#ashen son (same reason)

[animezinglife]

Did you like the Daughter of No Worlds series or Crowns of Nyaxia better? I feel like most people like the first one but I'm kind of not sure.

I like Crowns of Nyaxia a lot more overall. You can tell how much more confident Carissa is and her improvement as a writer is pretty hard to miss.

Mother of Death and Dawn absolutely slapped, though. Daughter of No Worlds was just okay for me, Children of Fallen Gods was a bit better but too long, but the third book was definitely the most gripping and her best writing in the series.

As a series, I much prefer the smaller scope of Crowns of Nyaxia. Even though the world itself is big and you have warring houses/covens/clans, you still stay with the same characters per duology (so far) and it makes it all a bit neater/tidier. Though I will say Carissa handled the absolutely massive scope of The War of Lost Hearts well--she basically did what George R.R. Martin never could and gave us that huge world without the story becoming a soulless, bland beast of a documentary. I love that she humanizes multiple sides of the war and actually takes the time to build these characters.

I also simply related to Oraya more than Tisaanah even though I loved the latter too. Oraya has her flaws and missteps, but at heart she's not as idealistic as Tisaanah.

Honestly, I think these two series are actually for slightly different readers. There's some overlap, obviously, but I think the people who prefer that true, massive, high fantasy type of world will prefer TWOLH over CON, and those who want to stick more closely with one or two people and a very small part of how they navigate their world will prefer the latter.

I hope this answer makes sense.

Thank you for the ask! These are such small fandoms I love the fact I actually received a question about them.

[robosucka]

A king's three daughters went hunting, and the youngest got lost. As night fell, she saw the lights of a homestead and ran to it; an old man lived there and offered her a bed for the night if she'd only perform three tasks for him. Well, needless to say, she fucks it up and incurs a debt, the tasks are impossible, and the old man demands she satisfies her debt before he'll show her to the road. the three tasks were of the sort typical to this fairy tale (impossible deeds suddenly easy to the princess because she has befriended the local wildlife; a trout fetches for her the missing golden axe and a silver axe besides, a gray wolf who she spared on the hunt tells her when and where in the forest to find an impossible flower that blooms only for a minute, a wild and untamed horse is befriended by her earlier in the tale and asks a unicorn to grant the final impossible favour), and through it all, the old man's roan-coloured mare warns her to demur at the end, to say only a certain set of words to the woodsman upon the completion of her tasks, and to ask only for the roan's foal as a prize when all is said and done. the princess does; the old man says surely you'd rather have riches, power, or wisdom? and she says oh no this is all i need and therefore all that I ask. in this moment the old man is freed from his curse; he snaps his fingers and is gone.

The roan's foal tells the princess that this was all meant to go this way; that he will not come with her to the palace but that if she whistles a specific horse-whistle that he'll teach her, he will come to her rescue in three shakes of a horse's tail. the princess smiles, knowing that this is the usual sort of deal in these relationships, and they return to the palace. but it is not as she remembers; nothing seems different but she knows that it is, and remarkably so. she foolishly remarks as much to a horseman she meets at the gate, and he tells her that her story is impossible for reasons she can hardly understand but of which he seems utterly convinced.

So the princess infiltrates the castle in drag; she poses as a stableboy, good with horses, come to the keep to ply his trade for food and shelter. the head groomsman tests our golden-haired youth; she knows horses, and what's more, she knows these horses...and so she's offered a job.

weeks pass. a handsome young man comes to the castle, riding the woodsman's gray mare; he is to marry the oldest princess. but when the princess is stabling the gray mare that same night, she is recognized - and her meeting with the mare is splendid but comes with a warning; this handsome young man is a mangyus, the wedding is a ruse to assassinate the king; the wedding is tomorrow. the princess does not sleep that night; instead she prepares.

in the morning, wearing her bow and knife, she threatens the mangyus - what are your intentions for my sister? why are you here? who are you, really? and the prince challenges her to mortal combat for the insult. the king is horrified - or would be, if he knew any of this. Whether he does or not is unclear.

the princess unbinds her hair, she stands taller, and as she goes to the field of combat, her sisters recognize her skill at riding. they plead, ashen-faced, with their father to interrupt the duel; thinking only of the advantages of this political marriage and for how long he mourned his youngest daughter, he will not. After a long fight, she and the ogre stand, ragged, leather torn and bloody, knife against claw. She spares the ogre's life and he is freed from his curse; he is no ogre but none other than the woodsman's son, and the woodsman is none other than the King of Iron, himself under his own farcical curse, which was undone by her humility when she saved the roan's foal. the eldest sister, who wasn't really into this guy in the first place and who definitely prefers waifish twinks to big boy ogres, grants the youngest sister her blessing to wed the prince herself. there's a Mamma Mia moment at the altar. The middle sister, who hasn't done very much until now, publishes her novel about it, which in her telling is an allegorical history of the kingdom itself. and they all live happily ever after.

[according2thelore]

Holup

Listen

Wat if Old!Sam appears in the bunker and meets LS/ES Dean and Sam???

Like imagine Old!Sam encountering either Deans for a second and thought he finally kicked the bucket and went to heaven, only for their respective Sams to appear???

The heartbreak??? The confusion??? Is he having a stroke??? The Cage!!!????

And ES/LS brothers are quietly panicking while watching this old man spiralling 😭😭😭

Old!Sam stumbles as he backs up to the nearest wall, calling for Dean (his son) and the ES/LS brothers like, 'Oh? OH! [His] Dean must be here somewhere, one of yall calm him down while we search' 😭😭😭😭

hi, anon!!!!

HOLY SHIT!!!!!! i am kissing your brain for this incredible idea!!! holy shit!!!!!

Old!Sam automatically assumes he's dead when he stumbles across LS!Dean in the bunker, after stumbling around confused for a second. his smile is blinding and he runs forward into dean's arms--stumbling really, hobbling--before backing up and asking how he died. because he doesn't remember dying. and he's worried, now, that Dean Jr will find him drowned in the bath or with a gun in his hand.

then ES!Dean rounds the corner and it all goes to shit.

Old!Sam hasn't had a cage nightmare in a while. time's been cruel. it took more memories of dean's smile and laugh than it did of lucifer's hands in his guts and knife-sharp laughter, but he still hasn't had a nightmare this vivid in over five years.

LS!Dean barely manages to catch him before he collapses, and ES!Dean runs over to help.

he won't stop saying, "no, no. it can't. i got out. cas got me out. i have memories. i'm living a life. no. no--"

when Old!Sam starts calling for his son, the ES/LS brothers decide that the Sams should go looking for him.

because if Old!Dean is hobbling around here, he will absolutely start shooting his younger self before asking questions. whereas if he sees a young sam, he might be more open to reason.

LS!&ES!Dean help Old!Sam into the kitchen and sit him down gently in one of the chairs. he is of course ashen and looking in between the deans like he's just seen the pearly gates and told there must have been a mix up. he doesn't seem to trust them but he literally won't let go of ES!Dean's forearm.

they eventually sit on either side of him and start gently probing. how did you get here? what's the last thing you remember? was i with you? older me, i guess?

and even though Old!Sam tries to hide it, he keeps looking away when they say his name.

it occurs to both of them at the same time, and they can see it dawn on their faces.

LS!Dean moves his chair so he's facing Old!Sam head-on.

"we don't make it, do we baby boy?" LS!Dean asks softly, gesturing at ES!Dean, and Old!Sam just chokes on a sob and leans forward into his arms, shaking so hard that ES!&LS!Dean share a look over his head. how many years has it been since dean last let that rare term of endearment slip from his tongue? how long has it been since dean held him at all?

ES!Dean leans forward a little into their space, hand on Old!Sam's back and head leant against his side.

"i'm so tired." Old!Sam says, eventually.

"it's gonna be okay, sammy." ES!Dean says. "i promise."

and because LS!Dean knows better, he instead says, "you're almost done, sammy. you're so close."

that's how ES!Sam finds them an hour later, when a search of the bunker hasn't shown a single inch of Old!Dean. the three of them, Old!Sam in a hug that looks painful, both dean's avoiding each other's gaze and holding him while he shakes with quiet sobs.

they don't find Old!Dean, but when Old!Sam explains he's looking for his son--that his son's name is dean--LS!Dean makes a noise so strangled that he has to leave the room.

this prompt ate me alive anon--thank you so much for sending it!!! <3 and thank you so much for your patience!!!!! i hope you get to see this!

-lizzy

[celtigxr]

THE PINK DREAD - CH. 25 (Masterlist)

Chapter Summary:Daemon and Alicent try to give Valeana advice. Spoiler: she does not listen to either of them. Word Count: 5464 CHAPTER WARNINGS: AnnoyingUncle!Daemon. I only proof read this chapter once, so there's probably going to be more spelling/grammatical errors than usual.

Series tags: Aemond x Plus size!OfC, Aegon x Plus size!OfC, Celtigar!ofc, Plot with Smut, mdni 18+, Aemond End Game, Angst, Comedy, The Dragons Don't Dance, slow burn, friends to enemies to lovers, enemies to friends to lovers.

Credits: Lace Banner by Aquazero, pearl divider by Pommecita

Notes: I'm going through a lapse in muse lately, but I'm trying, really. So updates will be weekly, or every ten days depending on how things go.

Daemon Targaryen was hit with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia at the sight before him. If he squinted, it would have been like staring into a window that framed the past. Perhaps the gods did have a sense of humour, because the parallels were just too perfect. 

Aemond and Daemon.

Valeana and Lysa. 

She was nearly the spitting image of her mother, had she had Lysa’s slimmer frame and wheat coloured hair. Daemon only met Valeana a few times, maybe less, though he never had a good look at her. She was younger than she was now, more fuller in figure, ashen from the lack of sun. He didn’t see Lysa in her until the day he returned to King’s Landing. 

“We were just having a reprieve from the ball,” the girl answered, sending a quick look at Aemond, who looked as if Daemon insulted his mother. 

Daemon wanted to laugh at her answer, “I can see that. You two look quite reprieved indeed.” 

Aemond’s nostrils flared, “What are you doing here, uncle?”

That had to be the first time Aemond Targaryen had ever spoken directly to him. They never met, not formally at least. Daemon was too busy in the Stepstones and then in Pentos to even look upon him as a child, let alone as an adult. 

“For the same reason,” Daemon replied coolly, still leaning against the archway at the foot of the stairs. “A reprieve from the ball.” 

“Then we shall leave you to your peace, Prince Daemon,” Valeana rubs her hands together before putting something into her skirt pocket. “Prince Aemond?”

The one-eyed prince didn’t say anything, just kept his eye on Daemon, waiting for the slightest movement to give him reason to lunge at him like a guard dog. He made a low growling sound in agreement, his elbow extending for Valeana to take. When her arm wove through it, Daemon immediately saw the way his nephew’s shoulders broadened, as if he had just won a great prize. 

“And where are you two intending to go?” 

Aemond stiffly turned to Valeana, his jaw taut with irritation and impatience. Perhaps it came with age, or because he was a father of two girls, but nothing was more amusing to Daemon than cockblocking young men that were keen on debasing a woman’s skirts (as ironic as that was). It was especially entertaining that it was his green nephew, sired by that snake of a woman. 

“To retire,” Aemond bit out his reply. 

“Is that what the kids call it these days?” 

“Oh, gods,” Valeana bowed her forehead into Aemond’s shoulder before forcing herself to look at Daemon. “Aemond is just going to escort me back to my apartments. Nothing untoward, Prince Daemon.” 

“Was ‘nothing untoward’ going to happen in this cellar had I not interrupted?” He didn’t give them room to reply as he sauntered closer to the couple. “Need I remind you, Lady Valeana, that you have an agreement with my step-son, the heir to the heir. You are supposed to be courting him.” 

She glared up at him shamelessly, just like Lyra used to do when no one was looking.

Daemon tutted, “Your father would be greatly disappointed in you when I tell him where his daughter was, and with whom. I dare say, ol’ Barty might go ahead and take away his promise of choice.”

He was sickly satisfied at her reaction. Caught between her anger and her fear of her father. Valeana leaned into Aemond’s arm once again, who in turn pulled her closer, all the while keeping his eye trained on his uncle. If Daemon was a sentimental man with a soft heart like his brother, he might have cooed at the lovers and let them go on their merry way. 

But he wasn’t; he was far more ambitious than he was empathetic. Even if the two mirrored his past so symbiotically, he almost wished he hadn’t interrupted just so he could bear witness to that treasured memory in real time. 

“I’ll escort Lady Valeana back, nephew,” Daemon continued before he did get sentimental. “It is just as well; your mother has been asking for your whereabouts. Something about a Baratheon girl.” 

Aemond’s lip thinned just before he made a threatening step forward, only to get held back by the ivory anchor at his arm. 

“Aemond,” she said softly. The younger prince looked down at her, the muscles in his jaw relaxing. “My father cannot know.”

He considered her words for a moment before nodding stiffly, “I will call on you.” Aemond’s hand hovered over her cheek, only stopping when he re-remembered that they now had an audience of one. He ended up letting his hand fall to his side, and giving her one last look before turning around to give his uncle one last glare. Keeping eye contact, Aemond strode by him, shoulder nearly checking him from the sheer proximity. 

Daemon’s smug smile did not wipe from his face as he nephew passed by him and bounded up the stairs two steps at a time. He hummed his amusement, and then brought his attention back to Valeana, who stood with her arms crossed, and green eyes venomous and lethal. 

He just smiled at her, irking her even more. 

“My Lady,” he offered her his elbow. 

Grumbling, she walked by him, marching up the stairs, muttering about how her mother should have slapped him harder. Daemon simply followed after her, keeping her in his crosshairs and ensuring she didn’t flee after her lover. 

Once they were in the corridors above, Daemon easily caught her stride, “The apple does not fall far from the tree, I see.”

His comment earned him a confused glance, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Formalities already forgotten. Perhaps the apple did fall farther from the tree, but he blamed that on her hot Valyrian blood. “Lysa Lannister also coveted the affection of royal blood. How far down are you planning to go? Should I worry for Lucerys or little Joffrey?” 

If eyes could slap someone, that’s exactly what she did to him, “You know nothing of my mother, and if you do not wish to feel another bite of a bejeweled slap across your cheek, I suggest you keep her name out of your mouth.” 

If Daemon was any other man, he would have bristled at her words, but instead he just laughed; louder than a hummed chuckle, softer than a loud guffaw. His hand went to his cheek, reciting the twenty-five year old memory in his mind. 

“I still have a scar from that, just above my left eye.”

“I can assure you that I can continue where my mother left off.” 

He peered at her interestingly; she was bristly walking, trying to keep a foot ahead of him, but failed miserably.  He was much taller than her, making his long languid strides match her pace with ease. 

“I would watch your tongue if I were you, Lady Valeana. One day I will be your king.” 

“Consort,” she shot him a look over her shoulder.

That wiped the smile off his face. His tongue rolled around in his mouth, a bitter taste of the truth that the closest way for him to reach the Throne is by being a consort to his niece. Not even his own sons would inherit it. Daemon had half a mind to slap the Celtigar girl across her face for reminding him of his place. 

He didn’t, for the sake of his wife. For the sake of his brother. For the sake of Lysa’s ghost. 

“I know plenty about Lysa,” Daemon’s voice was low as he acknowledged her previous statement. “More than your father. Certainly more than you.” 

“You’re assuming my knowledge of the woman who sacrificed her body and soul for me? My father has told me everything about her; he wanted me to know her as if I had personal memories of her.”

“Lysa lived in the Keep years before she started courting your father, or even met him,” his lips were in a thin line, eyes forward as they made it to Maegor’s Holdfast. “There are things that Lord Bartimos was not privy to, and I daresay he would not wish to know if presented with the option.” 

Her brow was still furrowed in indignation, but his words casted a frown upon her face. He could see it in her profile, the thoughts rolling around in her head like a collection of marbles. 

“What things?” 

“In another life, Lady Valeana, you and Clement would have been my children,” his confession startled her enough to falter her step and whip her head in his direction. “Had it not been for my grandmother’s insistence on marrying me to the Bronze Bitch, and your mother’s relentless stubborn devotion to Aemma Arryn.” 

Alysanne’s marriage arrangement with Daemon and Rhea Royce was politically sound from an objective point of view. Rhea was set to inherit her own title in Runestone, Daemon was third in line and effectively not set to inherit anything. This would have given him land and title, and would turn the second most powerful family of the Vale into a Targaryen dynasty. Lysa Lannister wasn’t to inherit anything, but she was the only female Lannister born in generations, until Jason’s daughters. She had a hefty dowry that could buy land if he so chose. But that was not the reason he wished for her hand, oh no. 

Daemon was absolutely obsessed with Lysa Lannister. She captivated him as much as she infuriated him, and the truth was he didn’t have an answer as to why that was. 

Turning to her, he allowed himself to openly examine Valeana’s features, grasping onto all the similarities, and ignoring the Valyrian attributes she inherited from her father. Peridot eyes and all. 

“Your mother refused to marry, not until Aemma died. She refused every eligible lord and knight in the Seven Kingdoms, claiming that her duty as the Queen Consort’s Lady-In-Waiting was more important than being a wife and mother. And for some reason, when she did decide to become one, she chose your father over everyone else.” 

Over me. 

Valeana let out a long groan, instantly reading into the subtext of Daemon’s little diatribe of being rejected by her mother. This isn’t the first time she has heard a lord tell her about how he tried to woo her mother only to be jilted politely in preference of being perpetually unwed – until Bartimos Celtigar came in with his jewels and his gold. 

“Prince Daemon, I am already juggling three princes, I do not need another, especially someone who is married, and so old—”

“I’m not old–” He instantly snapped back, but quickly switched off his offended tone. “And if I wanted you as my bride, I would not have wedded Leana. Your father would have no qualms betrothing you to me if I had asked–”

“I was five!”

“And that would have not mattered after ten years— what am I even bloody talking about?”

“How you wanted to wed me when I was five!”

“I did not– Hmm,” His hand swept over his face in frustration, a barely contained growl muffled in his palm. “You are more infuriating than your mother.” 

“Then why did you want her in the first place?” Valeana stopped walking when they reached her floor. Her family’s apartments were not long from there, but she did not wish to have Ser Steffon bear witness to this conversation. 

Daemon’s lips pouted in thought, one hand on his hip, the other on the pommel of Dark Sister, always attached to him wherever he went. 

“I wanted her because she infuriated me,” he finally said, voice low. 

Valeana raised her eyebrows, “And she did not want you, because she did not love you. That is why she chose my father.” 

At that, he tilted his head, “You really think your mother loved your father?” When she didn’t answer right away, too long to formulate an answer to what should have been obvious, he continued. “She loved someone else, someone she could not have. That was the real reason she didn’t accept anyone’s proposal. It was not until she could not handle her own loneliness did she decide to finally look for a husband. Your father offered her contentment, a life of comfort and ease, and in the end she chose to settle. That is the truth that your father would not want to hear.”

Valeana was silently digesting, though not entirely freely. He could see the defiance in her eyes, the clear unwillingness to believe a single word coming from his lips. He knew that feeling well, when he saw the truth before him the first time; it tore his innards out like an army of crabs feasting on a corpse on the barren lands of the Stepstones. 

“Trust me when I say this, Lady Valeana. Your mother would’ve wanted you to wed Jacaerys Velaryon. She would’ve wanted you to be the wife of Aemma and Viserys’ grandson.” 

She stared at him long and hard, the crease between her brow never wavering. Her mouth went from a frown to a tight line as she lifted her chin up, very distinctly Lannister in its nature. 

“No,” Valeana shook her head. “You really don’t know my mother, Daemon. She would have wanted me to marry for love, or not at all.”  

Valeana’s morning began blessedly late, as did everyone else’s she’d wager. Fast was broken in silence; Barty and Ursula were hung over, Shyla looked as if she was keeping a secret she did not want to share, Arthor seemed the same way, Clement  scarfed down food as if it would be his last meal, and Floris… Seemed rather content, bizarrely. Especially since Valeana recalled her being contrite for the entirety of the ball. 

It was just as well, Valeana much on her mind. Aemond leased her dreams that night, as well as all the things that could have happened under Balerion’s nose. Some of it didn’t make much sense, but she remembered being nude before him, hiding her intimate parts from him. Then he would respond by undressing himself in front of her, eye patch gone, hair undone, all without shame. Her mind stirred at that point and suddenly she was slimmer, younger, with golden hair instead of silver. Aemond before her had two eyes, shorter hair, youthful, and definitely not himself. 

Then the room filled with salt water, and she was submerged in an ocean, completely alone. Her hands reached out, clawing at the surface as a black mass flew in the sky above. Then… she woke up.

Valeana looked down at her breakfast: eggs, toast, and herb & honeyed bacon. Resting her chin on her fist, she moved the contents around her plate with her fork. Instead of swallowing down food, she tried to swallow down the pit of dread lodged in her throat. 

On the morrow, she will have to spend part of her day with Jacaerys, an obligation that she must entertain. Valeana knew the dark-haired Prince was not what she wanted, even if he could have been worse. He wasn’t that bad when he was a child, unlike his brother, and at the very least he had grown handsome. It still would be a short courtship, no matter how much her father and Daemon wanted it. Val simply could not see herself falling for Jacaerys, even if they had all the time in the world. 

Then there was Aegon, a surprising yet not unwanted addition in her life. But presence simply just makes her life so painfully complicated. His drunken confessions, lewd and scandalous as they were, took root in her privy parts vividly. Valeana never had a voracious appetite for carnal pleasures; she was a maid, whose experience of her own pleasure has always been curious fingers whenever she felt lonely, felt the need for romance that she was convinced was not in her future. Though even before then, she couldn’t deny that his companionship had become a balm in her life recently. What he did for her would not be forgotten, and that made the notion of even tossing him away for Aemond feel traitorous and unfair. Even if their arrangement was constructed with that goal in mind. 

But giving up on Aemond after last night… that felt like she was spitting in the face of the gods themselves. Surely, they were the ones that put them together in the first place, and they had always intended to keep it that way, one way or another. The image of Aemond on his knees, sapphire and amethyst eyes, his hands upon her in desperation, his kisses on her brow and hands, his gentle laughter in her ear… it all pulled on her heartstrings like a lyre. She could not give him up now, now that he was finally back in her arms; now that she found her Aemond.

Her mind also drifted to Daemon, and all the things he said about her mother. Valeana doubted much of what he said, but she also doubted her own confidence in how much she really knew her mother; how much her father knew about her. Val supposed that the only person that would have the answers for her questions was… The King. Of all people alive, he knew her the longest, outside Daemon, who already showed his biases with a decades old grudge over a rejection. There wasn’t even a Lannister relative alive that was old enough to remember Lysa, so Viserys was truly her only option. 

Fitting the Queen for her dress offered Valeana a respite from her thoughts. The distraction was a blessing, now that she was able to concentrate on something more productive than matters of her indecisive heart. Rosy had come with her, her ever faithful assistant to these things. She tended to like doing the more tedious tasks, so Valeana had her cut the scales from the fabric that would cover the skirt of the dress. In the meanwhile, Valeana worked on the bodice, making sure it fit Alicent snugly so that the scales that she planned on sewing would appear more like a second skin rather than fabric. 

“You have quite the eye for detail, Lady Valeana,” Alicent commented as she watched her map out the designs using a chalk pencil. 

Val smiled up at her, a genuine one, despite being marred by stress, “You flatter me, your Grace.” 

Alicent had not been one for conversation ever since Valeana revealed her leg to her. There was a point in which Valeana wondered if she even remembered that she commissioned this dress from her, but her doubts were proven wrong when requests were brought to her by servants inquiring about the progress ever since Alicent returned from Dragonstone. 

There was a beat of silence in the room, the only noise was Rosy’s snipping of scissors and the birds chirping outside the slightly ajar window. Then the Queen broke it after spending several seconds watching Valeana work. 

“May I ask you something, Lady Valeana?”

Val looked up, surprised by the request when she needn’t ask permission. But at the same time she wanted to deny her, because she had a good list of possibilities of what Alicent could possibly ask of her, none of which she had a desire to answer.   

“Of course, your Grace,” Valeana replied anyway. 

“This business with Prince Jacaerys…” She trailed off, eyes flickering to the girl, and then down at her diligent hands as it worked the fabric. Alicent was afraid to tread on these waters, it sounded like. Almost as if she wanted to inch closer to something more delicate, rather than simple curiosity. “Is it something you want?” 

Valeana ran her tongue around her teeth before sucking against them in an attempt to stall. The answer was no, obviously, but she did not know if it would hinder or benefit her if she told Alicent the truth. With the tensions between the greens and blacks, Valeana toed the line between the two families, not knowing what side she should choose.

“It never matters what a daughter wants,” she decided on answering truthfully, without being direct. It didn’t entirely feel safe confiding in a woman who very well may be her political enemy in the future. Or future mother in law. 

Alicent accepted the answer, even hummed in agreement. She allowed the silence to settle for a moment again, but Valeana knew the questions were not over. Eventually, the Queen broke the silence again when she inhaled, the words finally finding her. 

“It came quite a surprise to me and his Grace that upon our return, we learned that our eldest son has been courting you, Lady Valeana.”

There it was, the real thing she wished to talk about. Val hadn’t even thought about what the Queen and King would think about her and Aegon together, if it was something they considered, if it was something they wanted. It would surely benefit the green’s cause, though Valeana suspects that Alicent still wanted Aegon to marry his sister. Which left… Aemond. That was why the Queen had tried to talk her into forgiving Aemond when she first arrived. Gods, how that felt like it was eons ago. 

“It was as much of a surprise to me, your Grace,” Valeana trained her eyes on her work. She felt Alicent was particularly good at gauging someone’s thoughts with just her eyes. They were so large and doe-like, which reminded Val of Aegon, the puppy-dog that he was. “Prince Aegon and I were not exactly friends as children.” 

“Which is why my husband and I thought it a strange development, one that no one foresaw,” Even if there were just the three of them in the room, and Rosy was on the far end, sitting on a settee, Alicent spoke in a little over a whisper. “Whatever did he do for you to overlook his past transgressions?” 

“Well,” Valeana collected her thoughts when she turned away to grab a needle and red thread, “He apologized sincerely, and he also has been nothing but kind, caring, helpful… and eventually affectionate.”

Alicent looked utterly unconvinced. The image that Valeana just wove with her red thread was of a complete stranger that had been calling himself Prince Aegon, playing her for a fool. 

A thin eyebrow was raised at that, “Kind, caring, and helpful?” she repeated the words, foreign descriptors of her eldest son. “Excuse my skepticism, but I’ve only known my son to be the very opposite.”

Valeana shrugged bashfully, “A moon ago I would’ve agreed with you.” She paused briefly in thought, then added: “But if it comforts you to know, your Grace, Prince Aegon is still just as cheeky as a monkey.” 

Alicent smiled in spite of herself, “That is comforting. I was afraid he was swapped with an imposter.”

Val bit her tongue before she could say, “Would that be a bad thing?”

The Queen cleared her throat, the tell tale sign of someone gearing up to say something difficult to say and hear. “I wanted to say, Valeana, that…knowing Aegon, I… I think it is within your best interest to not pursue things further with him.” 

Valeana glanced up at her for a moment, then back at her work. She decided not to say anything just yet. Alicent appeared to have much on her mind, and the younger, subordinate lady didn’t want to appear dismissive over her apparent worries. She was a mother, afterall, even if popular opinion dictated that she put the title of Queen before the other. 

“I will be plain with you. I owe you and your dear late mother that. I watched you grow up since the moment you were born within these very walls, and I would not wish to bear witness to another one of my sons hurting you again.” 

Val’s hands stopped working as she listened to Queen Alicent’s words closely. It was true that she knew the woman since birth, but Valeana had very few fond memories with Alicent. There were few sporadically, but she always seemed to keep Valeana at an arm’s distance, almost like she couldn’t trust her existence. She wasn’t cold, but she wasn’t warm. Not to mention, Valeana still remembered how much she advocated for Aemond not to get punished for what he had done. 

“You feel that he intends to take advantage of me,” it wasn’t a question. Valeana could feel Alicent’s eyes penetrate her profile once she resumed her stitching. 

“You must know it is in his nature to do such a thing,” the woman bowed her chin in an attempt to capture the younger’s eyes. “Aegon has an… appetite for chaos, as much as he has one for drink and pleasures of the flesh. I fear he may be using you as a weapon against Aemond, simply out of entertainment.”

And this is the man you are trying to put a crown on? Another thing Valeana had to bite her tongue for. 

Val forced herself to smile up at her reassuringly, “I’ll take your warning to consideration, your Grace. I only hesitate because he has not shown that unscrupulous side to me. It has only ever been the very opposite.” 

The ends of Alicent’s mouth tightened, but she nodded nonetheless, “I only wish for you to be careful.”

“I will, your Grace. Your concern is appreciated and noted.”

“And–” she inhaled, squaring her shoulders, “I hope that you may extend Aemond the same courtesy of forgiveness as you did Aegon, in time at least.”

The memory of last night was still fresh in her mind, like that blessed dream that had her wake up with damp thighs and a sense of carnal hunger. Her cheeks pinked at the memory of Aemond’s gentle kisses on her palms and head, reverent in contrast to his devouring kisses on her breasts so many nights ago. 

It was hard to stop herself from smiling, and albeit small, Alicent noticed it immediately. 

“My relationship with Aemond is… complicated, your Grace,” Valeana carefully spoke, deciding to tiptoe around the truth. She wasn’t entirely comfortable sharing the breadth of the story just yet. “But… the steps towards reconciliation have taken place.”

“You speak true?” Alicent’s doe eyes glittered hopefully, “When did this take place?”

Valeana bit her lip, an attempt at reigning in her smile from becoming a full grin. She wanted to bury her face in the fabrics of the half-finished gown, embarrassed of the glow upon her face. Alicent was the first person that she had told this to, even a fraction of it. 

“We had a long discussion sometime during the Ball last night,” Val confessed, surprising herself for doing so. “It is still early days, your Grace.”

Alicent’s brow twitched slightly as she tried to recall a moment in which that could have happened at all. There was one when she could not spot Aemond in the crowd, sometime after she had dismissed Valeana to reprimand Aegon for his drunken display. A great, albeit silent sigh caused her shoulders to sag, as if a large weight of stress had been lifted off them. 

“Oh, my dear Valeana, that brings me much happiness,” Alicent pulled her little seamstress to her in a hug. Valeana’s eyes bugged out of her head, body stiff under the embrace of the Queen. “It brings me much peace.”

The rest of the day went by in a blur. After she had finished up with Alicent, she had brought the dress back to her family’s wing to finish a few adjustments. That evening she shared her supper with Ellyn, Wylla, Shyla, Catelyn, and Sharis and Malora Tyrell on the terrace above the training yard. There were men still down there, even when the sun was setting, trying to get as much training done before the beginning of the tourney. The seven girls simply watched in silence, sipping wine and eating grapes and berries. When the wine started to ease their sensibilities, they started to wolf whistle at every man who removed their shirt to combat against the evening humidity. 

Valeana squinted down at the men, not recognizing a single one. One of them walked around languidly with confidence, his brown hair was braided down to the nape of his neck, the sides shaved, giving him a rugged appearance despite his shaven face. His tunic was loose on him, covered in dirt and a bit of blood from the sparring. He was the loudest of them all and the most boisterous when it came to his audience of women that were seated above the yard. He would grin and bow at them after defeating his opponents, blow kisses and throw winks. The Tyrell sisters were absolutely smitten with him. 

“Who is he?” Valeana asked, narrowing her eyes at him. He seemed familiar, but from this height, she could barely make out his face through all the dirt and sweat. She took a sip of her drink in contemplation.

“Dalton Greyjoy.”

And then she spat out her drink. 

While Ellyn, Wylla, and her sister laughed – being the only three people present that knew the lore – Dalton turned to look up at the commotion, his intense steely blues on Valeana in an instant. At the sight of her sinking into her chair like a dying python, he grinned and laughed, giving her a small wave. 

Cat laughed in confusion, “Do the two of you know each other?” 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Valeana pulled a cushion off the sofa and put it in front of her face. 

Suddenly the girls started to wolf whistle again, and Val – out of morbid curiosity – moved the pillow away from her face to take a look. Dalton had finally pulled off his filthy tunic, exposing his lithe and muscular frame, littered with aged white scars, and black tattoos that she couldn’t quite make out. 

He grinned up at her with that shark grin of his, “What are you lookin’ for, Celtigar?!”

Val’s eyes narrowed annoyingly, then looked over at her sister who was giggling like a maniac. Suddenly numb to her embarrassment, Valeana sat up in her seat and peered down at him over the balustrade in clear distaste. 

“Bruises!” 

He threw his head back and laughed loudly. Then he turned around to face back towards his audience. To her absolute horror, Dalton shimmied down his breeches to expose his pale rear end. 

“All cleared up, I’m afraid!” 

The girls screamed and whistled, and Valeana sank down to the floor, face as red as the crabs that marched across her house’s banners. 

Valeana called it a night shortly after that, dragging a reluctant Shyla with her.  As they got dressed and clambered into their beds, the exhaustion of the last few days slowly seeped into her bones. Shyla was the first to pass out, as usual, but despite her body’s fatigue, Valeana had a difficult time shutting off her mind. Eventually sleep started to creep up on her, with her final thoughts lingering on the wish to not have to bump into Dalton “The Red Arsed” Greyjoy again. 

Just when her mind is pulled under the surface of her subconscious, Valeana could feel a dip in her bed. Too tired physically and mentally react, she simply remains still, trying to cling to sleep, convincing herself she just imagined it. 

“Valeana,” She could hear her name being called next to her ear, but she was convinced it was simply auditory hallucinations produced by exhaustion. 

“Valeana, wake up.” 

She made a loud snore when she inhaled violently, which made the voice chuckle softly next to her. Then, just when she thought the mysterious voice left her, something pinched her nose, causing her to gasp through her mouth and jostle up from her pillow. 

In her delirium, she did not notice anything immediately, not until her eyes focused on the body laying next to her on her bed. Shock jolted her awake immediately, her mouth opened to scream, but a firm hand covered it.

“Sh, sh, sh,” he said, putting a finger to his lips. “It’s just me.” 

Val’s eyes settled into a glare, her lips curling into a snarl when his hand dropped from her mouth. 

“Aegon, I am going to kill you.”

He laughed softly, “All in due time.”

“What are you doing here? How are you here?”

“Get up; put your robe on.” 

She eyed him suspiciously, “...Why?”

“Strap on your peg leg, Crab Cake, and get your pretty little arse out of bed. Then I’ll tell you.” 

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX SNEAK PEAK

He decided to chuckle nervously again, wondering if she was joking, almost praying that she was. “Mayhaps we should call it a night. You are forgetting yourself, Crab Cake.” “I’m not,” was her immediate reply. “I’m… I’m curious. And I want to see… I want to try.”

Notes: So before you ask -- yes, there will be a prequel MINI series about Lysa Lannister, staring our favourite perverted uncle. Won't be out for a while, but you're gonna be seeing the ground work in the next few chapters regarding her mom's past. For those that are waiting on the Fem!Aegon one shot, please be patient with me, I keep on rewriting the last section of it. I'm not super satisfied with it yet. I don't want to give a definitive date, because I don't want to make promises I can't keep.

Tag: @queen-of-elves, @keylin1730, @anakilusmos, @weepingfashionwritingplaid, @sugutoad, @desireangel

( if you wish to be tagged for this story, just give me a reply! )

Please do not re post, redistribute or plagiarize my work. The only other place this story is posted on is ao3 under the same username.

[themattress]

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Continued from my last post.

I cleared Chapter 3 and recruited the Ashen Wolves from Abyss on all three save files.

- More interesting character insights! On the Black Eagles file, I am again reminded what a precious bundle of nerves and neurosis Bernadetta is, and I enjoy the emotional conflicts between Hubert and Ferdinand over how to best service Edelgard and between Caspar and Petra over the former's father killing the latter's. On the Blue Lions file, I am amused by Annette's clumsy antics and fascinated by the conflict between Dimitri and Felix plus the related conflict between Dedue and Felix. And on the Golden Deer file, the relationships Claude, Hilda, Lorenz and Marianne all have with one another are great, as is the emotional conflict between Ignatz and Raphael over (again) the former's parents causing the death of the latter's. And of course, the Ashen Wolves are all fantastic, being unique representatives of all four factions (Church, Empire, Kingdom and Alliance) while also being their own faction.

- Because Lord Lonato is Ashe's adoptive father, I was sadistic and brought Ashe in as my mission assist character on both the Black Eagles and Golden Deer files, meaning he had to help kill his father on all three playthroughs! But that brings me to an interesting point: since the Black Eagles version of White Clouds was written first, they thus established Lonato as a character first and then created Ashe as his adopted son afterward; they would do the same in connecting Annette, Mercedes, Sylvain and Felix to Gilbert, Jeritza, Miklan and Rodrigue respectfully. But Ashe is a unique case in that....there's really not much purpose to him after this event. When you consider that the rest of the Blue Lions are the tightly-knit group of Dimitri, Dedue, Felix, Sylvain and Ingird plus the bestie duo of Annette and Mercedes, Ashe feels glaringly out of place. I don't mind the kid, but he's kind of a throwaway character.

- Speaking of Lonato, I'm not entirely sure how sympathetic I find him. His gripes with Rhea, Catherine and the Church of Seiros are absolutely valid, and while some other characters give him grief for involving the commoners he reigns over they are clearly following him of their own free will so I can't share their view. But on the other hand, he will flat-out try to kill his own adopted son when he's only trying to talk him down and reason with him, and in the Golden Deer version Claude says he and his insurgency would have ravaged all the small villages of innocent people on their march to sack Garreg Mach. Perhaps he was being manipulated by the Western Church, but Lonato ultimately seemed to let his grief over his eldest son blind him to everything else and make him go about things the worst possible way.

- As much as I love the Golden Deer route, I'll admit that it has the weakest scene following the battle. In the Black Eagles route, Edelgard reveals more of her character and how self-aware she is about the paradoxical nature of her philosophy: no hesitation or backing down from those with unreasonable views of justice that causes them to do terrible things "for the greater good" while also acknowledging that she isn't really any better since this requires her to risk the lives of others and take morally dubious actions in the name of what she considers "the greater good". Dimitri in the Blue Lions route, meanwhile, anguishes over this very philosophy and desperately wishes to believe there is another way, one which avoids bloodshed. Him noting that the insurgents killed were "fathers and sons" particularly highlights his own personal trauma from the Tragedy of Duscur, while him being against slaughter in the name of an alleged just cause hints at the shame he feels over what his kingdom did to the Duscur people. Claude, meanwhile, just loredumps, and it's information that you could find out elsewhere (ex: the first Support between Claude and Lorenz already discusses Claude's heritage and situation in the Alliance). Hilda at least brightens the scene up when she comes in, showing that she's more shrewd and perceptive than she lets on.

- Ummm....

So yeah, with this horrifying theocratical insight, Rhea's getting even more interesting.

[sharp-silver4795]

Belzelba ~ Part II

[part 1]

The son of Hydra’s punishments to humanity, appearance, and misconceptions.

Punishments

CW!! ⚠️ rotting corpses, fighting to the death, very Dante’s Inferno style, starvation, people getting eaten

Where and who does he punish?

He punishes SHADOWS in The Withering Fields of Xenos.

He rests on the Golden Cage above the SHADOWS in the center field.

The Fields consist of four smaller stretches of land that are all called “The Field of [____]”

Each Field represents part of him except for one. The Fields are of Rot, Famine, War, and Feast.

Field of Rot

SHADOWS are trapped in a sticky floor that holds them there as their body decays while they’re still alive (well, as alive as a SHADOW can be).

Slowly, a rock-like cocoon will grow over them and the process speeds up and fungus will grow inside while they fall apart in the damp cover

When they’ve gotten to a point where they can’t feel anything, they are crushed in their prison and remade in another field

Field of Famine

The same sticky floor holds the shadows still on their backs and they are left to starve.

They won’t “die” until their bones are visible through their skin.

Then they are remade in another field.

Field of War

There’s no sticky stuff this time! It’s just SHADOWS fighting each other to the death on behalf of a blank flag.

Field of Feast

There seems to be nothing special, they seem to be doing great!

Except, Bezelba needs to eat as well. Normal food can’t sustain his size anymore…

So, the SHADOWS get their mortal bodies back for when he gets hungry…

Appearance

Imagine EJ on CRACK

Body

He and his descendants have some MASSIVE differences in how they look.

Ashen grey skin (most of the red roses are supposed to have pale blue skin)

4 eyes, 9 tongues, granite spines down his back and on the sides of his head.

Size

He is described as “the size of humanity itself”

Basically, he’s huge.

He sits on top of a giant golden cage and can grab Levinun by the neck off of his tower.

He. Is. Huge.

Clothing

He is mostly seen as not wearing any clothing.

He holds a spear and carries a pack on his back that resembles what he used to carry food to his community.

The spear is meant to be for the soldiers he protects and is used to break the cage’s chain at the new year.

Misconceptions:

He does not represent gluttony

He represents charity.

He was accused of gluttony because he always stole food, but he was getting it for the people who depended on him.

He is not aggressive

He is considered a gentle giant.

Despite his size and spear, he doesn’t want harm to come to anyone.

That’s the main reason his punishments revolve around him not interacting with the shadows.

He does NOT want to hurt humanity. He only does it when necessary.

He does NOT supports cannibalism

I talked about this before. The reason there are only male Red Rose demons left is because the females started eating them.

When the people of his land were starving they wound up eating each other.

He despises cannibalism. Truthfully, since his offspring are NOT human, it’s not cannibalism.

Divider Creds: @saradika-graphics ; @sisterlucifergraphics

[fodlaneverafter]

FEA character mini-analyses: the house lords, rhea, and byleth

Here is part 3 of explaining why I cast characters the way I did in FEA (my ongoing 3H/EAH crossover fic)! Part 1, about the Black Eagles, is linked here, Part 2 on the Blue Lions is here, and Part 3 on the Golden Deer is here.

Now without further ado... let us begin!

Edelgard as Raven Queen: the biggest hurdle for writing El as Raven was--and honestly still is--the huge personality difference. While El is kind, she's not exactly... as nice? I also imagine her inner monologue to be a lot less insecure than Raven's, so I had to take some liberties on that front. Other than that, though, I can't think of any reason why Edelgard wouldn't be the leader of the Rebels--she's here to contest the system and make a real change. To echo her twin Crests, I tweaked Raven's destiny-bound magic so that El just has weaker magic than she should, and thus relies on spellcraft.

Dimitri as Apple White: I don't think Dimitri would actually be as in love with his story as Apple apparently is, but they share their obsession with duty and what I would call an intense fear of the unknown. Dimitri disagrees with El for exactly the same reasons as Apple disagrees with Raven--because of the disastrous consequences of division and unrest. Apple isn't hiding any demons in her head, though, so again we have some liberties at play. I thought having super-strength (echoing the Blaiddyd Crest) would be an interesting secret for Dimi to keep.

Claude as Madeline Hatter: Claude is the son of Alice here, but Alistair from the original show never did anything interesting and no one else deserves Maddie's iconic role. I couldn't make the Wonderland situation perfectly parallel to Almyrah, but I do want a spotlight on Claude's identity being split between Fódlan and Wonderland. Even though there are other Wonderlandians, he's the only one who is from both worlds--who has to be both logical and mad, but is never quite enough of each. Just, you know, the typical TCK experience. Oh, and talking to the Narrators is of huge importance too!

Yuri as Ramona Badwolf: I took some biiig liberties with this one. Yuri is not related to Bernadetta, but he has the Badwolf name because Mr. Badwolf needed to hide his marriage to Red while still preserving the story's future somehow. I never liked the idea of him having another child, so I thought it'd be cool to mess up some succession laws and have Yuri--the only house lord in the game who didn't come from a wealthy background--"fight" for his destiny by beating all the other Wolfs to it.

Rhea as Milton Grimm: well this is a no-brainer! I'm still smoothing out the wrinkles in how her backstory has to do with Sothis, but just like Milton, Rhea's fear of losing control causes her to rewrite history to fit her narrative. This is gonna be key in FEA.

Byleth as... like... Just Byleth: so... yeah, Byleth doesn't get an important role in this AU, mostly because I couldn't think of a good reason they'd be involved. Honestly it would be hard for me to write them in an interesting way so I'm fine with that.

other characters: Seteth mostly suffers at the hands of chaos and Flayn enjoys it. Jeralt is mentioned exclusively by Leonie. Sothis does not appear as a living character but uh... let's not spoil that. Rodrigue appears as often as I can allow because he's King Charming (!!), who teaches a class at EAH. For the most part, I don't include the 3H students' original parents. Dimitri's father is still named Lambert but his mother is the EAH version of Snow White; likewise for Edelgard. As for the Ashen Wolves--Constance is the daughter of the Marsh King (look it up; I think you'll agree with me!), I made Hapi the daughter of the Sea Witch just because, and Balthus... there's no good reason for him to be around, I'm afraid :(

And that, my folksies, is that!

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

House Isekai ARR Character Primer

House Isekai Masterlist Here

A quick reference post to briefly go over the main cast of House Isekai: A Realm Reborn

== Staff of New House Isekai ==

Sitri Eisner (Age: Estimated 40+ due to time passing after death)

Wife to Jeralt and mother to Byleth. Sitri was a nun at Garreg Mach before sacrificing her life so that her infant son could live.

Twenty-six years later, she would find herself resurrected by Those Who Slither in the Dark. Though the reason for this is still unknown. Wanting to honor the legacy of Byleth, and her mother figure Rhea, she has become the new headmaster of Garreg Mach Monastery.

Sitri retains most of her personality from before her death, being a gentle soul that cares heavily for the plight of others.

Sothis (Age: ???)

The goddess of Fodlan, previously using Byleth's body as a vessel. Despite that, she viewed him as a treasured friend and had been with him since birth to his death.

Sitri is her current vessel, providing advice and commentary whenever she can. Despite her status, she views Sitri as a dear friend.

Sothis has little patience for stupidity and is quick to anger, and most notably of all, always sleepy.

Original House Isekai Members -

Towa Herschel (Age: 21)

Towa was formerly a Student Council President, and is currently a Financial Instructor at Thor’s Military Branch Campus, teaching alongside Rean Schwarzer. She served as one of the main staff members of the original House Isekai, mostly handling paperwork and acting as a spokesperson for the House.

Towa is a kind, optimistic, yet serious and hard working person. She has a tendency to overwork herself, and isn't afraid to chide anyone she thinks is doing something wrong.

She despises fighting, but is willing to do so if it means protecting her friends. Towa fights with an ARCUS unit and an Orbal Pistol.

Towa is also sensitive about her short height.

Satou Kazuma (Age: 19)

Kazuma was previously killed and reincarnated into a fantasy world before becoming a student of House Isekai. He led his own group of adventurers consisting of an explosive mage, a goddess, and a paladin, though to call his group heroic or competent would be a major exaggeration.

He is cynical, blunt, lecherous, lazy, sarcastic, and whines constantly about the situations he is in. He is especially quick to hurl out insults to his own teammates and especially others. Surprising to many, he is a quick thinker, brave, and a good leader, being reliable at critical moments. His death came about due to protecting a girl he thought was in danger, and was fine with dying if it meant her life was saved.

Kazuma is a thief-class adventurer, and can easily sneak away and use his ability 'steal' to snatch any item his opponent has. He wields a dagger and sword.

He also has unusually high luck.

Rean Schwarzer (Age: 20)

Former student of House Isekai, Rean is now an Instructor at Thor’s Military Branch Campus, alongside Towa Herschel. Rean was the leader of the old Class VII, able to rally and lead his classmates through various battles that had the odds stacked against them. Rean currently teaches the new Class VII.

Rean is supporting, sociable, and modest to a fault. After serving in the military, his personality is mostly the same but now greatly tempered. He is more forthright than he used to be, and he tends to vocalize uncomfortable truths rather than coddle them.

Rean wields a tachi and pilots a magically powered mech called Valimar, the Ashen Knight.

Despite his outstanding leadership skills, he has shockingly low self-worth and is overly harsh on himself, yet very supporting to others.

Aigis (Manufacturing Age: 13)

Aigis was a former student of House Isekai, operating as a machine whose sole purpose was to exterminate monsters called Shadows. She was a key member of S.E.E.S, a group of Persona Users who was led by siblings Minato and Minako Arisato.

Before meeting the Arisato siblings, Aigis was very cold and lacked any common sense, but polite. After bonding with them and the rest of S.E.E.S, her personality became more human, but struggled with those emotions after the siblings' deaths. After accepting their deaths and moving on, she became a gentle, empathetic and strong-hearted woman.

Aigis wields various amounts of firearms and equipment, ranging from miniguns, grenade launchers, missiles, and jets, and is able to switch them on the fly. She is also a Persona User, able to summon a manifestation of herself to fight alongside her. Her Persona is Athena. She is also able to enhance her fighting prowess by initiating a mode called "Orgia", though it is only for a few moments.

Aigis is also prone to doing very strange and socially unacceptable things, due to not being human.

== Students of New House Isekai ==

Class VII: Special Operations -

They all wield "ARCUS" units that allow them to enhance their fighting prowess, coordination, and perform special skills called 'arts'.

Juna Crawford (Age: 17)

Juna is a straightforward, energetic girl and hard worker. She takes immense pride in her heritage and state. Despite her appearance, Juna admits that she appreciates being praised for her work and can be easily offended by people mocking her, intentional or not.

She fights with dual tonfas that can switch between melee weapon and guns.

Kurt Vander (Age: 17)

Kurt is a very professional and rarely flappable young man from the Vander family—a prestigious line of sword masters. He tends to be very serious and prideful to a fault.

He fights with dual blades.

Musse Egret (Age: 16)

A playful girl who doesn’t hide her interest in Rean. Despite her tendency to say some risqué things, she holds herself like a noble. She is also a tactical genius, being able to quickly analyze the situation at hand. Likewise in battle, Musse prefers staying in the back, analyzing her opponents and supporting her allies.

She wields a rifle and provides cover fire/supporting arts.

Ash Carbide (Age: 17)

Ash has a roguish rebellious attitude, speaking without respect to almost everyone and doing whatever pleases him, ignoring any sense of authority or repercussions. His attitude and skills are regarded as 'wildly unpredictable'. Yet despite this rough outward appearance, Ash has a softer and studious side.

He uses an interchangeable polearm/scythe hybrid and contains a hidden chain function.

Altina Orion (Age: 14)

Altina is mature, but fairly emotionless. Thanks to her time with Rean and Class VII, she has developed more emotions, but still tends to be serious and not fond of overly affectionate personalities.

She wields a massive robotic puppet known as Claiomh Solais, which doubles as her weapon and means of transport.

Students of the Three Houses - (OC)

Stefan Von Rothberg (Age: 16)

Stefan was born as the youngest son to a family of Nobles in the Adrestian Empire. Due to his eldest brother inheriting the family name, he was cast aside, his only friends being his combat instructor and a scientist named Valda. It was them who inspired Stefan to become a knight. He attends Garreg Mach in hopes to achieve that dream. After the events of the war, he does not like speaking about his past.

Stefan wields a sword and shield while donning massive armor.

He is part of the Black Eagles.

Astrid Morain (Age: 19)

A straightforward and friendly girl who was born into a commoner Faerghus family. Seeing tales of Knights in the old stories and the Knights of Seiros had inspired her to take up the sword. She had aspired to join the Knights of Seiros and serve the Goddess. It is also thanks to those stories she is a hopeless romantic, being completely inept at romance.

Astrid wields a lance.

She is part of the Blue Lions.

Elizabeth Mcgrath (Age: 17)

Born into a Noble family in the Kingdom of Faerghus, she was taught from a very young age that she has a duty to the commoners to protect them.. Being fueled by this sense of justice, she aspired to become the best Noble she could, and always confidently and loudly proclaims her admittedly large prowess. Despite her obnoxious tendencies, Elizabeth doesn't care about the status of one's birth.

Elizabeth is extremely proficient in light and holy magic.

She is part of the Blue Lions.

Kairos Pasha (Age: 17)

A hardworking and serious young man born into the Leicester Alliance. Kairos worked with his parents at their market stall in Derdriu. Though there is no distinct class system in the city, his parents being commoners had always had Noble families looking down on them. These experiences growing up made him foster a hatred for Nobles. He spends his free time constantly reading educational material on economics and magic.

Kairos is extremely proficient in dark magic.

He is part of the Golden Deer.

Helena (Age: 15)

Born without a family, she was raised by mercenaries, and let Helena choose the name herself when she grew old enough. Eventually, the group disbanded, leaving Helena to wander by herself, when she was adopted by a family in the Alliance who took pity on her.  Though seemingly emotionless, it is quickly revealed that she is simply stoic, and tends to dryly joke around with her friends with a signature deadpan sarcasm.

Helena wields knives.

She is part of the Golden Deer.

The Knights of Favonius -

They all wield elemental powers called "Visions": Anemo, Pyro, and Electro. All call Mondstadt their home, and Barbatos their God.

Jean Gunnhildr (Age: Early 20's)

Jean is the Acting Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius. She takes her role very seriously, and assumes all responsibilities and duties personally, regardless of how trivial the task is. Although she prefers to solve things peacefully, she does not hesitate to use force.

While serious, she is very respectful and caring towards others.

She fights with a rapier and an Anemo Vision.

Diluc Ragnvindr (Age: Early 20's)

Diluc was once a confident and passionate young man, dedicated to his work with Knights of Favonius, much like his father. But after his father’s untimely death, Diluc grew aloof, bitter, and distant in part due to the Knight's mishandling of the case. Even after bringing his father's killer to justice, he kept his resentment of the Knights, believing them to be unfit for the job. He became a vigilante known as the “Darknight Hero” to protect the people of Mondstadt.

He maintains a respectful attitude to everyone except his brother.

He fights with a greatsword and Pyro Vision.

Lisa Minci (Age: Late 20's)

Lisa is the Librarian for the Knights of Favonius. She has a haphazard and carefree attitude, while still doing her job very well. Though it's usually done in a way where she can "enjoy the smaller things in life". She is dangerously intelligent, but rarely puts the effort to her duties until absolutely necessary.

Even though she is laidback, when angered, the air around her becomes electrified.

She fights with a spellbook and an Electro Vision.

Venti (Age: ???)

Venti has a somewhat recalcitrant, carefree, and playful attitude as well as a liking to rhyming in his speech. Venti enjoys roaming around Mondstadt playing songs to his people, most of whom are unaware of his true identity as Barbatos, the Anemo Archon. Despite being a god, he does want to directly interfere in the lives of his people, perfectly content that they have gotten along fine without his guidance.

He also enjoys drinking, but due to his appearance, most bars deny him due to looking like a minor.

He fights with a bow and Anemo.

== Auxiliary of New House Isekai ==

Duvalie (Age: 23)

Duvalie is the head of an elite group of knights called the Stahlritter, hailing from the same world as Rean, Towa, and Class VII. She was a former enemy turned ally due to unusual circumstances. She particularly has it out for Rean.

Due to Duvalie’s personality quirks, she is very easy to irritate, intentional or not. In part due to her young age, she dislikes being treated like a child. As a knight, she is extremely devoted to her lord, has a strong sense of justice, takes pride in her skills, and does not like incompetent fighters.

She fights with a sword and shield, and is deceptively agile, able to effortlessly close massive distances in the blink of an eye.

Raelyn Amuto (Age: ???)

Raelyn is a Space Marine from the 41st millennium, clad in ancient power armour and wielding the most potent weapons known to man, dubbed the "Emperor's Angels of Death". He is from a Chapter known as the "Lamenters", an unfortunate group of Space Marines whose accursed and haunted legacy seems to have tainted much of what they have achieved and their victories often become bitter ashes in their hands. Despite the heavy casualties they take and the endless amounts of people they failed to save, the most grievous of punishments dealt out, they fight on.

Raelyn is extremely formal, especially towards civilians, but his ferocity and brutality in battle is unmatched by anyone, crushing any who oppose the light of humanity.

He fights with massive guns called a Bolter, bullets that first enter its target then explode. He also wields a chainsword that is nearly the length of a grown man.

[grandsonoflightike]

Grey Three Houses/Hopes P14: Light Timmy's Motivations For The Purple Side

Background song Announcement: Sing For The Moment By Eminem

Light Timmy: I won't fully be on your side until you get Light Annette on our side. That means Helping Her Convince Her Father to retreat from the Light Kingdom.

Shadow Shez: What were your motivations for creating the purple side, Light Timmy?

Shadow Byleth: I got to Agree there.

Shadow Scileth: As Do I.

Light Timmy: I wanted a way to be with Light Annette on the same side.  Light Leonie Even brought her mercenary talents in to Light Jeralt.

Grey Jeralt: That is because she is obsessed with me After Light Erwin Gloucester ordered me to save her village's Hunting Grounds From Poachers.

Shadow Shez: Why did your mercenaries take out my mercenary group AKA Grey Berling's Mercenaries? Your Son says that that you would know.

Grey Jeralt: One reason is her group attack mine for her lord.  Another is A Hooded light man ordered us to wipe out everyone but you. That being said the future is in the balance of your life thanks to the Grey Ashen Demon AKA My Daughter being a target of a false God.  I don’t know how much of that is true.

Shadow Byleth: What?

Grey Sothis: *In The Heavens* Was That hooded Light man you, Light Male Robin?

Light Male Robin: *In The Heavens* Yes, it was.  Shadow Shez Is important Shadow as his power will kill him if he kills Grey Bileth, Making the war lasting longer and The Servant Of Creepy Xavius will not be found.

Grey Sothis: *In The Heavens* So that is what you are after.

Light Getz: Let's get to Light Dominic Lands.

[mikussabbath]

YOUR FAVORITE SEFIKURA FICS?!?!👀👀

I’ve really taken my time with answering this because I have 400+ Sefikura fics in my bookmarks, and I ended up going through all of them. It was very hard to decide. This ended up becoming more of a rec list, because I really find it hard to narrow it down when there are so many fics with this pairing that have brought me joy. Here are my very most favorites—I hope you’ll enjoy them too.

One shots:

Without Mercy, Without Grace by BloodyWar2411 - Probably one of, if not my most favorite sefikura fic ever. The banter, the dynamic, the inclusion of Angeal, Genesis, and Zack… it’s just so wonderful. Angeal is the time traveler this time, and drags Cloud back with him, which changes many, many things. This one will never get old.

The Brightest Star in the Universe by modeoheim - (Technically a two-shot but shhhh). Sephiroth is an alien who crash lands in Cloud’s backyard. Cultural differences, shockingly wonderful emotional vulnerability, interesting world building, and really fun smut due to Sephiroth’s alien appearance—this one has it all. And lots of feelings. God the feelings these two develop for one another are so amazing.

Shelter From The Light by AsreonInfusion, TekkaWekka - I hesitated between putting this one here and in the pwp section, but there is a fair bit of plot, so I’ve left it here instead. Vampires are a weakness of mine, and this fic really does them justice. There’s something wonderful about the fact that the situation depicted here very much should be fucked up, and yet it somehow isn’t. One of those fics that has me imagining what would come after, how their relationship would continue to build. Lovely.

i’m bunkered with ashen soul by shivadyne - Very, very fun world here that’s been built. Cloud is a vampire, old and powerful, but Sephiroth, as a dragon, surpasses him in both respects. There’s something wonderful about Cloud willingly giving himself over to Sephiroth to be a part of his hoard, who immediately starts doting on him and indulging Cloud’s whims. One of those fics that makes you itch for more.

Alone Together by Up_sideand_down - This one has a super, super unique concept, in which Sephiroth and Cloud are both shoved into one body by Hojo. The hijinks that ensue with that are interesting, but the closeness they crave once they’re separated is wonderful.

That Deep Dark by modeoheim - Haunting and dark. Sephiroth really, truly feels like something very far from human. I like to interpret this one in a sappier light, but the ambiguity of it is amazing. Godly Sephiroth deciding that Cloud is His is really wonderful.

corsetry by silentsaint - I am not sure why this fic stands out so much to me. Or rather, I’m not sure how to describe the way I feel about it. One of the most beautiful uses of long, elegant descriptions and wordplay. The dynamic between these two, with Cloud all wrapped up in a wedding dress… there’s something about this that’s ethereal in and of itself, and it’s uniquely compelling.

Rushes and Reeds by corvidkouhai - Short but sweet. The vibes here are immaculate. This piece, and the energy it captures, really inspired my kelpie fic I wrote for Sefikura week. Always a sucker for mermaid/mermaid adjacent fics, and this one does such a lovely job with Sephiroth’s ethereal inhumanness.

Like Mother, Like Son, Like New by jukeboxhound - This is definitely more of a character study of Sephiroth, but it’s wonderful all the same. It all leads beautifully into seeing Cloud and Sephiroth together. I have a weakness for hair washing, so this is one of my favorites for that reason, but also for the softness that’s here in spite all of the acknowledged hurts Cloud and Sephiroth have caused one another.

Inter-Dimensional Life Strategy Seminars (Attendance Mandatory) by dustofwarfare - Crack but very fun and very amusing. Probably not as fun unless you’re familiar with all of the series that this plays with, but it’s quite funny if you are. My love for Sephiroth and Cloud hating Dr. Phil knows no bounds.

Longfic/chaptered fics:

Telling Time With a Broken Watch by CloudStrifeIsMySpiritAnimal - I wish I could provide you with a link to this one, but it’s sadly been deleted. I think about it all the time, though. I don’t think I’ve seen any other fic be able to go as dark and deep with the enemies dynamic and still somehow pull it back on track toward something resembling a healthy romance. The mental bond was amazing, the banter and humor was great. I miss this one a lot.

Rectify by unknownlifeform - Do I have to explain why I love this one? I kept up with weekly updates for around a year and I swear it was always the highlight of my week. Sephiroth is a God and Cloud is rather blasphemous, which is a wonderful dynamic in and of itself, but this goes so far beyond that. It’s. I don’t have words. (And also I still think about the Saferoth smut in this fic. We were truly blessed with that).

The Little Guy by TokiMirage - One of, if not my most favorite longfic for this pair. A time travel fic in which Cloud is Very Done and decides fuck it, he’s not getting involved at all. Time to be a janitor. And yet somehow, of course, fate brings him back to Sephiroth time and time again. Cloud’s personality and characterization here is great—he’s SO sassy and Sephiroth is drawn to him because of it.

What Is My Life by NightmareDaybreaker - This one is still ongoing and I’ve been following it since the very beginning, which has been such a treat. The story sees Sephiroth coming back to life post-AC, but there are so many twists and turns and the plot is so fun that it feels really unique. The characterization is wonderful, I love the banter, and the way the sexual content is written is to die for—awkward and silly in the best of ways, and it feels so very real and intimate and soft. I adore the way that feelings are portrayed in every part of this fic. There are also multiple pieces of art with each chapter, done by the author. They’re all really wonderful, and I love the way they draw Cloud and Sephiroth.

Cadet Strife’s Adventures in the Big City by Munchkin47 - Fun, sweet little soulmate AU. Cloud is so very sassy, and there is so much sexual tension throughout. It’s really wonderful seeing Cloud grow from half-rate trooper to SOLDIER Third. Very fun.

Patience is a Virtue by Iciseria - In which Cloud decided to work as a lab assistant instead of a trooper after failing the SOLDIER exam and everything changes. This fic is… so fucking soft. It’s crazy that it manages it in spite of the setting. One of those wonderful fics in which Cloud gets to know who Sephiroth really is, who in turn feels Seen for the first time in his life.

Call it Magic by kzam - All of kzam’s fics are just… so wonderful. This one plays with some very interesting dynamics in regards to the connection that Cloud and Sephiroth share. As always with kzam, the world building is really phenomenal, and is worth the read alone.

Deep Waters by unknownlifeform - Look. I’m a sucker for mermaids/mermaid fic. But this stands out even from my usual love of that sort of AU. Sephiroth is a big scary abyssal mer, and him and Cloud kind of hopelessly, awkwardly fall in love. The cultural + size difference is superb, and the plot itself is super riveting. Love this one.

Your Wings by WindsOfTime - Cloud is such a bamf in this one dear god. Takes the usual boring CEO premise and turns it on its head. Cloud is Sephiroth’s assistant, yet he is very much the one in charge. And then there’s the wings and the bigger plot and Angeal, Genesis, and Zack… this one is very, very fun.

PWP:

Rumour Has It by AsreonInfusion - Saferoth tentacle porn and the very start of Feelings. Need I say more?

Reverb by Carressa - One of my favorite smutfics for these two. It plays with some really, really interesting dynamics in terms of how Reunion and puppet!Cloud can be used sexually, and yet somehow is still soft for it? There’s a lot of love beneath the surface here.

Mukbang for Monsters by Fictional_Nympho - This one is a really interesting combination of fun tropes, from camming to monsterfucking to top Cloud, oh my! Really just a whole lot of fun.

Blinded Love by Gregora - Starts off as anonymous sex, but then feelings get involved. Sephiroth has a tentacle dick which is very fun. It’s a source of insecurity for him and very appealing for Cloud—the dive from anonymous sex to feelings in this one is really lovely.

Hazy by esama - Even though this one is a pwp, the plot is super compelling. Time traveler (maybe?) Cloud who’s forgotten most everything except his instinct to kill Sephiroth. Which turns into fucking Sephiroth. Lots of humor, neat dynamic/setup.

The Plan, and How It Went Wrong by XpaperplaneX - While technically this is a bit bigger than what I’d consider a pwp, it is filled with wonderfully written smut, and that’s kind of what the whole plot revolves around. I’m a sucker for pretty men in pretty clothes, so I love the games Sephiroth and Cloud play with one another in that regard.

[katyspersonal]

Bloodborne starter pack (in case if I’ll need one)

Canon:

+ - Rom is a she/her, as confirmed by Miyazaki in interview!

+ Doctor Iosefka is replaced with Impostor Iosefka after you *enter the Cathedral Ward, so there are two characters in her clinic. Impostor’s name is not revealed. According to data and art book portraits they look identical, however! (upd: in first post version I made a mistake, saying Impostor replaces after Amelia dies)

+ Gascoigne has TWO daughters, not one! His older daughter is only met if you follow questline with little girl accurately, though.

+ Besides Gascoigne's older daughter, characters more or less easy to miss by players are Old Hunter Henryk, Crow of Cainhurst, Afflicted Beggar, Djura's Apprentice, Queen of Vilebloods and Martyr Logarius. Also never getting to see Lonely Old Dear, Suspicious Man and Arianna in person might happen. Basically the cast is wider than it appears!

+ Very obscure characters you might never learn about unless you get a specific item include: Graveguard Dores, Irreverent Izzy, King of Cainhurst, older Madaras Twin, Archibald the eccentric of the Healing Church, Caryll, Gratia... They are not just "popular OCs", nope!

+ According to the figma creators, Lady Maria is 6′7 (204 cm) and the Hunter is 5′11 (180 cm) ( x ) - they explain it from 6:40 to 7:05! Very useful information, especially considering Gascoigne’s model is taller than Maria’s, and Gehrman’s is EVEN taller than Gascoigne’s.

+ Most NPCs have face data mined by Zullie the Witch and available here: ( x )

+ Characters without canon design:

fully obscure: Izzy, Archibald, Caryll, King of Cainhurst

only their clothes are known: Gatekeeper, Eileen, Crow of Cainhurst, Dores, several NPC hunters using ‘default’ model (Yharnam one in Nightmare Frontier, Bone Ash and Cainhurst hunters in dungeons, a Yahar’gul hunter fighting next to the one with a shield and a Tonitrus, Izzy’s Admirer, Gremia, a hostile tomb prospector hunter in Isz

not seen as human / alive: Laurence, Ludwig, Adeline, Logarius

Fanon:

+ Eileen is drawn as black in most cases inspired by her English voice actor, devs alas just put default face data on her though

+ The cute girl wearing the same outfit as Micolash you see in fanarts is in 95% of the cases an interpretation of Rom before she became a spider, since Micolash saying 'as you did for the vacuous Rom, grant us eyes' implies right away she is ascended Great One, not born.

+ THE most popular ships are Mariadeline (Lady Maria x Saint Adeline), Valtmura (Valtr Master of the League x Yamamura the Wanderer), Holyvicar (Laurence the first Vicar x Ludwig the Holy Blade) and Alfhunter (Alfred x the hunter)

+ Micolash might be drawn with brown or blue eyes, Yurie might be drawn as blonde or brunette, Edgar might be drawn as blonde or redhead... The reason for Micolash is difference between his cutscene model and hunter one; meanwhile Edgar and Yurie are redhead and blonde according to face data but do not have obvious colors from found screenshots, that's why variety of colors in fanart!

+ Annalise is depicted as a redhead in concept art and on one of the Cainhurst portraits, however, hence why she might be not ‘blonde’ in fanart.

+ Stuff like 'Church spread Ashen Blood to motivate citizens to use blood ministration', 'Ludwig merged with his horse', 'Mergo is son of Oedon and Queen Yharnam is his wife' and 'Edgar infiltrated Yahar'gul and got stuck' are just the most accepted theories - they work, but canon also provides enough base for alternative takes.

+ Many people dunking on Gehrman snowballed from localisation errors such as 'Even the Doll should it please you' and 'his curious mania' + the fact he made a Victorian grieving doll of his dead student.

[sims-half-crazy]

Early 1879

Gilbert was finally of an age to go off to preparatory school and then university. He was very excited about his future. He was going to get a degree in history like Gilbert and then do something with is life, just like Gilbert. Gilbert encouraged him to slow down and enjoy his youth. "You don't know what lies around the corner, boy," he admonished to Eugene as affectionately as a father would his son.

"I know, but there are so many things that I want to do and I'm afraid that there won't be time to do them all if I don't start now."

"You've only just turned 12. You've got time. Why don't you spend so me time making friends and carousing around with them. All you do is spend time in your room practicing your speeches and reading."

"You and Effie read all the time!"

Gilbert chuckled at that, "Yes, we do, but we read in each other's company and speak to one another. We also listen to Estella pound away on the piano keys. If there is a God, then he'd make her practice amount to something. I swear she's not getting any better."

"She loves it though, but you're right she's not very good."

"The reason she loves it so is why Effie and I listen to her try to improve. A little cotton in our ears also does wonders for the volume at which she practices." Eugene chuckled at Gilbert. It was interesting to see what Gilbert and Effie would do for the daughter even though they may dislike what she was doing. The two parted ways, and Eugene wandered to his room. He could hear Estella in hers so he decided to poke his head in and see what she was up to.

"Breathe, just breathe." Estella sat at her vanity, gazing at her visage. Her cheeks were pinkened and she was agitated. "1... 2... 3," she let out a slow controlled breath as she fought to regain her composure. Eugene gazed at his niece and was struck by just how similar she looked to him. He knew that there'd be some resemblance seeing as how he was her uncle, but she looked enough like him to be his sister! They had the same smattering of freckles across their nose...just like Effie. Both of their hair was raven dark...like Gilbert. The eyes... their eyes were the same shade of blue...just like Effie's. "Are you alright, Eugene? You've gone quite ashen," Estella's question hung in the air and Eugene didn't know how to answer. He mumbled something and then retreated to his room where he sat at his desk and thought long on hard on the realizations he'd just made.

[egittae]

Man, he was glad he didn’t go to that harvest festival candy game.

Initially, Lambert admittedly felt a bit crestfallen at being unable to attend the festivities themselves. A pile of documents, homework to correct and papers to grade sat on his desk patiently waiting for when his attention would be finally shifted towards them, and he could only ignore it for so long. He…did tag along, at first. For other reasons, mostly to ensure the wellbeing of his son which did result in punishment being dished out to a pesky mage bully and also in him getting ‘politely’ escorted back by that girl from the Black Eagles, Poe.

He did not expect the aftermath to give him battle flashbacks from when he himself returned from Happyland. The look on some of those faces, the whispers and comments about betrayal and sussing out impostors and- it was the same goddamn thing again! Again! Thankfully, none of his Ashen Wolves were subjected to that madness.

But, sadly some youngsters he knew, did attend. It was easy to tell, when he spotted a rather crestfallen Dorothea approaching him. It was obvious that she didn’t exactly seem to be in her best mood- but he knew from his own experience that having this be pointed out would only make it worse.

Even if he couldn’t remember, his body did. The sharp embarrassment that came with being told his mask was slipping or was cracked, that it was possible to see the upset or anger or fear underneath, being hounded and asked again and again ‘are you okay’ or ‘what happened’ when all he wanted was to be left alone for a moment.

“Hello Dorothea, good to see that you and the others have returned.” Instead, he patted the spot next to him on the grass for her to sit. Calming enough, at the back of the courtyard, where he had been just going through some books while sipping on a horribly sweet fruit punch and eating some ghastly, tasteless crackers. Good enough to counter the sugar. 

He offered some to her, alongside a cup of the fruity ‘delight’. “The merchant who gave me this called it…Kelpie-Sun? An odd name for a fruit beverage. It is horrid in taste but it does wonders to keep one awake.” Indeed, it helped him pull through all his assignments. Directing his attention to one of his books, the professor gave it a brief pause.

“You do not have to share anything you do not wish to. I will not pry, either. But know that as a professor, my goal is to aid those under my tutelage. Students of the academy included.” Pressing for answers was a valid tactic for a discussion over strategy or reports. Pressing for answers was not a good tacting for dealing with an upset teenager. “And something tells me you have questions in mind, so. Do ask away, and I shall do my best. Or not. Whatever suits you best.” He offered a reassuring smile, smoothing over one page of the book in his lap so his eyes could scan it more efficiently.

a lesson in the holy land's intricacies

closed starter for @encantresse

[draconic-ichor]

Petra

Elden Ring dabble

Warnings: strong language, sexual themes, pregnancy/birth, mentions of body scaring and changes, mentions of major character death, mentions of infant death, child hunger, breast feeding, wet nursing

Feedback: Unable to breastfeed the newborn prince, the royal couple searches desperately for someone who can…

Feedback appreciated 18+, some heavy stuff gets talked about briefly in here

When the GodLord died during her first birthing she rose anew the next morning, as always. Her body, however, reset back to how she was just after ascension. Any changes that accompanied with carrying a child was wiped away from her form.

For her, it was devastating.

Not only did she loose all the marks that physically painted her a mother, her milk glands were now undeveloped and empty. No matter what they did, her milk would not come in.

As the hours ticked on the couple had to consider the possibility of hiring a wetnurse.

Easier said than done.

Pregnancies were still a rare occurrence, echoes from the time of the shattering. The few women that were located around the capital with nursing capabilities were less than helpful.

Misinformation about the omen curse sent any potential candidates running: fears that nursing an omen child would curse their own future children.

Even worse, every hour that ticked on the prince grew more hungry. The GodLord tried everything, even dipping a cloth in cows milk. It wasn’t near enough, the newborn starving…

In the parent’s anguish came Boc, speaking of a friend that may be able to help. She wasn’t human either.

Morgott sent for her immediately.

The woman was a misbegotten; people whose ancestors were cursed for their devotion to the Crucible, twisted creatures decorated with parts of varying beasts. Up until recently mostly used as slaves. The GodLord had made the misbegotten full citizens the moment she granted the omen and demihumans the same kindness. The castle had even hired some into their staffing; this young female seeming to be one of them, going by the name of Petra.

She had a mass of crimson hair, ashen skin, and a emerald reptilian tail. Her mouth was just a bit too wide for her face, common of misbegotten, with misshapen teeth.

She sat down quietly, body hidden under many layers of clothing. Bright eyes downcast, a deep sorrow in them.

“Mine apologies.” Morgott sighed, “For calling thee here so abruptly.”

She nodded, not meeting his gaze.

Morgott waited a moment, when no words came from her he cleared his throat a bit in an effort to dispel the growing tension in the room.

“Do thee know why we asked of thy presence?” He asked.

Once she began to speak, Morgott realized she had a slight speech impediment. She swallowed, “Boc t-told me the Ladysh-ip n-eeded someone…l-like me?”

“The GodLord is unable to nurse the newborn prince.” Morgott agreed, “Unfortunately…because of what the prince is others located with the necessary requirements were unwilling to offer assistance.” He admitted with a heavy heart, “My wife…we both are growing quite desperate.”

“They f-fear him?” She asked.

“…Aye.” He nodded solemnly, “Thee is aware of the rumors pertaining to one of my kind?”

“Not m-much pr-prettier then those a-bout my-myself.” She gave a weak chuckle.

“That’s precisely the reason we called of you.” He looked up, hopeful, “That perhaps you would not have the same misgivings. That coupled with your…unfortunate circumstances.”

She tightened up at his words, her clawed hands knotting into her abdomen. She looked as if tears would spill from her bright eyes making Morgott instantly regret his wording.

“I-I’m sorry, my L-Lord.” Her voice bubbled, “I don’t k-know if I c…can stomach another b-baby in my arms so s-oon.”

Morgott’s stomach dropped, fear curdling him as he thought back to his starving son. “Prithee, give the boy a change.” His voice was almost begging, “At least that?”

There was a long moment, pain heavy on the woman’s face. She finally gave up, agreeing, “A-lright…I’ll see him a-at least…”

Morgott led her towards the nursery, the shrill crying calls of the newborn was heard long before they reached the door. The sound sent pangs through his heart, turning a bit to glance down at the missbegotten woman. Her eyes were tearing up again, the sound piercing straight through her chest.

He opened the door.

The Lady Tarnished paced back and forth, baby to her chest. Her eyes were dull, dark circles heavy. Morgott could tell she’s been crying, attempting futility to calm the baby. She hummed, desperation clear over her form.

When they entered the room she looked to the woman with overflowing hope.

Morgott raised his hand, halting his wife’s excitement, “She wishes to see the baby, nothing more yet.”

The tarnished nodded, face falling but she still thanked the woman for her time. She paced closer, offering out the little screaming bundle.

“I can’t sooth him.” She admitted with glassy eyes, feeling the crushing weight of guilt over that fact.

Petra took the bundle, cradling the small omen close. He looked pale, gums white as he cried shrilly. She trembled a bit as she held him closer, feeling him instantly root into her chest.

The Lady Tarnished felt her eyes sting, “I’m sorry…I should be able to feed him..I should..”

“I’ll do it.” Petra murmured, stopping the GodLord in her tracts.

“W-What?” The lady was worried she’d misheard.

“I’ll do it.” Petra looked up with teary eyes, “M-maybe the G-Greater W…ill brou-ght us t-together…for a r-reason…”

The GodLord couldn’t contain herself, she burst into tears with relief. “Bless you!” She cried, “Thank you so much!”

She led the other woman over to a more comfortable place, sitting down together as she attempted to nurse the prince.

It had been a few days since Petra lost her own child and little Maddox had worked himself up so terrible it took a good while to get him to fully latch. Once that hurdle was over the baby truly started to eat.

The screams stopped for the first time in seemingly days, the weary parents feeling a level of relief they couldn’t remember.

Petra held the baby close, a warmth spreading over her face. The baby gave happy little grunts, tail flicking back and forth.

Petra realized slowly over the next few days that she needed the little prince just as much as he needed her.

[stuckstucktrolls]

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤❣️💕💔💗 for Teagan :>

❤️ How much does romantic love mean to you?

Surprisingly a lot. especially if we expand it to include all the quads. But even just sticking to romantic LOVE, he's extremely devoted to Oz, and even before that, other matesprits he's had he's cared deeply for as well. But he cares deeply for all his quadmates for different reasons and in different ways.

🧡 How much does familial love mean to you?

Troll ideas of familial love are probably different than human ideas, but he's proud of his Ancestor, glad to be learning more about him and "continuing where he left off" even if it's in his own way. He's a good son to Wolf Dad, taking care of the big oaf as he's aging.

💛 How much does platonic love mean to you?

Honestly, he cares a lot about his friends as well. They're as much family as his lusus, Ancestor and any Descendants he might have.

💚 Are you in love right now? With whom? (Be as specific or vague as you would like)

Ozeric of course. And Akhena <>. I'd say pale counts under love even if it's still separate from redrom.

💙 What kind of partner are you?

Devoted and somewhat protective. Even with his pitch partners, he'd be fine with them having other pitch interests (fair is fair) but if someone seriously hurt them or were being abusive, he would make sure they were ok and hunt down the responsible party if his quad allowed it.

💜 How do you show affection?

He's very physically affectionate, not just sex but cuddling, rough housing, leaning on others. Also sharing food and just spending time in the same space or doing something together. (Him, Akhena and/or Oz hunting is a big one, but also FLARPing or hanging out with Baylyn, knife throwing with Sibbyl, fixing up the shrine with Shuhei, just to name a few examples)

🖤 What is your sexuality/orientation?

Teags is pansexual/romantic but masc leaning, except in ashen; he's aromantic there.

❣️ How do you flirt?

Pretty directly. He'll tend to look for small things to compete over or that tick off a troll he's interested in for pitchrom. Oz was more pitch -> red but he still flirts with them through mentioning things they should do together (sfw and not). With Akhena, it was more a "friends who grow up and end up together" thing but he'll bring out the baby barkbeast eyes if he's really trying to garner the pale affection.

💕 Give a song that best describes how you see love.

I don't know but this is more a lack on the mun's part.

💔 How do you face the end of love (breakups, being stood up, etc)?

He had an ex matesprit, and of course they cared (and still care) a lot about each other but she was spending a lot of time away, and that really didn't work for him. So they ended it amicably but he was sad about it for a while.

Meanwhile, he didn't have any agency in his break up with Markab, which was his first kismesitude and was more than a bit abusive. So it was really better they broke up but it also happened the worst way possible for Teagan.

💗 How much do you believe in love?

He doesn't believe in love itself, but the people that he loves.

[ofthepuzzle]

A ghost of the past. That’s what he’s seeing. The dream he had with the white canine and the same ashen hair that shimmered under the platinum moonlight. But there always was something eerie about this man regardless of how much the light made him stand out. The darkness seemed to embrace him much stronger. And the moonshine doesn’t illuminate their faces as brightly as it did in the prince’s room in the past from their current position, however.

The way the other flaunted how he deliberately stole the mantle from Akhenamkhanen’s tomb without a care in the world causes a seed of anger to sprout in the pit of Atem’s stomach. The tomb was secured. Then how did this man end up going inside?? And how did no one else notice? Atem puts those questions aside when the latter mentions ‘my people’ in his speech. What is he talking about? ‘In their death?’ Revenge… ? For a moment the memory of his father begging only for his son to be spared from the Gods wrath and that he would take the consequences on his shoulders. Atem never thought about what these consequences are. He never saw his father to do anything cruel. He was a hard-working noble man in his eyes.

As Bakhura reveals his name, it all makes sense how he was able to stealthily rob a tomb and somehow pass the security and enter the palace. How naïve Atem was… To think he believed he was Wepwawet. This man resents his father, the former pharaoh, which contradicts Wepwawet’s role in symbolizing and protecting the royal’s rise to power. And most importantly in the pharaoh's ascent to the Duat, to which the thief made a mockery of by plundering the sacred tomb. And to add to the anger fuel, he underestimates Atem. Like is incapable of defending himself.

“You made a mistake by venturing into my business.” Into his father’s business.  The anger from his eyes shows the child within, the boy who was taught to endure, to raise himself on his feet when he fell, and then was deprived of the love and protection he once had. The child is not the same anymore.

"Lay a hand on me and see what happens. The consequences will hunt you down if I am still missing before dawn.” The Gods are unforgiving. And Atem knows very well that the heavier one’s heart is from committing crimes the more likely it will get rejected and swallowed by Ammit. But that isn’t the only reason why he is not showing signs of being afraid. The only thing he is appalled by is the fact that this man happened to get away with a couple of things. Atem judges these acts as irreconcilable. The smoldering magenta hue in his narrowed eyes burns with disdain.

"You dare to creep your way into my father’s burial chamber and steal away Gods know what and casually mention your name to me like you’ve achieved glory from your foul acts?��� Atem spat. “… I raised the bar too high for you back then. But thanks for letting me know who you really are.”

Bakhura was getting closer to the other one, who seemed to be confused, maybe a little lost. He didn't display a confident stride, it was more of a speedy, frantic and weirdly without destination struggle.

He wasn't surprised when the secretively hidden person stopped, arching their whole body into the cool nocturnal breeze, like it was a delight to feel it waft over them... and non-surprisingly they turned around just them, seeing him, about two arm lengths away, on the same path, facing them.

He saw a recognition swirl weakly through those magenta eyes, something he had truly not expected in a lifetime and the next... but after realizing the face wasn't unknown to him, the young princes eyes trailed down his body and seemed to freeze.

Something grim gripped his heart right then and only cold prevailed in his gaze. Coldness and determination.

"Fancy meeting you here as well, prince." He said, ominously. It filled him with some joy that the breeze made the wonderfully red mantle around his shoulders flutter... like he wore a lions pelt around his body - like he slaughtered a wild beast. Something that clearly told everybody else that he was not to be messed with. "Oh... this old thing?" He asked lamely and a small smile spread over his lips, asking himself how the younger one would react.

"I think its former holder... late holder - I should maybe add - wouldn't care much about keeping it. I didn't even have to take it off him, really. It was neatly folded beside his very enriched sarcophagus... more of a honor than he bestowed upon my people in their death."

"Not a pretty story... but here we are. He sew and reaped the spoils. This small revenge isn't even comparable, really, to what all of us had to endure." He huffed lowly.

"How quickly you forgot." His lips twitched lightly. "Upon your first veiled glance... let me introduce myself to you as I should have done around five years ago. 'Bakhura King of Thieves' ... at your service."

He added the offer in a tone that would make it clear how he really thought about serving the future god king.

"What brings you here so late at night? There are thieves, murderers even, who would view you as a great raise to their pocket money. You should be very... VERY careful running through the city at night. Your precious little guards aren't the peak of soft behavior either."

He poked his cheek, where the proud scar rested that the palace guards had left him as a little present, when his Ka wasn't as strong years ago.