. But someone blew her cover.

Byleth kisses Edelgard again and it makes it hard to think.

But Edelgard knows that next time, she is going to text Dimitri and Claude in advance not to show up at her ops.

#fire emblem three houses fic #black eagles #black eagles fic #spy au #spy thriller #fire emblem spy au #edeleth

1 note · View note

urban-hart · 3 years

Text

Yet another AU for the list, though I actually managed to draw something for this one. Might I interest you in TVA agent Cas?

Without the intensely overlayed intense blue.

#sketchbook #digital art #original character #caspar #hart art #got lazy with everything outside of the box #I had Lyall there too but he didn’t look quite right #you guys #the roles of agent and consulting variant fit them so well you have no idea #liminal

10 notes · View notes

sunstone-smiles · 3 years

Text

Masterlist for Tickle Fics

An easy to find location for all of the tickling related fics I’ve written so far! Each story is in alphabetical order under their respective categories and any characters present in the story are listed in parentheses next to the title of the work. Enjoy!

Series currently written for: Ace Attorney, Across the Spider-Verse, Elemental, Fire Emblem, Hazbin Hotel, Pokemon

List of Works:

Ace Attorney:

Apollo’s New Voice Training (Apollo, Trucy, Athena, Phoenix)

A Sleepy Phoenix is Not an Early Bird (Phoenix and Edgeworth)

A Spirit Medium’s Curse (Phoenix, Maya, Pearl)

A Smile to Melt the Worries Away (Phoenix, Gumshoe, Edgeworth)

A Witch's Cackle (Trucy, Athena, Apollo)

Family Game Day Shenanigans (Apollo, Blackquill, Trucy, Athena)

Improv Activity (Apollo and Athena)

Phoenix’s Cheer Up (Phoenix, Trucy, Apollo, Athena)

The Attack of the Tickle Bot (Blackquill, Athena, Apollo, Ponco)

The Humorous Band Practice (Klavier, Apollo, Trucy, Athena)

The Mischievous Magic Trick (Trucy and Apollo)

The Trick-or-Treat Monster (Phoenix, Maya, Pearl, Gumshoe, Edgeworth)

Ace Attorney Investigations:

Kay and Sebastian’s Lively Debate (Sebastian, Kay, Gumshoe, Edgeworth)

Pranking the Wolf (Agent Lang, Franziska, Kay, Edgeworth, Gumshoe)

The Assistant Showdown (Edgeworth, Kay, Gumshoe)

The Great Ace Attorney:

An Entertaining Lesson in Sword Techniques (Kazuma and Ryunosuke)

Brightening the Reaper’s Smile (Van Zieks, Iris, Gina, Toby)

New Invention Mishap (Ryunosuke, Sholmes, Iris, Susato)

The Bet (Ryunosuke, Sholmes, Iris, Susato)

The Detective’s Wake Up Call (Ryunosuke, Susato, Sholmes, Iris)

The Playful Experiment (Sholmes, Ryunosuke, Iris)

Across the Spider-Verse:

Measuring Mishap (Miguel and Lyla)

The Ferocious Tiger and the Curious Spider (Miguel and Peter B.)

Elemental:

The Crying Game, With a Twist (Ember and Wade)

Hazbin Hotel

Setting the Screen to Smile (Vox and Vicky [OC])

Fire Emblem:

Fire Emblem Three Houses / Three Hopes:

A Training Tussle for Lions (Dimitri, Sylvain, Felix, Ashe)

Conquering a Crowded Concern (Shez and Arval)

Naming a Crafty Cat (Ashe and Caspar)

The Bright Black Eagle Tickle Fight (Shez, Edelgard, Hubert, Ferdinand, Dorothea, Petra, Linhardt, Caspar, Bernadetta)

The Bubbly Blue Lion Tickle Fight (Shez, Dimitri, Dedue, Sylvain, Ingrid, Felix, Mercedes, Annette, Ashe).

The Great Golden Deer Tickle Fight (Shez, Claude, Lorenz, Raphael, Ignatz, Leonie, Hilda, Lysithea, Marianne)

Fire Emblem Engage:

A New Method to *Kill Time* (Zelkov and Alear)

Brodian Bouts of Laughter (Diamant, Alcryst, Alear)

Relax, You Barbarian! (Alfred and Celine)

To Cheer Up a Sulking Steward (Framme and Clanne)

Pokemon:

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire:

A Surprise for Wally (Wally and Gallade)

An After Dinner Treat (Maxie and Archie)

Movie Mischief (Maxie and Archie)

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl:

Volkner’s Day Off (Volkner and Luxray)

Pokemon Black and White:

Beach Day Predicament (Ingo, Emmet, Elesa)

Nimbasa Trio Tickle Fight (Ingo, Emmet, Elesa, Emolga)

Returning from a Gloomy Detour (Emmet, Galvantula)

Rivalry for the Remote (Ingo, Emmet, and their pokemon)

Subway Battle Mishap (Ingo, Emmet, Hilda, Minccino)

The Smile Button (Ingo, Emmet, Joltik)

Where's Your Sense of Humor? (Ingo and Emmet)

Pokemon Sun and Moon:

Kukui’s Comical Wrestling Match (Kukui, Burnet, Hala)

Lighting the Flames of Motivation (Kiawe, Ilima, Elio, and their pokemon)

Pokemon Sword and Shield:

A Champion's Weakness (Leon, Sonia, and Yamper)

Pokemon Legends Arceus:

A Change of Attitude (Melli, Tangrowth, Skuntank)

Adaman and Irida’s Amusing Pokemon Battle (Adaman, Irida, Rei, Akari)

A Laughter Filled Search for Materials (Ingo and Irida)

All Play, No Work (Professor Laventon, Cyndaquil, Oshawott, Rowlet)

A Tangle With Tangrowth (Akari, Rei, Tangrowth)

A Way to Get Back on Track (Ingo and Sneasler)

Clearing a Clouded Train of Thought (Ingo and Melli)

Ingo’s Giggly Treatment (Ingo, Sneasler, Sneasel twins: Fern and Splatter)

Invigorating A Slow Day (Ingo, Zisu, Ambipom, Honchkrow)

Loosen up, Cyllene! (Cyllene, Professor Laventon, Rei, Akari)

Monsters That Lurk in the Dark (Akari, Ingo, Gible)

Revealing a Warden’s Genuine Smile (Ingo and Akari)

Shiny Hunt Smiles (Akari and Floatzel)

Survey Corps Squabble (Akari, Rei, Tangrowth, Ambipom, Typhlosion, Decidueye)

The Lost Shoe (Ingo, Sneasler, Sneasel twins: Fern and Splatter)

The Unexpected Dangers of the Wild (Rei, Akari, Ambipom, Aipom)

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet:

Laughs During Lunch Break (Florian, Arven, Koraidon)

Smile, Larry! You're On Stream! (Iono and Larry)

Teamwork Between Two Treasured Friends (Juliana, Arven, Mabosstiff)

The Art of Laughter (Hassel, Juliana, Nemona, Penny, Arven)

Young at Heart (Clavell / Clive and Juliana)

#Sunstone's Masterlists

18 notes · View notes

svartalfhild · 2 years

Text

Dreaming in the Dark and Waking in the Light

Rating: T

Genre: Gothic Romance, Tragedy

Words: 4,680

Summary: After ten years of playing a dangerous balancing act as a double agent between the Kargat and the resistance, the other shoe finally drops for Vrae Zilivna.

Content Warning: it gets really dark and violent, lads

A/N: This is a small story that details an important moment in the life of my new DnD character, a drow bard who is from Ravenloft but escapes to the Prime Material Plane for our campaign. This story takes place during her life in Ravenloft.

Previous Stories: The Oracle and the Officer, (Un)bearable, Shattered, The Mirror is in the Eye of the Muse, Cold, For the Dead We Revel, For the Living We Mourn

~ ~ ~

“We’ve secured them at the safehouse. The Kargat won’t find them, and they’ll be put on a ship to Liffe as soon as we’ve made arrangements to get them to the docks safely,” Shaena explained, and Vrae breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad that the information she’d copied and passed on from Caspar’s journal hadn’t arrived in the hands of the resistance too late to save the Kargat’s latest target: a servant from the house of the local baroness who was wanted for their involvement in an assassination plot.

“Thank the gods. I was afraid I’d be too late. It’s become harder to get ahold of intelligence these past few weeks.”

“Why? Is Caspar having a harder time taking his eyes off you or something? If so, maybe you’ve been too effective at the seducing and you should ease up a little.” Vrae gave her friend a sideways look at this comment and pulled her dressing gown a bit tighter around herself.

“It’s not that. I think this assassination business has him being more cautious about what he carries on his person.”

“In that case, you’ll have to be equally careful. Don’t reach for anything you aren’t sure you can hold.”

“Shaena, I appreciate your concern, but I’ve been doing this for ten years; I can handle myself.” As much as Vrae appreciated Shaena trying to look out for her all the time, sometimes it felt a little patronizing, and in this particular moment, it seemed that wasn’t the only vibe the stalwart halfling was throwing at her.

“It’s precisely because you’ve been doing this for ten years that I’m concerned.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Vrae’s brow furrowed as she stared at Shaena, who gave a resigned sigh and took a moment to consider her words carefully before answering.

“You’ve been letting that man touch you for a long time now, longer than any of us thought even you’d be able to endure. That’s been a bloody boon to the resistance, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t deny that it’s clearly changed you. I don’t see the same fire in your eyes that I once did, and I can’t remember the last time you spoke a single word against Caspar. You can see how that might make us worry that you’ve been compromised.” Shaena wrung her fingers together as she spoke, obviously uncomfortable with crossing the line into being confrontational with Vrae. For her part, Vrae felt panic begin to rise in her gut. She’d been successfully lying about the nature of her relationship with Caspar for years, convincing everyone it was purely manipulative and transactional from her side, but if her friends were starting to ask questions, she was walking on very thin ice indeed. Sure, Shaena had expressed concern before, but not like this, not speaking for the whole resistance cell.

“I’m not compromised. I’m as dedicated to bringing down the Kargat as I ever was,” she replied carefully, knowing that the best way to lie was to tell a little truth first. “I’ve simply made peace with my situation. Yes, my mark is a decent lay and he’s generous with his money, but that just makes it easier to bear, nothing more.”

“So if Olvenriel told you to end the arrangement, you’d be able to do it, no hesitation?” Shaena asked pointedly, and it was like being slapped. Vrae wasn’t prepared for this. Her breath hitched in her throat as her mind reeled, trying to find something, anything to say that wouldn’t incriminate her.

“Is that what Olvenriel wants?”

“No, but would you be able to follow the order?”

“Yes.” That was a complete and outright lie, and Vrae felt like she was choking on it, but she did her best to keep her voice calm and even. Shaena eyed her for a long moment that felt like an eternity, scrutinizing her response for any hint of deception. Her mouth fell open as her gaze dropped to Vrae’s collar.

“What is that?” A jolt of terror shot through the young drow as she looked down to see that in the course of her gesturing while speaking, her dressing gown had slipped open enough for her silver locket to fall out. Damn Shaena for showing up to her flat so early in the morning before she could properly dress to hide it. She looked back up at her friend and visibly struggled to come up with a reply, but that in itself was enough. Shaena reached out and opened the locket to see the engraved stars on one side and “for my beloved” in Elvish on the other. Something like pity creased her expression, and Vrae felt ill. “Shit, Vrae. What have you got yourself into?”

“He’s not what you think.”

“He’s Kargat! They’re all liars and a murderers! Surely you haven’t forgotten that!” Shaena aggressively shut the locket and let it go. In turn Vrae clutched it tightly over her own heart.

“I know what he is, but I know he can be more. I’ve seen it.”

“Just because he loves you and treats you right don’t mean he’s a good man.” Those words echoed the mantra Vrae had told herself for so long, trying to deny what she felt for Caspar, trying to convince herself of how wrong it was, but time and circumstance had shown how fruitless that had been. Maybe it was still wrong, but at least she knew what she wanted now.

“No, but when he lies awake at night, wracked with guilt and wondering if he still serves justice, I know I’m looking at a good man led astray. I have to help him find the right path.”

“You’re gambling with an awful lot of hope, luv, and that’s the weakest currency in the world,” Shaena advised, the anger in her small face giving way to sadness as she placed a gentle hand on Vrae’s arm.

“He’s worth it.” The conviction in Vrae’s voice astonished Shaena, and she gaped up at her as if she’d just witnessed a carriage crash.

“By the gods, you really do love him,” she responded, aghast. “When did this happen?”

“I…I don’t know,” Vrae answered after a short pause, tears welling up in her eyes as she started to realize the ramifications of her feelings and choices. “Maybe it was the first time he laughed. Maybe it was the first time he told me he loved me. Maybe it was when he gave me this locket and promised himself to me. Maybe it was a moment I don’t even remember. I spent so long lying to myself that I’ll never be sure.”

“You know I have to tell Olvenriel. You’ve been compromised, and that concerns us all.”

Vrae nodded solemnly. As much as she would have liked to ask her friend to keep her secret, there was no point when the leader of their resistance cell possessed a ring that allowed her to see through lies. Besides, Shaena was right, she had a moral duty to report this to the group.

When the halfling left, Vrae finally let her tears fall, but even alone in her flat, she bit back every sob that threatened to leave her. She had had enough of her own weakness for one day, and the light of dawn had only just begun to peak through the curtains. Spitefully, she drew the curtains further closed to shut out the light completely, even knowing that the light would help warm her flat. She needed the comfort of total darkness right now.

~ ~ ~

In the next few days, Vrae heard nothing from Shaena or Olvenriel, and though she tried to put it out of her mind, it became the undercurrent of her waking hours. She was often restless, and she caught her hands shaking when she was making tea for a customer one afternoon. She was able to hide this from them, but when Caspar came to see her, he could tell that something was wrong.

When they lay in bed together, bodies entwined under the comfort of her heaviest blanket, and Caspar was quietly telling her about a few things he wanted to draw, she found herself staring at him in a way that went beyond simple attentiveness. Her gaze wandered over him, taking in every detail. The green of his eyes. The strong, angular shape of his thick eyebrows. The sharp lines of his elven ears, his jaw, his cheeks, and his nose. The way the stray mussed locks of his short black hair fell across his forehead. The way the dark leather braid she’d made him hung around his neck. The way his lips curved in a subtle smile as he spoke excitedly about his ideas. He was beautiful and brilliant, and as she looked at him, she was screaming inside from the agony of wanting a life she could never have and knowing the world would take every chance to deny her even this simple comfort. Tears welled up in her eyes, betraying her pain to him. He caught it almost immediately and stopped mid-sentence, his smile fading into a look of concern.

“Vrae?” He reached out and brushed her white hair back a little before resting a calming hand on her shoulder. She said nothing and only continued to stare at him longingly while her tears began to spill from her eyes. “Vrae, what troubles you?” he pressed and she curled up against him, burying her face in his chest and holding him tightly, as if he were a rock in a stormy sea.

“I love you so much,” she told him, her voice muffled against his sternum. “I wish we could live a bonded life.” At this, he relaxed and held her tightly in return.

“I feel the same,” he replied, kissing the top of her head and soothingly stroking her long hair. She took several quiet moments to allow her tears to run their course before she pulled back just enough to meet his gaze.

“I have this silly little fantasy my mind wanders to occasionally where we get married in secret and run away together, taking a boat across the sea to some beautiful forgotten land where no one knows or cares who we are,” Vrae confessed, admittedly nervous that he would see it as a frivolous thought, but her fear was assuaged when he gave her a curious look and indulged her instead.

“And what do we do when we get there?”

“We build a little house by the sea where we are left in peace. You spend your days sketching the world around us, and I write songs under the stars. We read books to each other and dance on the beach. We scream our love to the wind and the waves, and they roar back in thunderous blessing for all that we share.” A pause followed these words as Caspar took them in, and a wistful smile graced his lips.

“That’s a beautiful dream,” he responded, entwining his fingers with hers. “I wish I could make it real, but I’ll settle for dreaming it with you. Thank you for telling me.” He kissed the back of her hand, and she couldn’t help but give him a watery smile in return.

“You always know just what to say.” At this, he wiped the last of the moisture from her eyes and offered her a look of gentle amusement.

“I should hope so. A man of my position can’t afford to blunder.”

“And which position would that be? Your nobility as the Arden heir? Your station as Chamberlain of Vradlock? Your rank in the Kargat? Or your place in bed with me?” she questioned, playing along.

“Take your pick,” he told her with a small shrug, and a wicked grin spread across her face.

“I have a clear bias for any position you take with me.” She drew her knee up the side of his thigh, delighting in the subtle way his eyes widened as she did so. He quickly committed to the playful direction they’d taken, however, and he rolled with her onto her back, looming over her with the glint of a challenge in his eyes.

“Would this be acceptable, then?”

“Yes.” Vrae reached up and traced her fingers along the edge of Caspar’s ear, half teasing, half soft and sincere. He closed his eyes and leaned his head into the contact until her hand drew away. In return, he kissed her slowly and carefully, and she let him be her entire world for a little while, forgetting about her worries and losing herself in his touch.

Later, as they lay together in contentment once more, Vrae quietly sang a song she’d written a few years ago that only Caspar knew was for him. It spoke of a woman who fell in love with the voice of the sea, who would emerge from the water as a shadow each new moon, bringing her a lantern lit with one of the stars from the edge of the horizon, and when the lantern’s light faded at the end of the night, he would return to the waves, leaving her to pine at the shore for the next new moon, his distant whispers and the lap of the water against her ankles her only comfort. As Vrae sang, she carded her fingers through Caspar’s dark hair and watched him drift into rest.

On any other night he came to visit, she would have gotten up the moment he was out to search his things for Kargat intel, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it this time. She was tired of being a spy. She was tired of lying to and betraying the man she’d come to love so deeply. It was destroying her. But she knew she had no choice. This was as good as it would get for her, and she’d be a fool to ask for anything more.

Feeling a sudden need for guidance, she reached to her nightstand for her tarokka deck and pulled three cards. The Charlatan. The Traitor. The Broken One. Each one felt like a twisting knife in her gut, as if the spirits were not guiding her, but accusing her. She was hit with the sensation of a dozen insistent hands pulling at her and her skin crawled with fear. She quickly tossed the cards back onto her nightstand and held Caspar more tightly, closing her eyes and suppressing a sob.

~ ~ ~

A few days later, Vrae finally received a reaction to the news of her ill-advised entanglement from Olvenriel in the form of a letter. It had been wedged in the sill of the window near her bed during the night for her to find in the morning. It read, in elegant script:

You have done a great deal of good for our cause, and for that we are grateful, but you have been compromised by the affections of your target, and we now must call into question your ability to do the work. Understand that even if you have not strayed far enough to do harm, we must be certain that no harm can be done in the future. The continuation of our cause and the safety of the group must come first above all things. As such, we must ask you to kill Caspar Arden by poison or any other discreet means you can devise. Do this and we will consider the problem resolved. If you refuse, you will have lost our trust completely, and we must take appropriate security measures. Do not fail us.

- O

Panic consumed Vrae as she took in these words. She felt as though the life she had carefully built was slipping between her fingers like water. She didn’t know what to do. How could she save both Caspar and herself? Logic told her a sacrifice had to be made, but her heart refused, leading her to dress and throw on her coat as quickly as possible to head to the bakery a few streets over. There, she found Shaena already hard at work before dawn as usual, shoving loaves of bread into the large oven. The halfling was not surprised to see her and gave her a fresh look of pity as she observed her haggard and desperate appearance.

Their conversation was short, consisting primarily of Vrae demanding that Shaena arrange for her to get an audience with Olvenriel as soon as possible and Shaena promising to try. Olvenriel was a noble, and that made her difficult to safely contact and see, but Shaena at least had an in through the kitchens of her estate. Knowing this was all that could be achieved for now, Vrae returned home and prepared to open her shop for the day, where she would have to pretend that everything was fine.

Four days passed at an agonizing crawl as Vrae waited for news. Worse still was the fact that the spirits refused to answer questions about herself and her predicament with anything other than the Traitor card. How was she supposed to respond to such judgement from the dead? Was what she was doing truly so wrong?

Olvenriel finally came to her unannounced at the end of the week, well before dawn and disguised as a peasant. Vrae could only be certain it was her because she’d met her twice before, and the moment she pulled back her rough woolen cowl and straightened her posture, her commanding presence was undeniable.

“The halfling tells me you wish to discuss the terms of my letter,” she began, not taking the seat Vrae offered.

“I do. I understand the alarm you and the others feel at what’s happened, but you cannot ask this of me.” Vrae held up the letter emphatically, and Olvenriel’s crimson eyes hardened.

“Are you choosing to forfeit yourself, then?”

“No.”

“Then what is left? Would you have another carry out the task for you?”

“No!” Vrae cursed herself as she failed to hide her panic, and Olvenriel gave an impatient sigh.

“How are we to protect ourselves, then? How are we to trust you while that male still holds influence over your heart?”

“I have been working very hard to bring him to our side, ma’am, and I have made progress. To throw all of that away now would be a terrible waste, especially when I’m so close to achieving my goal,” Vrae reasoned, and Olvenriel raised a single, perfectly sculpted white eyebrow.

“I must admit, that’s not what I expected from you, but I can see the value in it.” The noblewoman’s tone was more measured now, and Vrae felt she had gained at least a little respect, enough to embolden her to speak further.

“Give me time, ma’am, and we can both get what we want. You can add a powerful tool to your arsenal and secure our cause. I can save the man I love.”

“Very well. If you’re so far along and so certain of your impending success, I give you a fortnight. Don’t make me regret it,” Olvenriel declared, and before Vrae could say anything more, she watched her imperious guest pull up her cowl, turn on her heel, and leave.

The moment she was gone, Vrae fell to her knees, clutching her chest as she tried to fight another wave of panic. Olvenriel was as terrifying and uncompromising as one would expect a follower of Lolth to be, but Vrae had managed to talk herself into a better position, and she could at least hold onto that, small victory though it was. A stay of execution, however short, would give her a chance to get through this, but it was difficult to celebrate knowing what would happen if she failed.

When she’d calmed down enough to stand back up, she snapped her fingers to light a candle and set the letter on fire before dropping it in the cold hearth to be lost in the ashes. She then went about her day once again, trying to pretend to the world that she was fine and nothing was amiss, but all the while wracking her brain for what she could possible say to Caspar to convince him to turn his back on the Kargat. Everything she wanted was within sight, she just had to reach for it quickly and carefully enough.

Caspar arrived at her shop that evening in good spirits, despite being covered in a heavy dusting of snow. As Vrae helped him brush off, he told her of how he’d actually gotten to just sit in his office in the mayor’s estate all day and do nothing but check ledgers and send missives for once. He hadn’t been able to relax in several weeks, save for the handful of nights he’d spent with her, so the slow work day had been incredibly welcome.

“Why don’t you go right upstairs and warm yourself while I close everything up down here, and when I’m done, we can curl up by the fire and demolish the fresh tin of ginger biscuits I got my hands on a few days ago,” Vrae suggested after getting on her tip toes to kiss Caspar’s chilled cheek. His severe features cracked into that surprisingly sweet smile of his, and he gave a small laugh.

“How do you still manage to get ahold of those so often?”

“It’s harder than it used be now that the Shroud has closed off the borders, but I know a bloke who knows a Mistwalker who goes to Falkovnia on the regular,” Vrae answered smuggly.

“Seems like a lot of effort for some biscuits.”

“It’s worth the pleasure of your smile.” This earned her another laugh and a kiss. “Alright, alright, go on. Go get warm. Some of us did have to work today.” She shooed Caspar on up the stairs, leaving her with a few moments to lock up, count the day’s earnings, clean her tea set, and so on. Just as she was about to put out the candles that lit her shop, however, she heard the door to the upstairs flat slam open, and she barely had time to look up and see Caspar’s tall, dark form racing towards her before she found herself pinned against the wall by his forearm. The violet glow of an identifying spell faded from his intense glare as he held up a charred and shriveled fragment of paper with the words “kill Caspar” still legible on one side. He knew everything.

Fear shot through her with such intensity that she wasn’t sure she would ever move again, and as she gaped up at him in abject terror, tears began to well up in his eyes and he slowly pressed on her harder and harder.

“Caspar, I would never. I could never. Surely you know that,” she tried to assure him, though the tremor in her voice was unmistakable.

“It seems I know nothing. Ten years and I didn’t see it. Ten years and all I was was the unwitting pawn of a dissident traitor,” Caspar seethed through his mounting tears.

“No! I-It wasn’t like that! I-”

“You’re a criminal in the service of those who would see Darkon destroyed. I will not be made your fool again.” He punctuated this statement by making the piece of paper burst into flame and fall as ashes from his fingers, all while he stared at Vrae, shaking with devastation and rage. With his hand free, he threw her to the floor and drew his rapier to point it at her throat. This finally spurred her to action, and she rolled out from under the blade to her feet, swiftly backing away.

“Caspar, please. Don’t do this,” she begged, each word growing close to a sob. “Caspar, I love you.”

“Liar!” he bellowed, his tears finally spilling down his cheeks as his heartbreak began to consume him. He lunged at her, and she drew a dagger as if from thin air to parry the blow.

“If I am a liar, then what are you? You lie and kill in the name of a king who cares nothing for his people and would keep us beneath his cruel heel. If you think you serve justice, then you have made yourself the fool, not I,” Vrae told him, her sadness and bargaining giving way to bitterness and anger. He lunged again and she spun to the side. He swiped at her and she ducked. He had trained her in swordplay, and she knew all of his moves, but still they danced, driven by every raw emotion ripping at their hearts.

Though Vrae knew Caspar’s tactics, he was faster, stronger, and more experienced, and she had only a dagger to defend herself. It was easy for him to back her into a corner and push aside her blade to grab her by the throat. Before he could choke her, however, she let out a haunting scream, layered with the voices of the dead, and a wave of rippling pale green energy blasted out from her, throwing Caspar backwards, along with every loose object in the shop. Dozens of glass jars shattered on the floor, and the table and chairs splintered against the wall in a great cacophony of destruction.

Vrae’s boots crunched on broken glass as she leapt for Caspar’s fallen sword, but a spectral hand snatched it up before she could reach it and delivered it to him. He rolled to his feet and muttered a few arcane words, sending three projectiles of energy from his hand to crash into her like the hardest punches she’d ever felt in her life. She doubled over and looked back up at Caspar with barely restrained anguish in her eyes as she clutched her ribs.

“Stop!” she cried in a last ditch effort to save them both. The word reverberated throughout the room as her eyes flashed green, and Caspar staggered, dropping his rapier. He looked dazed for a moment, but then he gave a few hard blinks and wrath returned to his face, lips trembling with rage. He charged at her and grabbed her by the neck again, pushing her once more into the wall.

“I loved you,” he said, his voice wavering between heartbreak and cold resentment. There was nothing she could say in return as he closed his fingers around her throat. She could only gape at him, fresh tears streaming down her face. Realizing that he was truly lost to her, she pulled a knife from the shaft of her boot and plunged it into his side. He cried out in pain, a sound and sight that pierced her soul with the knowledge that she was hurting the person she loved, but it was necessary. He let go of her, stumbling back and growling in further agony as he pulled the blade out and tossed it to the floor. She used the opportunity to summon the Illusionist card into her hand, and with a grand sweeping gesture, she went invisible.

When Caspar looked up, she was gone, and he stopped to listen for the crunch of glass under her feet. She tried to tiptoe around the shards, but just as she neared the door, she caught the edge of one, and his gaze snapped towards her. Knowing she was made, she dashed for the exit. With his wound, he was too slow to grab her, and she managed to slip out into the night, dashing down the snowy street and ducking into an alley to drop her invisibility in favour of willing herself into the air, thus ending the trail of footprints she had left behind.

As she made her way through the quiet darkness, the cold biting into her bones, it slowly began to sink in that her life had finally come crashing down around her. Everything she had built, everything she had loved, all gone in a matter of moments, leaving her with nothing but the clothes on her back and the weight of her sins in her heart.

#Dungeons and Dragons #Ravenloft #Vrae Zilivna #DnD

10 notes · View notes

balillee · 4 years

Text

The Implications of Dream’s Vault - Who is Dream Threatened by and Why?

/rp

On the stream on the 20th, we were finally given confirmation that Dream does, in fact, have a house. Sort of. I mean, if you consider that thing to be a house more than it is a trophy room, then sure, he had a sleepover.

But, now that the boogeyman’s in the clink, let’s talk shit.

There were various spaces in the museum for items of sentimental and functional significance that specifically relate to ten different characters. I listed them all in a post before for reference, but in brief, those ten characters were inclusive of Tommy, Tubbo, Techno, Ghostbur, Ranboo, Purpled, Punz, Sapnap, BBH and Sam. There were spaces in the vault for their pets, their personal belongings, and even for Skeppy - as dark as that is. I’ll go over why he needed those items specifically to hold power over this exact group of ten people.

Now, I’ll admit that it’s unlikely that these are the only ten people that can seriously do damage to Dream’s authority. However, I believe that these ten were represented specifically because they’re the most immediately threatening, either that or they’re the only ones that Dream’s ego allows him to see as a threat, or as a tool.

- Tommy- Tommy is kind of obvious. In the vault, there was a shrine to the discs, a pen for Henry and there was a spot for a piece of bedrock (it’s unclear whether or not the bedrock was for Tommy or for Techno, as they both had a piece. Or Drista, but she’s a deity, so who knows.) Tommy is the only thing that Dream is attached to, and it’s painfully obvious, hence why Tommy was able to use his own death as leverage to take Dream down. If Dream can keep things as significant to Tommy such as Henry and the discs away from him, he can eternally perpetuate their game of cat and mouse. Dream was a villain that Tommy became the catalyst for, and it’s why Dream appreciates him so much. He won’t kill Tommy, but he’ll teeter him over the edge by dangling things above his head for fun.

- Tubbo- Tubbo is also kind of obvious. In the vault, there was a post designed for Squeeks, Tubbo’s pet fox. It was made plainly clear that Dream places no value in Tubbo, but Tubbo does have some influence that he needs to take into account. Especially before Doomsday, Tubbo had systemic power and he had the final call on all things in relation to L’Manberg, and he had a large part in the actions of the Butcher Army. That, and if Tubbo was threatened with the loss of Squeeks, Dream, who views Tommy as some valiant knight, will swoop in to help him. Tubbo might not be fun to Dream, but he’s a tool to get to Tommy, and he was the final say in L’Manberg.

- Techno- There are multiple reasons to want Techno under your thumb. In the vault, there was a spot for the axe of peace, a pen for Carl, and a spot for either Techno or Tommy’s piece of bedrock. Techno, despite what he’ll have you believe, holds a lot of systemic power. He backs people into a corner with his threats, which he’ll go through with in a heartbeat, and he’s forced people to accept his warped anarchist ideology multiple times through fear-tactics. That, and, alone, he still holds a lot of power anyway. He’s by far the best combatant on the server, he is stacked to hell, has stacks of wither skulls, and could probably level the entire server. If Techno ever didn’t agree to Dream’s plans, not only could he wave the favour around for him, but he could also threaten Carl and keep his axe of peace from him.

- Ghostbur- This one’s an odd one, I’ll admit, but there are a couple of reasons why Ghostbur could have been a threat. In the vault, there was a spot for friend (whether or not the friend that was in the vault was the real one is unclear, as another version of friend was still present in the button room.) Everybody loves Ghostbur, it’s obvious. He’s Caspar the Friendly Ghost, with his aptly-named friendly blue sheep! He takes away your sadness with his blue, and he’ll keep you company. And that’s Dream’s issue. We already know that Dream tried to kill Ghostbur around the time of the Beach Party when he was told to go wander in the snow. So why? If Ghostbur was threatened, people would be pissed. Let’s say that Dream frames Techno for killing friend, or kidnapping him, or whatever. Ghostbur would be incredibly unhappy - he’d forget it, but others wouldn’t. People would go after Techno, and there’d be full-scale conflicts because of a ditsy ghost and his sheep. By creating conflicts, Dream can whittle down the crowd a little, and he can watch people grow weak. That’s where Dream comes in and asserts his power.

- Ranboo- Ranboo, while a little more obvious than others, is definitely an interesting addition to the list. In the vault, there was a space for Ranboo’s cat, enderchest. Why Dream chose enderchest specifically, when Ranboo probably has the most pets out of anyone on the server (most of which are just kinda named after him), I don’t really know. I only started watching his streams kind of recently, so I don’t know if enderchest was his first pet, or if that was Jonald. I’d have to check. Dream has very obviously been manipulating Ranboo for a short while now. I mean, ever since he and Tommy burnt down George’s house, he probably figured that Ranboo’s good for something. Dream exiled Tommy in retaliation because he took the first possible chance to punish Tommy to such an extreme extent, and he had other plans for Ranboo (because there was no way he couldn’t have known that Ranboo was involved.) But knowing that Ranboo has chronic memory loss? Even better. It ensures that even Ranboo doesn’t remember, and when the truth comes to light about him having betrayed everyone, he’ll be completely isolated, and that’s when Ranboo folds. If Ranboo suddenly is able to remember, however, Dream can still keep Ranboo under his thumb if he has enderchest. If enderchest gets threatened, Ranboo, again, will fold, especially since he’s very susceptible to peer pressure. But lets say that Ranboo was never controlled by Dream, and that Ranboo was just trying to fill in the gaps. Let’s say that TruthBoo was just a manifestation of catastrophisation. Well, he still knows what Ranboo’s capable of. He’s a pretty good fighter, probably one of the better ones on the server I’d imagine, and he’s stacked. Dream could likely do with a combative powerhouse like Ranboo, especially one with as many connections as him.

- Purpled- This one is definitely the wildcard of the bunch, but there is a definite reason why Dream would have need of someone like Purpled. In the vault, there was a space for DogChamp, Purpled’s pet dog. Purpled, if you’ve been paying attention, doesn’t really get into conflict, and he’s a definite neutral faction to the point that he’s barely around. But, it’s not like he won’t show up ever. If he wants to hang around, he will. Purpled’s a decent combatant, and it’s likely that Dream could have used DogChamp to get him on his side if ever there was a conflict - plus, even if Purpled was weaker than others in terms of items, it’s not like Dream couldn’t gear him up, either.

- Punz- I mentioned this before in a separate post about the double-agent Punz theory, but Dream specifically didn’t have a spot for Bumpkin - something the two of them planned to fight over - he had a spot in the vault for Punz’ shulker box. So not only can Punz be swayed with money, Punz can also be swayed by one of the most powerful items on the server - not only is the shulker box a one of a kind, it’s also something personal to Punz, and it likely holds items of functional worth too. Punz decides where he stands based on what he can get out of it, and by taking the Punzo Shulker, Punz can get something back if he works with Dream.

- Sapnap- Sapnap is Dream’s friend, and usually sided with him during conflict because of their continued friendship. So why were there spots for Beckerson and Mars, Sapnap’s fish? Sapnap is more of a rogue than George is, in my opinion. Sapnap has sided against Dream before, literally in the server’s very first war, so while Sapnap values their friendship he’s not opposed to fighting Dream. Dream nearly revealed to Sapnap during the Spirit speech that he didn’t care about him, and it was the start of where Sapnap started to doubt his relation to Dream. Sapnap’s not an active player in the story, but by god is he a powerful one. If Sapnap is on Dream’s side, then Dream’s got his lackey, and he’s still got respect and power. And if Sapnap doesn’t agree, well what happens to Beckerson? If Sapnap knew that Dream was dangling Beckerson above his head the whole time, he’d have opposed him from the start, but he’d be completely trapped. Sapnap now fully sides with people like Tommy who, instead of taking from him and using him, will reconcile and work together instead. It was a harsh truth for Sapnap to face, but a necessary one. Sapnap’s not tied to Dream anymore.

- BBH- BBH is also an interesting one, and this one’s definitely the darkest. In the vault there was a two-by-one cell designed for Skeppy, BBH’s best friend. Not only would BBH do anything for Skeppy, their life forces are canonically tied together. BBH is effectively immortal, and only loses a life when Skeppy does. If Dream has Skeppy, then he’s more than able to whittle away BBH with ease and eliminate him entirely if he doesn’t do his bidding. Kind of like a three strikes and you’re out system. Not only that, but BBH is definitely one of the most powerful players on the server. He’s the leader of the Badlands, the server’s most powerful militia. They have the combative and systemic power, they have the ambition, they have the people, and they have the land. If Dream controls BBH, Dream controls the Badlands.

- Sam- There was a space in the vault for Fran, Sam’s dog, and there’s a very, very good reason for this. Sam is the self-proclaimed most stacked man on the server, he’s the head authority on the prison, he has ties to the Dream SMP and Snowchester, he’s a member of the Badlands, he’s cracked at the craft and he’s a technological genius. Sam once almost waged a war because Ponk killed a fake Fran, that’s how much he cares. If Dream controls Sam, Dream has full freedom to put anyone he wants in the prison if they dare threaten his authority. He could even put Sam in there, if he felt that Sam was too much of a threat. Sam’s probably one of the most important people on this list simply because of the influence and power that he has alone, and he’s not even the leader of anything.

So there we go - here’s the proof you need that Dream is a fucking nutcase.

#dream smp #dsmp #dream smp canon #dream smp lore #dream smp theory #dsmp canon #dsmp lore #dsmp theory #dsmp prison #dream smp prison #dsmp finale #dream smp finale #dsmp spoilers #dream smp spoilers

48 notes · View notes