#blacksmith's son {interactions}

[royalbstrd]

@ofrataje gets a bonus starter

Now that everything was over life was back to normal, or at least what was normal for Hans. Henry was still trying to get used to this new life he'd barely even gotten a taste of before all the battles and adventures and travel. Life in a city, life knowing his real father, not having to live the humble life of a commoner. The more he thought about it, the more homesick he got for the life he no longer had. He was happy and wouldn't trade this new one for anything, especially Hans, but being back in Rattay and so close to where home once was..

The original plan was to just head out, apologize for disappearing once he got back. It was as easy as that, though that decision got harder to commit to the closer it got to when he'd planned on leaving. He knew most wouldn't question it, but he also knew it would worry Hans and he couldn't exactly leave him a note to avoid having to tell him in person.

"Sir Hans, would you mind if I took off for a few days? I... Have something I need to do."

[royalbstrd]

Henry kept his gaze fixated on the horizon as Samuel took a seat as if just waiting for something to happen. The plan had gone off rather well despite a few hiccups but he still couldn't shake that feeling of something wrong had to be coming. Nothing that seemed to come easy ever was anymore without some sort of disaster happening to cancel it out. But was losing a couple men, a couple good men, and almost his own life, enough for them all to get away with an easy victory?

Sam's comment did earn a smirk and a bit of a chuckle. "They would find that hilarious. None of us would ever hear the end of it." He could just imagine it would've become the go to drunken tavern story for a while. He may not have known them long, but he was going to miss both of them.

"You're right.. Shouldn't just be waiting for things to go wrong. A victory is a victory. Shall we go join the celebration then? " He shook his head before finally turning to meet the other's gaze. "Thank you, brother. I needed that."

@royalbstrd said, " don't you think that was a little too easy ? "

" henry, that is my problem. i always assume the worst is yet to come, even when faced with clear victory. " he moves to sit nearby his almost kin, finding relief in the form of soft grass. " it is important to keep your eyes open, just in case we have been followed by erik and his minions. though, i do not think they are stupid enough to try their luck against us here. that is a death sentence, one i do not believe that one is eager to serve. least, not while you still breathe life, bruder. " there's concern in his eyes when he looks at henry. he almost died at the hands of erik. who is to say that will not happen again ? " adder and kubyenka gave their lives for this cause. do not let their death's be in vain. i know that they would not want us wallowing in shit. well, actually .. they'd probably find that funny. " he playfully elbows him in the side. " the silver is ours for the night, at least. let us be happy about that. "

[avelera]

Hi, I wanna say I really like your posts and enjoy your meta's about jayce.

So I wanna ask a question: How do you interpret jayce's behaviour here?

Personally, I have always believed that since jayce came from a family of blacksmiths, he would at least know how to negotiate or essentially haggle to an extent so do you think that it's on purpose that jayce isn't particularly shown to haggle when it comes to his interactions with zaunites?

Also, aside from that I think silco and Jayce's last scene really goes unnoticed by many epssically when jayce genuinely chooses to be fully transparent and honest with silco admitting that he is scared.

Short answer: My interpretation of this scene is that it is meant to show how privileged and naive Jayce is.

Just to be clear, I adore Jayce, but I will still admit to his flaws as a character. But, I will also point out when "flaws" like privilege can also lead to generous or otherwise laudable behavior, because it's easy to be a saint in paradise.

As for the longer answer, Jayce doesn't haggle for a few reasons:

1 ) Jayce doesn't haggle because he's never known real hardship. He's from a family of blacksmiths, yes, but of a particular flavor. He's actually from a family of factory owners and toolmakers. He's middle class shading to upper middle class either by virtue of being the son of a factory owner or certainly by the time Hextech takes off. What Benzo was charging probably didn't cost that much to him, especially with Kiramman money backing him up. He needed the items more than he needed a bargain to have them. It probably didn't even occur to him to try to get a deal because of how little the items cost to him.

2 ) Jayce doesn't haggle because of cultural differences. To a Zaunite, it's unthinkable not to haggle. To a Piltoverian of a certain class, it's probably unthinkable to haggle.

I've felt this cultural difference as a person from the US while traveling. You would never haggle in the area I'm from (I don't claim to speak for the entire US), because most shops have an established price and that's what you pay. It would be incredibly rude in most instances to haggle. But when I've traveled to other parts of the world, Turkey for example, it's not considered rude at all, but expected. In places like the Istanbul Grand Bazaar, it's expected and there's etiquette governing it, and US customers are regularly fleeced for 10x the actual price if not more.

But you have to understand too, in relation to Jayce and as referenced in point 1, one reason US customers get fleeced in those places is because the amount being demanded as 10x more than the cost of the item is still a negligible amount for them. An item that they could haggle down to 50 cents costing $5 instead isn't really a big deal. Especially if you're on vacation anyway, you can afford to be generous, even if it means getting mocked behind your back as a sucker.

And for some there's an element of generosity to not haggling. Why would I haggle to get a $5 item down to $2, when it's a negligible difference for me, I want the item, and the person I'm haggling with needs the money more? Which leads into:

3 ) Jayce doesn't haggle because he's a good person at heart. Zaunites from Ekko to Silco are aghast at Jayce's lack of haggling, so it's not just a financial thing, it's a cultural thing. But even with the case of Silco, I'd argue one reason Jayce doesn't haggle is because he sees himself in a position of strength. He knows that independence matters more to Zaun than it matters to the Councilors in Piltover, who might whinge about it and the potential profit losses of losing sovereignty over Zaun, but they've been neglecting Zaun for years so boohoo, they can suck it up and get over it.

That to me is Jayce's view. Jayce admits that Zaun is asking for a lot of privileges that probably should be haggled over, like access to the Hexgates and blanket amnesty, but all that would do is drag out the process, possibly lead to more conflict if tensions rise again during the negotiations, and it would still lead to the same conclusion: Zaun deserves to be its own nation after Piltover neglected it. Jayce is a direct thinker and he decides it's better to just rip the bandaid off and let the chips fall where they may, rather than try to nickel and dime Zaun's negotiations when it would cost nothing AND be the morally correct choice for Piltover to just let them go.

One a final note: I think one reason we're seeing Jayce become a more beloved figure in S2 is because we can now see how radical and progressive his negotiated peace with Silco actually was.

When we only had the context of S1, Jayce's negotiation can come across as too little, too late, or even foolish. But when you see at the end of S2 that, as far as we can tell, without the negotiation going into place, Zaun doesn't have independence and only gains one seat on the Council, you can really see why Jayce using his position of authority while he had it to cut through the bullshit and right what he saw as a systemic wrong in one fell swoop might have been naive but it might have also been the radical change that the city desperately needed. Granted, we'lll never know if the Councilors were right and there could have been negative consequences to not negotiating more. Maybe handing an independent Zaun to Silco and the Chem Barons without haggling would have led to further disaster.

But as the show's theme constantly reiterates, "What could have been?" I think we can see better now that Zaun didn't get everything Jayce was willing to give them at the end of S1, and that's a tragedy. If nothing else, Jayce's willingness to not haggle even when he could wasn't just foolishness, it was because his heart was in the right place and he thought they deserved it. It might be a long time before there's another chance at that kind of progress again without the Man of Progress.

[felassan]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard art book pages, under a cut due to spoilers:

Scoundrels The scoundrels were an idea to add unique encounters to spice up combat and imply narrative depth. These would be like Batman B villains that cross your path, mess with you, and then run off to bother you another day. The main criteria was that they should be built using existing assets (some of the most rewarding work happens within extreme limitations). Right: The stalker that will never die (returned from Origins). Center: The hardest part about designing scoundrels is knowing you won't be able to build them all (yet). We liked the idea of them joining forces and creating an "anti-party: a group that could specifically counter each of your followers. Illustration labels: The Mouse, Stalker, Son of Sky Watcher, The Blacksmith, The Blood Witch, The Golden Mercenary, The Professor, The Librarian, The Beast, The Owl Gang, The Fox, The Fist, The Librarian, The Dove, The Spectre, The Champion, The Duelist, The Hunter

Illustration labels: The Lava Queen, The Artifact, The Interogator, The Flame, The Black Dragon, The Cartographer, The Marshal, The Blackbird, The Faithless, The Deadly Stillness, The Prince, Madam Venatori, Prof. Skeleton, The Swarm, The Beyondernaught, The Bank, Mournwatch Soldier, Poltergeist, Necroknight

Top: Scoundrels were originally proposed as a replacement for the Inquisitor's judgement scenes. After defeating a scoundrel, you would have a choice about how to deal with them. Bottom: If you killed a scoundrel, you could take their weapons and costume (no matter how outlandish). Or you could spare their life and call on them for a favor later on down the road.

The scoundrels also offered the opportunity to give more faces to the various regions and factions of Thedas. Tevinter libraries may be vast, but how much more vast do they seem if they produce a scoundrel like "the Librarian"?

Bellara Bellara is a Dalish technomancer. When the elven gods emerged, the blighted energy that they brought caused previously dormant elven artifacts to come to life, and Bellara focused her energy on learning how they worked for the benefit of both her fellow Dalish elves and her teammates. Top right: The first sketches of Bellara started with the description of "Jules Verne dork". Center left: She's very intense. She tries to be focused - but attempts too many things at once and ends up getting overwhelmed and not doing any of them, which makes her feel guilty. She then compensates by taking on too much once again. Center right: The rings on Bellara's gauntlet rotate and then lock in place. Bottom left: Bellara's gauntlet allows her to interact with ancient elven technology. ^ Illustration annotations: Moving/semiliquid mirror particles, Also portal for shards, Eluvian map

Top: We designed her to look like the elven version of an academic doing research in the field. Semiformal but simple elven clothing, with every piece of gear she thinks she might need, as well as room to store any fascinating specimens. Center: She likely will never unfold her eluvian map in-game, but we know it's there. Bottom: An unused endgame appearance: Bellara as the new icon of the splendor of the ancient elven empire.

Left: Bellara's space is mostly a workshop where she can continue her research. It's full of ancient elven artifacts, Veil Jumper tools and furniture, and lots and lots of mirrors. Right: Hanging elven artifacts, a metaphor for the weight of her mission pressing down on her.

Left: Hanging fabric to make it cozier. Right: A mirror with someone frozen in it.

Davrin He's an elf in his early thirties, but not a delicate, refined one. He's a monster slayer, tougher than your usual elf in stature and demeanor. Davrin is a seasoned veteran trying to nurture good in a world that keeps throwing evil at him. There's a confidence in him that comes from knowing he's good at what he does. He broke away from his elven clan in his teens because the insularity stifled him. He wanted adventure. Top right: He actively seeks the challenge of monster hunting to test and better himself, figuring if he can come out of a fight alive, it'll forge some steel in his soul. Center: We tried to find the right balance between his elven past and his Warden present. Center right: A soldier surviving in the wilderness. The armor is lighter but preserves the Warden quality. Many elements of his costume are designed to look like pieces he created or modified for himself out in the field with available materials. Bottom: Fighting Elgar'nan's darkspawn at Weisshaupt.

Assan and his siblings are the first live griffons we've seen in Dragon Age. Much like medieval illustrations of exotic animals, there is a slight disparity between living griffons and their artistic representations.

Top right: Classically, griffons' bodies are based on large cats. The bodies of Thedas's griffons are based more on dogs, specifically Great Danes. Center: Assan was a rare first-draft design. The first image of him was exactly right. Center left: An unused endgame appearance for Davrin with a matching "griffon commander" set for him and Assan, marking him as the head of the newly formed griffon cavalry unit. Bottom right: Each one of Davrin's carvings represents countless hours of tracking, studying, and hunting - a symbol of his accomplishments as he carves his way through the monster world, beast by beast.

Left: Davrin's room was meant to allow for lots of natural light and fresh air (as much as you can get in the Fade). Right: Davrin's area is filled with monster-slaying tools and research, as well as a generous number of perching options for Assan.

Emmrich Emmrich is a professor specializing in death magic, hexes, and necromancy. Despite his mastery of dark arts, Emmrich is a friendly, energetic man who loves company and adventure. Deeply curious about everything, especially magic, he's kept himself active by exploring the dangerous catacombs underneath his city and can more than handle himself in a fight. He's part of the Mourn Watch, an elite group of necromancers who protect the world of the living from occult horrors. Right: Emmrich is a very emotive talker: he gesticulates, underlines points with his hands, etc. His enthusiasm comes through transparently in his body language. Left: For his outfit, we explored a combination of academic, mortician, and conductor.

Left: Emmrich's work encompasses death and grief. He's sensitive to how they leave people vulnerable and in need of compassion and kindness. He has a deep well of both, especially for his friends. Right: A regal-looking lich.

Top left: Emmrich has always had thanatophobia - he is a necromancer afraid to die. Through long study and rituals, he's discovered a way to cheat death by becoming undead himself. Center top: Events of the game force him to choose between this strange immortality and reviving a dear friend. Top right: Emmrich must decide to make peace with dying or seize immortality, but either way he comes to a better relationship with death. Bottom: Manfred's space is ideal for studying death and magic in equal measure.

Top center: Emmrich has a collection of artifacts used to study the esoteric. Top right: Emmrich's Fade telescope. If you dare to look, make sure you're not alone. Center left: A Nevarran teapot that belonged to Emmrich's mother. Center: We gave him "guts" made from useful containers Emmrich might need out in the field. Center right: What can be said about Manfed? He is Emmrich's loyal assistant, mentee, and friend.

Harding The dwarf scout from Dragon Age: Inquisition. The girl next door that develops mysterious, powerful abilities connected to the ancient past of her fellow dwarves. Compassionate and cheerful, she is the heart and conscience of the team. Harding strives to remain true to herself and her humble upbringing even as she is flung into darkness and world-changing threats. Center: Harding is the moral compass of the group. A kind woman, she has an optimistic outlook and views the world and those who live in it as inherently good, even as she faces monstrous evils. She does not view attributes like empathy as weaknesses but strengths. A friend to everyone on the team. Bottom: We tried to make Harding's outfit an evolution of an Inquisition uniform. We imagined her on a mission, waiting for days in a sniper perch, biding her time by embroidering beautiful patterns into her sniper cloak.

Top left: Harding must deal with her newfound Stone-based powers that she inadvertently acquires during an early mission in the game. Top right: Even with her new powers, Harding would still be an archer. It was fun to explore what that might look like. Center left: In the early stages, Harding's Stone powers were more extreme, including her skin transforming during combat. Center left 2: It was challenging to make the stone skin look appealing and not like an infection. Bottom left: Harding has a green thumb. Over the course of the game she transforms a dead space into a lush garden (a feat even more impressive in the Fade). Bottom right: A corrupted red lyrium version.

Lucanis A trained assassin possessed by a demon of spite, Lucanis is constantly battling to control the darkness within himself. He is a black-hat badass who can kill anything. As a member of the Antivan Crows, Lucanis feels a sense of loyalty to his house that goes beyond duty or monetary gain. Family is as ingrained in him as holding a dagger the correct way. Center: Lucanis dresses in the Antivan Crows' interpretation of a simple black suit. Center right: Though a hardened killer, Lucanis is cultured and comfortable in both upper-class and underworld social settings. He studies his enemies, learning and testing their weaknesses before striking. Bottom: Lucanis tries not to sleep, so his room is sparse and brooding.

Center left: A pragmatic and confident gangster with a dry, dark sense of humor. He offers no apologies for being morally gray. Center: Calculated and ruthless, he fights with an effortless grace that comes from years of training and experience. Center right: He is an executioner who always gets his mark.

Neve Magical noir detective in the big city. She cares more about everyday people with "right-now problems" than the big picture. Word spread through Minrathous that she'd help people both on and off the record, so she works whatever cases come her way that are worth taking. Her motto: she takes a job, she finishes it, she walks away... If only things were ever that simple. Her fighting style is low, broad, staccato, and effortless. Center: We found consultations with amputees to be very valuable in helping us design not only a stylish and practical prosthetic for Neve, but also the accompanying accessories. Center left: Her ascot is designed to evoke a pit of snakes. Bottom right: The dark elements on her shoulders are based on shoulder holsters.

Top: Neve's outfit is a mix of detective and femme fatale. Center left: As mentioned earlier, Neve's place on the team was originally occupied by the returning villain Calpernia from Inquisition. After the decision to create a new character, the first versions of Neve's design were "Calpernia as a detective". Center right: A cynic with a heart of gold, Neve is clever, driven, and guarded. She has a dry but playful sense of humor. Beneath her nonchalant attitude is someone who cares about what they do and wishes things were better. She can act comfortable in upper-class situations, but she's known to be an outsider, and she's truly in her element in Minrathous's less-rich neighborhoods. Bottom right: Meeting with consultants changed everything about how we designed her prosthetics and equipment. The first impulse was to make something flashy and multipurpose. Instead, we chose not to draw too much attention to it, lest it distract from her character.

Top: Another lesson we learned from the consultants was to not make her prosthetic central. It's off to the side, just a normal part of her day. Bottom: Neve's desk. Humble by Tevinter standards and marked with serpent imagery.

Center: Neve's room is the cassic gumshoe film noir office, with moody lighting and a wall of evidence that grows throughout the game.

Taash As someone who grew up in the free-spirited, multicultural country of Rivain but was raised to respect the Qunari heritage, Taash is a dragon-hunter who walks in two worlds. Top left: Taash can breathe fire thanks to remnants of Qunari dragon blood. Top right: With Taash we tried to find a good balance between Qunari heritage (rope, dragon skin) and Lords of Fortune allegiance (coins, jewelry).

Top left: Taash's idle pose was drawn to give the impression of a fighter after a match. Top right: Taash understands dragons on an instinctual level and hunts and kills any that are a danger to people. Taash is a part of the Lords of Fortune faction, adventurers who seek dragons worth slaying and treasure worth taking. A pair of axes and light armor allow for quick movement - and even getting onto the backs of large enemies.

Getting the Gang Together The characters were largely approved, and this was the first time we saw them all assembled.

Varric It's a joy to revisit characters. It's a great opportunity to visually tell the story of all the years we've missed. Varric is older, a little scruffier, maybe preferring comfort to style as his adventuring days near their end. He's also let go of some of his old priorities, not needing to be flashy, not as concerned about keeping his beard short. We also decided to go with a darker and more washed-out color palette, for reasons that people who have played through the game will understand. Top left: Varric spends the majority of the game bedridden, so we wanted to make the severity of his injuries visible. ^ Illustration annotations: back, front Top right: It's not just Varric that has been on a journey. We wanted to show that Bianca had been well loved over the past decade. Bottom left illustration annotations: Custom-engraved metal plate. Swappable lens. Gem affects abilities. Bianca's scarf. Retractable; see rail on original. Engraved. Rear. Stock made from ancient myrtle tree. Finish is black with hints of blond patterns. Edges line in ivory, while ornate designs are metal. Bottom right: An ancient elven room converted into an infirmary, where Rook recovers.

Solas While known as Solas in present-day Thedas, he was once known as Fen'Harel, the Dread Wolf, the elven god of betrayal. In ancient times, he rebelled against the other gods, the Evanuris, and sealed them away from the living world, behind the Veil. Solas's true identity remained hidden from the world through the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition and was revealed in the Trespasser DLC. During that time, he was an Inquisition follower masquerading as a simple hedge mage. Top left: Solas's outfit is designed to represent that he has stopped hiding. He is committed to his path, and so he returns to dressing like he did in the old days. Right: The central MacGuffin of the game is Solas's lyrium dagger. Originally it was hidden away in the idol from Dragon Age II. Bottom left: One of the palettes Solas used when painting one of his many historical and confessional murals. Bottom center: Most of the elven gods had dragons. Ever the outsider, Solas instead embraced the Dread Wolf nickname on a grand scale. This creature was based on one of Solas's cards from Inquisition.

some other pages -

Some opening pages

Foreword

Google Books preview pages Part One

Google Books preview pages Part Two

Amazon preview pages

Page batch

Page batch 2

Book art credits:

BioWare art: Matt Rhodes, Ramil Sunga, Albert Urmanov, Christopher Scoles, Nick Thornborrow, Steve Klit

Volta art: Gui Guimaraes, Stéphanie Bouchard, Akim Kaliberda, Alejandro Olmedo, Alexey Zaryuta, Julien Carrasco, Maksim Marenkov, Marianne Martin, Mariia Istomina, Marion Kivits, Matti Marttinen, Mélanie Bourgeois, Pablo Hurtado De Mendoza, Rael Lyra, Rodrigo Ramos, Thomas Schaffer, Tiago Sousa, Tristan Kang, Vladimir Mokry, Yintion J, Joseph Meehan, Stefan Atanasov, Julien Carrasco

Additional art: Marc Holmes, Thomas Scholes

[merriclo]

uhm. in light of everything, i think it’d be beneficial to provide context from the games to maybe help open up other avenues for people to explore the linked universe characters with. i’m gonna start off with one of my favorite aspects of the ALTTP games that’s largely ignored in the LU space:

the knights in Legends’ Hyrule are not, on average, cruel.

in the opening of A Link to the Past, the knight at the castle gates calls Link “son,” and tells him to go home and get some rest (it’s night at the beginning.) another one has this heartbreaking interaction with Link, saying, “After Agahnim took over, everyone has began to act strangely. I suppose it’s only a matter of time before I’m affected, too.” any hostility the knights show him is not an act of free will; the knights were put under a spell by Agahnim, and then forced to hunt down a little boy they once called son.

even in A Link Between Worlds, the knights only attack Link after Yuga takes over the castle. seeing as this game was made as a parallel to ALTTP, it’s safe to assume a similar situation (especially considering how many of them spawn off the palace walls from Yuga’s paintings. that game is weird and difficult to explain. play it if you can it’s great.)

i think that there’s something so deeply heartbreaking about Legend being hunted down by those he used to have such reverence for. and to make it worse, it wasn’t even their fault, so can he really be mad at them? and then he goes on to be a blacksmith’s apprentice and ends up helping make the very weapons they unwillingly pointed at him,,,,

i’m NOT saying you can’t write the knights in legend’s era as total jackasses. i’m just elaborating on aspects from the game that most people likely don’t have access too.

[too-many-rooks]

Thinking about if it was Istvan who interrupted Runt before he killed Henry in Skalitz rather than Robard and Theresa.

Thinking about Istvan seeing a useful asset to manipulate Radzig with - and also seeing the potential of another boy he’s just orphaned, who he can shape into a soldier, into a dog.

Thinking about Henry being nursed back to health in Vranik, in the rooms at the top of the hill that Istvan and Erik share; being too out of it to really understand where he is but Istvan worming his way into moments of consciousness and telling him he’s safe and caring for him and starting to cement that bond.

Waking up and realising he’s in some kind of… mercenary camp? But still too much of the niave boy from Skalitz to really understand what they’re doing there; Istvan is being so kind to him, taking care of him, he can’t be a bad person, right?

And Henry sees the surprising tenderness in Erik and Istvan’s interactions, and thinking that even if they’re associated with bandits, two people who care about each other so much can’t truly be evil, right? And perhaps yearning for that kind of attention and affection as well, and perhaps his relationship with Erik and Istvan slowly turning sexual as he’s inducted (/groomed) into their dynamic.

Henry watching Erik in the sparring ring, and Istvan asking, wouldn’t he like to be like him? Wouldn’t he like to be strong? Wouldn’t he like to be in control, and not let anyone dominate him ever again?

And maybe Istvan does still have Sir Radzig’s sword, but he tells Henry this is a man’s sword, that he needs to earn it, to prove himself to Istvan that he knows how to use it, but till then being granted the ‘honour’ of maintaining it for Istvan, serving him like a good little page.

Erik, who’s almost certainly incredibly jealous of the attention Henry’s getting from Istvan, being commanded to train him, to toughen him up. Turning into something of a big brother figure, understanding in many ways what Henry’s going through, knowing that Istvan’s reforging can be hard, but earnestly thinking he’ll be so much better for it.

And all the while Istvan is worming his way under Henry’s skin, sinking his claws into his mind, slowly poisoning him against Radzig, who failed his people, who got his parents killed, who serves a useless king. And of course, having the knowledge about Radzig being Henry’s real father. And perhaps he twists that revelation to make it even more devastating - he tells Henry that Radzig forced himself on his mother, and then threatened Martin to keep quiet about it and force him to raise his bastard.

Meanwhile Radzig, having lost everything, his son disappearing from Talmberg on a suicidal mission to return to Skalitz and not being seen again, is menaced by bandits he can never seem to get the upper hand on, and one day, is confronted by a captured bandit his garrison couldn’t bring themselves to kill, because they recognise the blacksmith’s lad - even when his face is twisted and snarling in hatred, spitting venom at Radzig and promising to kill him for all he’s done, for what he did to his mother, for denying his existence all these years.

(And then Radzig having to de-programme his brainwashed, quite mentally damaged son, but not really having anywhere safe to keep him so taking him back to Rattay in chains and asking for yet more hospitality from Hanush and Capon…)

[aevumgames]

✦ | To light the darkest of paths.

Those Long Dead is a medieval fantasy interactive fiction story, with angelic imagery and themes worked in, and a focus on romance. It is rated 18+ for depictions of swearing, potential sexual themes, violence, and death. More warnings may be added as development goes on.

Three generations.

That's how long it's been since this kingdom was conquered. In a time of great upset, the First Queen led a rebellion against reviled rulers and oppressive laws. Waging war with unmatched cunning, she rallied many powerful soul mages, known as angels, to the cause. From that conflict, the kingdom of Calcherth was born, built on the bones of the old empire. The First Queen ruled with great compassion and wit, but not all sins are forgiven with time. For the deaths she had caused during the war, the First Queen was murdered by the very people she had endeavored to lead.

The loss of its ruler did not spell the end of Calcherth, however. The coup was quickly suppressed, and the First Queen's son took the throne in her place. Now, many years later, the scars on Calcherth's short history have faded, and advances in soul magic improve lives for many within its borders. However, those same advances are viewed as a threat by Calcherth's neighboring kingdom, and many fear war is on the horizon once more. To make matters even more dire, the Second King has suddenly passed away, leaving his youngest son to succeed the throne long before he is old enough.

The effects of these events are so far-reaching, that even you are beginning to feel them, far to the southwest in the remote town of Lest. You are the child of a retired knight of the kingdom, who traded in his sword for the deed to Lest's tavern. The Fool's March, your father has named it, and the humble, but beloved tavern has been the center point of your entire life. But now, with rumblings of war, your father plans to pick up a blade once again, heading to the capital to enlist and leaving you behind in your childhood home. With him no longer by your side, what will you do when a threat to the entire kingdom comes for you? What will you do when you find out you may be a soul mage, yourself?

Medieval Fantasy setting with angelic imagery and themes, and a focus on romance.

Adult characters, with the main cast being mid twenties to early thirties.

Customizable MC. Select your first name, last name, pronouns, appearance, orientation and manifestation of powers.

Five romance options of varying gender and personality, who you can interact with as you choose.

More to come as development continues!

Kaine Breckem (he/him) - The blacksmith's former apprentice, who your father took in and hired at the tavern a few years ago. A kind, but mischievous individual, Kaine cares about others a great deal, but that doesn't stop him from being full of snark. Kaine can be your closest childhood friend, or someone you unfortunately work with; the choice is yours to make. Regardless, he's rather protective of you... but who will protect him when he needs it?

Vermillion "Millie" Lousat (she/her) - A descendant of a noble family, Millie has extensive education and combat training... and is also quite the social butterfly. It doesn't matter if it's the docks or the Gilded District, if you want connections somewhere, Millie has them. She wears her heart on her sleeve and doesn't care about the consequences. Maybe you'll catch her eye, somewhere amidst the mass of other's trying for her affections?

Leon Calcherth (he/him) - Technically a prince, Leon is the standoffish older brother of the Young King, Caleb, but is no longer considered to be in line for the throne. He greatly regrets the situation this has put his younger brother in, as they're very close. Leon is not easy to get close to because of the way he acts, but maybe the prickly prince has a softer side underneath the thorns?

Milo Lance (they/them) - The commander of the Order of Light, and they absolutely live up to the position. Practically raised in Gilramore's guard barracks, Milo's personality tends to come across as stiff and business-like, but in actuality they simply enjoy being effective and to the point. A truly gentle soul in a warrior's suit of armor, if you can persuade them to let down their guard.

Clementene Fairwreight (she/her) - Celementene is a talented soul mage for the Order, but she is a researcher at her heart; field work isn't particularly for her. A slightly nervous disposition and bad eyesight really only add to her penchant to stay within Gilramore's white stone walls. Her surprisingly daring experiments with magic captivate most of her attention, but maybe she'll find something in you that can capture her focus as well?

Demo last updated 8/8/2024.

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[askthatoneanacondraikaiguy]

Can we please get more context on when Kai and his parents reunited in his new form I just keep going over it and I can't stop thinking about it

Kai straight up almost kills his dad.

In the show, it's not nearly as close a call when Nya and Maya intervene.

Ray knows how to fight Anacondrai from his time in the Serpentine War, but he no longer has his elemental power. He's stuck in an enclosed space with only his blacksmithing tools and his forge. Ray's fighting is not as refined as Kai's is due to lacking practice (though Kai is also fighting using a more modern fusion of human and Anacondrai martial arts) so it becomes much more intense on Ray's part. Instead of just knocking Kai down, he kicks Kai into the open forge. This doesn't burn Kai, because Anacondrai scales, but he then uses the fire to attack Ray, revealing his elemental power.

The sudden realization of "I'm being attacked by a snake, the snake is using fire elemental power. My son is supposed to be the Elemental Master of Fire. This means my son must be dead"connects in Ray's brain as the worst case connection together in the moment into a bit of nonsensical grief-rage of "this Anacondrai killed my son." Or is somehow responsible for it, because Ray perceives Anacondrai wholly as thieves and conquerors and the only way it could have achieved the powers is if it stole them from Kai somehow.

(to Ray, that makes more immediate sense than 'my son has turned into an Anacondrai')

But Kai still gets the upper hand. Nya and Maya run into the shop to find Kai actively constricting around Ray.

(it is funny to imagine that interaction Nya has with her mom when she finds her outside; "Look, you're gonna see a snake, don't kill him, he's Kai-- yeah, Kai's a snake now. It's a long story. Please hurry before he does something stupid!")

Nya douses Kai in swamp water to get him to calm down and Ray is so shocked (and overjoyed) to see Nya that he chills out (once Kai releases him) enough for there to be an explanation for why they're helping Krux, though there's less time here for Kai to explain how he became an Anacondrai. After which, Kai gets to hug his mom.

Though, this does also add to the fact that when Krux and Acronix interrupt, they not only bring up that the Reversal Blade is the only thing that can save Wu, they also bring up that it can be used to reverse Kai to his human form before the Tournament.

(this is not as appealing to Kai as it is to his parents. I... Have not fully worked out how that proceeds yet)

[howi99]

Meeting with the blacksmith

Jaune: ... Couldn't you fix Ozma and Salem?

Blacksmith: I could, but-

Jaune: All they need is a way for you to interact with them, right?

Blacksmith: Yes, but-

Jaune: Beside, isn't the state of our world the express result of both of your "sons"? Like, i thank you for fixing me, but i really think they need it more than i do.

Blacksmith: ... But wouldn't that be a boring story?

Jaune: If they didn't want that to happen, the writers shouldn't have created you in the first place. You can literally fix Remnant biggest problem in like 5 minutes. All we need to do is send them both here.

Blacksmith: That would be lazy writing.

Jaune: Because copy-pasting alice wonderland and fixing my age in literally 16h after i met back with team RWBY isn't?

Blacksmith: ... *Sigh* Bring them here. Shouldn't be too hard since both of them are suicidal.

[wirywyrm]

I want to share more stuff about my Tav, but I’ve been too busy to draw as of late, and even then, I still haven’t shared much about his character beyond the surface level. He has depth- I swear 🥲. I’m just more confident when it comes to making silly little doodles than actually writing/depicting compelling character interactions. I have so many comic scripts and unfinished wips…

ANYWAY. I saw this OC tag game circling around that was originally made by Clericblood and figured it would be fun to fill out, + it gives me an excuse to info dump about Arthur some more. So, here's some more info about my Tav.

General:

Name: Arthur Tavener Alias: Tav Arthur goes by “Tav,” an abbreviation of his last name, Tavener, as a nickname instead of “Art” or “Arty” because he lost those other nicknames to the fey. A piece of advice Arthur would give is don’t get drunk in the woods, and especially don’t play a game of cards with a suspicious man you encounter while drunk in the woods. Gender: Cis Man Age: 45 (≈29 physically) Spoken Languages: Common (Faeruni), Dwarfish (Dethek), and Elvish (Espruar). Sexual Orientation: Bisexual Occupation: Adventurer. Arthur’s background is listed as an entertainer, but he wasn’t famous, wealthy, or part of a band, circus, or actor troupe. Arthur was more or less a traveling busker. His main revenue was whatever coins people would toss him after a performance. So, apart from entertaining, he’s done his fair share of odd jobs and quests to get by.

Favorite: 

Colour: Red Entertainment: Playing card & dice games, sharing stories, reading. Pastime: Journals, restores/mends old books, practices playing the lute, and hums or whistles pub songs, bard tunes & sea shanties. Foods: No strong preferences, he will eat literally anything. Drinks: Cider, Ale, & Tea.

Have They…

Passed University: No. Arthur spent a couple years studying at the bardic College of New Olamn, but dropped out before he graduated. Had Sex: Yes. Although he hadn’t had any long-term relationships prior to Gale. Had Sex in Public: No. Gotten Tattoos: Yes. Arthur has three tattoos. One on his chest, one on his left arm, and one on his lower back. Gotten Piercings:Yes. His ears are pierced. Gotten Scarred: Yes. Arthur has plenty of scars from beast & blade alike. Although only below the chin. He takes particular care to heal any injuries that would result in facial scars, as he doesn’t want to come across as intimidating or unapproachable. For the same reason, he also doesn’t typically introduce himself as an adventurer or sell-sword (because given what the average dnd party gets up to on the Swordcoast, they probably have a very mixed reputation). Had a Broken Heart: Yes. Arthur’s lost a fair amount of friends and family over the course of his life.

Are They…

A Cuddler: Yes. Scared Easily: Yes. Arthur is often scared, especially given the scenarios he’s regularly placed in during the events of BG3 (& even before that), but he does his best to hide it. Arthur will grit his teeth and grin through the most terrifying situations- cracking jokes even when wounded. He prefers to not worry others and keep spirits high. Even if, as a result, he’s neglecting his own well-being. Jealous Easily: Somewhat. Arthur will get jealous when it comes to certain things, but he rarely acts upon that jealousy. He particularly gets a little petty in the company of nobles, sorcerers, and those Arthur believes have had things handed to them on a silver platter. However, getting to know someone will change his opinion of them regardless of any initial jealousy. For example, Arthur liked Wyll despite Wyll being the son of a duke, both due to Ulder Ravengaurd's history as the son of the blacksmith from the lower city and Wyll’s as a folk hero / The Blade of Frontiers. Trustworthy: No. Arthur is unquestionably good aligned, but I would not consider him entirely trustworthy. Arthur primarily trusts his own judgment when making decisions. Even in the case of his party members, if he suspects their end goals do not align with his own and he cannot persuade them to change course, he will potentially go behind their backs or act against them. He’ll actively manipulate, lie, steal, and backstab if he thinks it’s necessary. To answer the question more plainly, if your character is good, yes, you can generally consider him trustworthy; if they’re more neutral or evil, absolutely not.

Family: 

Sibling(s): He probably has several half siblings, but there aren’t any he personally knows.  Parents: Beatrix Tavener, Human (F), Lorin Goldwalker, Sun Elf (M). Although Arthur’s relationship to the guardian-figures in his life is complicated. Arthur’s mother died when he was young. His father was a deadbeat. He was taken in by a party of adventurers for a time. Then, he was primarily raised throughout his teens by his grandparents. Who- are not around anymore given they were human, and Arthur’s over 40 years of age. Children: Maybe? (I’ve been debating wether or not Arthur and Gale would adopt Yenna- the girl who can stay in your camp/get kidnapped by Orin in Act 3). Pets: Formerly. Arthur used to have a dog named Japer. He probably wouldn’t be able to keep Scratch, or the grown up owl bear cub, due to city laws in Waterdeep. Us & Shovel are more like summons. Grub would count - if he adopts Yenna. Lastly, Tara would not allow Arthur to call her his pet. Gale Could. Tav would have very cross tressym he’d have to appease.

[royalbstrd]

@ofrataje liked for a starter forever ago

Now that he'd gotten to know a little bit about Brabant, Henry needed a break from talking to their new eccentric companion. He gently pulled back on the reigns in his hand to slow the stolen horse he was currently riding down to fall into step next to Hans'. "Your new friend sure is... Something." He was starting to wonder if having been stuck in that room with the Frenchman was supposed to be the torture for Hans.

"So.. About what happened back there.." His expression softened as he looked over to Hans, voice kept slightly quieter despite the fact the other member of the party had witnessed their reunion first hand. "Was that a one time only thing or..?"

He cared about Hans, a lot more than he ever thought possible, enough so he would forget the kiss ever happened if that's what his lord preferred. He'd much rather get the chance to do it again though.

[royalbstrd]

Henry was more than happy to help Samuel out, even if he'd originally tried to suggest somebody with more skill in the healing arts than he was. At least it meant he could keep an eye on how Sam was doing. "If you deserve it? Why would you doubt that?" He asked, grabbing a spare scrap piece of cloth to wipe whatever of the medicine was left off of his hands.

"You're a good man, Sam. Brave, fighting for what you believe is right. Perhaps a bit stubborn, but that seems to run in the family.. On both sides." He moved toward him, gently placing a hand on the other's shoulder. "I could not think of a better person to call my family, even more so my brother."

@royalbstrd said, " i'll always protect you. "

henry replies to samuel's side comment about how he seems to always be coming to his aid as of late. his response earns him a half smile. " i know. " his shirt is lowered, covering up the injuries of varying severities.

with the medicine applied, he feels a bit better. it is much easier to have someone else help him, but sam does not trust many to touch him anymore. not after the whole ordeal with brabant.

" sometimes, i wonder if i deserve it. " he glances at henry's face before lowering his eyes. " if i deserve to call you my bruder. " he doesn't. regardless of how much he wishes otherwise.

[gloomwitchwrites]

Hey!

I want take a request for the 1k event :)

Hobbit fandom, Thorin

How he react if fall in love with a single mother/ he became a step dad

Okay, but like, that is such a cute idea. Thorin is already a father figure to his nephews, and stepping into the role likely wouldn’t be too difficult for him. Thank you for sending this in. I hope you enjoy it.

Word Count: 628

1k Follower Event Rules

ao3 // taglist // 1k event masterlist // main masterlist

Thorin does not have any children of his own, but he has acted as a father figure to his nephews. So, when he falls in love with a single mother, it feels completely natural for him to slip into the role. The thing is, when Thorin first meets her, he has no idea she’s a single mom until much later, and yet that doesn’t change the way he feels about her. It’s not a deal breaker.

If Thorin meets her before the fall of Erebor, I can see him meeting her at the market in Dale, the two of them bumping into each other, lots of quick apologies, perhaps Thorin is helping her pick up the things he knocked out of her hands. A meet-cute moment that quickly blooms into something more.

If Thorin meets her after the fall of Erebor and during exile, I can see their love being a slow burn. Perhaps he is staying in a small town or village, working as a blacksmith temporarily for extra money to support himself. Their paths cross over and over again, their interactions brief before becoming something like friendship and then eventually something more.

If Thorin meets her after Erebor is reclaims and he’s king (and he doesn’t die), the dynamic would certainly be different. I think it would be super cute if she doesn’t have any idea about who he is, and therefore treats Thorin like anyone else. This is how they interact so when she finally makes a move on him, Thorin accepts, and it isn’t until later that he reveals who is he.

In terms of headcanons:

Thorin wouldn’t care if you’re a single mother or not. He sees it as a bonus that he gets to be a father right away instead of having to wait.

He is respectful of your role as the primary caregiver and understands that he’s coming in as a secondary individual. Sometimes this frustrates him because Thorin can struggle with figuring out how to act appropriately with a child that isn’t his blood relation. He wants to build a good relationship with them, but he doesn’t want to end up pushing you or the child away because he messed up.

Thorin will not take any negativity about this dynamic from outside voices. If someone expresses their opinions and it puts you and/or your child in a bad light, Thorin won’t listen to it. He is open to listening, but he won’t listen to negativity about you or your child. If you’re his, there isn’t any reason for anyone else to shove themselves in to have a say.

He is protective of the two of you, and the people who care about him the most feel the same way.

Thorin will do his best to make your life easier even if it makes life a bit harder for him. You know he does this, and absolutely hate that he puts your above himself.

Thorin always takes time to look after the kid so that you can have alone time and just because he wants to. His relationship with your child is just as important to him, and he wants this to feel like a family unit.

Thorin encourages your child to be whatever they want to be while also preparing them to take on greater roles within Erebor (if this comes after its reclaiming). Just because your child isn’t a blood relation doesn’t mean he doesn’t see that child as a son or daughter.

He won’t get it right all the time. Thorin will mess up…a lot. He is stubborn. He can be arrogant. This will certainly get in the way of things. But Thorin will always try to have some patience even when there is none to be had.

taglist:

@foxxy-126 @glassgulls @km-ffluv @sweetbutpsychobutsweet @singleteapot

@firelightinferno @glitterypirateduck @tiredmetalenthusiast @protosslady @childofyuggoth

@miaraei @coffeecaketornado @cherryofdeath @mrsdurin @ninman82

@thewulf @ferns-fics @beebeechaos

[adrianasunderworld]

TwstxStardew Valley au!

Yuu inherited the Ramshackle farm from their grandfather. It's located in the little town of Night Raven in the Valley of Sages. Shortly after moving in, they find a cat called Grim. Now it's up to Yuu to restore the farm and town to it's former glory. All the characters are the townsfolk, all the staff are the ones that run the local businesses, and Crowley is the mayor. And all the students are the marriage candidates.

Sam runs the general store, but unlike Pierre he's pretty cool. Vargas is the blacksmith. Trien is the librarian, and his cat hangs out amongst the shelves. Crewel I was thinking we have a new business that is the local clothing store where you can buy the bag upgrade from him and instead of the sewing machine being in Emily's house, it's in the shop. So all that stuff would be in one place.

Kalim as the resident animal lover I can see being the one that sells you your farm animals. Maybe his business is a branch of his parents much larger business that he runs and Jamil is his employee.

I feel like it goes without saying that Idia is the Sebastian here. He's the freelance programmer living in his parents basement, and Ortho Is his kid brother you see running around town that always tells Yuu about how cool his brother actually is.

Silver lives with his veteran dad in their little cottage in the woods outside your farm, they like living off the land out there. I can also see Lilia and Baul as the ones that run the adventurers guild. Maybe the Zigvolt family dental clinic is also in town and Sebek works there. And in that same vein, maybe Mrs. Rosehearts is the town doctor and her son, Riddle, is her assistant. She's planned everything out that Riddle will become a doctor like her and take over the clinic one day.

Epel is still a farm boy here, it feels right, he's in his element in this au. The Felmiers run an orchard on the opposite side of town. His granny used to know your grandpa, and maybe Farmer Yuu can buy fruit tree saplings from them.And of course get a good price on the apple ones.

Deuce is the former town delinquent that lives with his single mom. He's doing his best to turn their life around, he grew out of his old ways and wants to do better. I can see his heart events being about people assuming he's going to cause trouble because of his old habits and Deuce having to prove he's not that little teenage punk anymore. And instead of Idia/Sebastian, Deuce is the one that takes you on the motorcycle date if you romance him.

Mostro Lounge is the equivalent of the Stardrop Saloon, and Azul is th owner with the tweels working for him.

Malleus I can see being the one that lives in the wizard tower in the woods outside your farm. He's studied magic all his life because it's all he's ever known. But he wants very badly to interact with the town and the villagers, but everyone tends to stay away. The only exceptions being Lilia, Silver, and Sebek. That is until Yuu moves in and discovers his tower, and once Malleus helps them understand the Juiminos in the community center, they become better friends.

@mangacupcake @marrondrawsalot @writing-heiress @the-weirdos-mind

[ladystoneboobs]

[Cat, to Brienne:]"And Arya, well . . . Ned's visitors would oft mistake her for a stableboy if they rode into the yard unannounced. [...]" -Catelyn VII, aCoK

ok, this is another thing that makes me feel like i'm taking crazy pills bc i never see it talked about with all the implications behind it. so if anyone is more versed in androgynous medievalish clothing, feel free to correct me here, but my thinking is if unannounced visitors mistook arya for a stableboy, would that not mean she was wearing boyish riding garb, trousers and all? bc if she was running around with messy hair and a dirty gown, wouldn't she more likely be seen as a female servant? if my reading is not wildly offbase that does not jibe with the idea of arya being terrorized all day by both septa mordane and her mother to be more ladylike. rather, this limited freedom to be mistaken for a servant could suggest that pragmatic catelyn was picking her battles with arya too, not forcing her to always appear prim and proper on days when they were not expecting any guests to see her. catelyn "despaired of ever making a lady of" arya, though neither she nor ned could abandon the goal, which could mean a more measured approach, not exhausting herself by going after arya for every unladylike move she made, especially when she was still a prepubescent child. the quote above starts a paragraph which ends with catelyn feeling "as though a giant hand were squeezing her chest" after saying she thought arya was dead like bran and rickon, after no word of her since ned's arrest. in that context of grief, i think all her words about arya should be read as coming with bittersweet fondness, just being honest about their problems, not sugarcoating any of it.

but let's compare catelyn's trials with arya, including her often running around looking like a stableboy, to arya's interactions with lady smallwood, somehow seen as an even better mother-figure than her own mother, whom arya found easier to comply with bc of her kinder manner. first of all, lady smallwood's efforts to make arya ladylike included two baths and two dresses in one day after arya and gendry ruined the first dress, before finally giving her boy's riding clothes to leave in. i would argue a full second bath was unneeded when they could have just washed the dirt off her face and hands, and, furthermore, that both the dresses were an impractical waste when she knew arya would be riding back out with the outlaws and could not look a highborn lady when doing so. idt pragmatic catelyn would have gone to all that trouble just to make arya look ladylike for a few hours when there were no other ladies around. as for the claim that arya found it easier to comply with her? no, that's just flat-out demonstrably false. the text says she was "forced" into a tub and "they insisted" she wear girl's clothes. what room did she have to refuse as a hostage in a stranger's castle? she certainly felt no compunction about fighting gendry in the acorn dress she'd been forced into, and only felt bad about it afterward when lady smallwood talked about her dead son.

now, let's move on to the only canon quotes we have from cat to/about arya in arya's pov.

"Sansa's work is as pretty as she is," Septa Mordane told their lady mother once. "She has such fine, delicate hands." When Lady Catelyn had asked about Arya, the septa had sniffed. "Arya has the hands of a blacksmith." -Arya I, aGoT Her father had hunted boar in the wolfswood with Robb and Jon. Once he even took Bran, but never Arya, even though she was older. Septa Mordane said boar hunting was not for ladies, and Mother only promised that when she was older she might have her own hawk. -Arya V, aCoK Her mother used to say she could be pretty if she would just wash and brush her hair and take more care with her dress, the way her sister did. -The Blind Girl(/Arya I), aDwD

in the first quote we don't know catelyn's reaction to septa mordane's rude disapproval of arya, certainly not if she agreed with it. what we do know is she was not interested in only hearing endless praise of sansa and wanted to hear if arya had made any progress. although admittedly that was a vain hope, which ignored arya's true strengths and the possibility that she could never master and enjoy needlework the way catelyn did.

the second quote better shows the difference between arya's mother and her septa. catelyn does not criticize arya for wanting to hunt boar nor dismiss her interest. instead she tries to mollify arya and accomodate her desire with the promise of a future hunting hawk. that this was a promise, not just an idle thought, suggests this would have happened in due time and could have been a bonding activity for them if the plot hadn't intervened.

the third quote is definitely a backhanded compliment and doubly unhelpful in comparison to sansa, but at least it shows catelyn did not think one of her own daughters was ugly. she thought both were pretty even tho sansa was the more admired as traditionally beautiful, and she thought arya's looks were held back by her messy hair and clothes. (useful to remember for those fans who like to keep track of how many characters called arya pretty vs. how many call her ugly.)

yes, it is a bad sign that arya genuinely wondered if her mother would want her back, dirtier than ever in her disguise as a peasant boy. their relationship definitely had faults which the adult parent must bear responsibility for. but we must remember that arya also worried if robb would pay a ransom for her, and was most ashamed about the people she'd killed, and couldn't bear the thought of ned knowing all she'd done. and we must keep in mind that even ned never openly gainsaid septa mordane on-page either, and that arya desperately wanted to renunite with her mother and felt confident gendry could stay with her if she vouched for him with her mother. that confidence would seem completely unwarranted if their mother/daughter relationship was as utterly bad as some fans make out.

[comfortless]

syl you can not casually mention blacksmith König and leave it at that!

sighing… ok, yes, i will talk about blacksmith! König more..! ^^

content/warnings: 18+. minors do not interact. violence, physical/emotional abuse, descriptions of injury, death, angst, marriage on the gallows au.

Before König, there was his father, his father’s father and so on. Hardened men who were left to rot on the outskirts of the little village: sharpen blades, birth something from slabs of iron and silver. The work was tedious, but never dull. Scrape, burn, turn and roll- over and over until the smoke rose from the pit to sting at his eyes. Birth by fire wasn’t only in myths of dragons and phoenixes; he witnessed it each time he held pure malice in his hands as his hammer struck. Nothing became something, deadly and cruel. Day and night his life and lungs were filled to brimming with hellfire.

Accidents happen, naturally. No matter how careful he’s been, there’s nothing to keep the flame from entirely taking back after giving so much.

König’s father lost a finger while mentoring him.

His blue eyes were fixed on the man’s callused hand as the freshly smithed blade sliced through the digit like it was little more than a dollop of honey, no blood. There had been nothing but the crack of bone carved cleanly through, then the wet sizzle of meat cooking as it fell into the pit.

His father had screeched like a starved demon then, a barrage of insults tossed his son’s way like little more than passing pleasantries: oaf, useless cur, bitch.

König hadn’t been concerned, he sat on the stone bench looking up at his father and told him so, that he was fine: it had been cauterized, cleansed by the fire.

König lost the same finger that day.

His mother had fallen ill sometime last winter. The last memory he had of her was the look of frailty on her face, how her skin felt so cold and yet she lie dampened with sweat.

The dogs and buzzards had gotten to her grave, but it wasn’t them he felt any of the fire’s malice for.

Just his father.

The villagers didn’t know what became of the blacksmith, but König could recall it every night; how even with his dying breath he had only thought to curse his only son.

So, he wears the hood of the last executioner now, and the people shy away. They don’t like the look of death unless they can participate in it as a divined audience.

The dogs are never hungry, there’s illness all throughout the valley, and sometimes it only shines through in shimmering eyes while the villagers stare and giggle at the next withering soul led to the gallows.

König knows he should be there; like mother and father, his bones should be shared between panting mouths and blood-stained beaks. Sometimes the boars come sniffing too, and he’s always hated them, maybe even more than the birds. They’re ugly and sturdy, squealing and snarling like his father.

The villagers looked at the boars, though, because they were useful. Their eyes were hungry and happy each night the men set out on a hunt, unaware that their sons and daughters lurked in the bellies of the very beasts they starved for.

It’s cold even during the summer months in his shack.

There are blankets, a kitchen, a hearth, but it’s empty. The winter makes its wastelands each coming year, envious of how he can accomplish such with fire instead of ice. He doesn’t need to clean. The ash blackens the wood, cleanses all. One day, maybe, it would scrub him too.

The fire is a womb, but it’s never birthed anything truly alive. Not until her. A wildfire swept the field where travelers had gathered. With their supplies reduced to the very cinders König had come to adore, the surviving members sweep right into this cursed place like it’s a holy temple.

And the fire gave her to him.

König doesn’t know where this woman came to settle from; she isn’t like the other villagers, not even the travelers with their items and skills for selling. There’s still life in her eyes. He watches her as she wanders down the street with a smile on her face, one that speaks of a kindness that not a single one of these people deserves.

She introduces herself to them too, without a title to her name, and all at once any interest fades as the ghosts wander away from her.

His mother used to force him into the church when she was still alive.

She would take him by the hand as he lumbered after her, sticking out amongst the crowd of parishioners who would sing their hymns and stare at him with contempt behind their eyes. He hated going, but he did it for his mother; father was much too busy to spend his time with her and her fantasies. But König learned of angels there, fragile feathered things, all eyes and wings that wouldn’t stand a chance against a blade.

He didn’t think delicate things could be holy until her sweet, gentle smile is cast upon him.

This lady walks right up to him, doesn’t bat an eye at his hood when her lips curl up as she introduces herself. She doesn’t mind the sack of weapons thrown over his shoulder to take to the marketplace— the swords, the daggers, none of it. Her eyes don’t even glance their way; she looks only to him.

Women like this don’t want their homes and beds covered in ash, cinder in place of incense, fire instead of honey. But still she smiles while he says nothing.

König isn’t the only man who’s heart she steals, either.

The village is all gray, smoke and rot except where she walks. Flowers spring up for the coming spring, the deer and foxes are calling out for mates, and it’s all because of her— everyone must know it.

The farmer’s son brings her fresh fruit and whispers into her ear while they pass by his shack on a stroll. The man’s arm curls around her waist so naturally that König can only be reminded of the way that dagger sank between his fathers fingers, tore off a bit of him to feed back to hungry flame. If there were any god above he knew right then that it wouldn’t want him to allow that to happen to her. Not to an angel.

When the rest of the men, dogs and seraphim sleep, König tears the farmer’s boy in two— split down chest to abdomen and left as food for the pigs, right there in the middle of the field.

He doesn’t pray, he hasn’t since the last time he knelt by his mother’s sickbed, but he closes his eyes and breathes out a wish when he leaves that bloodied dagger at her doorstep.

He doesn’t pray, but he weeps when he rallies the villagers to apprehend her. She cries and fusses, face puffy from sleep and hair a mess. There isn’t a speck of blood on her, but the vultures take her anyway. König didn’t want to see her hurt; when her eyes find his, he turns away.

The day of her execution arrives like a festival ceremony. It’s been some time since the last, the scavengers are hungry, so famished he thinks he can almost hear them lick their teeth. There would be no death today, it’s already been decided. In distant places, a single act of devotion is all it takes to save a life, one that the beasts didn’t have the right to take.

The hunger wasn’t always just for death, but for something… a turn and change like steel in fire.

When the angel is taken to her death, rope dangling from her neck like a lead meant for cattle, he steps forward, parting the crowd with an ease. He’s practiced this a time or two in the smoke already, a lonesome and loathing god in the fog. The others scurry from him, looking up at him with pinched brows and bared teeth as if to goad he take her life instead.

Instead, he only catches her eye, smiles and lowers himself on one knee.