#i think he THINKS he's very sympathetic to the mages. but then you get that line in act 3 that's like 'but at the end of the day they have | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sweetmage · 22 days

Note

Not sure if I'm allowed to send you prompts if I'm not in your group but if you still want bingo prompts then unhealthy coping mechanisms for Handers? 😄

Thank you so much for the prompt, I had sooooo much fun with this!! I'm not sure either but let's find out lol

Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms - M!Handers

@dadrunkwriting

TW: Discussions of self-harm, arguing

Words: 2800+

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, post-canon (fugitive/supportive Handers), depression, serious conversations, very sappy dialogue, purple!mage!Hawke

Summary: Hawke has noticed signs that Anders may be self-harming in secret and aims to get to the bottom of it... but he could have done that better. When tensions settled. The two navigate Anders's insecurities and past hurts and and reaffirm their love for each other 💞

Full fic below the cut!

It had not gone unnoticed by Hawke. By the day they'd grown lower on healing herbs and lyrium and the floors in and counters in the shack they'd been bunking in had become a new kind of spotless. Small things, innocuous under any other circumstances, but they rubbed Hawke raw in all the wrong places when paired with Anders's recent demeanor.

He smiled when they met eyes, chatted and joked when they sat down to share meals, but it was all tenuous, so obviously forced. A barrier over a question that lay unasked upon his tongue.

He wondered at first if Anders had grown stale of this life, two fugitives with no company besides their own and that of their cats, a life with one eye open and constant glances over their shoulders. Was this life what he wanted? Was life what he wanted? How hard the answer was to come by was what troubled Hawke so.

He could not wait any longer, fearing the consequences should they not talk it out. It could be nothing, he could be working hard and feeling tired and nothing more. Hawke would much rather know than not.

He pushed his way through the doorway, groceries from a sympathetic trader who did dealings with rebels in hand, and was greeted by the sight of Anders bent over the fire, stirring a pot that smelled strongly of stewed rabbit.

Hawke paused to savor the image of a homey setting and Anders, safe and comfortable. He almost felt guilty for disturbing the moment.

"Hey," he greeted and Anders looked up to meet him.

"Welcome back, love" Anders replied with a smile, rushing to his side to unburden him of his packages.

Hawke kissed him once then shrugged him off, taking them instead to the lopsided table to set them on the steadier side.

Anders watched him quietly, concern creasing his brow. "Is everything alright?"

"Are you okay?" Hawke blurted out before he could stop himself, and cursed inwardly at how awkward he sounded.

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Anders asked, confused.

Hawke didn't look at him. "I don't know, you just seem...quiet lately. I guess I was wondering if you were unhappy."

The room went dead silent, save for the bubbling of the stew in the pot.

"You say that as though I'm not talking to you right now." Despite what looked to be his best attempt at carefree levity, Anders's voice was a little strained. When Hawke didn't immediately respond his face fell further. "Have I... done something to upset you?"

"Of course you haven't," he clarified quickly, holding up his now free hands. "But we need to talk."

"Okay then... nothing good ever followed those words..." Anders's frown deepened, his brows knitting together. "What's troubling you?"

Now that he was here, staring down his lover's nervous eyes and wringing hands, the words didn't come as easy. He took a deep breath, steeling himself. "Far be it from me to start hurling accusations around, but I've noticed a few... things. Lately."

"Like?" Anders asked, pitch rising with impatience.

"Well, to start with, you've been using an awful lot of healing herbs and lyrium lately despite our distinct lack of patients. I'd like to think you'd tell me if you were hurt or sick. But that brings us to my second point." Hawke crossed his arms, hoping his posture read more 'worried' and less 'disapproving'. "The other day I spotted blood by the kitchen washbasin. You said it was just from a slip while peeling potatoes. I thought I'd let it go, but since then I can't help notice that the counters and floors have been looking pretty scrubbed. And your mood has seemed lower as of late..."

"Yes, and?"

Hawke paused, trying not to sound like he was accusing. "I'm worried something else is going on. Something you don't want me to know about."

Anders stared at him for a long moment, face carefully blank, then slowly looked down. His fingers twisted into the frayed hem of his sweater, and Hawke had a fleeting urge to take him and kiss his hands until the worry in his face went away. But he spoke first. "Maybe I wanted our house a little cleaner. Maybe I've been stressed and it's gotten me down. Why does it have to be something nefarious? Why don't you trust me?"

"Don't turn this back on me. I've been living with you for three years now, you don't think I can tell when you're acting strange? I've seen you in every mood. I'm just worried about you."

"There's no reason for you to be worried," Anders insisted, a little too emphatically.

"Anders, I just want you to be honest with me," Hawke pleaded. "I love you. I want to help you."

"Please just leave it alone."

"Why are you being like this?" Hawke demanded, overwhelmed to the point of exasperation that he didn't intend.

"Why can't you just respect that I'm asking you to drop it!?"

"Maybe because I can't stand seeing you like this! Why can't you understand that? I'm worried and I want to help, why is that so difficult for you to get?"

"If you can't stand seeing me like this, then maybe I shouldn't be here," Anders snapped. "Dinner is on the fire, help yourself."

Anders turned from him then to pull on his boots and Hawke stayed hot on his heels.

"Where are you going?"

"Out," was all he said, brushing past him as he made for the door.

Garrett slipped out after him, careful not to let the cats loose but keeping Anders in his sights. "Come inside. I don't like the idea of you being out there alone."

"Then it's a good thing I don't particularly care what you like," Anders spat over his shoulder, and kept walking. For all the anger and hurt he radiated, he stopped short at the end of the trampled path, calling back, "Have your dinner. I'll come back."

The last thing Hawke wished was to escalate the situation, to make him feel trapped, cornered. He knew Anders had faced more than enough of that in his lifetime. "Be safe, Anders," he insisted. "Don't do anything stupid."

Anders didn't respond, and continued on.

Hawke waited a long while after Anders was out of sight, hoping he would change his mind, but he didn't return.

He went inside, but he didn't eat as he'd been instructed. Every moment that passed he looked to the door, wondering when he might return, if he would.

In retrospect he certainly could have handled that better... could have been more sensitive, could have given him his space, not jumped him right when he'd gotten home.

It too late for could have's now.

Hawke sighed and ran a hand through his hair, pacing in front of the door. It must have been over an hour now, the the sun was sinking low in the sky and Anders still had not returned. It wasn't just Anders's own hand that he feared now, but templars and bandits and a dozen other unsavory characters that might do him harm.

Unable to wait longer and he grabbed his staff from where he'd propped it by the doorway and lit the lantern, making his way back out to search for him. It was too risky to shout his name, but he kept his ears peeled for sounds of trouble as he searched.

His first instinct was the far side of the field where the tall grasses turned to orchards, but after half an hour of scouring the treeline and getting nowhere he decided to backtrack, hoping he had the sense not to head towards town on his own without so much as his staff or a cloak.

He made his way back around, the sun all but vanishing and the sky bleeding shades of deep blue. He'd stay out all night if he had to... he hoped he wouldn't have to.

He'd almost made it back past their cabin when he heard the snap of a twig behind him. He spun, raising his staff and prepared to strike, when the source of the noise came into the dim circle of light cast by his lantern.

"Thank the Maker," Anders breathed, relief and worry both etched into his features as he rushed forward to pull him into an embrace. "I came home and you were gone, I was afraid something had happened..."

Hawke dropped his staff and pulled him close, crushing him against his chest and breathing him in. "Anders," he gasped. "I was worried about you, out there on your own. I couldn't just sit there."

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Anders murmured, lips brushing the crook of his neck.

"We should go inside. It's late," Hawke offered, pulling away to look him in the eye.

Anders nodded. "I'll follow."

Hawke picked up his staff and led them way, though he never fell more than a step ahead.

They stepped into the warmth of their shack and Hawke set down the staff, turning to shut and latch the door. When he turned again, Anders stood just where he'd left him, looking pensive.

"What happened out there?" Hawke asked, trying to keep his voice even and gentle. "You okay?"

"No. But I am sorry." Anders met his eyes, guilt written across his features.

Hawke hoped the swift shake of his head would clear the apology from the air. "You don't have to be sorry. I was never angry—or not with you, anyway. Just..." He hesitated over the vulnerable word that lingered on his lips before mustering the courage to push it forward. "Scared."

Anders nodded. "Can we... talk? Now that we've both calmed down a little?"

He didn't mean to look so hopeful, but the relief was instant. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea."

Anders sighed, kicking off his boots at the door and bending low to scoop up one of the cats that had rushed to greet them.

Hawke moved in to tend the cook pot and dwindling fire, if only to give Anders the ability to speak without eyes on him. "I'm listening," he promised.

"Right..." Anders cleared his throat. "What you saw, what you've noticed... you weren't wrong. I don't know how to say that to you. I didn't think you'd notice, or maybe I thought you wouldn't care."

"You're joking, right?" Hawke blurted, unable to help himself. "I care about you much so much, Anders. If you hurt, I hurt."

He was quiet again, but Hawke let him be.

"It started before you," he explained, as though worried that Hawke would misinterpret his involvement. "In the circle. You don't just... live that kind of life and come out of it whole. The mages there coped how they could. It was just a way to cope. The only thing they could control."

"They?"

"...We." Anders reluctantly amended, never one to comfortably acknowledge his experiences in lieu of others. "Even when Kirkwall was at its worst, even when I was at my worst... I had a cause. Justice, the clinic, the underground... But now, I don't know..."

Hawke stood from the stew and turned back to him to find him seated at the table, cat curled contentedly in his lap as his fingers absently stroked her fur.

"Do you have to chase a grand cause? You toiled for years. Do cuddles and long naps count for nothing?" Though he intended to lighten the mood, Hawke's voice still carried a certain seriousness.

He smiled a little, but it was weak and fleeting so Hawke sat beside him, taking his free hand between his own.

"I didn't intend to see beyond the Gallows. I didn't expect that I'd ever see a tomorrow, or a future," Anders went on. "Let alone one at your side. I'm grateful, but..."

"But...?" Hawke gently pressed.

Anders looked suddenly uncomfortable, averting his eyes. "I just... feel like you've sacrificed so much for me. You had a life in Kirkwall. A good one, with people who loved you. You could have become the Viscount. Could have been... something. And instead, you're here. Hiding."

"With the man I love," Hawke reminded him, reaching up to gently stroke the stubble along cheek. "I'd give up my titles, my house, anything, for that. Don't you know that?"

Anders's brows knitted together, conflicted. "It doesn't seem fair, is all. I feel guilty for having brought you to this. You were a free man and I've shackled you."

"Mages were never free, Anders. You don't need me to tell you that," Hawke argued, a bittersweet smile touching his lips. "Not in the circles, not in Lothering, and not in a mansion. I could wax on with clichés like 'I was a prisoner in a gilded cage until you set me free' and the like, but you've done more than that. The circles, the templars, the Chantry, their bloody system and laws, you broke the very scene built to break us... Pretty sexy, if you ask me. Not that you needed much help in that department, anyway."

"Please stop talking," Anders chided, though Hawke noted with pleasure the rosiness in his cheeks and the tugging of his lips, no matter how brief. "I just worry that I'm taking something from you."

"Ah yes, I do quite miss my daily meetings and constant social obligations. The stench too, Maker, that's hard to live without."

That venture was far more successful, drawing a snort from Anders. "You know what I mean, love."

"I do and it doesn't matter how many ways you put it, my answer is always going to be the same. I'm a grown man, I can make my own decisions. Sure, I'm not always the best with them, but this one hasn't gotten me stabbed, set on fire, or eaten, so I'd say it's definitely one of my better ones. And it has given me you all to myself. A deal that good feels like robbery... not that I'm above it."

"Alright, alright," Anders conceded, seeming notably less troubled. "I... Thank you, love. You have no idea how much it means to me that you're still here after everything."

"Nowhere else I'd rather be." Hawke leaned forward to steal a soft kiss. "I hope this all ties back to your recent... troubles, in some way. I don't like to see you unhappy but that doesn't mean you shouldn't come to me. You know that, right?"

"It won't burden you? Bother you? It won't scare you off if it's all too much?"

"You seem to have this image of yourself as a tragic, complicated, scary beast of a man, but you're really just a delicate, precious kitten when you get down to it," Hawke replied, fondness overwhelming his attempt at facetiousness. "I love every inch of you. Sad inches included. I'd never go elsewhere, despite your insistence on offering."

Anders met his eyes again, mouth open as though in objection but after a moment it closed. "Always quite the wordsmith," he teased back lightly, his eyes full of affection. "Thank you. I'm sorry for putting this on you, for making you worry."

"As if I'm some sort of Anointed myself, going at you like that," Hawke said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have pushed you. Or shouted for that matter. Or came at you right when I got inside. Or neglected the stew you worked so hard on... smells delicious, by the way."

"Well, it's all out in the open now, right?" There was a nervous, vulnerable edge to the laughter that followed.

"Does it help to know that I love you? And that I'm always coming back when I leave? And I spend every moment apart from you aching to return to you?"

"It helps," Anders assured him, a smile tugging at his lips. "Very much."

"Good," Hawke smiled back, leaning in to press his lips to his forehead and again to his lips, then lingering there, savoring the warmth and closeness. "We don't have to fix everything now, I don't think we can. Just... if you ever think of doing that again, or feel like you need to, or want to or... can you tell me?"

"I'm sorry, I never meant to—" He stopped as if soothed by the look Hawke gave him. "You have my word."

"Do you need anything, right now?"

Anders paused to consider. "Just a good meal, a bath, and some sleep couldn't hurt."

"You seem a bit... indisposed at the moment." Hawke glanced over at the cat in Anders's lap and the other that had fallen asleep on his feet. "I'll get the stew. We can worry about bed when you're done being one."

Anders's laughter rang like bells, sweet and true, startling the cats who sprang up, deciding it was well time for their dinner too and that what simmered in the cookpot must be for them, if only they yelled enough. Of course, that only served to draw more laughter from Anders who followed at their little feet to lay a hand on Hawke's back.

What Hawke wouldn't do for him, the lengths he would go, if only to keep him like those, happy and close. What he deserved.

#dragon age 2 #dadwc #dragon age drunk writing circle #handers #hawke #anders #m!handers #m!hawke #jun fics

16 notes · View notes

vigilskeep · 11 months

Note

In the alanora hawke timeline (pro templar blue mage, right?) what does carver think of his sister? I know if he's a warden and you side with the templars he's super disappointed in you... what does that sibling relationship look like through the game?

much like this

i think it’s very funny that carver gets out and into the wardens and generally manages to improve his life and how he feels abt himself and pick up a sense of purpose. meanwhile every time he shows up to kirkwall alanora’s life is a trainwreck on fire. and she’s refusing to admit it’s on fire she’s just sat in the middle of it. and she’s nun married to a chantry boy and she has tea with meredith every tuesday

i think in act 1 alanora would be as high friendship as humanly possible with carver bc they have similar priorities, keeping their heads down, getting the job done, staying safe. and bc she’s much more sympathetic w him than my other mage hawke lmao. but by the time you’re in acts 2 and 3 and he’s taken some time away, i think it’s deeply fucking terrifying, frankly, to have a mage sibling act like alanora does. even listening to bethany talk abt the circle can be worrying as hell. to have a fully actively pro templar mage sibling who’s just committing harder and harder?

alanora is half based on the scene if you side with the templars that u mention and also the dynamic in this legacy dlc banter lmao. i would see carver as uncomfortable as hell with everything alanora is doing and rushing to reach her during the last straw not sure which side he’s afraid she’s on

#alanora hawke

40 notes · View notes

ghostinthelibrarywrites · 1 year

Note

please tell me more about Warlord Yennefer

Warlord Yennefer is a somewhat stalled birthday fic for a very patient, very dear friend (I'm sorry I suck at finishing longfic these days, Nicole) where witcher!Yennefer is the Warlord of the North, mage!Jaskier is her advisor/lover, and she's betrothed to Geralt, who is the prince of Rivia. Here's a snippet:

“Why would you want to marry me?” Yennefer asks. “If you want heirs, I can’t give them to you. If you want power, you won’t find it here. If anything happens to me, this empire will collapse within a year. You’ll never be an emperor. The witchers wouldn’t follow you.”

“I don’t want to be emperor.” He looks so horrified by the very idea that she almost laughs.

“Then what do you want?”

“Ciri,” he says simply

Yennefer detects no lie in his heartbeat. “You want her well and truly out of Calanthe’s control.”

Geralt nods. “Calanthe wants what’s best for Ciri, just like she wanted what was best for Pavetta.” The faintest grimace crosses his face at the mention of his late wife. “But what she thinks is best isn’t what I think is best. Calanthe would have Ciri married off at fifteen and pregnant by sixteen. That’s not what I want for her.”

“And what do you want for her?”

“A choice in her future,” Geralt says. “Freedom. Security. The chance to be a child, and not just the continuation of Calanthe’s bloodline.”

“That’s a lot to ask for the heir to the Cintran throne.”

“She’s not just the heir to the Cintran throne. She’s my daughter.” For the first time, his voice fills with emotion: worry and so much love that Yennefer can’t help but feel a sympathetic pang in her chest. If she had had anyone care about her so much when she were a child, her life would have turned out very differently.

“And what does Visenna think?” Yennefer asks.

Geralt’s expression shadows. “She wants to appease Calanthe. She has six grandsons and four other granddaughters by my brothers. Ciri’s future isn’t her concern.”

And with the Cintran queen trying to control Ciri’s future and the Rivian queen happy to let her do it, Geralt would have little say in the matter, even if he is the girl’s father. “And so you decided to marry the Warlord of the North just to secure your daughter’s future?”

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for Ciri.” His expression softens. “I know that I should probably be trying to convince you that I’ve fallen madly in love with you and that’s why I want to marry you—”

“I would kick you out a window if you tried that on me,” Yennefer tells him flatly. “I get enough bad flirting from Jaskier.”

WIP list

#the witcher #geraskefer #warlord yennefer #ask games #ghost's writing

70 notes · View notes

alicewritingstories · 3 months

Text

Febuwhump Day 8: "Why won't it stop?"

CW: delirium, magical torture

Continued from Day 1

AO3

---

Another day had passed. Even Sky's screams and struggles had faded away to whimpers and twitches. He spent most of the time lying still, his eyelids twitching, his breath coming fast and shallow. Time stayed by his side while the others did their best to come up with something, anything, that might help him.

A soft, hoarse moan made Time look round. Sky's eyes were open, the corners crusted with dried tears. Time gently wiped his face with a damp rag and, slowly, Sky seemed to focus on him.

"Sky?"

"Time?" whispered Sky.

Time prayed desperately that this time Sky had recovered. That this time he wouldn't lapse back into delirium. But there was no time to waste. These moments of lucidity had been getting shorter and he quickly waved to Wild, who grabbed the broth he'd been keeping warm by the fire and ran over. The others watched, wide-eyed, but stayed back, knowing better than to crowd the ailing hero. Time helped Sky to sit up, murmuring comfortingly, and Wild tipped the broth to his brother's dry, cracked lips.

Sky drank it down, sip by sip, his eyes closed and his head tilted against Time's shoulder. When it was gone he looked up again.

"Time…"

"It's OK, Sky," said Time, his heart aching. "We're here. How do you feel?"

"It's not… he's still got me. It won't… why won't it stop?" Sky's words were vague, meandering. "He's still… Help me… please…"

"We're doing our best," said Time. "Can you tell me any more about what's happening?"

"He's got me… he's got me…" Sky whimpered. Time gritted his teeth, blinking back his own tears. Wild sprinted to scoop some of what he'd been cooking into the bowl; anything they could get into Sky while this lasted would be a help.

"Sky," said Time as clearly as he could into the chosen hero's ear. "Who has you?"

Another whimper. "Why won't it stop? Please… Time… make it stop…"

"What do you need me to do?"

Sky didn't answer and when Wild returned and tried to feed him a spoonful of the half-cooked stew he let out a thin wail and spat it out.

"He's gone," said Time and cringed as he heard his own words. Wild threw the bowl and spoon on the ground with a frustrated cry and stalked off into the forest before Time could say anything to him. Twilight shot Time a weary, sympathetic look and went after him.

Time turned back to Sky, but though the Skyloftian was shivering, his eyes staring at nothing, he wasn't screaming or seriously trying to struggle. Time suspected that was a bad sign.

"Time?"

Time startled; Four had managed to sneak up on him. He was still holding the old book, frowning between the pages and Sky's face.

"Yes?" asked Time after a moment.

Four looked at him, then shook his head as if coming back to the present. "This has some information in it that's given me an idea." He sat down beside Time, holding out the book. Time frowned at it; he could read, but not very fast.

Four apparently realized the problem; he caught himself and took it back. "It suggests a way of reaching across space to… this word is difficult to make out, but the short version is that that mage might be using magic to hurt Sky from a distance. Essentially holding him prisoner and torturing him inside his own mind."

Time looked back at Sky as the Skyloftian shuddered under his hand. His expression hadn't changed. Time wondered how much he could hear.

He's still got me.

Was that what Sky had been trying to tell him?

"Does it say how to break the curse? Kill the mage?"

Four frowned. "I can't tell for certain; it could be that will work or it could be that would just… cause other damage."

It would kill Sky as well, Time guessed. Or possibly leave him trapped in this state forever.

"Force them to release him, then."

Four nodded. "That's safer, though it would free the mage to do the same to someone else unless we also killed them. But how?"

Time looked down at Sky's pale, hollow, tear-streaked face.

"I'll think of something," he said firmly.

---

Continued on Day 11

#febuwhump2024 #febuwhumpday8 #linked universe whump #cw:torture #lu sky #lu time #lu four #my fanfic

9 notes · View notes

bringerofdeathandtheapocolypse · 8 months

Text

I just thought about this now but I can't recall Makarov and Ivan ever directly interacting with each other.

Like the closest we got was Makarov being unhappy with everything to do with Raven tail in the games.

Like Gajeel got to have a couple lines of dialogue with him and he was the spy. (Which side note, the fact we never see anything further from that aside from a mention and a flashback post Fantasia is missed potential)

But it's so bizarre that we never see either of them interact. We've never actually seen what them having a conversation is like because we've only ever heard stuff about it second hand through other characters talking.

We don't even know what exactly got Ivan kicked out of the guild. I don't think it's related to the dragon lacrima since Laxus was way younger when that happened. The most we know is Laxus was a teen but that's such a wide period of time that Ivan could have been exiled in. It also can't be lumen histore since Makarov clearly didn't know Ivan was aware of its existence until after his fight with Laxus.

Like I want to know what it was that Ivan did and why hardly anyone talks about him.

Like the kids I can believe since it's possible some if not most of them weren't at the guild when Ivan was exiled and Laxus also makes sense since he seems like the time to not want to bring things like that up. But why did we never hear a single mention of Ivan from anyone else before or after Fantasia.

I mean this is a guild with a decent amount of gossips in it. Surely someone would mention something about Ivan. Like a good moment to bring it up might be when Laxus is being an absolute ass. Maybe have one of the older members compare his behaviour to Ivan and voice concerns on Laxus becoming like his father.

I do like Ivan's proper introduction where he's talking to Gajeel which puts a seed of doubt in Gajeel's loyalty to Fairy tail for a bit. That was very cool and is an interesting set up.

Like in general, Ivan had such good potential for a villian. We've known of his existence for most of the series (I think his first mention was in Fantasia but I might be wrong, been a bit since I watched pre fantasia) and he had a relation with three of Fairy tail's members by the end of Fantasia, that being Laxus, Makarov and Gajeel.

I can kinda understand not seeing much from Laxus since he sorta just nopes out of existence for two months (which is why I can understand that some people don't mesh with his redemption since we don't really see it occur, it just kinda happens off screen and everyone forgives him which kinda also happens for Jellal which honestly, he did way worse than Laxus and he just sorta forgets it for a bit so again I can see why it doesn't mesh with some people) but we still have Makarov and Gajeel prominently.

Ivan should have been an underlying villian, have a few more scenes of Gajeel's spy work either with him talking to Ivan or Makarov and actually give us more information about Ivan and his past in Fairy tail. He doesn't need to be sympathetic, just give me a reason for his decisions and also you know, tell us what the fuck he did to get exciled.

And I've brought this up before but have him be way more prominent of a villian in GMG than he was. Have him try to fuck over Fairy tail in the games, even roping Gajeel into it with threats (like saying he's getting too attached for their plan and have him threaten someone in the guild like Team shadow gear or Lily for example) and have his members go after the mages in the night like they did with Wendy and Carla but in a way it can't be easily traced back to Raven tail's guild so like no magic use or purposely obscuring their faces (cause why don't the dragon slayer s try explaining that they're sure it was a raven tail member based on scent and have the council take something that exclusively 5 to 7 people in the country can do as proper evidence)

I also still stand by the fact that Gajeel should have gotten a repercussion for his spying. I personally go with a physical one but there are plenty of options. My personal favourite spot is right before the Ivan Vs Laxus fight, maybe even have Ivan use Gajeel as a way to get Laxus to listen to him by threatening to kill him and when Laxus tries to find a way around it to get Gajeel help (who would likely be drained of magic with Ivan's orders) Ivan instead severally injures Gajeel. That's just an option. There are tons.

Like Ivan is just so underutilized as a villian and it makes me sad because it's so interesting. He's one of three villains that have come from the Fairy tail guild. The other two being Hades (obviously) and Wraith(who died and lost his memories and also isn't even a true 'villian' just someone fighting on the opposite side to FT) and all three have vastly different reasons for becoming a villian/antagonist. But we just didn't really get much for him.

#fairy tail #rant #ivan dreyar #I just wish the spying plot line was more explored #It was such a cool concept and then its just forgotten about because we need to go fight the seiz and go to another world #We could have had a little something

19 notes · View notes

enneamage · 17 days

Note

hi Mage, I found this thread floating on main and I remember this was a point of discussion in your blog some time ago. I wanted to ask if you have any updated insights? https://twitter.com/S1R3NH3AD/status/1770146250446229612

The dynamic I would describe that played out would be Wilbur says ambiguous thing about “you aromantics need to read my lyrics” -> it is taken that the songs were written with Aro intent -> a slew of very happy Aros start to connect dots (+ truthers who wanted to know what was going on in general like moi) -> Wilbur keeps the ball rolling because he seems to have stumbled into something that works. Still bait-y, but I don’t think he started it on purpose as much as held still and let people project what was convenient onto him with some breadcrumbs to keep it going.

Under-represented identities can sometimes get eager to see any hint of themselves in the world through other people. I’m sympathetic to it, it happens in the asexual community as well– you want to see people living the life that resonates with you in a world that does not make sense, so you try to find them.

I think this is a smaller facet for a much bigger sense of utter betrayal, because in the end Wilbur managed to turn out to be the opposite of a lot of what people took him to stand for. He was supposed to be more moral and just a better, more self-aware man than the minecraft youtuber stereotype, and there he goes setting a record low for bad behavior. Everyone is processing their own pain for realizing that what they invested in him was false.

#my last aro-themes post was like minutes before I got the news of shelby's stream #which naturally shifted the tone by a lot #because the world she painted kind of showed a man who has Reality Problems and cannot stick to a story #and who knows what that means for his ability to introspect #gen wlbr tag

6 notes · View notes

queenofnohr · 2 months

Text

Odeline Heaven's Ward Relationship Overview

Zephirin

Sympathetic to her plight, but ultimately has a job to do (pre-ARR)

Encourages the Ward to interact with her throughout the events of HW

Charibert

Wants to persecute her as a heretic sooooooooooooooo badly

(pre-ARR) If she smells Charibert coming, she'll veil herself back up bc she does NOT want to deal with him

(after revival) bites each other bites each other bites each other

Technically her savior

Though because he was the one who persecuted her "family," he was the one she had to fight in trial by combat (real rin vs medea hours; aka she wins not bc of her magic but by mana burst punching him in the gut)

literally "the one that got away" for him. his white whale. LOVES fighting her

Grinnaux

"look at this funny bitch"

Leans slightly neutral toward her, but thinks she's entertaining

Adelphel

Knew her as the weirdo who indulges Jannequinard during his tenure as a Durendaire knight

Wanted/wants (?) to fuck her ngl. He's 22. big shrug.

Gets along fairly well with her even though she rejects his advances

Thinks she's naïve despite being younger than her for thinking ppl don't break their vows of chastity constantly in ishgard

Even tempered, thought things would work out until the very end because they were friends :(

Paulecrain

Eyepatch to eyepatch communication

by that I mean he recognizes her as (somewhat) cut from the same cloth as people who'd struggled to get by in Ishgard

Gains some amount of respect for her after she bests Charibert in her trial by combat

While it isn't really surprising to him that an Au Ra would thrive outside of Ishgard, seeing her when she returns, he wonders how high she plans to climb wrt status

Slightly bitter at her position as House Fortemps ward in HW, especially after learning she's a Problem Child now

On her part, she wants to see him succeed because she does consider him a person (as with the rest of the Ward) and is frustrated to see him content with his lot as it is - when asked "Doesn't [he] want more?" he half-bitterly replies with, "Where else is there to go when you've made it into the Ward?"

Is so fucking confused as to why she rubbed elbows with Jannequinard for clout and she's just like. "He was the only one stupid enough to take me"

post revival, he probably grounds her a lot of the time like "even if you're warrior of light, you're still just a person"

Haumeric

Was On Her Side during her scandal and sent her to complete her schooling afterward; despite this, because of her past trauma, she distrusts his acts of goodliness

Her scandal is what made him seriously consider stepping down from the clergy

(post revival) "I can fix her" "I can make him worse"

Thinks she's a good Halone-fearing woman and thinks her "fall from grace" is a tragedy

unintentionally bullies Odeline after reviving over stuff like pointing out she cried over the Ward or unintentionally making her beg for cock

likes sticking his dick in crazy so, you kno.

Last Ward member she fucks

Guerrique

Likes to fuck with him

before she likes to fuck with him u kno? (post-Ward reviving)

He broke her arm on accident once and feels really bad about it so he sort of lets her behavior slide

Figures out her vibes faster than anyone else but doesn't comment because it's not his lane

First Ward member Odeline fucks bc she thinks he'll be an easy conquest. why would she think this. he's literally exploded a dragon's head with a swing and broken 22 of his axes because of his strength. the reason is she's a little stupid and has a god complex.

Guerrique asks if he should name a new axe after her after they fuck and she's just like .........

Noudenet

Classmates in the Scholasticate

Would bitch about her magic constantly, making her strive to get better

Thinks her mana bursting is big poggers though ("It was very imaginative")

Tells her to study with Charibert rather than Haumeric when she's learning magic from the Ward mages

Janlenoux

BLUE HAIR SQUAD

The only one who can make her calm down maybe a little (with his cooking. Real What's Cooking in the Emiya Household hours)

Technically knew her as the weirdo who indulges Jannequinard when he served House Durendaire

Ward members not listed I'm still cooking for! To be updated as I add more lore~

#odeline tag #long post

2 notes · View notes

ceo-of-sloppy-men · 10 months

Text

I love dragon age inquisition. It was the first dragon age game I played and it will always hold a special place in my heart. But something that never sat right with me after playing through all 3 games, is that Cullen is the one trying quit Lyrium and lead the inquisition. And Samson is the one who joined Corephyus.

So here's a long-winded argument as to why I think they should have been reversed. I love the game nonetheless, but the ball was fumbled here (in my opinion. If you disagree that's perfectly fine). Before I start I want to say I love both Cullen and Samson. I also discuss the infamous "quit or don't quit lyrium" scene quite a bit, and I want to say that no matter what it's still problematic.

Now, there are two major things we have to address before I can get into this:

Cullen's fear of mages would make him really not want to trust Corephyus, and additionally, having first hand experience with Darkspawn would make him even less likely. HOWEVER! This would only really be relevant if darkspawn were integral to Inquisition. Which they're not (for some reason).

Samson is a nobody, who either winds up rejoining the Templars or remains on the streets in Dragon Age 2.

Now the address:

Cullen's fear of mages might work fully in reverse, making him see the Templar order as the only way to control Mages and if he can restore them to glory with red lyrium that Corephyus claims to control, then it makes him even more likely to think Corephyus is the only option.

Samson being on the street AND having dealt with Hawke and Varric make him even more likely to meet Casandra. Why? Because Varric could make an off-handed comment about Samson being the more likely choice to rehabilitate templars because he already has first hand experience from lyrium withdrawal and he's sympathetic to mages. As opposed to Cullen who spends the whole game being relatively hostile and only really switches sides at the very end of the game when he sees how extreme Meredith has become. Especially with a Mage Hawke being canon because Varric would have seen first hand how Cullen views mages, not to mention how templars view mages with Merril and Anders.

Samson makes a more logical choice for the Inquisition's resident ex-templar.

He's mage sympathetic

while he would still argue for getting the Templars to seal the breach (due to wanting to save them from their fate), he would be more understanding of why the Inquisitor chooses Mages, and probably provide a more compelling argument other than "the templars are good because I always wanted to join them"

he's already in the first few stages of lyrium withdrawal

it would create a weird friendship between Varric and Samson if Varric was the one to convince Casandra to take him (Samson thinking Varric saved him)

Samson has the motive of atoning for his crimes of selling mages into slavery to help them escape Kirkwall/feed his lyrium addiction by finding a way to safely absolve the templar order so mages never have to go through that again

the whole "quit or don't quit" scene would be profoundly more impactful because you could string in Samson's time on the street as extra motivation to why he thinks he can't quit but loathes the feeling of despair taking lyrium brings.

we even see in the game that Samson is only helping Corephyus to give the Templars a "proper death". If faced with an alternative, he would probably gladly take it (so long as there was hope, something he's starved for, which is how Corephyus took advantage of him in the first place)

there could even be a whole quest where they take Templars from Corephyus's army and attempt to turn them from Red Lyrium! Whether this fails or not it would still be profoundly impactful, with a fail making Samson lose all hope and triggering his "quit or don't quit" scene, or a success giving Samson that needed encouragement that quitting lyrium is the right thing

Not to mention Samson reacting to the Titan Blood reveal would be seriously hilarious (but Cullen doesn't even get that post Descent DLC).

I say safely absolve because rather than just leaving them to become mindless husks, he could offer his own home remedies for improving lyrium withdrawal quality of life, using himself as an example and a test subject for any treatments before the men. He would still have the overworking aspect we get with Cullen, because he would feel as if he has to prove his worth to the Inquisition. And his connections in undergrounds and Tevinter could help Lelianna (and other wartable missions), not to mention have him sympathize better with Dorian, making their friendship stronger, since he would have to know somewhat about Tevinter and their customs, and one could even make an interaction of the two of them discussing former Kirkwall mages whereabouts in Tevinter, with Dorian pulling strings to search after them.

Cullen being a villain would have worked, playing into a tragic villain arc and being supported by his backstory.

Cullen was deeply traumatized by mages in DA1, which is never resolved or fully addressed in 2 or 3. It is swept under the rug, with him still holding that trauma in DA2. He sees mages as super dangerous, and needing to be controlled or they will turn to blood magic no matter what. Thus, Corephyus could easily play into that, sympathizing with his fears, recounting the Tevinter Magistrates ascent to the Black City as a tragedy, and presenting the rift in the sky as the result of evil mages. Thereby manipulating Cullen into thinking that Corephyus understood his fears, supported them and would help work to achieve his goals

Cullen has seen first hand what a red lyrium addiction does to people, but he's also naive. He could think that in moderation, like all blue lyrium, red lyrium effects could be mitigated. And that Red Lyrium could make templars even stronger, thus better to control mages

Cullen's disgust for Samson the mage-sympathizer could also contribute to him thinking he's doing the right thing. Because Samson is just doing what he always does: worming his way into safety and showing even the "most dangerous" people (in Cullen's eyes) compassion. Especially if the inquisitor sides with the Mages

A Templar siding Inquisitor could even have Cullen in their ranks, most likely through a side mission, because seeing an inquisitor care about Templars more than mages would align his world views more with theirs (especially since Corephyus is a mage)

Cullen is complicit. We see this in how he ignores Meredith's condition during DA2. So long as he believes in a cause he isn't going to abandon it, or question it. So, if he sees Templars turning to monsters from Red Lyrium and Corephyus gives some bullshit reason as to why, he wouldn't question it, until its too late. At which point, you could even say he gives himself over willingly to the inquisition, rather than fighting them at the end of the game

You could even have Samson's questline revolving actually confronting Cullen, with the two of them arguing over Samson's time on the streets and disgrace of the Templar order while Samson insists Cullen can be saved, despite how far he's fallen. Culminating in a "I haven't fallen, I'm saving the world" retort from Cullen who believes he is in the right. Making his eventual capture and judgement that much more impactful, when he finally admits that maybe he was wrong. Samson would 100% have a different reaction during Cullen's trial than Cullen during his, feeling pity and compassion for the disgraced templar, rather than anger and betrayal. Samson might even see himself in Cullen, leading to him suggesting or volunteering to take full responsibility for Cullen, rather than Cullen's begrudging acceptance of responsibility over Samson.

No hate to the writers of Dragon Age or anyone who likes the story as is. This was just a fun little analysis I had to work out of my system.

#dragon age inquisition #dragon age inquistion spoilers #dragon age spoilers #raleigh samson #cullen rutherford #dragon age thoughts

16 notes · View notes

justcallmecappy · 2 years

Note

If there's ever a remake of DA2 (and to some extent Awakening) and the developers were able to add the content they wished they could've added, do you think a writer who actually knows how to write mental illnesses would be able to improve Anders's arc? His bipolar disorder wasn't handled properly in the game and there are conflicting comments from both Hepler and Gaider about his mental disorder (former says he has one, the latter says he doesn't). I feel like he was written to be a "villain" on purpose but he became unintentionally sympathetic, that's why there are still players who like him.

That's a really good question, and if it were up to me, I would very much like for Anders to be written by someone who not only better understood how to write a character with bipolar disorder, but also written by someone who actually liked Anders and didn’t use him to throw shade on an ex-boyfriend, lol~😅

But if DA2 and Anders' character were to be revisited, I actually think an overhaul of the entire plot of the game is needed. I would have liked it better if the plot was approached with no pseudo moral greyness, and that it would be presented as the struggle of an oppressed and marginalized people fighting back against their oppressors, not some “morally grey” conflict where both sides are equally right/equally wrong.

Having said this though, I personally hope DA2 doesn’t get remade or rewritten at all, for two reasons (and please forgive me if I’m being a bit cynical here, I don’t have a lot of faith in BioWare handling a possible DA2 remake well, lol):

1) I suspect that if BioWare were given the opportunity to rewrite DA2, they would just double-down on the Anders slander and rewrite him to seem even more unsympathetic than before (just look at how they massacred my boy treated his character in DAI). I suspect they did not expect Anders to have a fanbase at all and the fact he has fans and supporters surprised them, so went hard on condemning his character in subsequent works.

There’s a chance they may write away all the things that made him sympathetic in the first place in a supposed DA2 remake just to drive the point home. No thanks, BioWare.

2) BioWare really dropped the ball by trying to push the mage-templar conflict as a ‘morally grey’ one. I lowkey doubt such a narrative – even presented in the context of the game – would fly very well in today’s media climate. The mage-templar conflict’s whole takeaway of, “Some people need to be segregated from society and controlled because they were born different are therefore dangerous” wouldn't be so well-received, I think. The core conflict did not age well, I feel, and re-releasing the game might draw attention to BioWare's mishandling of DA2's plot.

Thanks for the ask, anon! 😊

#dragon age 2 #bioware critical #jennifer hepler critical #anders positivity #anders was right #asks #anon

56 notes · View notes

vigilskeep · 1 year

Note

All your ocs are so fantastic im obessed! Youre especially good at mapping thematic flaws to balance you characters & make them compelling. Do you have any tips for creating multidimensional characters?

omg thank u!!! um some tips or at least some explanation of what i do. this is going to be pretty specific to making da ocs

1. don’t be afraid to give them a trait or have them make a choice that might make them controversial or unlikeable! i generally start with one or two strong character moves and that’s what i work back from to create the character. for my main warden, it was that she started out fairly loyal to the circle, she would eventually become a blood mage, and she would spare loghain. decisions like that avoid making a forgettable character just the same as everyone else’s, and figuring out sympathetic and realistic reasons for why characters would make those decisions usually turns up something super compelling

2. when you’re playing a quest or making a decision, think less abt what you would do or what’s objectively best and instead think: what’s my character’s frame of reference for this situation? your character’s background gives them a library of experiences to use to understand new situations. for a quick and simple example, my hawke’s entire raison d’être is protecting his family, especially his sister. so when npcs act in defence of their sisters—for example the elven brothers who defect to the qun at the end of act 2 to escape justice for taking revenge on their sister’s behalf, or the blood mage who tries to hunt the serial killer quentin because he killed his sister—he immediately relates and is 10x more likely to be on their side. equally, when he thinks characters haven’t fulfilled their responsibility to protect their family, especially mages in their family, he takes a particular and personal dislike to them. it’s the easiest way to make your character’s reactions and decisions feel very personal and character-building, and avoid quests feeling flat and unrelated to your character’s journey. and the games will actively try to give you these opportunities; there’s a reason i can think of a bunch of quests where sisters come up just off the top of my head

3. as an addition to the last point, try to work with what you’ve got and pick out some of the main themes of the game to centre your character’s main conflicts on. that way everything that happens is going to be about your character

4. pick at least one companion for them to not get along with, or at least have a da2 style grudgingly respectful rivalry with. unless it’s a distinct character trait of your protagonist to try very hard to get along with everybody—and that can work, especially if it’s sometimes a character flaw that they’re so willing to compromise and mediate—having opinions and disagreements humanises them. after all, there are no companions who get along with everybody or are universally liked and that’s on purpose: it makes them realistic. why should your protagonist be any different?

5. this is a pretty standardised writing tip these days but i can’t go without mentioning it. a well written character does not have one pile of good traits and one pile of bad traits to counter. a well written character has traits, which are good in some situations and bad in others. hmm what are some da examples that are easy to pin down. fenris and morrigan are wary: it has helped them survive years of being hunted in their lives as very visible outsiders, but it also keeps them from putting down roots and connecting to others, encourages their prejudices, and makes them dismiss as fools those who seem more trusting. velanna and leliana are defensive: it makes them fierce advocates of their beliefs and prevents them sacrificing who they are to get along with others, but it also means they are quick to judge, overreact to criticism, and are easy to rile up and make fun of. loghain and first enchanter irving are pragmatic: it makes them great tactical leaders, but also makes them willing to sacrifice principles and people. none of these are inherently bad qualities, it’s just part of who people are, and only circumstances—as well perhaps as their ability to recognise their own limitations—will determine whether or not it turns out well in a given situation

6. use this sparingly to make it work properly, but people aren’t completely cohesive and clear, and major out of character decisions—and what would push them to do something so out of character—can be as defining as their usual behaviour. for example, my warden begins her story as a circle mage generally compliant with/an apologist for the circle, deeply loyal to irving. the fact that despite this she loves jowan enough to still not betray him is one of the cornerstones of her character

7. if nobody could have a completely fair evidence-based reason to actively dislike your character then you probably need to go back to the drawing board

this got way longer than i thought it would. anyway that’s my process none of it is universally required but i hope it’s a helpful start. thanks for asking!

#long post

68 notes · View notes

wondereads · 6 months

Text

Review of A Bright Heart by Kate Chenli

Summary

Mingshin used to be a merchant's daughter who paled in comparison to her cousin, Aylin, until she used her political mind to help Prince Ren become crown prince and eventually emperor. She's ready to finally marry him and be his empress until he betrays her, frames her for treason...and then she wakes up two years ago. Mingshin has been granted a second chance at life. For what reason she doesn't know, but she's out for revenge.

Plot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The plot of this book is incredibly predictable. In fact, it was almost boring. I'll preface this by saying the idea of a girl being betrayed and then getting a chance to do things over is not a new one; it's a very popular trope in East Asian books, webnovels, and comics, as any fans of the recent villainess trend know. It's specifically why I requested this book. However, even though I was expecting something that conformed to the genre, I was not expecting a story where the main character overcame every obstacle with seemingly no struggle. I love a competent main character, but Mingshin flawlessly predicted pretty much every one of her enemy's moves. She has special knowledge for almost every situation, and I never really got to see her actually struggle. While its kind of a staple for this kind of story of the FMC to basically have cheats enabled with her knowledge of the future, there wasn't even a semblance of tension. There was certainly some satisfaction in seeing the antagonists get their asses completely handed to them every time, but I wish there had been some moments where Mingshin had doubted herself or made some mistakes. Even considering the time travel, she's only 18.

The world is pretty well established for a shorter book, and I found the magic element interesting. Some of it seemed a little too convenient, but this book does a decent job of justifying why certain things are happening. The politics of Mingshin's country are complex enough for a couple of red herrings, even if I don't think they fooled anyone, but still simple enough that it doesn't get too confusing.

Characters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Like I've somewhat touched upon, Mingshin is technically likable but ultimately a very flat, uninteresting character. I think she had a lot of potential, especially as someone who loves characters like Jude Duarte, to be a very politically-focused, scheming type character. However, she's just too good at pretty much everything, and none of her "schemes" were actually that complex. Most of the time she just uses her unnaturally good insight to instantly foil any plans against her. There were hints of more depth to her; I found the moment where she almost falters facing Ren and Aylin, two people who meant a lot to her in her last life, incredibly compelling, but the story fails to follow through and grant them any more characteristics than "evil."

Speaking of the side characters, they were lacking depth as a whole. Probably the most egregious offender is Jieh, another candidate for crown prince, the one Mingshin is backing this time around, and the love interest. If you asked me to list Jieh's personality traits, I would be unable to say anything other than "in love with Mingshin." His attention is captured almost immediately and he doesn't really do anything other than help her and pine after her for the rest of the book. He's initially described as "haughty" but we barely see that other than in one scene, and he just doesn't seem to have any discernable goals of his own. The antagonists, who are Ren and Mingshin's uncle and cousins (+ maybe an evil mage?), are also very flat. They are laughably evil and don't seem to have any redeeming qualities whatsoever. They don't have to be sympathetic, but some actual personality traits would be nice. I did like the princess; her desire to be involved in politics and ruling the country despite living in a patriarchal society was interesting, and her friendship with Mingshin was sweet. Unfortunately, her relationship with Mingshin's female bodyguard (and I rarely say this) did feel like it was included for representation brownie points, as the majority of their development happened off-page and they seem to have virtually no reason to like each other.

Writing Style 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This book reads as more the younger side of YA, which was honestly kind of a breath of fresh air. As someone who tends to read more gritty, dark stuff, a book with a lighter tone while still technically being an epic fantasy is kind of hard to find these days. It is something to keep in mind in terms of personal preference.

Unfortunately, this book suffers from a symptom that pops up a lot in YA fantasy. When writing a book that is specifically high fantasy, you have to make a choice. Are your characters going to talk in a way suitable for their setting, creating a higher level of immersion, or are they going to talk in a modern manner, making it easier for the average person to read? You cannot have it both ways because then you have characters like Mingshin who switches from poetic, setting-appropriate speech to very modern slang, and nothing takes me out of a book faster.

Overall 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

If you enjoy the premise of this book, it's likely you'll get some enjoyment out of this one. However, unless you like the genre, this book is pretty mediocre. The plot is very simple and easy to predict, and the main character is pretty bland and perfect; she knows how to solve every problem. As such there’s not really that much tension since there are few challenges she doesn’t immediately overcome. The love interest and honestly most of the side characters are pretty one-note, and the writing fluctuates between the flowery words you’d expect from the setting and jarringly modern phrases. Overall, I was really looking forward to this book, but I don’t think I’d like it at all if it wasn’t a plot I know I enjoy.

The Author

Kate Chenli: Chinese-American, enjoys travel, A Bright Heart is her debut novel

The Reviewer

Hi, my name is Wonderose! I'm a book reviewer; I post a reading update usually every week and reviews whenever I feel like it. Check out my pinned post for more about me :)

#books #reviews #a bright heart #fantasy #ya #kate chenli #time travel #second chance #fantasy politics #east asia inspired #royalty

4 notes · View notes

robynmizore · 6 months

Text

Redemption Chapter Ten:

Stabbed

As soon as they reached the mess hall, Robyn was immediately surrounded by the Order of Heroes, all peppering her with concerned questions, asking if she was alright, and Robyn immediately began to feel overwhelmed. As if he’d read her mind, Robyn suddenly felt Takumi’s arm around her, calling sternly as he ushered her through the crowd.

“She’s alright everyone. Don’t overwhelm her.”

”Thank you.” she whispered gratefully as they made their way to her favorite spot by the fireplace, Flora immediately hurrying over with tea and fruit tarts, giving Robyn a sympathetic smile as she hurried off.

Takumi inspected the tart curiously.

“I always miss the food of my homeland. But.. trying new things is nice too.” He took a small bite, his eyes widening. “Whoa, you weren’t kidding! This is amazing!”

Robyn laughed quietly, and they enjoyed the tarts in a content silence for a bit, before Takumi paused, his face turning serious.

”What’s wrong?” Robyn asked quietly, tilting her head.

Takumi sighed.

“Right.. I meant to tell you. Laegjarn escaped after the battle went badly. I imagine she went back to her father.”

”Things really aren’t going in our favor then..” Robyn winced.

She ran her fingers gently over the cover of the Briedablik, a strange power resonating through her fingers as they finished their tarts and sipped their tea. In her mind, an image of a temple suddenly surfaced, and she gasped softly.

“What’s wrong?!” Takumi asked worriedly as Robyn leaped to her feet.

“I know where the temple for the Rite of Frost is!” she burst out, and Takumi’s eyes narrowed.

He didn’t question it, just simply got to his feet and set the cup down.

“Let’s call a meeting.”

”I know how to get to that temple!” Fjorm exclaimed.

While she still looked fragile, hope was beginning to dawn in her eyes.

“So your vision was correct.. fascinating.” Frederick mused, and Alfonse gave Robyn a bright smile.

“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you? Let’s get ready!”

Takumi noticed Alfonse’s gaze lingered on him and Robyn for a moment, an unknown emotion flickering in his eyes. But the moment was so fleeting, Takumi didn’t have time to process it. He was turning to follow Robyn when the soft sound of a throat clearing made him pause, looking over to see Ricken, looking hesitant.

“I.. I wanted to thank you!” the mage blurted out.

”Huh? Why?” Takumi questioned, frowning.

“F-for looking after Robyn. I know she won’t admit it, but she gets really sad sometimes and I don’t know why. She doesn’t think I notice, but I do.”

Takumi felt a flush creeping up his cheeks as the mage bit his lip sheepishly and added

”S-so yeah! I don’t know what you did, but it clearly worked! So.. thanks!”

Before the Hoshidan had a chance to reply, he bowed quickly and hurried off, leaving Takumi staring after him. Did he really have that much of an impact? A pleased smile made its way to the prince’s lips as he ran to catch up with the Summoner.

”So this is it, huh?” Commander Anna asked, craning her neck to peer at the temple of the Rite of Frost standing imposingly in front of them, the very same temple Robyn had seen in her vision.

Fjorm bobbed her head, her cyan eyes earnest, determined to avenge her sister.

“Once we get to the inner sanctum, we can complete the Rite of Frost!”

”Alright, I’m ready!” Takumi said determinedly as Robyn raised the Briedablik.

“For Gunnthrà!” Robyn yelled.

”FOR GUNNTHRÀ!” the Order of Heroes chanted back.

The temple was eerily quiet as they trekked their way through, the walls and ceilings so beautifully decorated with ice so finely crafted they looked like crystals. Despite the somber air, Robyn couldn’t help but smile as Felicia whispered excitedly to Flora.

”Careful.. there’s someone up ahead!” Chrom warned as they made their way into the inner sanctum. A man in a thief’s cloak donning orange hair and a bandana was calmly waiting for them, looking bored out of his mind as he licked a lollipop.

“Good, you’re finally here.” he grunted. “Flamsilocks said I had to stop you if you came here.. or whatever.”

”Who are you?” Alfonse demanded, drawing his blade.

“Name’s Gaius.” the thief muttered, twirling his dagger with an eye roll. “Here’s the deal.. I’ve been dragged into some bitter, ugly contract that makes me gotta do whatever Lord Flamsilocks demands, so unfortunately, I’m gonna have to kill ya. Nothing personal.”

”I see.” Alfonse responded, eyes narrowing. “Then you understand that I’m not going to let that happen.. correct?”

Gaius grinned.

“Huh.. I like your answer, Brave. It’s a real shame we couldn’t be on the same side.”

He raised his hand in a signal, countless thieves and ninjas surrounding the Askrian soldiers, who drew their blades.

“Fjorm, Robyn, Takumi! Get to the altar while we hold them off!” Alfonse ordered.

“On it!” Takumi replied, brandishing his Fujin Yumi.

Robyn called to Frederick to mow down a path through the enemies, and he was more than happy to comply. Gaius attempted to block them, but was intercepted by Niles, forced to go toe to toe with the mischievous former outlaw.

“Okay! I’m going to start the ceremony now!” Fjorm called as Robyn took her position, facing the Nifl princess.

”Don’t worry about the fighting or anything! I won’t let a single enemy past me!” Takumi whispered to her before taking up a guarding stance a few feet away, bow raised.

”Thank you..”

There was nothing more to discuss. He had her back, and she had his. That’s all there was to it. When she turned back to Fjorm, the last of the incantation left her lips, and a sudden warmth filled her hand as the Briedablik began to glow.

Amazing!

The deep purple book’s color shifted, replaced by a dark icy blue, reminiscent of the kimono Takumi wore, and the silver markings expanded, increasing in number, the same silver shade of..

Takumi’s hair..

A blush crept over her cheeks as she traced a finger lightly over them, then quickly shook her head to clear it. Now was not the time to be dwelling on those things!

”Damn it!”

The shout stole Robyn’s attention, its source coming from Gaius as the thief’s last dagger was knocked clear from his hand, landing with a clatter a few feet away. He tried to lunge for it, only to be slammed to the ground under Niles’s boot.

“Oh-ho no. You’re done, buddy.” Niles sneered. “That is.. unless you wanna be tied up.”

Gaius glared up at him, fury and humiliation in his gaze, but for a brief moment, Robyn could have sworn she saw a faint flicker of amusement when Niles mentioned tying him up.

“Geez.. I think you’re even weirder than me, pal.” he muttered, then sighed. “Alright.. contract’s broken. You gonna kill me now?”

”I think I like the rope idea better.” Niles snickered, earning eye rolls and face palms from the group.

Alfonse stepped forward before things could get too out of hand.

”if I may.. I’d like to propose an idea.” the prince stated. “Unlike your leader.. “Flamsilocks,” we’re an honorable group. We could use your skills in our group. You’d have a room in the castle, and we pay our soldiers a fair wage.”

”Hm..” Gaius’s eyes narrowed. “Riches aren’t really my thing. But if you’re willing to sweeten the deal, I’m all yours.”

”I’ll give ya something sweet..” Niles smirked, a glint in his eye.

“Scoundrel!” Chrom hissed under his breath.

A sudden clatter, and a startled yelp snapped their attention to Lissa, who squeaked out an embarrassed “Sorry!” before stooping to pick up the scattered candies she’d dropped, stuffing them back into her bag.

Gaius’s eyes lit up.

“Hey, you. Princess. What’s in the bag?” he drawled.

“J-just some candy. Sorry..”

”..I’ll do it!”

”H-huh?!” Alfonse stuttered, and Robyn and Takumi exchanged confused looks.

“So.. let Gregor get this straight.. Thief join army because Lissa have candy?” the mercenary inquired as a baffled Lissa handed him the bag of candy.

Gaius rustled through it eagerly.

“Oh yes..” he murmured, breathing in the candy’s scent. “I’ll take the gold and the room I guess.. unless you’ve got more of these. Do you have any more of these?!”

”Err.. no. But we can buy more in town if you want..”

Gaius nodded enthusiastically, popping one of the candies in his mouth, closing his eyes in bliss.

“Ah yeah.. that’s the stuff..” he sighed. “Flamsilocks wouldn’t let me replenish my stash and I was in the danger zone. He’s such a killjoy y’know?”

”Riiiiiiight..” Alfonse coughed awkwardly. “So.. Múspell?”

”This army gets stranger and stranger..” Takumi whispered to Robyn, who giggled.

They began to march to Múspell, Takumi remaining at her side as they walked. Gaius fell into step beside her, eyeing her curiously.

“Soo.. what’s with the hood? You shy?”

”I wish not to say.”

”..Why? Ya think you’re ugly or something Hoodie?”

”That’s none of your concern!” Takumi snapped, a distrustful scowl on his face.

The thief gave the pair a long, knowing glance.

“..Relaaax Pineapple Longshot. I’m not gonna steal your girlfriend here.”

”What?!”

Takumi bristled, blushing furiously as the grip on his Fujin Yumi tightened. Meanwhile, Jakob, who was walking slightly ahead, turned to give Gaius a disapproving glare.

”I wouldn’t tease that one if I were you.” he called. “That is.. if you value your head on your shoulders that is.”

”Fiiiine. Whatever.”

Gaius popped another sucker into his mouth and sauntered off, leaving Takumi staring daggers at the back of his head.

“I can already tell that guy’s going to be trouble.” he muttered.

“Just sic Niles on him!” Robyn suggested. “After all..”

She impishly crept up behind the prince and mischievously whispered in his ear, deliberately making her voice sound dramatically seductive.

”He did promise to.. give him something sweet..”

”Nnh..!”

For some reason, Takumi’s face grew even more crimson, and his eyes widened as he quickly covered his face with his hand.

“N-never say that again..” he groaned.

“This is it.. our final battle is near!” Alfonse declared as they gazed upon the burning field.

It looked like the previous strategy she and Takumi had come up with would indeed come in handy as Robyn quickly briefed the army.

A ghoulish looking man stormed up to the front of the Múspell soldiers and snarled

”You runts kept Helbindi waiting! Which one of you wants to feel my axe first?!”

”Uhh.. how does none of us sound, Lapdog?” Gaius called, twirling a dagger as the general turned his wrath on him, recognition dawning in his eyes.

“YOU!” he boomed. “Surtr will have your head when he finds out about this!”

”Flamsilocks can shove it.” the thief retorted, sounding bored. “He was such a buzzkill anyways. No sweets in his castle, or personality. Just sourness and I hate sour. ‘Sides, I like my head. But if you wanna continue this dumb argument, I’ll happily take yours instead.”

”Oooooh.. I like this one! Can we keep him?” Niles snickered, earning a shove from Lissa.

“He’s a person, not a pet!” she hissed.

“That’s enough!” Helbindi snapped, signaling to his troops. “Kill them all!”

For a split moment, Robyn thought she saw his eyes darken and a look of pain crossed his features so fleetingly, it made Robyn tilt her head curiously.

Did.. did I imagine it..?

She pushed the thought quickly from her mind as she began to call out orders. Now was not the time to pity the enemy, especially when he was dead set on ending them all. Using the frontal assault to draw the enemy closer, the fliers were able to swoop in and pick off the healers from the back, trapping the army between them.

”R-retreat!” Helbindi snarled.

“Yeah! We showed them!” Ricken whooped. “Look at ‘em run!”

”Awee.. I really wanted his head!” Henry whined, pouting a bit.

“Psycho Feathers.. you need help pal.” Gaius muttered.

After checking everyone for injuries, Fjorm called

”Let’s keep going! We’re almost there-“

”Wait!” Robyn called as soft, hurried footsteps sounded towards them, and Takumi tensed beside her, raising his bow as a small girl with hair similar to Fjorm’s and a snowy white cape burst out of the trees.

“Thank goodness I found you, sister!” she gasped, relief dazzling in her violet eyes as her they settled on Fjorm.

“Ylgr!” the Nifl princess cried, rushing to embrace her sister. “I thought you’d been captured or.. or..”

”I was, but I escaped!” Ylgr replied, seeming rather proud of herself. “I waited till they weren’t paying attention and slipped out. Even better, I know how to get to Surtr’s castle now! It’s just up this way in that big volcano!”

”How do we know we can trust you?” Takumi asked skeptically.

”Don’t worry!” Fjorm replied earnestly. “We can trust my sister!”

”Hm..”

While they talked, Robyn let her expert gaze sweep over the field, mentally mapping out the best route to get to the mountain, taking out her Briedablik to draw out a map. Sneaking through the forest so far seemed to be the logical solution, as it was not only the quickest route, but would provide more cover.

“Did you make a good plan, Robyn?” Ylgr asked, peering over her shoulder curiously.

“Yes I-“

She broke off as Ylgr’s shoulder brushed up against hers, and a cold, sick feeling crept up her body.

What..

”Something wrong?” Ylgr asked, her light violet eyes full of concern, and Robyn swallowed hard, forcing her body to relax.

“Y-yes.. everything is fine..” she said guardedly.

The feeling lingered even as she turned away.

What am I so worked up about..? It’s Fjorm’s sister for goddess’s sake!

Glancing around, she spotted Takumi standing a few feet away and beckoned him over.

“..Yes?”

Drawing closer to the prince, she whispered.

“Can.. can you keep a secret?”

“A.. secret?”

Takumi’s face flushed, but she didn’t really have the time to ponder why.

“Something just feels.. off about Ylgr. Do you think you could keep an eye on her?”

The prince’s eyes hardened and he nodded.

“I don’t really trust her myself, especially given him the timing she showed up. Don’t worry. She won’t even know I’m watching her.”

”Thank you, Takumi.” Robyn murmured, the prince giving her a reassuring smile before she slipped away to go over the plan with Alfonse.

“Up here!” Ylgr whispered as they headed up the stairs towards the throne room.

The crackling sound of the never ending fire sounded, the stench of smoke heavy in the air, almost stifling as they burst through the door to see Surtr waiting for them, a sneer on his lips.

“Yo, Flamsilocks! Ready to fight?” Gaius called, and rage lit the king’s gaze.

“You must have a death wish if you dare to betray me, boy.” he snarled.

“Your rein is over, Surtr!” Robyn called, raising the Briedablik, and the flames around them began to weaken.

“It’s working!” Anna exclaimed. “Without his flames, we actually stand a chance!”

“Don’t celebrate too soon.” Niles drawled, drawing his bow, and the clearing exploded into battle. “I’ll celebrate when I hear ‘em go splat on the nice, warm ground.”

Despite the weakened flames, Surtr still put up a shockingly strong fight until Alfonse managed to strike a fatal blow, the Múspell king sinking to the ground with a growl of pain. As the light began to die from his eyes, a thin cry of triumph sounded from the Order of Heroes.

“We did it!” Anna cheered, tears of joy streaming down Fjorm’s face as she gazed up at the sky and whispered

“Did you see that, Gunnthrà? We finally avenged you-“

A mocking laugh cut the celebration short as they turned in astonishment to see Surtr rising to his feet, his wounds healing over rapidly as his body regenerated.

“That was a good attempt.” he grunted, flicking the droplets of blood off of him like they were bothersome flies. “But I’m afraid my rein is going to be eternal. Yours on the other hand.. ends now.”

Sharp gasps sounded around Robyn as the flames abruptly grew stronger, filling the room with a searing heat. Commander Anna’s eyes widened in horror.

“Run!” she shrieked. “Run now!”

The Askrian soldiers turned quickly to flee, Surtr’s laughter fading behind them. Robyn forced her mind to remain steady, shoving the panicked thoughts out of her mind, Takumi falling into step beside her as they fled.

Don’t despair.. she reassured herself. We’ll just come up with another plan. Right now we just have to get away..

”Doesn’t look like he’s following us!” Takumi panted as they emerged from the volcano and regrouped.

“What the hell happened?! We should have been able to kill him!” Chrom exclaimed in frustration, similar murmurs coming from the other heroes as they milled around, some coughing from the smoke.

“By the gods.. what if he’s immortal?!” Frederick murmured with a shudder. “Surely the gods don’t live among us?!”

”The gods must be pretty messed go if they made him one of them. It’s too damn hot here.” Gaius grumbled as staff in hand, Lissa wove her way through the soldiers, checking for injuries.

“You okay?” Robyn asked Takumi softly, and he nodded, his hazel eyes a bit red from the smoke.

“Just tired..” he admitted, blushing lightly when Robyn pressed close to him.

“Here.. lean on me.”

”O-okay..”

Looking a bit flustered, he complied. He was tense at first, but she smiled when Takumi slowly relaxed against her and closed his eyes.

“Thanks..” he murmured.

She could hear Alfonse and Commander Anna muttering in low voices.

”The Múspell soldiers are still pursuing us, except for the east group, who seem to be following someone else..” Alfonse mused, and Anna turned to Robyn.

“What do you think?”

”Hm..”

The wheels in Robyn’s head were rapidly turning.

“I think we should follow them.” she decided. “They might be an ally, or have a clue as to how we’ll defeat Surtr.”

”I’ll take any clues we can find right now.” Alfonse agreed, and he rallied the troops and set out.

It wasn’t too hard catching up with the soldiers and defeating them quickly, revealing a man with grey hair and solemn ice blue eyes, covered in burns. He wore a bulkier version of what Fjorm was wearing, the sisters exclaiming in delight when they saw him.

“Hríd.. I can’t believe it’s you!” Ylgr gasped.

”We thought you were dead!” Fjorm sobbed.

“I thought I was too.” he replied, his eyes dark with pain as he was lain on the ground, Anna telling him to lie still as Flora and Lissa treated his wounds. “I.. I tried to assassinate Surtr myself and failed.”

”You got a suicide fetish or something?” Niles asked as they finished tending to him, and Hríd stood up, a bit shaky but looking stronger.

“No.. I thought if I could sneak in and end him myself, it would put a stop to this war..” the prince mumbled. “I may have failed.. but there’s another method to defeat him. A source for his power. Like we have the Rite of Frost, south of the border is where the Rite of Flames is. If we can stop that.. we can defeat him for good.”

“You mean.. he’ll stay dead?” Robyn asked hopefully, and the Nifl prince nodded.

“Then we have no time to lose!” Alfonse declared.

While tired, determination kept the Order of Heroes going as they headed towards the gorge near the border. A group of Múspell soldiers were waiting for them, led by a beautiful woman with long, silver-grey hair sitting atop a pegasus, plucking petals from a flower.

“S-Sumia?!” Chrom stuttered in astonishment, and the girl’s eyes widened as a flush crept over her cheeks. “W-what are you doing here?!”

The last of the petals fell as Sumia lowered her head sheepishly.

“I was summoned by Múspell and forced to fight for them..” she mumbled mournfully. “I was checking my flower fortunes to see how long I’d be stuck in this stupid contract for..”

Although Chrom drew his blade, it wavered as the prince glanced helplessly back at the group.

“Do I really have to fight one of my own shepherds?”

”Hey, contract’s a contract. Just recruit her like you did with me.” Gaius responded, and Chrom groaned as reluctantly, the field burst into battle.

While not wanting to fight, Sumia still displayed impressive battle powress, soaring through the sky at a speed that might even rival Caledori. But the younger pegasus knight’s dedication to perfection and training struck true as she managed to knock Sumia off her mount without seriously injuring her.

“Uff!” she groaned as she hit the ground, then scrambled to her feet and dusted herself off. “Guess the contract’s broken now.”

”That it is..” Alfonse responded. “So now what? Will you join us?”

”We could really use you.” Chrom put in, and Sumia’s eyes lit up at this.

“Y-you mean you’re not mad at me, milord?” she sniffled. “Oh, thank you!”

She tried to run over to embrace him, but instead tripped over her own feet and tumbled face first into Chrom’s chest, and his face turned scarlet as he quickly caught her.

“S-Sumia?! Are you alright? Is it those boots again?”

”Y-yes! S-sorry Milord!”

”Oh brother..” Commander Anna groaned as the pair stared at each other, blushing intently.

Henry came up behind her and patted her on the back.

“Aw, don’t worry Commander! I bet you’ll get a nice boyfriend one day. And hopefully he won’t die a horrible, delightfully bloody death!”

”Lovely..” Anna grumbled sarcastically. “I really needed that image in my head right now.”

”L-let’s just head up the Burnt Bone Gorge..” Fjorm cut in, and a collective sound of agreement ripped through the group.

The lava bubbled precariously as they cautiously made their way through the gorge. Even the ground seemed to shake under their steps, with an occasional tremble. The air was thick with tension. While Múspell wasn’t supposed to know they were there, Robyn found she still couldn’t relax the uneasy feeling in her stomach, which proved to be true as a pair of footsteps sounded in front of them, and Laevatein and Laegjarn stepped out, flanked by soldiers, wasting no time in launching their attack.

“What in the blazes?!” Frederick growled as he mowed down enemies. “How did they know we were here?!”

”Perhaps someone tipped them off..” Takumi grunted, his hazel eyes darkening.

“There’s no time to worry about that!” Alfonse called.

With Alfonse’s calm determination and Robyn’s battle expertise, they managed to break through the enemy lines and lost the soldiers down a series of twisted paths, finally able to stop for a rest for a bit. He called a meeting with Robyn, Sharena, Commander Anna, Fjorm, and Hríd, the prince wasting no time getting straight to the point.

“It was way too convenient that Múspell knew where to attack when they did.”

Robyn and Anna nodded in agreement.

“If we hadn’t broken through their lines and escaped, they would have surrounded and trapped us for sure. This was a planned attack.” she said.

”So.. what does that mean for us?” Fjorm asked quietly, and Alfonse reluctantly answered.

“It means there’s a traitor among us, most likely. I’d like to think none of our allies would turn on us, but there really isn’t another explanation.”

Can’t be a spy either.. not with Niles in the group. Nothing gets past him.

All eyes turned to Fjorm, who looked alarmed.

“My brother and sister are definitely trustworthy! They’d never betray us!”

”I would hope not.. but we can’t be too careful.” Alfonse sighed. “As much as I hate distrusting our own allies, it’s best to keep our guard up for now. “With that out of the way.”

He turned to Hríd.

”How does this.. Rite of Flames work exactly?”

”Surtr plans to feed two girls to the flames so he can sustain his power. One is princess Veronica.. and I don’t know who the other is.”

”T-that’s horrible!” Sharena gasped, eyes wide. “She might be the enemy, but that doesn’t mean she should have to die like that!”

”I can’t believe I’m saying this but.. if we want to stop Surtr for good, it means we have to go rescue Veronica. We leave in the morning.” Alfonse replied.

With a plan in mind, Robyn turned to her tent to turn in for the night, but she still couldn’t shake off the strange sense of unease and restlessness that gripped her.

Maybe.. I’ll go for a quick walk in the forest.

With that, she turned and slipped out of sight, setting her feet down lightly as she headed down one of the forest paths. She knew Alfonse wouldn’t approve of her going alone, but she desperately needed to sort out her thoughts, closing her eyes in relief as she let her mind wander. The feeling was short lived however, her concentration broken by the sound of voices up ahead.

“I knew you couldn’t be trusted.”

”..!”

Robyn froze at the sound of Takumi’s voice.

“What do you mean?” Ylgr responded. “I’m just getting some nice herbs to make tea for Fjorm! She’s not feeling well-“

”Save it, traitor! You think just because I’m not a healer, I’m stupid or something?! Those herbs are a poison that causes paralysis! How oddly convenient of you to gather those for your sister instead of using the perfectly good leaves back at camp.”

Robyn stepped closer, heart racing as Takumi’s voice dropped to a low snarl.

“How dare you.. betraying your own sister.. and for the man that KILLED YOUR OLDER SISTER! You.. you disgust me!”

Before Ylgr could reply, Robyn stepped out to confront them.

“Ylgr.. what’s the meaning of this?! Why would you try to poison Fjorm?!” she demanded, a tremor in her voice.

“…”

At first, she said nothing, her lowered face cast in shadow. Then, a low chuckle emitted from her chest, chilling Robyn to the bone when she realized she no longer recognized the voice coming from the little girl as her face twisted into an ugly sneer.

“Well.. I suppose I’ll have to discard this form eventually. How lucky am I to have gotten both of you here?”

”What?!” Takumi snapped, drawing his bow as Ylgr turned her gaze to Robyn.

“Ah yes.. you’ll do.”

Panic lit Takumi’s gaze.

“Robyn, move!” he shouted, the Fujin Yumi humming to life.

But before he could attack, the little girl barreled into Robyn, knocking her to the floor.

What..?!

Before she could properly defend herself, astonishment kept her pinned to the ground as her reflection stared back at her.

A clone?!

”Who are you..?” she whispered, but the other girl only smirked cruelly in response and leapt off her, throwing herself into Takumi’s arms, gripping the front of his kimono tightly and burying her face into his chest.

“T-Takumi help me!” she sobbed, and the prince froze, face flushed, confusion filling his gaze as it darted between the girl in his arms and Robyn still on the ground.

“No, get back-“

”Aah..!”

Takumi suddenly jolted, the bow falling from his hands, his eyes so wide she could see the whites of them as the dark red stain slowly spread across his kimono.

“No..”

The single word dropped like a stone in the forest as the woman chucked darkly, shifting into a woman with wine colored hair and a purple and gold cloak, cupping Takumi’s chin as she whispered mockingly, twisting the dagger deeper into his abdomen.

“That was too easy for Loki, wasn’t it? But then again.. you were always weak.”

She ripped the dagger free, Takumi’s wail of agony piercing Robyn’s heart. Time seemed to slow as he crumpled to the ground, curled into a fetal position as the forest floor below him stained red.

“MURDERER!”

Blinded by tears and rage, Robyn summoned the black and green rapier for the first time and plunged it forward in a desperate attempt to get her away from Takumi. Her blade struck something solid, followed by a choking sound. Blinking the tears out of her eyes, she was met with Loki’s disbelieving gaze, the blade embedded deep in her stomach as she coughed, scattering droplets of scarlet.

“W-what the hell.. are you?!” she spat, struggling.

”…”

A numb feeling filled Robyn’s body as she stepped back, her breath coming out in ragged gasps as Loki slumped lifelessly to the ground.

“R-Robyn..”

Takumi’s weak whisper sounded behind her, and she ripped her gaze away and hurried to where he lay, cradling him in her arms.

”Takumi.. stay with me!” she pleaded, pulling two rags from her pocket and pressing them to the wound, the cloth immediately drenched in blood.

A look of deep sadness filled the prince’s gaze as he feebly attempted to dry her tears, his hand trembling.

“Robyn.. it hurts..” he whispered, a violent shudder gripping his body. “I’m so cold.. everything’s getting so dark..”

His eyes were starting to close, and Robyn shook him gently.

“Stay awake..” she begged softly.

Takumi’s eyes flickered open, fixed on her.

“I’m so sorry.. I wasn’t strong enough.” he murmured, his chest fluttering as he fought for breath. “I’m sorry.. I couldn’t keep our promise..”

His hand fell, and Robyn caught it quickly.

“Don’t say that! You.. you can’t leave me! Takumi?! Takumi!”

Takumi’s head fell back and his eyes dulled. Robyn caressed his cheek, whimpering his name over and over to no avail, cradling his limp, rapidly cooling body against her chest as a gut wrenching sob shook her body.

“Please come back. Please.. I love you..”

She’d never expected to say those words out loud, but in that moment, she knew they were true. Robyn loved Takumi, and the thought of struggling through the war without him threatened to rip her heart in half as grief consumed her.

..Sing.

A voice commanded softly in the back of her mind.

“W-what?!”

Robyn’s head shot up, a soft glow emitting from the dragon shaped necklace Takumi had given her.

Right now! Sing!

There was such urgency in the voice as the sudden desire to sing took over her whole mind, blocking out all other thoughts as she rested her cheek against Takumi’s forehead, closing her eyes as the song drifted from her lips.

“..Now that I know what I’m without, you can’t just leave me..” the raw emotions of the tune shook her to her core, but she continued anyways. “Breathe into me and make me real.. Bring me.. to life!”

A sudden hand brushing away her tears made her eyes fly open as she broke off her song with a startled gasp. A soft, bright golden light had appeared, surrounding her and Takumi as it settled on the wound in his abdomen, healing it over like it had never been there at all.

”Nnn.. Robyn..?”

Takumi’s eyes slowly opened, as if he were only waking from a long sleep. His face was still extremely pale from the blood loss, but his eyes were no longer dull, softening when they met hers.

“You saved me..” he whispered. “How..?”

”I.. I don’t know.” she admitted, taking his hand in hers. It felt warm again. “The necklace started glowing and I heard a voice. It.. it told me to sing.”

”What?! The necklace spoke to you?!”

”I.. I think so..”

Soft footsteps sounded beside them, and she gasped when she saw the spirit standing only a few feet away, staring at her intently.

“You..!” Takumi hissed furiously, struggling to sit up.

Despite his weakened state, he still moved protectively in front of her.

The spirit’s gaze remained unflinching as she whispered

”Do you know who you are yet?”

”I.. I don’t understand.” Robyn stammered, but the spirit had already gone, leaving the pair huddled together.

“..I’d like to have a word with that spirit.” Takumi grumbled. “It’s got an awful lot of questions to answer.”

Robyn nodded.

“Especially with my singing voice and the flowers in my hair.”

”About that..” he mumbled, breaking eye contact. “Robyn I.. I have a confession.”

”Y-yes?”

She felt her heart quicken.

“Back when we first met.. I’d had a nightmare and saw you heading out to the gardens at night. I.. I kind of followed you. In all honesty, I didn’t trust you and thought you were sneaking out to meet an enemy soldier of something. And then I heard you sing and.. your song moved me. And you somehow brought the flowers back to life. I’d never seen anything more beautiful in my life..”

So that’s why..

It all made sense now. Takumi’s sudden change in demeanor and the sudden interest in her and her past.

”..I’m glad you did.”

”Y-you are?!”

His face flushed even more in embarrassment.

“Look at us now. I’d trust you with my life. All our decisions up till now have led us to this moment. I’m so glad I met you.. Takumi.”

”I’m glad I met you too..” he whispered fervently as they lost themselves in the depths of each other’s eyes. “So glad..”

Something in Takumi’s gaze abruptly shifted.

“Robyn..”

The way he said her name made her skin tingle, his eyes drifting shut as he started to lean in. Robyn felt her breath hitch in her throat, heart racing as she started to lean in too-

“There they are!”

Sharena’s relieved cry made them both jump, and they looked up to see her and several members of the Order of Heroes racing towards them. Takumi shakily rose to his feet, Robyn following suit as the Askrian princess skidded to a halt in front of them, her eyes widening in horror.

“Oh gods.. there’s so much blood.. What happened?!”

”Thats Loki.. the Múspell tactician..” Hríd exclaimed. “Did she attack you?”

”She did.. but we managed to take her out. She injured me too. Nothing serious. Robyn’s already treated it so you don’t have to call a healer.” Takumi explained quickly, leaving out the unexplainable aspects of their tale.

“This whole time.. I thought I was talking to my sister..” Fjorm whispered in dismay. “But if she’s not here then that means..!”

“She’s probably the second girl Surtr intends to sacrifice to the flames.” Hríd muttered, eyes dark.

”So we go rescue them.” Alfonse decided. “Cut off his power.. then defeat him!”

The rest of the battle passed by in a blur, and even when Surtr was defeated and they returned to Askr, Robyn had hardly paid attention, her thoughts filled with Takumi. While out of danger, he was still too weak from the blood loss and was forced to sit the battle out. Now her arm was around him as she walked him slowly back to his room, the Hoshidan too exhausted to protest the help as they finally reached his room.

“Just lie down and relax..” she whispered, helping him recline back into his bed.

”My wound is healed, so why do I still feel so awful?” he panted, shivering a bit.

“You still lost a lot of blood.” Robyn explained as she covered him gently with a blanket and settled in a chair next to his bed. “You’ll be alright. Just lay and rest for a few days. I told Flora to make you some miso soup with meat for when you wake up to get those iron levels back up. You’ll feel better soon. You’ll see.”

”Thank you..” Takumi whispered, a long sigh escaping him as he closed his eyes.

In a moment of boldness, Robyn slipped her hand into his. She expected him to flinch, but instead the prince just smiled, and she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. He squeezed back, then Takumi’s hand slowly relaxed in hers as he drifted off into sleep. Watching the serene look on his face and the rise and fall of Takumi’s chest as he slept, Robyn never wanted to let go.

AN: So here’s my first prerecorded song cover of Bring Me To Life linked here. It’s eh in my opinion but was still fun to make.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8hAe59f/

Next chapter is going to be an extra special Halloween chapter (because Halloween is the best holiday) so you can look forward to that! Now that book two is done we can move on to book three.. where our LOVELY couple takes a nice romantic trip………. to Hel. But the real question is.. when do YOU think our lovely couple will finally have the guts to confess to each other?!?! Feel free to comment your thoughts down below~

~Robyn

3 notes · View notes

lookbluesoup · 1 year

Text

WIPDAY & Last Line

@bnuuywol tagged me on Wednesday (IM LATE IM SORRY) to share an excerpt from a WIP. Here's one from a collaborative au fic I've been working on with @seasaltandcopper , where the Red Mages are actually a coven of vampires that have sworn off preying on mortals and instead work alongside them!

"Fuck," he hissed again, and shoved a hand into his hair, gripping tightly enough it stung. "Please tell me — you know how to fix this?" Seating opposite Mal's gargoyleish, broken visage, Rhun took in a deep breath himself, and sighed again. “I told you – when we are turned, we become a reflection of our own perceptions. Our sense of self. It does not make us into better versions of ourselves, or even, necessarily, what we think we should be. Though that is a common misconception.” Rhun spread a palm, “It is a deeper magic. The change feeds on emotion. It makes us into what we feel we should be, in our deepest, most vulnerable places. I cannot speak to the state of your mind. Only that some things…” A grimace. “Like the regrowth of a limb, require a level of confidence I feared you lacked.” Fingers curling tighter, until his own nails bit into his scalp, Mal pushed out a sharp, ugly sounding laugh. He hadn't thought anything could feel worse than losing his leg; or the night he'd realized his life with Jericho had been a lie; than the six months after, locked in a hell that still plagued his nightmares; or actually dying. He'd been wrong. "You think this is what I feel like I should be?" Mal looked up, sharply. Fury rolled over him like a fiery tide, but it came too late to stop the seeds of shame already planted. "I just — just didn't believe in myself enough to make it work right? I'm not —" He broke off, voice cracking. Mal pulled in a half-breath, fought to get the words out past the constriction in his throat. "I'm not — this." An angry gesture. The other hand stayed locked in his hair, because Mal wasn't sure he trusted himself to let go of it yet. "I'm not." Keep trying, maybe you'll convince yourself eventually. "Fuck that! Fuck you, fuck — argh!" With a yell of pure, wounded fury, Mal swept his hand at the small table beside his chair, overturning the whole thing with a deafening crash. Glass shattered across the floor. Knick knacks rolled. Another book sailed, end over end, to topple near the drying crimson stain at the center of the bedroom. Rhun didn’t flinch. But his eyes creased with a sympathetic sorrow. “No.” He answered. “You’re not. But you are very afraid, Mal. Now that you can smell it, as a vampire, I need not impress upon you how powerful such an emotion is. Fear warps us into shapes we scarce recognize.”

Also tagged by @umbralaether and @sundered-souls to share the last line from a WIP, so you get the last line from two! :3

“Y’look like ye’ve seen a ghost, lady. Should I be lookin’ ‘round me shoulder?” She scoffed, a well-applied mask of humor to her tone.

But he’d decades to hone himself, and a strong desire to please her.

----

Not tagging anyone this time around but if you'll like to steal it, I'd love to see folks writing! :3

#wip #text #tag game #x'rhun tia #vampire au #a'mahl tia

7 notes · View notes

repo-net · 1 year

Text

A Towa's Thoughts

"And t-that's why... we can set up the fort for all the children right here in Towa Tower. It's already manufactured in a way that protects us from intruders - not that it should really be a problem once all the adults are out of this city, but it's always good to have precautions. And not to mention, the massive space allows for our robots to go all out without wrecking muc-"

"Okay, Nagisa. Monaca gets it."

"Oh- right. S-Sorry... I may have over-spoke. But you get the idea, right?"

Monaca nodded, brushing her own hair a little bit as she looked at the blue-haired boy in front of her. He was carrying a very detailed and very well-written set of papers with him. He's been hard at work trying to detail out the architecture and blueprints for their supposed paradise, huh? She couldn't help but smile at that.

The mage of the Warriors of Hope had been spending most of today just asking her fellow teammates what plans they have for their future. A rekindling of fire after Monaca turned their desire to see every adult in the city into a game, trying to one-up each other and see who could 'score the most points' started to push them even further. All of them were slowly dancing to Monaca's tune, and the pieces were falling in line one by one.

Well, most of them were, anyways. In Monaca's eyes, there was one of them that hadn't quite turned just yet.

"Hmhm. So that's what your thoughts are... let Monaca think for a moment."

A cold shiver went down Nagisa's spine as he stared Monaca down in the eye. He felt his left hand shake in anxiety, instinctively and slowly hiding it behind him. But Monaca could already read him like an open book so, so easily.

It'd been like that since elementary school ever since they met. Monaca's simple kindness and warm smile made Nagisa feel an emotion he didn't even know existed at the time. Someone that he thought saw him for more than just a tool and experiment meant the world to him. He was so unbelievably smitten with her ever since then. And while she did find it amusing enough that she enjoyed teasing him about it...

Unfortunately for him, those feelings were one-sided. And not in a way that he would've accepted if the truth were to come out, such as 'sorry Nagisa, Monaca's just not interested'.

It was more along the lines of 'sorry Nagisa, Monaca just doesn't see the need to keep you around longer than need be'.

Did she feel bad about it? Sure, of course. There was going to be a small part of her that ate her up seeing the future of what her friends were going to be once her true plan was set in motion. But there's always been something about Nagisa that often bothered her. He always had a sadistic and violent side to him that came out when he felt that he or any of the children; Warrior of Hope or not were being wronged.

But from his low kill count, to how he's so oddly sympathetic with the people they're fighting against...? It puzzled her what he was being so hesitant for.

"Tell me, Nagisa. What do you think of adults... or rather, the demons?"

"Huh? Oh. Well, the answer's quite simple. I can't live with them. Just being around them puts me at unease. I think we'd all be better off if they weren't with us."

... No use of the word 'kill' or 'death' anywhere, huh? He sure was dancing around his words very carefully. Monaca was aware of the fact that Nagisa had a honest core in the end and he did his best to avoid saying words he didn't completely mean.

"Then why don't you want to kill all the nasty and horrible demons with us, Nagisa? Don't you love Monaca's game? She worked really hard on it."

Emphasis on work as she shook her head back and forth like a metronome. She knew how much Nagisa valued the idea of someone working hard on something and needed to prod at him.

"Of course I want to kill them! They're... I can't forgive them. Even the innocents can't be allowed to stay any more. Nobody stops to save the good people in a war, that's just how it is. But I just feel like we could be doing so, so much more than this."

He's too passive. She had to be direct with him now.

"Nagisa. Tell Monaca the truth. You're thinking you'd rather get them all out of this city rather than having them all killed, don't you?"

Nagisa turned meek. The words he had in his mind were immediately shut down by Monaca's attack; the exact intention she had. She wanted him to question himself and his loyalty.

Monaca knew full well just how emotionally attached he was to her. She knew that if she just tugged him hard enough and used the right words, he could easily go off and orchestrate a plan that would take out a massive chunk of adults in a single go.

There was another option she had in her mind, but... that was going to be saved if he turned extremely traitorous. Going against her plans, whether it be the game or the second generation she wants to see reborn will make him see a side of her he'd never expect.

"I don't have any aversion to either concept. My point is that using our time and resources to wreck the same town we're supposed to create paradise in is only going to delay our goal. But-"

Cut him off.

"Monaca wants to ask you this then, Nagisa. Let's assume we do get all of the adults out of town, nice and dandy! Then they find a way to contact Future Foundation. And after we've finally built our beautiful utopia and safe haven for kids, all these adults that we could've finished off are now striking back against us. Doesn't that sound just horrible, Nagisa? Monaca would feel so incredibly disappointed, you know. That's not even to consider the betrayal Masaru, Jataro, and Kotoko would feel..."

His face turned pale as his eyes were full of submission and dismay. She was starting to get to him. Now she needed to close it out and make sure he doesn't even get a chance to rebute.

Wheeling herself closer to him, she cupped his chin with a saccharine smile on her face, enough to fluster him and turn his eyes to the side.

"That doesn't sound very nice, does it Nagisa? Do you know what that would make you?"

"Um..."

"A traitor."

The moment she said it, Monaca could just feel his heart sink at that word. Him, a traitor? After everything he's done for them? Surely not... being exiled by his only friends, the people that he'd do anything for... that was too much to handle.

"So Monaca will ask very, very kindly. I want you to play together with everyone else, okay? Get along with the other Warriors of Hope for me. And kill all the adults. Can Monaca ask that of you, Nagisa?"

She flashed him an excessively sweet close-eyed smile, now rubbing his chin with her fingers as he shivered in what felt like reverence.

"Yes. I understand completely. I'll do absolutely anything for you, Monaca. C-Could you... step back a little though? This is a little... uhm. Close..."

Realizing the situation's softened up now, Monaca shifted back into a more casual and peppy tone, clasping her hands as she laid into her chair, giggling.

"Step back? Come on now, don't be so rude, Nagisa. Surely you can understand why Monaca can't do such a thing, meow?"

She pointed a finger subtly at her legs, while giving him a teasingly sad look. The realization hit him and put an apologetic and flustered look on his face.

"Ah! Right...! Sorry, sorry! I should've-''

"Nagisa, it's fiiine. Monaca was just teasing you, heehee."

He really needed to loosen up some more. Monaca really wanted to like him more. Nagisa saw her as an angel and genuinely believed in the best of her traits, but still...

Whether it be his goals or his feelings. Her heart just didn't feel the same way he did.

#danganronpa #danganronpa ultra despair girls #monaca towa #towa monaca #nagisa shingetsu #shingetsu nagisa #warriors of hope

16 notes · View notes