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dogtoling · 3 years

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What is a Special Weapon? (a speculation)

So let's get straight into the post. (LONG post under the cut)

A Special Weapon is: - the weapon itself: a powerful ink battling weapon manufactured and regulated specifically for this purpose (Bubble Blower, Sting Ray, Inkstrike, Inkzooka etc.) OR - a specialized attack or response treated as a special weapon (Kraken, Splashdown, Booyah Bomb etc.) - Supposedly uses the Inkling's own ink - debatable, but highly likely based on evidence

Before we can get deeper into the special weapon lore, we must look into what comes BEFORE a special weapon. That's the special gauge.

There are multiple ways to fill up a special gauge: - Inking turf - Having control over an objective in Ranked Battle - Being in an underdog situation in a match (Tenacity) - Equipping a Canned Special What happens when the special is then activated? The meter slowly depletes, and once it is fully drained, the special ends. In practice, what IS the special meter? Now, when looking at the meter objectively, it looks as if it's filled with ink. That alongside its function in powering Special Weapons, as well as draining like an actual Ink Tank, can give the impression that it is LITERALLY a secondary ink reserve the player is filling up. This is in order to then use all of that ink as ammo for the special. And this actually makes a lot of sense. well now it's time to open a whole new can of worms (or weapons i guess)

CANNED SPECIALS Canned specials are literally, well, canned specials that make an appearance in Splatoon's single player modes as well as the Battle Dojo from the first game.

(From the splash screen of the first game, we can see that they are approximately the size of an actual tuna can.) Upon obtaining a canned special, your special gauge immediately fills up and you gain the ability to use said special weapon, which heavily suggests that the special weapon itself is stored inside.... the tiny can. You know, stuff like a force field, or a 7ft ink cannon. Or a pressure washer that includes more ink than the volume of an Inkling. Yeah. Right. So this implies insane hammerspace technology if it IS to be taken at face value - although i find it odd that there's not a single official art or tidbit of lore that acknowledges that inklings in fact obtain their specials from tiny hammerspace tins. (Even sub weapons and their inner workings make a tiny appearance in official art. Specials are never elaborated on too much, unfortunately...)

As an alternative, there is the concept of the cans holding a specific amount of condensed ink enough to power any of the included specials that you could then pop inside the weapon. That is not at all how it's implied to work, but it's a cool alternate explanation that makes slightly more sense - and if we take some liberties and assume that the cans are a LIIITTLE bit bigger, we could even argue that the cans could be THE special gauge itself. Looking at the special gauge, it IS designed to be round, just like a tin. I don't recall what it was modeled after if anything, or if it's just a coincidence, but food for thought.

Oh yeah also here's a picture of a NORMAL main weapon can that you can get at Kamabo Co. They have one for like every weapon type as well as some bombs which implies that weapons are oftentimes stored inside cans (although these might be bigger cans). Either way, the ink tank idea might be down the drain considering the implications of this one.

Anyway, moving on. Hi guys! I brought you guys all the way through that wall of text... just to dunk on that literal ink tank theory and dump it in the trash because there is another theory that makes more sense on like every scale possible. I'm so sorry. (But I also really like the idea of the special gauge being a literal ink tank that you fill up, so I had to include it, because it's not like it doesn't hold a lot of ground.) I'll get straight to the point. The other theory is that the special gauge is only a hypothetical concept created for the sake of gameplay and balancing, and in reality, it is simply the buildup to what I'll refer to as the "special rush" state of an Inkling. It has no physical value, varies between Inklings, and has no ties to actual points at all. Observe these bits from the art books 1 and 2:

1. Some Inkzooka trivia. Although the entry refers to SPECIFICALLY this weapon, it is very likely that the same is true for all special weapons - or at least the ones that primarily use ink (so not necessarily things such as the Bubbler and Echolocator).

(Ignore the random lines. Those are my notes lol) This Baller entry tells us a LOT and i mean a LOT of what we needed to know. First of all, the Inklings' ink output breaks the laws of physics there is no way a single inkling has enough ink inside it to even fill THAT ball at least 4 times the volume of its body NOT TO MENTION producing enough ink to fill one SEVEN TIMES THAT SIZE anyway the important part is the one where it confirms that Inklings produce an abnormal amount of ink while they are using a special weapon. Because the Baller was specifically developed for the purpose of containing all the excess ink, there is a big implication that the ink is originating from the user itself, specifically in the moment of using a Special. Then why is this? Well now we get to the concept of the "special rush" that I mentioned before. It refers to this state that we see Inklings enter when their special gauge fills up:

Their tentacles will glow, bubble up as if boiling, and they will look as if caught in an epic dramatic action movie wind at all times. This is when they're able to use their Special.

I think it's safe to say that this is "a heightened emotional state". As opposed to for example the Kraken which could be a repurposed panic response (if you haven't seen my post about that, that exists too) the special rush is likely a similar all-out response, although caused by getting really in the zone of battle. So to put it simply, a POSITIVE chemical response, in which the Inkling's body starts pumping more ink through channeling one's fighting spirit and yadda yadda yadda.

To put it shortly here; this "rush" likely evolved as a response to intense territory disputes or even hunting. More ink means more defense AND more offensive power. In Turf Wars, reaching this rush means that Inklings can - and probably have to - channel this excess ink elsewhere, which in this case is into special weapons that quickly gobble up all of the excess ink (with part of it going in the ink tank).

A lot of the weapons second this excess ink theory by including a heightened coating of ink across the user's whole body (Ink Armor, Booyah Bomb, Splashdown) or even rounding up the excess ink that's built up into an offensive endeavor (Splashdown, Booyah Bomb, other specials utilize it as ammo). Once all the ink is used up, the Inkling's emotional state stabilizes and the cycle soon starts over again until they hit the high mark again. (For a second ignoring the fact that it is physically impossible for them to produce this much ink. I guess I'm not ignoring it since I'm drawing attention to it here but it bothers me so much. My work is never done lol) So I guess this theory makes sense, but why is it inherently BETTER than the "special gauge is an ink reserve" one? Let's see the arguments for the ink tank version: 1. The Special Gauge is literally filled up with ink as the game is played. This is potentially something that happens as the weapon is shot, and some of the ink is channeled into the special gauge instead.

> It doesn't make much sense for this to be the case. The ink is being SHOT OUT, not stored; at least not stored anywhere visible and although you really have to have room for imagination when trying to draw logic for this game, i would really assume the developers would include a physical indicator of the gauge if it was meant to be literal.

2. There is potential for the Canned Specials to BE the gauge itself, as something that attaches or "fuels" the special. The gauge could be designed the way it is to reflect this.

> The canned specials are a weirdly inconsistent thing in the world of Splatoon, appearing ONLY as insta-fills in single player campaigns and the Splatoon 1 battle dojo. True, there are some on the player's desk in the splash screen of the first game, but we also don't know if those are for Turf War, or the dojo, or from Hero Mode. There's not even any for sale at Ammo Knights, whereas entire special weapons outside of cans very much are. Even if the special gauge isn't a can, it also doesn't mean that a can as an ink tank can't essentially serve the same purpose of providing the ink needed for a special. 3. The gauge fills up with a very distinct ink graphic, so it could literally mean it's ink!

> This one is true! But taking into consideration one thing; as a hypothetical gauge, the connection with ink is STILL there, as by the time the gauge is finished, the Inkling is basically overflowing with excess Ink. So rather than an external tank being filled with ink, the player itself is. 4. The gauge fills, then it's full, and it slowly depletes as a special is used. Basically the perfect flow; and a perfect reasoning for where all the ink comes from, and WHY you need to fill up the gauge to be able to use a special.

> This same reasoning still makes complete sense for the hypothetical gauge. The graphic goes up to indicate how close the Inkling is getting to the rush state, clearly shows when they are IN the rush state, and then the state slowly wears off as the ink is used. Where the ink comes from is directly explained in canon at this point; an Inkling in its special weapon state emits a crazy amount of ink - according to what the art book shows, more than like 10 times the volume of the inkling itself. Which makes zero sense whatsoever but, well, it does explain where the ink comes from. 5. The special meter being hypothetical wouldn't be good because it wouldn't be consistent at all. Some people surely get way more pumped WAY faster and use way more specials than others! No balance!

> The special meters aren't consistent to begin with, even in the game. People who stack Special Charge Up will sometimes use a special upwards of five times per 3-minute-game. People who get splatted a lot may literally never get to use a special once. Just like people's personalities in real life, the rates at which different Inklings would "charge up" can vary by a mile. And furthermore...

We see examples of the "special rush" outside of the gameplay!

Pearl, in the ending of Octo Expansion, enters a special rush mode seemingly out of nowhere (though you could also maybe say she might have used a canned special) after getting pumped to literally save the world. So does Agent 3; DOZENS OF TIMES, in both iterations of battles against them. They use a bunch of special weapons completely out of left field, take way more hits than the player and continuously use Splashdowns. This is because they're continuously triggering their Rush in the midst of intense combat, and especially under mind control, during which most of what they probably have is survival instinct, which means drastically raised ink production upping both offensive and defensive capabilities. But wait, there's actually even more that supports the theory of the special gauge referring to a buildup to a rush state: - Tenacity as an ability. This ability makes it so that your special gauge will automatically fill itself up if your team has fewer players on the field than the enemy team. This ability makes very little sense in the situation that the special gauge is literally an ink tank, as you're not actually shooting ink at all for it to fill up. However, as an emotional thing, a player that is also an underdog is SURE to be really giving their all in the competition and thus building up their rush faster. - Your special gauge supposedly fills up passively while your team has control of the objective in Ranked (I literally didn't know this because I barely play ranked ever). Again, this has nothing to do with actual inking. But what it DOES have to do with is potentially winning the game, and that totally gets you pumped. - Again, the inconsistencies in a special gauge. If it was an ink tank, you would assume the amount of ink needed for each special weapon was a very specific amount. Instead, players fill their special gauge at different rates, and getting splatted cuts down the gauge... again, depending on your abilities. Losing ink from a pre-filled ink tank that is being specifically saved up for a weapon doesn't really make sense as one gets splatted, but getting demoralized and frustrated when getting splatted makes a whole lot of sense, which would also set you back in reaching your special rush.

In conclusion: The Special Gauge is a hypothetical meter that exists for gameplay purposes; in practice, it only conveys how close or far a player is to their "special rush" state, in which their senses and emotions are heightened and their ink production is greatly increased due to a surge in fighting spirit.

1. When a battle starts, no one has their rush going on because everyone is only just warming up. Different people with different objectives and personalities may get their rush very quickly, very slowly, very frequently or only once. You get the picture.

2. As players find themselves doing intense physical activities, participating in tense combat and so on, they build up towards their rush state (likely building up endorphins, dopamine and adrenaline or the like), which increases the body's ink production. It is likely that contact with ink also naturally increases one's ink production.

3. When players hit this rush state and the "special meter" is filled, they can channel all the excess ink into a special weapon. Once the ink is used up, the rush subsides into a less intense emotional state, until the cycle may start again soon after.

Well, there's my thoughts on specials and mostly the special gauge and what it means. Thanks for reading yet another one of these essays.

#squidthoughts #splatoon #splatoon headcanons #special weapon #specials

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voidwerks · 3 years

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Legiones Astartes: Rome 30,0000 - Electric Boogaloo - Part 1

It’s been several years since I did my informational posts on warp travel and threats to humanity in the 40k universe, and I was feeling particularly motivated so here’s a quick, dirty guide to where it all started. The bois that everyone in 40k loves (or loves to hate), the Astartes!

In the far off future of the 31st millennium, humanity has just recovered from nearly beating itself into extinction yet again, and the after effects of space elves blowing a permanent hole in reality after the biggest party the galaxy has ever seen. After thousands of years of plotting and planning, the Emperor of Mankind decided the time was right, sorted everyone’s shit out on Earth, and set out to make the galaxy a safer place for humanity. Whether anyone wanted it or not. To do this, he mustered tens of thousands of super soldiers, lead by men who were basically demi-gods, and sent them forth across the stars in what was known as the Great Crusade. This is the story of the sons of the sons, the Primarchs can have their own post another day.

Numero Uno, the the First Legion, the Dark Angels. Clad in black and silver armor, the Dark Angels were the first marines to be created. Between that and their assistance with retaking the Earth prior to the Great Crusade, they were allowed special permissions later Legions did not have. In particular, they had access to some of the oldest, strangest, and sometimes horrifying bits of technology that the Emperor had stashed away for a rainy day. Even 10k years later in 40k, the Angels still uphold that privilege, and if things ever get completely and truly fucked, they’ve got a few aces up their sleeves just in case. Owing to the culture of their adoptive homeworld, Caliban, the Dark Angels have a strong knightly aesthetic, as well as plenty of ranks, titles, and associated iconography so everyone can know what kind of badass you are.

Second ISN’T the Second Legion. Something bad happened to them and no one is allowed to talk about it. It’s actually the THIRD LEGION, the Emperor’s Children! Among the Legions, the Emperor’s Children had the unique distinction of being allowed to wear his personal emblem on their armor and carry his name. This was the Emperor’s gift to them after a company of them serving as honor guards during a victory parade, where they protected the Emperor from an assassination attempt involving a black hole bomb. The Emperor’s Children were perfectionists: anything that can be done can be done better, and they could get a bit salty when their brother Legions out-did them. Beyond that, they were renowned for their artistic skills, as well as their interpersonal skills with ‘mortal’ humans. While many marines either didn’t care for regular humans, or straight up disliked them, the Third Legion got along quite well with people, to the point they were often sent as diplomats to introduce long-lost planets of humans into the Imperium peacefully.

The Fourth Legion, completely unrelated to Marvel, were the Iron Warriors. To the Fourth Legion, war is entirely a matter of numbers. While other Legions fight with spirit, ferocity, nobility, the Iron Warriors fight with a machine-like efficiency and calculated planning. Rivals of the Seventh Legion, the Iron Warriors were particularly fond of siege-tactics. They’d bombard their foes with massed artillery, push in with columns of tanks, and hit critical points with forces of marines, changing tactics along the way as the variables shifted. While they took pride in their accomplishments, cold personalities and a ruthless fighting style didn’t make them many friends. Combined with feeling like they didn’t get much recognition for their efforts, often being stuck with some of the worst fights, the Iron Warriors tended to resent most of the other Legions. But no matter how tough, no matter how ugly, they would not bend, for the Iron Warriors always completed a task given to them.

Next in line, we have the Fifth Legion, the White Scars. Possessed of free spirits and a healthy dose of superstition, the White Scars preferred style of combat was: as quickly as physically possible. Whenever possible, they would ride to battle on anti-grav jet-bikes or speeders. Lacking that, on traditional motor bikes. Reminiscent of Mongolian horse riders, the White Scars fought from their mounts as often as they could, enjoying every moment of it, even if death might come at them at a few hundred miles per hour. Considered odd by most of their brother Legions, the Scars’ aloof personalities and plans divined by seers often saw them tearing about the galaxy in smaller warbands. Never staying in one place for long, they roamed wherever the winds of fate would take them.

Continuing on, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: SKYRIM STILL EXISTS. But really, the Sixth Legion, the Space Wolves. It doesn’t take much to explain these boys, the Space Wolves were vikings in space. They could be a bit dense, were prone to showing off, loved getting into fights, and even invented a kind of alcohol that could get marines drunk. In peace, they could be a bit rough around the edges but were jovial types. Beyond that however, the Wolves had a much more notorious side. While their brothers would mock them at times for being a bit ‘simple’, they were also feared as the Emperor’s hounds. If someone fucked up somewhere in the galaxy, the Wolves were the sent to deal the punishment. Typically, this involved plenty of axes and other people’s heads. While unconfirmed even 10k years later, it is rumored that the Space Wolves were responsible for reaving both the Second and Eleventh Legions at the Emperor’s command. Whatever they did must have been horrible, for it resulted in the culling of tens of thousands of marines and two demi-god primarchs. So remember kids, tug on the wolf’s tail at your own peril.

Eternal rivals to the Fourth Legion, here comes the Seventh Legion, the Imperial Fists. While not as bitter as their brothers in the Fourth, the Fists shared a lot of similarities with them. Blunt, no-nonsense, analytical, monumentally stubborn, fond of hitting their foes as hard as possible, on the surface the two seemed quite alike. But while the Iron Warriors were frequently unconcerned with what happened after their battles, grinding entire cities into dust, the Imperial Fists would always build and fortify. Wherever they passed, they would leave their mark in the form of walls, repaired cities, and forts to ensure their hold. This earned them the distinction of being recalled late in the Crusade to oversee the fortification of the entire Solar System. The reclamation of the galaxy was nearly complete, and it was their task to ensure that Terra would be able to withstand anything the universe could throw at it from that point forward. At least, that was the idea...

What stalks the night, strikes fear into the hearts of the unjust, and has bat wings? Move over Bruce Wayne, it’s the Eighth Legion, the Night Lords. Among the Legions, the Night Lords were unique in the fact that they did not operate like a traditional army. Unlike other Legions, the Night Lords’ favorite method of fighting was to strike fear and terror into their enemies. Considered brutal and sadistic even in the early days, the Night Lords would ‘pacify’ star systems by cutting off supply lines, destroying infrastructure, terrorizing civilians, and savagely breaking their enemy’s will before finishing the job. Known for taking bone trophies, using blood as paint, painting their armor with skulls, and even fashioning people’s faces into tea cozies, there were very few in the Imperium that genuinely liked the Night Lords. In fact, late into the Crusade they were even risking censure or a visit from the Space Wolves. But as they maintained from their inception: they were a necessary evil. Not everyone in the galaxy was reasonable. Some didn’t even respect the immense might of the Astartes. There were some that would only listen to fear. And the poor buggers that wouldn’t even listen to that? They would be made into examples, slowly, painfully, and without any remorse.

A breath of fresh air from the Night Lords, the Ninth Legion, the Blood Angels. Where the Night Lords were immensely cruel, showcasing some of the worst humanity had to offer, the Blood Angels showed some of the best. Kindness, nobility, flowing golden locks of hair with slight curls, using their strength to protect the weak, seeing the goodness in others, the Blood Angels were quite human for heavily augmented super-soldiers. Well, they did have one teensy little problem. Just a bit of casual bloodlust that could leave them going into a frenzy now and then (sometimes even drinking blood) if they didn’t keep their tempers in check. However, largely due to their own self-discipline they were able to keep this fact a secret for the most part.

Last (for now, don’t want this to be the next Color of the Sky post), but definitely not the least, the Tenth Legion, the Iron Hands. While the Iron Warriors have a very mechanical way of thinking, and a strong affinity for tech, the Iron Hands take this to a completely new level. To them, anything could be improved by mechanizing it, up to and frequently including themselves. The Hands were notorious for heavily modifying themselves, and had more tanks than any other Legion, tied only with the Iron Warriors. Ironically for a Legion obsessed with machinery, the Iron Hands are also possessed of a volatility only shared by their brothers in the Sixth and the Twelfth Legions. In contrast to the cool, collected rationality of machines, Astartes of the Iron Hands were notoriously hot-headed and liable to making rash decisions if they lost their tempers. This alternating clash frequently manifested as contempt for their own ‘weakness’, but also as contempt for others, resulting in the Iron Hands keeping very few friends, even amongst themselves.

#warhammer 40k #warhammer 40000 #games workshop #forge world #dark angels #blood angels #iron warriors #emperor's children #night lords #space wolves #white scars #imperial fists #iron hands

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the-lightning-strikes-again · 3 years

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I know the purple lion/palladin would be amazing, but Lotor as black palladin? That would be very sexy of him. Imagine Black choosing him after Zarkon stolen him/died. The bayard changed for him during blood duel. Your headcanons?

Hi, anon! Thanks for the note! Yeah, it seems like Black Lion at least acknowledged Lotor in some way, for him to use that bayard. Even if that were a fluke/one-time thing, then Lotor, as a prince known for fighting alongside his soldiers in battle, commanding generals of varying personalities, being an expert pilot, and being charismatic enough to win enemies to his side, seems to have a lot of leadership qualities that Black Lion would look for.

I could see Black Lion choosing Lotor after defeating his father, but I also wonder if maybe another musical lions event would happen at an earlier time that was critical for Keith as well?

I started thinking about headcanons for a possible Black Paladin Lotor VLD remix…and ahh, got a little carried away into basically writing a story outline for it, haha:

In this AU, Keith’s reluctance to lead and his increasing interest in Blade of Marmora, along with Shiro’s clone being contaminated by Haggar’s magic, would perhaps establish why Black Lion seeks out Lotor and searches his heart as a candidate to begin with.

It could happen in a revised ending to s4, where maybe Lotor’s move to stop Keith from sacrificing himself to save others is a little more harrowing. Like say in the attempt, Keith still gets injured and Lotor’s ship is destroyed, and Zarkon’s forces are pounding down on them. So Lotor boards Black Lion in a desperate attempt to save them both from his father. Black Lion acknowledges Lotor has an interest in Saving the Whole™ in a way that Keith hadn’t grown to understand yet, so it opens its controls to him. The battle continues with Lotor shakingly at Black Lion’s controls, in the lead of Team Voltron.

Bonus if during this entire switch, the consoles to all of the Lions begin to glow brighter, because on the astral plane, the Lions are in communication with Black Lion, deliberating on the decision to accept Lotor as the new Black Paladin. They accept after Black Lion shows them that it will connect with Lotor and make him understand things too. The consoles in the Lions then return to normal, and Lotor’s spirit is locked in on the astral plane, which he feels.

Double bonus points if in this scenario, Keith is fully aware of what’s happening (maybe he just has a broken arm and leg or something), and he’s in a frazzle, trying to tell Lotor how to use the controls to get them out of there. And Lotor snaps back, also in a frazzle, “Don’t tell me how to fly.”

Triple bonus point if the other paladins are kinda freaking out that Lotor just took control of Black Lion, and that Black Lion accepted it.

“If you want to survive to argue with me, paladins of Voltron,” Lotor calls roughly through the controls, “then fight with me now against my father.”

Hunk is squeaking in shock and executive dysfunction. Pidge is flailing like, “Uh, guys??? Can he just do that??” Lance is sputtering because “Excuse me, why is HE the Black Paladin now?” Allura is very, very silent. Her father had connected her life-force to Voltron—so perhaps she felt the Lions’ debate on the astral plane. She very quietly moves to say, “Keith is injured, and we can’t lose Voltron to Zarkon. This is our only option for now.” And she demands to Lotor, “Black Lion has accepted you, which means it—” her face ticks—“trusts you in some way to get us out of here. And we’re taking on fire. We need a unified response.”

Coran is flailing in the background on the Castle ship. Shiro is eyes narrowed, leaning forward in curiosity about this son of Zarkon.

Haggar is watching through Shiro, in shock.

Lotor reverts to his training, offering simple commands to push back his father’s forces and have the Voltron Lions rendezvous back at the Castle ship for further discussion.

Lotor had no idea how deep the well of power was within Voltron. Like, he knew this thing was a beast of a war machine, but he had no idea it was quite like this.

Lotor tiredly boards the Castle of Lions, helping a limping Keith out of Black Lion. The sight makes Hunk and Pidge hesitant to throw Lotor into the Tube of Shame. Lance and Shiro move to help Keith, who’s trying to awkwardly brush off that he just tried to commit suicide and that he has a broken arm and several sprains. Shenanigans abound.

Allura walks up to Lotor, eyeing him hard. He eyes her back. (Is this the first time he’s really seen Allura???). Bonus if he blushes holding her gaze. Just a lil.

Allura moves to demand of Lotor, “How did you manage to convince Black Lion to give you control? What did you see? What did it tell you?”

Lotor admits he intended to board Black Lion to plea for his life in exchange for information about his father, who clearly despises him. Black Lion responding to him in such a way was a complete surprise to him as well.

Keith is meanwhile getting bandaged up and is leaning against Black Lion’s paw. He’s kinda relieved he doesn’t feel the leadership bond. But he’s also relieved that Black Lion still sends him positive waves. Black Lion simply knows his heart is elsewhere and that he is a good Blade, in the way of his mother. And good leaders know resources work best where they’re happiest/most productive. Black Lion knows they will see lots of Keith yet.

Lotor sighs and offers himself up for incarceration and interrogation for how to undo the bond with Black Lion. He didn’t want to be like his father, anyway.

The fact that he rejects the legacy of his father makes Allura hesitate. She knows Black Lion wouldn’t choose someone it couldn’t trust or teach, and that its own ears had grown deaf to Zarkon. Instead of incarcerating him, Allura does demand that Lotor live up to Black Lion’s expectations, and that he accept the Castle scanning him for potential bugs or possible security breaches. Also, that he undergo the same tests she put the paladins through originally.

Black Lion often shows Lotor visions of the past—of a version of his father who once did great and protective things for the galaxy. Things that Lotor has dreamed of being able to do, and that he can do through Voltron. Lotor tries to understand what all went so wrong with his father and how he might have some things in common with this pre-corrupted version of Zarkon. He panics when he realizes that Haggar is actually a corrupted form of his true mother, and he tries to deny it.

Haggar, meanwhile, has not yet recalled her life as Honerva. She knows Voltron is still the key to opening the rift…or else that she can do something with the comet Lotor had started building ships out of…

Season 4 ends/Season 5 begins with Keith temporarily in the healing pod, and Lotor picking up the armor of the Black Paladin. There might be some form of Lion musical chairs again, unless Keith convinces Lance that being someone’s right hand also means working to ensure that the leader has his head on straight. Which, honestly, Lance might be a little over the top, but he is good at questioning stuff and was shown in s3 to admirably pick up slack where Keith flailed.

Bonus points if Lance activates that Altean broadsword again during Lotor’s training and fights him, with Lotor praising his tenacity while also schooling him on technique and strategy. This reiterates Black Lion’s judgement in naming him Black Paladin and results in Lance tentatively accepting Lotor as Black Paladin. Lotor perhaps realizes that some of the animosity has nothing to do with lions and mostly to do with Lance’s interest in Allura. He wins some favor with Lance by offering to teach him the art of the sword.

Lotor ends up sleeping in Black Lion often because he doesn’t quite trust the paladins either. Not yet. He blushies if he ends up accidentally running into a pajama-clad Allura in the middle of the night. Realizes awkwardly that the paladins call his father The Turtle, and that he himself is also afraid to take off his armored shell. Which means he is a little more like his father than he thought. But he doesn’t feel safe enough to take his armor off yet with the paladins around….until he realizes that they are not wearing armor around him at all.

Keith is easily healed in the Altean healing pod and takes up his position in the Blades full-time. The Blades and Team Voltron get closer than ever, working together most days to take down strategic Galran outposts.

Kolivan interrogates Lotor at least once.

Hunk is probably the most diplomatic with Lotor during the initial integration phase. He asks questions about Lotor and what it was like growing up as Zarkon’s son. Lotor trusts Hunk’s opinion on most things, especially when it comes to the sensibilities of other Voltron Coalition allies. But he does rely on Hunk to help him know what’s good food, too.

The colony plot doesn’t exist in this AU, but I could see a version where maybe past!Lotor tried to help out Alteans like Bandor escaping his father’s genocides—and that the attempt to help them escape didn’t go so well. So Lotor clings hard to the concept of Black Lion giving him the chance to protect people again. Maybe in this remix, Pidge helps Lotor to hack into top-secret Galran systems that Zarkon had blocked him from. It creates the opportunity for Team Voltron to break out various Altean prisoners from Zarkon/Haggar’s clutches, who were either being harvested or forced to work for the empire in secret locations. Bonus points if Bandor was one of those prisoners who gets freed and lives to reunite with his long-lost sister. The s5 arc would therefore in part be the Voltron coalition working to actually establish a true Altean colony based off the number of prisoners they free. Allura is breaking down in happy tears that she and Coran and Lotor aren’t the only ones left.

Lotor starts piecing together that Haggar was searching all of these Alteans for information about a place called Oriande. He comes to realize that it’s a real place and encourages Team Voltron that they have to get there before Haggar does.

Lotor gets his cat back somehow. Kova probably tries to chase Allura’s mice around, resulting in shenanigans and at least one overturned table and a food goo fight. Bonus points if it ends with the mice cuddling up to Kova for warm sleepy time.

Keith’s space wolf he picks up during a Blades mission, Kosmo, ends up chasing Kova at least once.

Kova has very odd diet demands that occasionally make Team Voltron go on a side adventure to look for something. Lotor had gotten used to his generals doing this for so long but enjoys trips to the Space Mall to find toys for his kitty.

Coran and Krolia tend to mother-hen a bit more over Team Voltron during this time. Lotor finds better parental figures / role models in them. Lotor might open up to them about Haggar being Honerva.

Dayak comes to visit at least once, upset that Lotor has turned his head from the position of emperor of the Galra. She might be how Lotor gets his cat back. Dayak thinks Team Voltron is beneath Lotor but sticks around because her ultimate loyalties are to Lotor.

Lance gets Lotor into video games.

Lotor sometimes assists Keith with understanding certain odd things the Blades do as Galrans, which helps Keith rise in ranks there and continue to provide cavalry support to the Voltron Coalition.

Allura and Lotor both play in Monsters and Mana. Lotor is a bard, dumps all of his points into charisma just to see what chaos does to strategy. Keith joins in when he can, plays a princess because why not.

Lotor likes Shiro but feels there is something deeply wrong with him. He keeps information about Oriande away from Shiro, but the trip to Oriande reveals at least its location to Shiro and Haggar.

Haggar successfully reaches Oriande and passes the trials, inheriting deep knowledge. But the ancestors are silent with her and unwelcoming. Unperturbed, she then rebuilds Lotor’s fallen/abandoned ships with the comet ore, realizing how to build an anti-Voltron (the Sincline mecha). Her goal is a bigger and better mecha for Zarkon to pilot once and for all against Voltron. Because they don’t need Voltron anymore.

Being Black Paladin doesn’t mean Lotor immediately wins his way in Oriande. But he still has the Mark of the Chosen and determines that he will one day go back to finish the trials so that he can experience being connected with the ancestors.

Lotor had rather pleasantly forgotten about his old ships until he sees his designs in the risen Sincline during a battle with Zarkon. He is incredibly incensed that his father slandered his ships’ original paintjob. The paintjob honestly bothers him more for a time than the concept that Zarkon has rift technology, but he soon gets his priorities straight.

Team Voltron suffers a significant loss to Zarkon/Haggar tag-teaming Sincline. Lotor’s parents have also begun to reopen the rift, which is destroying planets and the very fabric of reality.

The Blades are called in to help.

Because Sincline is in part Lotor’s creation, the mecha has a weakness. Lotor is able to connect with it long enough to deflect some of Zarkon’s commands for it. It’s possible that a Haggar-contaminated Shiro activates at this time to try taking Black Lion back over, or to specifically unseat/injure Lotor.

Cue a major face-off again between Haggar and Allura, with Keith moving in to try and stop Shiro while Lotor desperately tries to maintain hold of Black Lion and Sincline. The entire Team Voltron spiritually works together to decouple Shiro from Haggar and to hold off Sincline long enough for other allies to arrive as backup.

Lotor’s old generals switch sides and end up helping Keith and the Blades.

Zarkon and Haggar flee, realizing that Sincline has a weakness they did not expect. A weakness they have to kill, because they’ve sensed that Lotor can and will kill them to stop them.

Haggar is unsettled because she saw in Lotor’s memories that she was actually his mother—and that he is genuinely disgusted by Haggar. This awakens a part of her entirely that not even the rift creatures/dark entities can fight.

In a symmetry to revised s3, Keith takes controls of Black Lion—which still accepts him because he’s worthy of it—to help an injured Lotor pilot to safety.

Team Voltron reconvenes in the middle of a fairly damaged galaxy, building a plan to take down Sincline before it can try opening any more rifts.

Zarkon demands that Haggar poison Sincline entirely against Lotor.

Haggar, who realizes she’s actually Honerva, starts to have significant breakdowns in trying to fulfill Zarkon’s wishes, who is her husband trying to kill her son. The more she remembers of Honerva, the stronger and more solid she becomes about who she is and how dark entities have deceived/manipulated her worst aspects. She begins to understand why the Altean ancestors had been silent with her.

Honerva realizes that Zarkon is too strongly controlled by rift creatures/dark entities, but that she’s also ruined her own chances of creating a backdoor in Sincline. Zarkon turns against her upon discovering she is no longer like him. He reaffirms that he will kill his own son to achieve supremacy, and that he will kill Haggar too if she defies him.

Honerva desperately tries to run away.

Meanwhile, Lotor acknowledges that Shiro is perhaps in a perfect position to slip past Sincline’s defenses—having had Haggar’s magic on him and her technology—and take over the ship from the inside out.

Cue an epic battle where Zarkon loses, and where Team Voltron and Lotor win because they believe in the power of teamwork and strength in unity. This results in a battered Voltron still standing, with a battered Sincline being piloted by Shiro, who has successfully connected with Sincline. In this AU, Shiro is stronger than ever in fighting off the darkness, in a reversal to his arc as Haggar’s puppet.

Sincline has been growing increasingly sentient and recognizes Shiro as the Galra’s Champion. Sincline accepts Shiro’s command to stand down.

Even with Zarkon killed, the rifts he opened are beginning to expand to destroy worlds, and Allura is trying to hold it off with the spiritual help of her fellow paladins.

A secondary, mysterious source kicks in to help her heal the rifts.

It’s Honerva, somewhere, trying to undo what she helped create.

Lotor remains Black Paladin post-battle and helps to redesign Sincline as part of a Defender Fleet. He helps the universe pick up the pieces as everyone limps along together toward a new era of peace and undoing the evils of the empire.

The Galra, recognizing Lotor as Zarkon’s son and as the inheritor of Black Lion, ask if he would be their new leader.

Lotor is tempted because he has always wanted the validation of such a title. But he already has a home with his found family—with the Fleet, where for once he feels like he’s where he is meant to be.

Lotor functions as Emperor Pro Tem to help ensure order through the next Kral Zera, backing Kolivan as the best possible leader. Which also opens up the Blade of Marmora as needing a new leader….which Keith has been training for…

Some Galra are disappointed that the reign of Zarkon’s lineage will be broken. But Lotor is in fact peaceful about it. He knows he’s going to be quite busy exploring and helping to defend the universe from whatever else may come, alongside the people who came to accept him as family.

He still ends up with an ambassadorial/very high official title within Galran government, gaining a greater respect for Kolivan and the ways the Blades work to unite the Galra under what their culture was before it got hijacked by Zarkon.

Keith’s actions in the final battle result in everyone else agreeing that he has achieved a level of leadership that is perfect for the Blades. Team Voltron attend the ceremony where he is named a Commander.

Lotor’s old generals receive honors and become official members of the Blades as well.

Lotor connects deeply with Allura and the Altean colony, and spends time on Earth learning about the human culture of his fellow paladins. He gets to explore, just like he always wanted to do. Team Voltron works in the aftermath of battle to assist in stamping out the Fires of Purification rebellion, rebuilding fallen worlds and their cultures, and protecting against dangerous space anomalies.

Black Lion is a happy Lion, keeping in contact with not just Keith, but also Sincline and by proxy the healed Shiro as well, as part of its own expanded Fleet. Black Lion recognizes it was built originally to protect just a galaxy—and it needs a greater Fleet for a much larger universe, working in harmony with more leaders. Black Lion can evolve and grow too, to recognize that Voltron really is stronger when it works together with others.

Lotor consistently spends quality bonding time alone with Black Lion—not because he doesn’t trust his expanded family. But because Black Lion was actually his first true friend who believed in him.

Black Lion enjoys getting washed and scrubbed. Lotor is very insistent that Black Lion be clean and sparkle like new at all times, because he recognizes he is a tenant of Black Lion and that Kova has a tendency to shed, and—“Kova, get down from the console! How many times—?”

The end!

Oh my god, this post got so long. I’m so sorry, anon. I really ran away with this prompt, oof. Thanks again for the note!

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morihaus · 3 years

Text

White Hands

A single, uncoiled strand of time carries him to this moment, crossing the bridge in the shadow of the tower. The old familiar haze of un-time washes over the knight's mind as he moves with purpose through the dreamlike world of the indefinite, lit by crackling thunder and the light of falling stars.

Citizens of Rumaranth scatter around Trinimac, making war and peace with one another, weaving interlocking tapestries that become ever-shifting with the uncertainty of their cyclical lives; some pay him heed and look on in awe, others run into their homes or cast stones at him, which merely clatter harmlessly from the interlocking sheets of crystalline glass. The flawless surface of his armor continues to reflect the many warped visions of his surroundings.

He is of a single mind, however, and passes through without concern. He cuts this path through the frenzied arena for a meeting at White-Gold- he's checked Ada-Mantia, thinking the lord of that tower may have returned, but it seems that instead he lingers at the source of this calamity- and nothing gives him pause as he enters the Imperial Palace. Nothing, save for a presence in the throne room, and then, the sight of the emperor.

It's the hole in his chest. His brilliant silver armor shows a massive crack along his left breast, revealing a dark cavity, lit by the regular pulse of a red crystal within it. He lays motionless upon the throne, pale like death, placid like the sea before the storm- even like this, he grips a mace tightly in his sword-hand, letting it hang over one side of the throne as he slouches.

He notices Trinimac, regarding him with eyes of cold-fire, familiar and unnerving. "Who visits my court? Is it war?" He sits up, cutting an ill-mannered figure as a ruler as he leans in with interest. "It's been too long since I've fought a good war. It calms the storms that rage in my clouded mind." His eyes travel rapidly and he blinks not once as he analyzes the man stood before him.

Trinimac is not sure what to say to that, what to say to this figure at all for that matter. The resemblance is unmistakable, even past the conspicuous cavity; the figure sat before him struck him as remarkably similar to the frigid corpse he met in long-gone green Atmora, the cruel features of a friend who could no longer recognize, familiarity without warmth. Yet he finds no recognition in this man's eyes, which scan him as a stranger, expectant of a response.

"I'm here to see Auri-El." He says.

This appears to have been the wrong thing to say, as he suddenly darts up to his feet, raising mace to make a threatening decree. "Then you have come to the wrong place, elf! Those pointy ears, I should have known!..." He scowls across at the aedroth. "So it IS war!"

"No," Trinimac says rather quickly, the prospect of battle with this misplaced corpse failing to excite him. "I have no quarrel with you, my business is with him." Being called 'elf' is odd to him, for some reason, and the venom with which it is uttered takes him off guard. Perhaps it is no surprise he should still hold a grudge, but to not recognize his own executioner?

"'Business'? Hah! The only business of the elven god is oppression and misrule, scarcely any better than consorting with the daedra." His face is serious as he speaks, his eyes seem to flicker and spark before Trinimac's glow, illuminating the dim white halls of the chamber, decorated only with tapestries of dragons and red diamonds. "You Old Ehlnofey are bold, to walk to the feet of the human king, asking to meet with your god. Perhaps it is only my duty to do you this favor?"

He watches as the strange man grips the handle of his mace, narrowing his eyes as he harbors conflicting feelings. It should be just as appropriate, he supposes, that he be undone by that which he himself sundered. But had he not come here to meet with Auri-El? And would it not be cruel, subjecting this one to the burden he bears now, the blood of a once-friend staining his hands and his spirit? Then again, perhaps he, in some twist of fortune, has forgotten. He should only be so lucky.

"Who are you?" Trinimac asks.

The question seems to almost instantly distract the other knight, who rights his posture to proclaim. "I am the last emperor of the Nedes. I am the answer to the question put towards elven ruling. I am the succor of man. I am called Pelinal, Whitestrake, Champion of the Divines."

The flowery titles do little more than confuse the god further. "Champion?"

"And who are you, to ask this of me, elf?" Pelinal steps forward, raising his chin to meet his eyes with a challenging gaze.

Looking down at the last emperor, he lets out a soft breath as he considers his response. "...I am Trinimac. Nothing more."

Pelinal wrinkles his nose up as though he'd been insulted. "Trinimac...?" He blinks- for the first time, his visitor notes. "I have not heard your name. Are you one of their sorcerer-kings?"

"No."

"Their wizard-generals? Mage-slavers?"

"No. Who is 'they'?"

"The Ayleids! Do you serve them?"

"No." The word did not ring familiar.

"Hm..." Pelinal turns his head to gaze thoughtfully over at an empty corner, before looking back up. "Strange. I had not expected one from over the seas. What is it you want?"

"I've told you." He says, growing weary as he grows perplexed. "I'm not an elf. And you're not really a man, are you?"

The emperor looks scandalized, mouth agape, but no indignant words flutter out.

Trinimac puts a hand to his breastplate. "I am a spirit. You are too."

"No," Pelinal says. "I am not."

Trinimac lifts his hand now to point at Pelinal's breast. "You have a hole, in your chest."

Pelinal pauses and looks down at himself. "...Yes."

"You are not mortal."

"No."

"You say you are mortal?"

"Yes," Pelinal nods. "I have died."

"And yet, you are here."

Pelinal frowns at him. Trinimac feels as though this conversation is intrinsically the wrong way around, as though explaining the stars to Magnus. He also feels Pelinal is being overly stubborn, but to pretend he wasn't once the same would be untruthful.

"I'm sorry, but," Trinimac bites his tongue as he ponders on the most diplomatic way he could say this. "I feel that we've met. You're... Shor, aren't you?"

Pelinal pulls the most indignant expression yet, actually spitting at his feet at this accusation. "Wipe your tongue clean of that name! It does not belong in your mouth, nor over my head!" His incensed voice reverberates through the expansive chamber, as though he were speaking from everywhere at once.

The knight's brow furrows. On some level, he agrees, who is he to speak of the dead? Still, he presses on. "I've met Shor. We... we were shield-brothers." He steels himself to stay firm and stand rigid straight even as guilt claws at his innards.

"With *you?!*" Pelinal cries. "Don't speak such slipshod lies!"

And even if it is the truth, Trinimac's heart sinks as though he were lying. For how can he call that the truth, knowing what more there is to the story? "I don't claim to understand it. He never made things simple..." He shrugs off the acidic grip of nostalgia and looks forward to the man he sees in this moment, primed to strike like a frenzied animal. "I see you and I see Shor. These are strange... times, I thought you might..."

And at this moment, something snaps along the tangled web of confused time, a crack of thunder only just perceptible to Trinimac, one that causes the Whitestrake to drop his mace as he clutches his head, screaming out in pain and collapsing to his knees.

In a moment, Trinimac forgets himself, rushing forward to help this uncanny visage of a friend. He extends a hand, but as Pelinal opens a fiery eye to see it, it sparks to life with white-light without warning, and he bounds backwards with fear as though barreled into, clutching his hand defensively over his chest.

Trinimac recoils as well, clutching at his own wrist as the white hand trembles.

The two of them stand and sit there, chests heaving and heavy with dread.

It is minutes, perhaps tens of minutes, before either of them speak again. Pelinal lifts himself up onto shaky limbs, leaning against the throne while Trinimac holds his hand out away from his own body, regarding it with fear, and the other's rattled countenance with remorse.

"...I am sorry, Trinimac." A soft voice cuts through the silence, Pelinal wears a dour expression, displaying a humanity not yet seen. "For not recognizing you. Really, I... don't know where my mind's gone, these days." An alien smile tugs gently at his lips for just a moment, before giving way to grief.

Trinimac blinks. "I-" His face screws up as he hears his own voice, vulnerable, sorrowful, quaking once again before another corpse. "Don't worry about it. I'm sorry, I've... intruded. I'll be going now."

But before he could, Pelinal reaches out a hurried hand. "Wait, please-" His own jaw clamps up, he takes a breath. "You don't need to go. I'd quite like your company."

Half-turned already, Trinimac looks back at him. He knows he should go. He has something important to get over with. And yet, he paces back over- maintaining a modest distance for their mutual comfort- and looks down to Pelinal. "...What is this, then? This form?"

Pelinal regards himself, shifting his body around as though only just now aware of it. "It's... well, I'm an incarnate." He looks off, morose. "I'm not exactly Shor, Shezarr, Lorkhan. There's... something of him, in here," He lays a hand on his breastplate, beside the hole. "But I am Pelinal. Hero to men, enemy to elves, liberator of the Nedes, divine-sent knight of Akatosh."

Trinimac nods. "Akatosh..." He frowns. "I'd heard that's what... he, calls himself here." He looks to Pelinal, equal parts perplexed and sympathetic.

He lets his head hang in response, giving a weak nod. "Yes. Though this confession weighs on me, at this point, there is no refuting it."

"You're the champion of Auri-El then."

"I suppose I am."

Another quiet interlude overtakes their exchange as they ruminate on the irony, the tragedy, and the cruel comedy of it all.

"Is it okay," Pelinal speaks up once again, lifting his head up to address his fellow knight. "If I ask you something?"

Trinimac simply nods.

His gaze trails off now, as he begins his query. "I cannot remember all that you have done at his command. To think on it too long leaves me agitated, stricken with madness and anger, as these things I know better than grief. Whatever you've done, I'm sure there is yet worse than convention, and far greater quantities. So, it is with this knowledge that I ask... how does one forgive himself?"

Trinimac is unsure how to respond.

Pelinal takes his silence as an opportunity to elaborate. "The things I have done under the dragon... they horrify me, and horrify those that I love. Perhaps it is true that I despise the elves and would see their Auriellic pantomime stricken from this world not meant for kings, but... in his hand, I was a sword, an instrument made to play myself. He directed me, but I carried out what I did with terrible enthusiasm. I wanted for nothing else but bloodshed, for it was bloodshed that best suited his needs. And now, though rage still burns within me, and madnesses still take me, I am left sometimes with my own thoughts, and I contemplate what I have done. It... it haunts me." He looks to the god with a pleading hope. "It's been so long for you- you must know something, some way to face yourself and your deeds."

Trinimac looks to him gravely. "...I do not."

This puts Pelinal to silence, and his gaze is put back to the floor.

There is a briefer silence this time, before Pelinal utters another question. "You came here to see Auri-El. Is this how you pursue your penitence?"

"...In a way." Trinimac turns away from him, staring off at the doorway out. "I came to... make my peace. Just to speak to him, say what I never got to say."

"And what might that be?" Pelinal asks.

Trinimac pauses. "I... it's not really the sort of thing you can rehearse." A boldfaced lie, he thinks, remembering all the times the uncaring world of creation played audience to his heedless cries to the heavens. "It's something that I can only do right now. Something that I have to do. In the moment, I'll know." Again, he lies.

"You're going to antagonize him?"

"Maybe." He says.

"He could kill you."

"...He could." He says.

He glances to see Pelinal stare at him, face difficult to read. In his face, he sees the both of them, dragon and scarab, disappointed in him. It's the last pair of expressions Trinimac wants to see right now. He begins to step away, content to drift to whatever ending awaits him.

"You would let go so simply?" Pelinal asks. "What of your existence? Your life?"

"I've seen what this life has to offer. Death could treat me no worse."

Pelinal sighs at this, Trinimac stops in his tracks and turns to look at him. The man's brow is furrowed, not with the disapproval of a lord, but the worry of a friend. "Anuics have such a perverse fixation on death. They look to this world and see only what they have to lose to it, blinding themselves to what could be gained..." Pelinal begins to step forward, slow and deliberate. "You do not need to think in their logic, Trinimac, your spirit is your own, it does not belong to them nor to me."

The other knight is just before him now, reaching up with his off-hand to press it against his breastplate. His formerly cold eyes become lit with a dull warmth; if not comforting, it's at least familiar.

"I do not know you like they do, but, I know what it is to be like you through them; I know how it feels to be torn in this way, to march to war against the rhythm of a ticking clock, or a beating heart, and to struggle for my own spirit." Pelinal's hand travels up to his shoulder, lifting further to brush against his cheek; Trinimac stands still, like a statue. "And I am sorry, for I know what it feels to be dragged into being- being one thing or another, or even being at all. But this world is not Auri-El's, it is scarcely Lorkhan's, because it is ours, we humble nirnbound spirits. Do not let one name rule you, do not let one moment define you, for you are so much more-" The hole in his chest glows bright red as the gem hums rhythmically behind his words, and in the same instant, pain sears across Trinimac's face.

He recoils, and Pelinal retracts his arm as his eyes go wide, frantically flitting between his hand, glowing with white light, and Trinimac, who clutches at his own face, his own off-hand glowing in response.

"Look at me!" Pelinal shouts. "See this mark of sundering! Spark from body, limb from limb, lord from tower, look and see it in yourself and in me!"

And Trinimac scowls, perplexed as he stares over at Pelinal's white hand, glancing at his own as well.

The Whitestrake outstretches his hand, which shone to illuminate the chamber. "Take it! Sunder the mark of my station, and I will yours!"

And in that moment, many things take place, winding around each other in strange sequences, though not strange for the time. In that white-lit chamber, there is a battle, an embrace, a retreat, a vengeance, but in the end, there is penitence, or at least an attempt.

White hands- an impossibility, what is and always has been but one appearing together by grace of confused time- join together, and create, for a moment, something so violent in both separation and unity. Alone, they are rent from the limbs of their wielders, together, they unmake themselves and vanish from the world forever, and the hands of Auri-El would never again find purchase within creation, only his voice. No champions such as them would ever blight the world.

In this, they collapse with relief, the tower shakes, and the string ends, or comes undone, feeding back into everything else.

#moriada #mori writing #PRESENTING: second fic about pelinal meeting some guy he has some things in common with ft. trinimac from the trinimac series #BIG shout out to kendra for helping w trinimac's characterization <3 we love you legend

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davids-cartoon-corkboard · 4 years

Note

Do you think that if Shredder!Raph will occur in rottmnt, the aftermath might result in Raph inheriting some of Shredder’s rage even after saved? Maybe that is how the crew is going to implement Raph’s trademark temper throughout previous generations and maybe even make him have to step down due to it, making Leo the new leader?

Short answer: “Inheriting the rage of a centuries-old demon" is a dope-ass idea, so if you’re a writer I would definitely encourage you to use that in your own stuff. But I think that if Raph’s temper worsens throughout the show, it should be because of his own character development and not a magical effect. However, a Shredder!Raph scenario could contribute to said worsening temper by inflicting emotional/psychological damage instead. :)

Long answer ahoy!

Looking at “Many Unhappy Returns” from the Shredder’s perspective makes it very clear why he does what he does. Like, he’s been dead for five hundred years, and then something went wrong with his resurrection. He’s waking up with no idea where he is or what’s going on and oh shit those guys are pointing weapons at him, that’s a threat!

Note that he doesn’t even bolt for them immediately, he does a warning stomp and screech (back off!) before starting to approach.

Those other guys are yelling, that’s also a threat,

and they’re closer so he’s gonna attack them first, actually. (None of the Foot wind up even comically injured, suggesting that flailing them around was an intimidation tactic rather than genuine Murderous Intent.)

And then the first group attacks, so of course he’s going to retaliate.

And then suddenly he’s somewhere else, with other threats (the animatronics), and then the first group that attacked him is back, so he’s gonna fight them again.

And these jerks just keep following him? He’s not going to ignore that. And WOW that’s a lot of bright lights and loud noises, which are also threats, what the fuck is going on?!

And then this tiny human girl chucks a giant metal box at him, holy SHIT?! Sure, the Shredder is a dangerous antagonist, but at this point I wouldn’t call him a “bad guy”, he’s literally just responding to what’s happening to him.

In summary, the Shredder was stressed tf out because he didn’t know where he was or what was happening, he retaliated against perceived threats, and quite possibly wouldn’t have attacked the turtles in the first place if they hadn’t just rushed in without understanding the situation.

Gosh, doesn’t that sound familiar?

So yeah, I’m waiting for Rise to give us that good good Shredder!Raph content.

As for the possibility of Leo taking over afterwards... no, but also yes, sort of? On the one hand, we know that Leo does have leadership capabilities, and it would be a waste for the narrative to not explore that. On the other hand, Rise has broken from the status quo in many ways, and it would also be a waste for the show to do a complete 180 and return to Leo Being The Leader™.

Consider how the “leader” role has influenced Leo in past iterations: his perfectionism wears on him and his brothers, any failure tanks his self-esteem, he feels isolated from the rest due to taking on such a large share of responsibility, being an authority figure grinds everyone’s gears, etc. It’s just bad for his mental health.

No doubt all this responsibility will also wear on Rise!Raph as the story progresses and the stakes get higher. It will be bad for him as well. But if Raph steps down, Leo will once again suffer from the weight of this role. So if neither option is quite correct, if neither brother can shoulder the burden of leadership alone, then the solution is just... for neither of them to shoulder the burden of leadership alone. Sure, Raph will probably remain leader in title and in spirit, but Leo taking on a sort of “deputy” role makes sense from a strategic standpoint, and would be good for his character development.

Here’s how I think it could go down:

The Shredder!Raph scenario will be different from the Shredder!Draxum scenario. The Shredder was starved for mystic energy the first time around, so he immediately chewed Draxum up and spit him out. But Raph could be compared more to a battery than a meal; it will take a while for the Shredder to drain him. And at this point the Shredder could be back in “evil samurai” mode, and thus will understand the value of holding Raph hostage.

Y’all who have followed my blog for a bit know about my “Raph is a system” theory; that when he was little, he got separated from his family and pursued by some cryptid hunter. This trauma formed Savage Raph, who is able to handle “being lost/alone/threatened” when Host Raph cannot. “Pizza Puffs” didn’t give us a lot of info about who I’m calling “Red Raph”, but he made his presence known when Host Raph was sort of... "emotionally alone”? In that his brothers were dying a little bit and too stoned to care.

So if Raph is trapped inside a living cage, scared and helpless and hurt and exhausted, his family unable to help him... he’s not going to be able to handle it.

Or, rather, Host Raph isn’t going to be able to handle it.

These two can, though.

I’m imagining a scene in the mindscape where the Shredder says something like “Your pathetic family cannot bear to strike you down, and so there is nothing that can stand in m- wait, why are there three of you OW FUCK-” Red and Savage will mentally kick his ass long enough for the other turtles to rip off a chunk of the armor so Leo can portal it into another dimension or something. Shredder gets K.O.’d since he’s not whole anymore, and the battle is won.

Since the armor didn’t drain Raph as severely as it did Draxum, he won’t become as weak as Draxum did. However, it will still take him some time to recover. Raph trusts Leo in serious moments as of “Many Unhappy Returns”, and he already took charge when Raph wasn’t available back in “Man vs. Sewer”. So Raph will be like, “Hey Leo, can you handle the Mad Dogs for a bit? Just long enough for me to get back on my feet.” And Leo will be like, “Sure bro, I’ve got this.”

He does not, in fact, “got this”. Leo’s ego has caused trouble before (”Shell in a Cell”, “Minotaur Maze”), and being in charge will no doubt go to his head. This has the potential for both comedy and seriousness, leading to wacky mishaps and genuine danger. Being the leader is hard work and it’s not always fun, but someone has to do it and Leo will have to put the others before himself for it to get done. Once Leo realizes this, he could bond with Raph by asking for his advice on leadership. Sometimes Leo will follow the advice and sometimes he won’t, sometimes that will work out and sometimes it won’t, laying the foundation for the idea that there are situations where it will be better for one or the other to lead, rather than having one lead all the time. But that will only happen for a few episodes, because Raph will heal quickly and he’ll be the leader again and everything will be fine!

Everything will not, in fact, be fine. Raph is the strongest in the family, the tank, the one who can take a hit so the smaller ones don’t have to... the idea of being hurt, of being weak, scares him because his family is also in danger if he’s unwell. So I don’t think he’ll acknowledge to anyone, not even himself, that getting possessed hurt him emotionally as well as physically. And when a wound isn’t acknowledged, it doesn’t get tended to, and when a wound isn’t tended to, it gets worse.

That he’s a system will add another layer of complexity to this. The Shredder!Raph incident would make all the alters aware of each other via mindscape shenanigans, but it would also leave them with the fear of not being in control, so I think they’ll come in conflict with each other for a bit. They’ll argue with themselves, switch, and lose time more often, enough that it impedes their ability to function and the other characters start to notice something is wrong.

Host Raph will convince himself that Everything Is Fine and try to get things “back to normal”, which probably means he’s just straight-up not going to acknowledge that he's a system. He’ll rationalize that he’s always “gotten weird” from time to time, so it’s nothing to think too hard about... right?

Savage Raph will be on high alert because they just survived a near-death (a near soul-destroying) experience. He’ll probably take the front and go overboard fighting some villains that Host Raph could have ordinarily fought on his own. It might also take a while to convince Savage Raph that these “sewer monsters” who keep following him around really don’t mean him any harm.

Red Raph will get snappy (pardon the pun) about the more social aspect of “not being in control”; that Host Raph asked Leo to be in charge and then Leo started being an egotistical dumbass. And when Leo does make the right decisions, Donnie and Mikey might side with him over Raph, and that will also grind his gears.

Mix all that together and you have a recipe for a capital b Breakdown.

So yeah, I can definitely see how the Shredder!Raph incident and its aftermath would worsen all three of their tempers, trauma will fuck up your emotions real bad. Perhaps Host Raph loses faith in himself and tries to step down and get Leo to replace him as leader... only for Leo to be like “Bro I cannot do this full time I will one hundred percent have my own Breakdown if that happens.”

The life lessons here are that Leo learns to offer support by sometimes taking the leader role; not to benefit his own ego, but because he wants to help Raph. And Raph learns to accept support by letting Leo be in charge sometimes; not because he’s weak or incapable, but because he can’t always be a Staunch Immovable Rock and he needs to let himself rest by trusting Leo.

And then the Raphs can work on communicating, cooperating, letting their allies know about them, digging into their trauma, etc. now that they have some breathing room.

(Do you think the Hidden City has therapists? Steven Universe and Mao Mao both have therapists can we BLEASE get one for Raph.)

#Anonymous #rottmnt #rottmnt theory #rottmnt raph #rottmnt leo #rottmnt shredder #shredder!raph #savage raph #red raph #there's like 1800 words here holy shit #if anyone wants to do fic for this u have my blessing to go hog wild #the 'raph is a system' theory

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demifiendrsa · 4 years

Video

youtube

Ghost of Tsushima – Version 1.1 Update Trailer

Ghost of Tsushima version 1.1 update will launch on October 16 and add the Ghost of Tsushima: Legends cooperative multiplayer mode, New Game+.

Overview via PlayStation Blog:

■ Ghost of Tsushima: Legends

As we announced in August, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends is a brand new, online cooperative multiplayer experience that will be a free update for all Ghost of Tsushima owners. A classic element of some of our favorite samurai films is warriors standing together, ready to fight as a team. In Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, you can fight side-by-side with your friends, which is such an important part of fulfilling that samurai fantasy in a whole new way. We’re so excited to hear from everyone who teams up with their friends and jumps in.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends features two-player story missions and four-player survival missions, as well as a Raid that we’ll release in the weeks following launch. After you’ve downloaded version 1.1 of Ghost of Tsushima, you can visit the PlayStation Store from your PlayStation 4 to download a free unlock for Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, which will allow you to play. Keep in mind that an internet connection and an active PlayStation Plus subscription will be required to play with other players.

Once you have version 1.1, you’ll notice a new character at various towns and locations in Tsushima… Gyozen the Storyteller! He’s heard the rumors about the Ghost of Tsushima, but he has a different perspective about what’s actually happening in his homeland. Gyozen is the author and gatekeeper of the stories you’ll find in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, and when you talk to him, he’ll be happy to share one of his transportative stories about the “Ghosts.”

Speaking to Gyozen will give you access to the Ghost of Tsushima: Legends lobby, but you can also get there directly from the title menu or the pause menu… or by accepting a PlayStation Network invitation from a friend!

Classes

In Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, you’ll be able to pick between one of four classes. Each one has their own unique advantages. When you start Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, after a short tutorial, you’ll choose which class you want to unlock first. As you rank up, you’ll unlock each of the remaining classes.

In addition to each starting with their own unique ability, each class can unlock an alternate ability as you progress, as well as earning class-specific Charms and ranged weapons.

While playing with friends, you can mix and match classes however you’d like, whether that’s a party of four all playing the same class, everyone playing as a different class, or any combination in between.

—Samurai

Samurai players can run straight toward combat and stay there, sustaining their health while chopping enemies down left and right. When you’re overwhelmed, use the Hachiman’s Fury ultimate attack to slash through enemies in a flurry of strikes.

—Hunter

As a Hunter, you can stand on the edge of combat and snipe enemies before they even see you. You can also use explosive arrows to slow down groups, and when the combat gets really fierce, the Eye of Uchitsune ultimate attack will unleash multiple arrows straight at your enemies’ heads.

—Ronin

Ronin players can revive their entire team with the Breath of Izanami ultimate ability. You might play Ronin because you want to help your human friends… or you might do it because the Ronin class is also able to summon a Spirit Dog. (And yes, you can ABSOLUTELY pet your Spirit Dog!)

—Assassin

If you prefer doing massive damage with a single attack, you’ll love the Assassin. The Shadow Strike ultimate attack will allow you to teleport across the battlefield and directly strike your enemies. If that’s not intimidating enough, wait until you see the terrifying masks the Assassin gets to wear!

Story Missions

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Story Missions are designed for two players, and take you through Gyozen’s stories about what’s really happening in Tsushima. When you unlock higher difficulties, you’ll face new encounters, tougher enemies, bonus objectives, and greater rewards.

Survival Missions

In Survival, you can team up with three other players to fight off waves of enemies while defending different locations in Tsushima. You and your team can activate blessings to help yourselves, like “ignite enemies” or “summon a Spirit Bear.” The longer you survive and the more bonus objectives you complete, the more rewards you’ll earn!

Raid

You’ll need all your skill, top-tier gear, and a great four-player team to be able to survive in Iyo’s realm! The Raid is an epic three-part adventure that will require excellent teamwork and communication to overcome. It will be released in the weeks following the launch of Ghost of Tsushima: Legends.

Other Features

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends also has a few features you’d expect from Ghost of Tsushima. Our robust Photo Mode is still present here (as long as your teammates opt in) and you’ll be able to show off all the new masks, armor, and emotes you’ve earned.

Legends is packed with new cosmetics, and they’re all unlocked through gameplay without any microtransactions. Looking cool is important, but Ghost of Tsushima: Legends gameplay progression really centers around the gear you’ve equipped and the techniques you’ve unlocked. You’ll be rewarded with increasingly rare and powerful gear as you take on greater challenges, and you’ll unlock new techniques as you gain experience with each class.

We’ve also added some new Trophies for Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, which will appear in a separate section of your Trophy list and do not count toward Ghost of Tsushima’s Platinum Trophy.

■ Ghost of Tsushima Single-Player Campaign Updates

In addition to Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, version 1.1 will include new updates for Ghost of Tsushima’s single-player campaign based on your feedback.

New Game+

If you’ve already beaten Ghost of Tsushima, you’ll find the option to re-embark on Jin’s Journey in New Game+. You’ll start New Game+ from the release to the open world, shortly after Jin’s initial confrontation with the Khan. You’ll keep all of the Techniques, Gear, and Vanity items obtained in a previous playthrough, and difficulty will be increased to provide a new challenge (but you can still adjust it down in the menu).

You’ll also find yourself with a brand new New Game+ horse, which features a vibrant red mane and unique saddle. There are also new, extremely powerful Charms available that can help Jin unleash devastating attacks and may change the way you play. You’ll also be able to unlock an additional upgrade for your sword, bow, and armor.

We’ve also added some new Trophies for playing Ghost of Tsushima on New Game+, which will appear in a separate section of your Trophy list and do not count toward Ghost of Tsushima’s Platinum Trophy.

—Ghost Flower Merchant

Exclusively in New Game+, you’ll be able to earn a new type of flower: the Ghost Flower. This new type of flower can only be earned in New Game+, and is accepted by a mysterious new merchant that you’ll find in Ariake. If you complete a Tale or activity and already have the reward, you’ll earn Ghost Flowers in its place, so even if you’ve completed Jin’s journey before, it’s still exciting to explore Tsushima once again to collect as many Ghost Flowers as you can.

You can exchange these flowers for new armor dyes and other vanity gear only found in New Game+, featuring much more elaborate designs than those found in your first playthrough.

The merchant will also offer an array of powerful new Charms intended to create new combat experiences, empower existing playstyles, and allow you to customize your experience for even greater challenges!

Other Features

Once you’ve installed version 1.1, you’ll now find the option to enable Armor Loadouts, which allow you to assign all Charms and vanity items to each armor set to quickly swap between loadouts to match your playstyle and roleplaying preferences.

You’ll also find that your total play time is now displayed when you select a saved game file to load, and new options have been added to Photo Mode.

These features will apply to your existing game, or to a New Game + playthrough.

#Ghost of Tsushima #Sucker Punch Productions #Sony Interactive Entertainment #video game #PS4 #long post

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godboundrpgfans · 3 years

Text

Guts in Godbound

Guts, the Black Swordsman.

One of the most badass characters in fiction.

Not just for his sheer, unadulterated power and being everything a 90s Anti-Hero is expected to be, but also for being everything that a 90s Anti-Hero isn’t expected to be.

Guts is a much more complex character than first glances would have you believe, and I don’t think I could do his character justice by talking about it here.

Thankfully, that’s not why I’m here.

I’m here because I was bored and got the bright idea to use the Godbound Character Creation System to create Guts.

Why? Cause why the fuck not?

Now before we start, I’m going to be doing two version of this character creation.

The first will follow the standard character creation for a Godbound. You roll up/pick attributes, pick three Words, etc. For this, I will be creating Guts when he was still in the Band of the Hawk, right before he left. Since you could kind of consider that his “peak” before the Eclipse.

The second version will be the same, except I won’t be using the 6 Point limit that the game gives you at the start. Instead, I will just give Guts any and all Gifts/Artifacts and otherwise that I believe he should have at this point in the Berserk Manga.

With that out of the way, let’s begin!

Standard Creation:

Attribute Scores:

8, 16, 13, 10, 12, 18

I’ll wait until after I choose Words since those will have an affect on the Scores.

Facts:

Grew up in a Mercenary Band

The Raiding Captain for the Band of the Hawks

Has formed a deep friendship with all of the major members

Since this is Guts before the Eclipse, I feel these would be the best Facts to use as his Origin, Past Profession, and Relationship.

Armor: Medium (AC 5; -4 Save Penalty)

Weapon: Greatsword (1d10; Heavy)

Goals: Find his own Dream so he can stand next to Griffith.

I’ll put the penalty towards Evasion (Guts was never known to be very dodgy).

Divine Powers/Words:

Sword (He’s been using a Greatsword since he was about 5 years old. It’d make sense he’s really fucking good with them)

Endurance (Guts is fucking durable. Seriously, even before he became the Black Swordsman he was surviving shit that would kill normal people. See his fight with Zodd or Wyald for examples)

Luck (I was going to put Might here, but as strong as Guts is, during his time as Raider Captain in the Band of the Hawk, he didn’t do anything that really showed off physical strength. Most of the crazy shit he did (such as break through a cast iron door) was with his Sword. So, instead I’m choosing Luck as, let’s face it, Guts has been exceedingly lucky during most of his fights. While it hasn’t exactly made his life sunshine and rainbows, it’s allowed him to survive fight after fight when paired with his unending willpower)

Now to set up the Attribute Scores:

Str: 18 (+3): Check: 3

Dex: 13 (+1): Check: 8

Con: 18 (+3): Check 3

Int: 8 (-1): Check: 13

Wis: 12 (+0): Check: 9

Char: 10 (+0): Check: 11

And here’s our final scores. I set Strength and Constitution the highest for obvious reason (go watch any montage of Guts and you’ll understand). Dexterity is the way it is cause, while Guts is fast, he’s not exactly someone I could see dodging all over the place like a ninja. He’s a much bigger and easier to hit target than someone like, say, Griffith. Wisdom and Charisma are the way they are cause Guts is perceptive, just not too perceptive. On top of that, while he himself is very gruff and not much of a smooth talker, he does seem to attract the opposite sex to him a lot….even the same sex to an extent. And Intelligence is the lowest stat cause….well obvious reasons. Guts is not book smart in the slightest. He knows a lot about surviving on his own or in the wilderness, but he won’t be solving any advanced math problems.

Gifts:

Defy the Iron (While not necessarily negating the damage, Guts is able to ignore most attacks and keep moving even when they should be fatal)

Nine Lives (The dude seems to always luck out on events that would kill him. Look at his fight against Gambino or Bazuso)

Unerring Blade (Do I even need to explain why he gets this one?)

Cutting the Crimson Road (I was actually having trouble deciding between this or Shattering Hand. In the end I chose this one, since one of his most defining moments is when he fought 100 soldiers and won).

Body of Iron Will (Just to give him an AC of 3 and represent how his body is tough as shit).

With that, here’s what the final Character Sheet Looks like for Guts:

Name: Guts

Facts:

Grew up in a Mercenary Band

The Raiding Captain for the Band of the Hawks

Has formed a deep friendship with all of the major members

Attributes:

Str: 18 (+3): Check: 3

Dex: 13 (+1): Check: 8

Con: 18 (+3): Check 3

Int: 8 (-1): Check: 13

Wis: 12 (+0): Check: 9

Char: 10 (+0): Check: 11

Words:

Sword

Endurance

Luck

Gifts:

Defy the Iron

Nine Lives

Unerring Blade

Cutting the Crimson Road

Body of Iron Will

Weapons: Greatsword (1d10; Heavy; Atk Bonus: +1; Attribute Bonus: Str)

Armor: Medium (AC 5; -4 Penalty to a Save)

AC: 3

HP: 11

Saves:

Hardiness (Con): 12

Evasion (Dex): 18 (Base 14)

Spirit: (Wis): 15

And here we are, Guts before he became the Black Swordsman as a Godbound. Now then, on to what I would give him if I had full freedom and didn’t have to worry about point limits.

Free Version:

I’m keeping the same Attribute Scores, but the Facts will be different:

Facts:

Grew up in a Mercenary Band

The Raiding Captain for the Band of the Hawks

Has formed a deep friendship with all of the major members

Is marked by the Brand of Sacrifice

Has given up his Revenge against Griffith to protect/help Casca, the woman he loves

Has killed over 1,000 Demons

Wields the Dragonslayer

Wears the Berserker Armor

Is haunted by his Beast of Darkness

His companions keep him grounded

He lost his arm and eye, now he has a mechanical arm.

These are all of the obvious Facts that would be included after the current part of the manga.

Following that, I would add in these Words:

Might (By this point, and with the help of his mechanical arm, he has shown that his physical strength is just as strong as an Apostle’s)

Peak Human (Guts has gone well beyond the realm of a normal mortal by this point. He has proven that, despite not having any real, inherent magical powers, he is able to go toe-to-toe with Apostles, Sea Gods, Demons, Constructs, and just about any supernatural creature that steps in his path. By now, I’d say he’s right on the cusp of being Superhuman)

Vengeance (Though he has given up on getting revenge against Griffith, it is still a defining characteristic for him, and something he draws strength from)

Gifts:

Fear No Steel (At this point, normal weapons are like tickles to Guts.)

Fist of Black Iron (He literally has a fist of black iron)

Loosening God’s Teeth (He can cut an Apostle in half with one swing of his sword)

Contempt of Distance (Guts seems to be able to move to wherever the hell he wants when he needs to kill something)

Thirsting Razor (There are normally too many enemies in front of Guts for him to even worry about hitting Mobs)

All Natural (Guts’ abilities don’t really appear very magical, and that’s because most of them aren’t. Alot of them are from either pure sweat and hard work, determination, or his own equipment)

Mortal’s Luck (The dude never stays down)

Trained Aim (He always seems to hit whatever he aims at…it’s just that most things he aims at has enough armor or scaled hide to resist it)

Human Grit (And how. The dude is able to heal from fatal wounds faster than any other human in his world)

Indomitable Will (Do I really have to explain this one?)

Street Sweeper (Have you seen the size of his sword?)

Bloody Vengeance (Guts loves to use all or nothing attacks that immensely damage both him and his enemy)

Shattering Hand (Dragonslayer. That is all)

Artifacts:

Dragonslayer:

A great sword that is like a hunk of raw iron. This blade has bathed in the blood of so many demons that it now rest on both the Mortal and Astral planes, turning it into a magical weapon that can harm both spiritual and physical creatures. Due to its massive size, it can also be used to block projectiles and smash through any type of armor.

Effort: 5

Hunk of Raw Iron (Greater Gift): As an Action, the wielder may Commit Effort from the artifact to launch an attack at every enemy within sight, doing a maximum of 1 damage even on a miss. Mobs are automatically hit for 1d10+15 rolled straight.

Too Thick, Too Rough (Lesser Gift): As an Action, Commit Effort from the artifact to immediately break any armor, weapon, or piece of equipment in range of the sword. Any magical substance is not destroyed, but damaged to the point where it is almost useless.

The Berserker Armor:

An ancient, magical armor from the time of the first Emperor, the Berserker Armor is a black and spiked. It completely encases the wearer when it is equipped. It is considered heavy armor and can defend against most attacks, including magical ones. However, the armor’s true ability comes from its power to lock off the wielder’s nervous system, pushing their body to heights that a normal human could never reach. There is a downside to this, as the armor will remove the wielder’s sense of self and cause them to view everything as an enemy. On top of this, the armor does not heal the wearer, instead holding their body together and preventing them from dying to any injury. Once all living creatures have been defeated, all of the wearer’s damage will return full force and can kill them instantly if it is more than their HP can handle.

Effort 10

Unstoppable Rampage (Greater Gift): Commit Effort from the Artifact to immediately gain three bonus Attacks that can be used on this round only.

Jump Good (Lesser Gift): Commit Effort from the Artifact to instantly leap to any spot within double your movement speed. This does not count as an Action.

Beast of Darkness (Greater Gift): This Gift can activate whenever you kill an enemy as long as you wear the armor. At the end of a round, if you’ve killed an enemy, roll a Spirit Save. If you fail, this Gift activates. Commit Effort from the Artifact to remove all limits on your body and lose yourself to your inner beast. You lose the ability to make rational decision on the battlefield, and see even your friends as enemies. In return, all of your attacks now deal 1d12+10 Straight Damage, you gain two bonus Actions, you become immune to all mental, emotional, or psychological damage, your attacks shatter any substance even if it is magical in nature, and your attack bonus is now +10. Whenever you take damage, record it somewhere else. Once the battle is over, you must make a Spirit Save to regain control of yourself. If you fail, you must keep fighting everything around you, even if they are your allies, making a Spirit Save each round to regain yourself. If you pass, make a Hardiness Save. If you pass that Save, you only take half of the damage you took during battle rounded up. If you fail, you take the full damage straight.

So now, our final Guts sheet, looks like this:

Name: Guts

Facts:

Grew up in a Mercenary Band

The Raiding Captain for the Band of the Hawks

Has formed a deep friendship with all of the major members

Is marked by the Brand of Sacrifice

Has given up his Revenge for Casca the woman he loves

Has killed over 1,000 Demons

Wields the Dragonslayer

Wears the Berserker Armor

Is haunted by his Beast of Darkness

His companions keep him grounded

He lost his arm and eye, now he has a mechanical arm.

Attributes:

Str: 19 (+4): Check: 2

Dex: 18 (+3): Check: 3

Con: 18 (+3): Check 3

Int: 13 (+1): Check: 8

Wis: 13 (+1): Check: 8

Char: 13 (+1): Check: 8

Words:

Sword

Endurance

Luck

Peak Human

Might

Vengeance

Gifts:

Defy the Iron

Nine Lives

Unerring Blade

Cutting the Crimson Road

Body of Iron Will

Fear No Steel

Fist of Black Iron

Loosening God’s Teeth

Contempt of Distance

Thirsting Razor

All Natural

Mortal’s Luck

Trained Aim

Human Grit

Indomitable Will

Street Sweeper

Bloody Vengeance

Shattering Hand

Weapons: Dragonslayer (1d10; Heavy; Atk Bonus: +1; Attribute Bonus: Str)

Armor: Berserker Armor (AC 3; -4 Penalty to 2 Saves)

AC: 3

HP: 11

Saves:

Hardiness (Con): 15 (Base 11)

Evasion (Dex): 16 (Base 12)

Spirit: (Wis): 14

Artifacts:

Dragonslayer:

Effort: 5

The Berserker Armor:

An ancient, magical armor from the time of the first Emperor, the Berserker Armor is a black, spiked armor that completely encases the wearer. It is considered heavy armor and can defend against most attacks, including magical ones. However, the armor’s true ability comes from its power to lock off the wielder’s nervous system, pushing their body to heights that a normal human could never reach. There is a downside to this, as the armor will remove the wielder’s sense of self and cause them to view everything as an enemy. On top of this, the armor does not heal the wearer, instead holding their body together and preventing them from dying to any injury. Once all living creatures have been defeated, all of the wearer’s damage will return full force and can kill them instantly if it is more than their HP can handle.

Effort 10

Unstoppable Rampage (Greater Gift): Commit Effort from the Artifact to immediately gain three bonus Attacks that can be used on this round only.

Jump Good (Lesser Gift): Commit Effort from the Artifact to instantly leap to any spot within double your movement speed. This does not count as an Action.

And there we go. I would’ve added another Gift to the Dragonslayer, but I couldn’t think of what to put there.

So, there you go. How I would stat Guts as a Godbound.

Feedback would be appreciated, and if you think there are things I could’ve added or done better, please let me know.

#submission

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noonaduck · 4 years

Text

A boy who cried a wolf

Pairing: human Jungkook x werewolf reader genre: fluff,smut, Supernatural au, fantasy au, angst if u look with microscope warnings: SEX Words: 10662 A/N: I’m finally happy to present this fic for you guys. I have been working on it for ages and I’m really satisfied with the results. Summary: Once upon a time there was a boy who cried the wolf and the wolf who loved the boy. The wolf was ready to risk everything to be with her human and they boy was ready to face the world he never knew existed. Butterfly Effect m.list

[Gifs belongs to their rightful owners]

Long time ago in a far away land was a village which was only separated by small meadow from big and dark forest. There was many stories where someone has entered the forest and never returned. The trees were so tall that you couldn't navigate with the help of sun or the stars because you simply weren't able to see the sky over the tree branches. You always laughed to those stories, why someone would be afraid of the forest? The forest was your sanctuary, a calm place which melt your worries away. Ever since you had known how to walk you had been spying the people who lived in the village from the edge of the forest.

You were always near but not to seen. Your favorite pair of people was two young boys, one with dark brown hair and matching pair of eyes and another with soft blonde cloud of hair and deep dark eyes.

You enjoyed watching how they liked to run on the meadow among the sheep who were eating the grass lazily. You laughed when they did and cried when they felt down. You almost felt like they were your friends. Years passed and the boys grew and you along them. Sometimes your big brother came to watch the villagers too but he got bored rather easily and left you alone to enjoy your time.

You had just turned sixteen and were once again spying your boys behind tree trunks when your first encounter with them happened. It was late spring evening and the sun has started to set when you spotted the familiar faces running towards the woods, when they reached the border between the forest and the meadow they stopped hesitating.

''Are we really going to do this?'' The older, but funnily shorter, of the two asked looking his friend feeling insecure.

''I mean, we have came this far, don't you think that it would be too stupid to back out now?'' The younger one says and raises his right hand higher and only by then you notice the dark glass bottle in his hand.

''I ques that you are right.'' The older one agrees and takes a first step in to the forest. His friend follows him right after.

The boys have difficulties to navigate in the darkness but your eyes were used to dark and you knew the forest like you knew your hands, so it was easy for you to keep up with them. You lightly chuckled when one of the boys almost fell on his face because his foot got stuck on root sticking from the ground. The boys doesn't seem to be sure about direction and instead they walk aimlessly forward.

''I think the village is now far enough.'' The older one says and glances to the direction of the village, he can't see the village lights anymore.

''I agree.'' The second one says and they happily sit down on the ground, the older one leaning on fallen tree trunk and younger sits on the rock next to him.

''So should we open it?'' The older boy gestures towards the bottle. ''It's not everyday that my sister gets married and our folks brings alcohol on view.'' He adds and your attention turns to their clothing.

Instead of their usually grey cotton shirts and brown pants with suspenders they are both wearing straight black pants with polished shoes and a white shirts under a west. Only difference in their attires is that the older ones west is brown and younger ones' is deep green.

''One day you have a bride yourself, Miss Park Jimin, that sounds quite nice.'' The younger one teases the another and you can see even though the darkness that the one being teased is blushing.

''I think that Miss Jeon Jungkook isn't bat either.'' Jimin teases his friend who flashes a sheepish smile.

''Whatever, let's open this thing.'' Jungkook changes the subject and raises the bottle in his hand.

''Hey Jimin, how we are going to open this without a bottle opener?'' Jungkook grins awkwardly.

''I saw once how my father opened a bottle with his teeth, let me try.'' Jimin says and takes the bottle from his friend.

How foolish. You watch amused how Jimin puts the cork in his mouth and pulls it with his teeth. At first the cork stays and remains stuck but after few failed attempts and huffs the cork pops open and Jimin almost cracks his teeth while doing it. A strong and bitter smell of booze hits your nose and you flinch. The drinks in your home always smell so sweet and fruity that it's hard for you to believe that someone actually want to drink something like that. Jimin spits the cork out of his mouth and grins.

''Bottoms up.'' He cheers and takes a big gulp of the drink. When the booze hits his throat Jimin couches loudly and closes his eyes.

Jungkook laughs to his reaction but when it’s his turn to taste his reaction is the same.

''This is strong stuff, no wonder that your dad usually hides it on top of shelf.'' Jungkook admits and wipes his mouth.

The boys drink for a while in silence passing the bottle for each other. You get more comfortable and lay down on the forest bed. When time passes the reactions caused by the strong taste of booze weakens on the boys faces and they seem to get more light headed.

''Hey Jimin?'' Jungkook breaks the silence after another sip.

''Yeah?''

''Have you ever wanted to leave our village?''

''Sometimes. I often imagine how I leave my home and began to live as traveling performer.'' Jimin admits his cheeks in pink tint, that may be caused by his confession or the drink.

''Pfft, you a performer? What would you do?'' Jungkook teases his friend.

''I would sing and maybe dance, who knows. Maybe I would get invited to the palace.''' Jimin shrugs his shoulders. ''What about you? Have you ever considered leaving?''

''Yeah, I have always wanted to be a soldier. I want to bring glory to my country and honor to my family.''

You let a small huff escape from your mouth from his confession. Not because you think it's funny but because how accurate it is. You could see in your mind Jungkook in shining armor ready to lead a battle.

''Did you hear that?'' Jimin asks your mistake didn't go unnoticed.

''Did I hear what?'' Jungkook asks and he looks around alerted.

You start backing up deeper in the forest and in your hurry you miss a fallen tree branch under your feet which makes a sound leading the boys to look in to your direction. You know that you have been spotted when Jungkook's eyes meet yours.

''Jimin! Shit its a wolf!'' Jungkook screams panicked and gets up fumbling

from his sitting place.

You are frozen to your place too shocked to move and captivated by Jungkook's eyes that you won't even blink before Jimin has also spotted you.

''We need to go!'' Jimin tells and the bottle slips from his hands and falls on the forest ground spilling its insides on the ground.

You are able to recover from your shock and you spin around and start running deeper into the forest.

You would think that your cover being blown would make you stop spying on the village but it made you only even more curious about humans and the life outside of your forest. What came to Jimin and Jungkook they were punished by their parents to look after the sheep grazing on the meadow because they busted in to Jimin's sisters wedding smelling like a booze and crying a wolf. After all there hasn't been any wolf sighting in fifteen years.

It was your twentieth birthday and you were laying on your bed looking up to the ceiling where the ceiling beams were supporting the roof of your cabin. You really weren't in the mood of celebrating even though turning twenty meant that you would be adult in standards of your small community. You hear a soft knock by the door and your big brother, Alpha of the pack, peeks in.

''Can I come in?'' He ask and flashes a kind smile.

''No.'' You snort but he won't listen to you and steps in. ''What do you want Jin?'' You ask and roll on sitting position on your bed.

Jin comes to sit next to you and ruffles your hair. ''It is a big day, shouldn't you be more excited?'' Jin looks you with genuine care and his honey colored eyes glister in the sun.

You can clearly see why any single woman of the pack would drool after him, his shoulder are wide and his body is strong, his face is sculptured like a angels with soft perky lips, straight nose and soft brown hair cut into mullet.

''What it is to be excited about?'' You groan ''I hate double standards.'' You tell and hug fluffy pillow on your lap.

''It is a tradition to find a spouse for a shewolf if she doesn't have one when she turns twenty. Even our parents found each other in that way.''

''And where that lead to them, unhappy marriage and a mother who ran away with a water spirit.'' You retort sarcastically back. ''I think it's truly unfair that I have to get engaged with someone who I didn't choose.''

''I thought you were okay with getting married with Mark?''

''I mean he is only tolerable man in the pack but it doesn't mean that I love him.''

''Who you would want instead, that human boy?'' Now it's Jin's turn to sound sarcastic ''And how well that would go? 'Hey I'm Y/N and I have been spying on you ever since we have been kids. Don't be totally freaked out but I have huge crush on you and I thought that we could get married.'''Jin ends his speech with miming your voice and your face twists in anger.

''Get out!'' You yell pissed and throw the pillow at his face.

''Fine, I go. Being mad at me won't save you from tonight celebration though. Elena will be here in a hour to help you get ready.'' Jin raises his hands for surrender and leaves your room.

You know that he is right, after all you don't have the guts to defy traditions, right? Surely Mark would be good mate, after all you had known him since you were toddlers. And Jin is right, Jungkook would never want to be with someone like you. You curl in to a small ball and let silent tears fall.

Jin's words are true when exactly a hour has passed you hear another knock by your door and and a storm also known as Elena arrives to your room. Elena is your father's new partner who was able to pull your sulking father away from his depression after your mother left. Elena has a dark skin and a matching curls pulled in tight ponytail. She is a curvy woman who's loud laughter easily filled a room and gained attention of others. Elena is wearing tight leather pants with knee length boots and tight white shirt that hugs her in all right places.

''What are you doing still on bed? Come on, your bath is waiting.'' Elena pulls you up the bed and pulls you after her in to the living space of your cottage.

Your home is small and it only consist on three rooms, your bedroom, Jins bedroom/ office and the living space. There is no bathroom, those are for rich people only and when you have to relief yourself outhouse is the place. Jin is nowhere in sight and you ques that he has escaped somewhere out of the way. Elena stops you in front of the steaming bathtub of water and starts to loosen strings on the back of your shirt.

''You should be grateful for your brother, even though he is busy with his Alpha duties he still had time to pick water from stream and boil it for you.'' Elena chatters away. ''Hands up'' She ads and you are barely able to obey when she pulls the shirt over your head.

As a werewolf idea of undergarments seems rather bothersome, you get naked to sift so often that tucking and pulling those on and of would be waste of time. Soon you are completely naked and covered to your chin in the steaming bath while Elena rubs a soap over your hair.

''How long it has been since you took a bath?'' Elena asks while going through particularly difficult knot on your untamed H/C hair.

''A while, I prefer washing up as a wolf.'' You grin but yelp when Elena pulls your hair too harshly.

''It's not bathing if you go to swim in your fur.'' She huffs and you roll your eyes.

Elena keeps chattering about anything and everything while you let her voice buzz in the background of your thoughts. After your bath Elena pulls out a dress and flinch unhappily, dresses weren't your thing even though human women usually preferred them over the pants. The dress is simple and pure white, only to be tied with a belt on your waist. You let helplessly Elena to groom you and you are sitting on stool while Elena goes through your hair with comp when Jin enters again.

''You look good.'' Jin tells and shows his thumbs ups which gains eye roll from you as an answer.

''Seokjin, why you aren't wearing your formal wear yet?'' Elena lectures Jin who lets out sheepish smile being caught by the woman. In times like these Jin didn't seem like an Alpha at all.

''I'm just about to get changed.'' Jin tells and escapes to his room.

''Sometimes I wonder was it a good idea to make him an Alpha so early.'' Elena mumbles to herself and you chuckle at her words.

A knock comes by the front door and Elena tells the newcomer to enter. A young girls steps in carrying a flower grown in her hands.

''My mom told me to deliver this here.'' She tells shyly and you can't help yourself but smile to her.

''Thank you, please bring it here.'' Elena tells softly and the girl comes to you holding tightly at the grown.

''Would you like to put the grown top of Y/N's head?'' Elena asks and little girls smile widens in excitement.

''Yes please.'' She says and you tilt your head lower so she is able to reach your head.

''Thank you Amber.'' Elena tells and images flashes on your mind, you had seen the girl before playing with her friends in the village center.

''Thank you.'' You say as well and Amber leaves the cabin happily giggling for herself.

Elena pulls a hand mirror out somewhere and shows your reflection to you. You have to admit that you look quite good. Your usually wild H/C hair is tamed into soft curls and your skin is glowing after the cleaning.

''I look amazing, thank you Elena.'' You gasp admiring yourself from the mirror your E/C eyes looking back at you with full of wonder.

''You are welcome sweetie. I have to go and get myself already. Me and your father will see you at the party.'' Elena tells and takes the mirror from your hands and puts it on the table. ''You look stunning, everything will go great.'' Elena adds and gives a small peek to your forehead.

Distant drumming is reaching your ears and you are shifting from one foot to another nervously. Your future husband, Mark is standing next to you and offering you a calming smile. Mark is slim man with dark hair and his features are mix of Asian and western, his eyes are little bit crooked in typical way of Asian's but his shin is strong and angular. Mark is wearing black leather pants and a short fur coat on his shoulders which is typical part of formal attire in your pack, and a simple plain white shirt underneath. Neither of you are wearing shoes and that rule goes by every party goer tonight.

''Are you nervous?'' Mark asks voice full of worry.

''A little.'' You admit flashing a nervous smile.

''It's just a party.'' Mark tries again to assure you.

''A party where going with you literally means that I have decided to take you as my mate.'' You huff irritated and Mark looks taken back.

''I know that I wasn't your first option but don't rub it on my face.'' Mark barks back and you can see his eyes flash orange.

You take a deep breath and try to calm yourself down. ''You are right, I'm sorry. Let's get this over with.''

Your small village is located in a valley surrounded by mountains and rough landscape. If you don't know the route in its impossible to find in. In middle of your village goes a steaming river and get to across it you have to go over a wide wooden bridge. Right after the bridge goes the small town center where the party is taking its place. When you reach the bridge the drumming turns even louder and you can see the torches lighting up the night sky. Everywhere you look at is food and people in their wolf or human form having fun. You are only female to wear white and everywhere you look at you can see women dressed in bright colors, all the men are wearing similar attires to Mark only with some variation of their shirt and cloak colors.

A small band is beating the drums in the border of the square their bodies following the beat. Someone notices you and points at you followed by loud cheers of the celebrating people. You wave awkwardly back to the people who you have known your whole life and walk the rest of the way towards the square followed by moody Mark. Still you couldn't blame him after your split up. Who would be excited to get married with someone who wasn't clearly into them? Mark has only accepted to marry you because his visible crush towards you and this being the only way to be with you.

''You are finally here.'' Jin steps out from the crowd and comes towards you with open arms. He hugs you and whispers. ''Even a minute later and I would had made someone to pick you up.'' When he lets go of you there is no trace of his threat and his face is full of smiles. Jin's fur cloak is only one which stands on the crowd, as and Alpha he is wearing a cloak that almost reaches on the ground.

''My fellow pack member today we have gathered here to celebrate my sisters coming to age ceremony and her engagement to Mark.'' The whole crowd goes silent and the drumming stops when their Alpha is speaking. ''As all of you know this party is more than just having fun, it's about making sure that our pack will bloom in the future and bless us with more offspring. Werewolf are one of the species which numbers are getting smaller year by year while humans take more and more space with their growing population. There were times were our kind didn't have to hide and we were free to be what we are but sadly things changed. Humans got scared of us and our powers, where we were winning in power they were leading with numbers.'' Jin pauses and some pack members boo to his words. Jin raises his hand and everyone turn silent again. ''We aren't alone in this situation, other creatures like elves and even vampires are in the same situation. It's more important than ever to have each other backs and make sure that our culture and us in individuals will remain.'' When Jin ends his speech the grow cheers and the drumming returns.

Everyone return to have fun and except you to follow after all it's your party and you are expected to be in cloud nine after catching one of the most wanted single men in the pack. Coming to age party is exceptional in that way that almost every other party in the werewolf tradition consist on ceremonies and rules that you have to follow. The chaos and lack of rules in the coming age party is supposed to symbolize the ending youth and beginning of the adult responsibilities.

''I will go to meet my friends.'' Mark informs and slips away from the place and you nod as an answer in your thoughts.

You aren't able to dream for long when Elena and your father reaches you. Your father is in his late fifties, his once light hair turning into grey, he is like older version of your brother to be honest. Your father is limping his right leg and leaning to walking stick. Permanent injuries are rare in the wolf world where everyone heals quickly but your father was trapped under a fallen tree trunk for days before he was found and his bone had ossified in twisted way. The healers of the pack had had to break his leg all over again and it was never the same again even after healing.

''There's my girl.'' Your Father smiles warmly when he stops in front of you. Elena is smiling next to to him holding his free hand.

''Here I'm.'' You try to sound cheerful but you fail horribly.

''Where is my future son in law?'' Your father asks and glances around in hopes of seeing him.

''We had a small fight.'' You admit with quiet voice.

''Y/N...'' Your father sighs is disappointment.

''Don't worry about it, I'm sure that Mark is able to recover from it.'' Jin butts in and you glance your brother angrily.

''Jin is right, after all we all know how smitten Mark is with Y/N.'' Elena steps in to calm your father.

''I guess you are right.'' Your father's face softens again.

''I bet they will make such a beautiful babies.'' Elena tells with dreamy voice. While your father is agreeing with Elena you slip away in the crowd.

No one really doesn't seem to get you. Everyone is so excited about your marriage and future puppies that they forgot how you are feeling about it. If you could you would run. Run, that one word consumes you and you start pushing your way through the mass of people. Some worried looking pack members tries to stop you but you are too stubborn. You need air somewhere where isn't other wolves. Before you even realize you have sifted in to your wolf form and running all fours towards the beginning of the valley and where the secret passageway to the outside world is located.

You keep running without any particular destination in your mind but soon you understand that you have picked the direction of the nearest human village. You feel like your heart is about to burst in your chest and you won't stop until you reach the tree line. Your storming mind calms instantly when you see Jungkook laying on the meadow his eyes closed and lips parted. He is supposed to look after the sheep but he is snoring lightly. Your mind goes blank and you crawl closer in your wolf form. People should give more credit to the animals, the sheep won't even flinch when you near the sleeping man, after all they have heard and smelled you over the years when you had spied the village and deemed you to no threat to them. You turn into small ball next to Jungkook and close your eyes seeking comfort in Jungkook's warmth.

''What the hell I do, there is a wolf sleeping next to me!'' Someone's voice is breaking in to your dreams and you sift annoyed.

''I don't know, don't be so loud or you wake it up.'' Another voice hurries to answer. This dream is getting rather annoying. ''Should I get your father?'' Your ears twitch and you are more aware of reality.

''So he can kill the wolf? No'' The first speaker sifts next to you and finally you open your eyes.

You have to blink few times before you believe what you are actually seeing. Jungkook is sitting next to you on the grass his body rolling with fear and Jimin is standing next to him and not in any better shape. For a moment three of you only stare at each other without knowing what to to.

''The wolf is acting rather strange, maybe it is just a large dog?'' Jimin gains the courage to speak when nothing happens.

''No, I'm sure it's wolf. There isn't a dog that huge in this world'' Jungkook answer quickly back. Are they saying that you are fat? You huff annoyed and both men tense again. ''There is something definitely going on with this animal, I mean look at the sheep! They don't even flinch even when their natural predator is right next to them.''

''Perhaps its a werewolf?''

''Don't be an idiot those are just some stupid old tales to scare kids to behave.'' Jungkook tells rolling his eyes to his friend. Only if you knew...

You have come to understand that neither of them is going to pull a knife at you or go to ask for help. Maybe your behavior is really that odd for an animal. You get up on all fours and decide to leave just in case they have second thoughts. The men are left behind when you sprint in to run just before the forest line you end up taking a quick look back seeing them still dumb founded on the meadow. What neither you or the two men doesn't notice is a extra pair of eyes looking after you when you disappear into the forest.

When you reach home you get a lifetime long lecture from your brother how it's disrespectful to leave from your own party even it wasn't a formal event.

''...I was so ashamed to tell to your future husband where you were as an alpha I should know these thing and even more as your brother...'' Jin keeps rambling on and there is no other option than you to swallow and listen.

When Jin finally stops panting you are finally able to put some words in. ''I'm sorry that I left. I will also apologize Mark.'' You tell nervously. There is no chance that you would tell Jin what actually happened during your little escape he would flip even more.

''Oh, I will make sure that you do, but for now you are under house arrest.''

''What the hell, I'm an adult, you can't do that to me!''

''Well you surely doesn't act like a one, so you won’t be treated as such.'' Jin barks back.

''You can't make me!''

''Maybe not as your brother but as your alpha I demand you to stay inside of these four walls until further notice.''

''I fucking can't believe you! Did you just use alpha’s command on me?''

''Yes I did.'' Jin's voice is firm when he answers but his eyes seem little hesitant.

''I can't stand you right now.'' You tell voice full of rage and go to your room slamming the door shut. Okay maybe you acted somewhat still like a teenager, but you just couldn't take your brother for now.

Jin surely kept his word, first two weeks of your house arrest you weren't allowed to leave the small cabin and only company you were allowed to have over was Mark, your future husband. At first your time spent together was awkward after all you had left him on the party but when days passed you were grateful from the company. You and Jin still avoided each other both regretting your fight but both too hard-headed to admit it. When the two weeks has passed you were allowed outside again, but only in the surrounding of your village, you weren't allowed to enter the forest and there was surely no speak about even going near the human village. You finally gained your true freedom when the summer has started to turn in to Autumn and the leaves on the trees started to turn different shades of yellow and red. Your fur's color has started to change color along with the leaves as well.

You still haven't admitted your faults to your brother and he didn't say that he is sorry either but you were having some sort of truce. You start to visit the forest border next to the human village again and time to time you are able to see glances of Jungkook but Jimin isn't nowhere in sight. Even Jungkook seems to miss his friend sighing time to time looking up the sky in longing.

You are once again spying the humans but you are sad to notice that this time Jungkook isn't spending his time among the sheep and instead the field is out of humans. You wait for a hour but only human that arrives is some stranger human man who is told to look after the sheep.

You can see even when is his back against the woods that he is tall and muscular underneath his clothing even though this detail doesn't give you much.

You are about to turn around and leave when you finally hear a familiar voice.

''Hey Jackson guess what!' Jungkook jells from a long way while he runs toward the meadow.

''You got accepted?'' Jackson answers with smirk when Jungkook stops in front of him panting.

''How did you know?'' Jungkook seems sad that he wasn't able to surprise the another man.

''Well you have been talking about becoming a soldier since you were a little kid.'' Jackson smirks.

''Not just any kind of soldier, I was accepted to trials to train to become on of the new king's guards. Anyone can apply to be a regular soldier and get in but only the best are accepted in to the kings watch.'' Jungkook is full of excitement like a little child.

''When you are leaving?''

''In two weeks. The journey to the capital isn't a short one.''

''Ah, what do I do when both of you are gone? Jimin left to travel as touring performer and now you are also leaving me.'' Jackson sight dramatically. Wait Jimin is gone? You feel angry about how much you have missed.

'' I don't know, keep the mill rotating?'' Jungkook smirks subtly.

''You know I do.'' Jackson sighs.

You have heard enough and let rest of the men's conversation to go in from an ear and out from another. Jungkook will be leaving the village and your chance with him will be lost forever.

All this time you had secretly hoped to somehow to be with Jungkook even when you are engaged to another. You can see with your eyes how you will be spending rest of your life stuck in your village, which isn't that bad you love your home, and breeding pups to a man who you don't even love. At that moment you have made your decision, you had to make him to fall in love with you just in two weeks and hope that it was enough to stop him from leaving. Only problem in that was that you have to appear in front of him in your human form and if anything is scary to you then that is. ~ You cringe for your reflection but you had decided that little dressing up wouldn’t make any harm in your quest of charming your knight. You are wearing one of your few dresses, the one fitting for colder weather, and measuring the results. The dress is soft blue with tulle skirt and a matching bow on the back. You had struggled when you had tried to put corset on your own for a first time and with few failed attempts you had managed to put yourself somewhat together. Now the only problem was how you could slip out of the pact village without alerting your brother or the wolves who would be patrolling outside. It was almost dawn and you had thought that best opportunity to slip out without detecting in your current outfit was now. You could hear slight snoring coming from Jin’s room when you tried to sneak through the floor towards the front door. A creaking plank makes you halt when Jin’s snoring halts but you breath in relief when it continues after short pause. You shut the cabin door quietly and sigh in relief, one obstacle down and one left. You hide behind of huge rock near the stream crossing your village when a patrolling wolf passes you. You hold your breath when the wolf walks past you. You are again grateful for your luck when he doesn’t spot you. Werewolves has heightened instincts but they were also able to move quietly without being detected if they had been training for year and luckily for you being an old’s alphas daughter and current ones sister you had been through many lessons. You walk over the bridge and are able to reach the other side of the village where the passageway to the forest is located. Your journey to the human village is slower than usual after all you don’t want to ruin your outfit by sifting and you have to settle walking on two feet instead. The sun is rising and painting the sky in light pink when you finally begun to near the forest border. You hesitate with your steps when you reach the meadow but collect your courage and step in to human world. You walk across the meadow and past the sheep and sleeping sepherd to get on the border of the village. There is a low wooden fence separating the meadow from the village area and you cross over it easily. The scents hit you all at once. Usually when you are staying only by the border and meadow the air is full of scent of grass and sheeps wool masking the scents coming from the village. You look around in wonder and note to yourself that the place is slightly bigger than your home village. The roads are made of dirt and the houses are one or two floor buildings made of rocks and the roofs are mainly built with hey. You can see how a baker is opening his bakery putting freshly baked bread on display. The scent pulls you closer and you admire the freshly baked pastries though the window. The baker notices you and gestures you to come in but you shake your head and step away from the window. You didn’t have any human money. When you turn around you hit something and close your eyes hissing. Your head throbs and you rub your forehead with your temple. ‘’Oh, I’m so sorry are you okay miss?’’ You look up and recognize the man fas Jackson who you had earlier seen with Jungkook. Jackson’s eyes were full of worry and he searched your face worriedly. Jackson was carrying a heavy sack of flours on his shoulder and he was heading inside the bakery when you had spun around and caught him by surprise. You had to admit that up close Jackson was even better looking that you first thought but he was nothing compared to Jungkook in your eyes. The man has black hair covered with a brown transmitter cap and he is wearing a matching pants with white long sleeve shirt. ‘’I’m, I wasn’t looking where I was going. I should be the one to apologize.’’ You tell shyly. ‘’Let’s just say that we both are in fault then.’’ Jackson says flashing a small smile. ‘’I’m Jackson by the way.’’ Jackson tells offering his hand for you to shake. ‘’I kno- I mean I’m Y/N.’’ You had almost told him that you knew who he was but he didn’t seem to notice your mistake. ‘’I haven’t seen you around before. It’s rare to see strangers here.’’ ‘’Oh well, I’m just passing by with my brother…’You lie smoothly. If you would have said that you were traveling on your own you would get strange and disapproval looks, you were a woman after all! ‘’I see, where is he now if I may ask?’’ Jackson asks curiously.

‘’Um, I’m sure that he is around.’’ You try to pry him of. The bakery door opens and the baker steps out from the door. Only now you notice how similar his features are to Jackson and you are sure that he is related to him somehow. ‘’Jackson what are you doing? I need the flour, these breads won’t bake themselves.’’ The man tells jokingly.

‘’I’m sorry father I was caught in chatting with Y/-, oh she’s gone.’’ Jackson looks around and you aren’t nowhere to be seen, you had slipped away during his father had caught his attention. You decide to continue your adventure in the village and walk deeper into the center where you can see people waking up and getting ready to coming day. Small shops are opening their doors and welcoming customers in. You stop in front of a window of small tailoring shop and admire the dresses on display. Even though you didn’t wear dresses yourself it didn’t mean that you couldn’t admire them! A beautiful busy looking brown haired woman in her late forties comes by the window inside of the shop and starts to do adjustments on dresses in display but when she notices you she stops and taps on the window. You look her confused and soon she hurries out of the door. ‘’Hey miss, could I bother you for a sec?’’ She ask smiling excitedly. ‘’What do you need?’’ You ask curiously. ‘’You are in perfect size for a dress I’m making, could you model for me a little. I will be sure to pay for your troubles.’’ She tells measuring you with her gaze. ‘’I don’t know if I’m that good model.’’ ‘’Nonsense! Come in.’’ She doesn’t leave you space for argument when she pulls you after her into the small shop. You look around amazed seeing dresses, shirts, pants, vests and other pieces of clothing in different stages of making. The woman leads you to the mannequin where a beautiful teal colored dress is on display. The dress has a complicated corset and many layers which make you feel little stuffed even when you aren’t even the one wearing it. ‘’A customer of mine ordered this dress for her daughter’s birthday and I’m sure that you are close to her size. If you could wear it while I make few fixes it would help me a lot.’’ The woman continues while starting to remove the dress gently from the mannequin. You can’t put even a word in when she chatters away the dress. When she has finally removed the dress she pulls you behind the curtain with her and her hands find your dress’ strings. You stop her by putting your hand on top of hers. ‘’Uh Mam, you are eagerly trying to undress me while i don’t even know your name.’’ You tell smiling awkwardly. ‘’Oh, how silly of me when I get excited I keep forgetting to give my name. My name is Jeon Dae but you can call me just Dae.’’ She finally gives her name away. ‘’I’m Y/N.’’ You offer with small smile. ‘’Well it’s nice to meet you miss Y/N, are you still willing to help me?’’ Dae asks hopefully. You almost remind her that you never promised to help her at first place but decide otherwise. ‘’ I will and please just call me Y/N.’’ You agree and Dae gets to work to remove your dress and replace it with her model. For a while you just watch in silence how the woman spins around you a needle between her lips and a few other on her hand while making adjustments with her dress. A small bell chimes and someone steps in to the shop but you cant see the newcomer behind the heavy curtain. ‘’Mother it’s me.’’ You hear a familiar voice and you can swear that your heart stop beating for a second. ‘’I’m in the back with a customer, wait a second.’’Dae yells back. ‘’It’s my son Jungkook, I’m sure that you will like him.’’ Dae tells with smile and looks up from her crouched position from working the hem.

Steps near the curtain and stops in other side of it. ‘’Can I step in? Is the customer properly dressed?’’ He asks hesitating. ‘’Is it okay that my son comes in?’’ Dae asks you and you nod your head in loss of words. ‘’Okay, you can come in now.’’ Dae tells and the curtain is pulled aside revealing Jungkook’s cheerful face. You feel suddenly shy when you are so close to him for a first time and look down your feet. ‘’Jackson’s father send us some pastries as a thanks for you repairing his shirt yesterday.’’ Jungkook tells showing the paper bag in his arms. ‘’That’s so nice of him but he shouldn’t have to.’’ Dae answers with small smile. ‘’Jungkook this is Y/N, she offered to help me with the dress.’’ Dae introduces you turning Jungkook’s attention to you. ‘’Oh it’s nice to meet you, I’m glad that you offered to help my mother.’’ Jungkook tells with fond smile on his lips, he clearly loves his mother. ‘’Umm, it has no trouble at all.’’ You assure smiling shyly. ‘’I’m finally done.’’ Dae declares and looks the dress happily. ‘’The dress is pretty but so is the model.’’ Jungkook tells with a grin. ‘’I know, anyone wearing my clothes look neither dull or ugly but even without it she would be beautiful.’’ Dae agrees. ‘’Kook could you step outside for a little, I help Y/N to change back to her dress.’’ ‘’Sure.’’ Jungkook tells stepping back and disappearing on the other side of the curtain leaving you alone with Dae. Dae helps the teal dress away from you and helps pulling your dress back up. ‘’Jungkook is a great son but I hate that he is leaving me and my husband. On the moment when he told us his dream about becoming soldier I knew he was meant for it.’’ Dae tells smiling sadly. She finishes tightening your dress and smoothes the hem of the skirt. ‘’Okay we are all done. let's go back to the shop’s side. I’m sure that there is pastries enough for you too.’’ ~ When you return to your home the sun is already setting and you know that you are in trouble if Jin catches you. When you open the front door of your home Jin isn't the one who is waiting you. Mark is sitting on kitchen table and his head shot up in the moment he hears the front door opening. ‘’Where have you been and why you smell like that human.’’ He asks angrily getting you of guard. You have never heard Mark so unhappy. ‘’I was out. And I don’t know who you are talking about.’’ You tell putting your arms above your chest in defending manner. ‘’Y/N please, I know that you have been spying that human for a while now. I even followed you when I saw you sprinting away from you coming of age ceremony and you went to sleep next to him in your wolf form! I don’t know what’s wrong with you. I was ready to bark in any moment the men even looked you wrongly but you clearly didn’t care yourself enough to stay away.’’ Mark is almost yelling and he has started to stand during his speech. You look him with your mouth hanging open and only noise escaping from you is you shocked breathing. You are finally able to pull yourself together and speak. ‘’How long have you been spying on me?’’ You ask quietly your voice trembling. ‘’Long enough to know that we aren’t working.’’ Mark tells and falls back on his chair like all strength is escaping from him. ‘’Mark I’m sor-’’ ‘’Don’t you dare to say that you are sorry.’’ Mark glances you angrily. ‘’When your brother arrives home I will call our engagement of and you can be happily the first she wolf to break her pack traditions.’’ Mark tells with colorless voice. ‘’But I-’’ ‘’Y/n save it, could you go to your room I just can’t stand to be around you.’’ Mark tells and you obey him quietly. When you are about to close your bedroom door you swear that you can smell the salty scent of tears in the air. When Jin arrives home and hears the news from Mark he is anything but pleased but when he is ready to yell at you after opening your bedroom door he changes his mind after finding you crying quietly on your bed. ‘’Hey, are you okay?’’ Jin asks and sits next to you on your bed. ‘’Do I look like I’m okay?’’ You bark for your brother’s question. ‘’I have ruined everything and when everyone in the village will hear what happened I will be a laughing stock.’’ ‘’No one dares to laugh at you, I make sure of it.’’ ‘’It’ doesn’t help that you are an alpha on the moment you turn your back the gossips will start again. ‘’ You tell shaking your head. Jin looks you back silently and begins to stroke your cheek. ‘’Do you know why she wolfs are forced to mate when they turn twenty?’’ he suddenly asks quietly. ‘’Because it's stupid tradition.’’You sniff. ‘’Well that too but there is another reason for it. When she wolf falls in love her hear can’t be changed. We usually pick mates for females because if she falls in love nothing can ever change it. If their mate dies or leave them it leads more often to death than not. I don’t like it either but male wolves doesn’t have the same problem, perhaps it because the survival of the species is on stage that they aren’t that deeply bonded like females are. We still love in our own way but our feelings are more humane when she wolves follow more their wolf sides. Our mother was able to leave our father because she wasn’t really in love. We try prevent she wolves for truly loving because we want to protect them.’’ Jin tells and you look him with wide eyes. ‘’Then the tradition is even more confusing. What if the she wolf is in love with the person she is meant to marry.’’ ‘’The divorce rate is really low if you haven’t noticed. If the couple loves each other that's great then but if they don’t male wolf rarely leaves in fear of breaking the female’s heart. I only wanted you to marry Mark because I feared losing you. I clearly didn’t realize how much you love that human.’’ Jin smiles sadly.

‘’I’m truly regretting to force you go through all of this.’’Jin tells and pulls you in to his embrace. You begin to cry again this time your tears aren’t quiet and you are crying loudly while your nose starts leaking along your chin and making a mess on Jin’s shirt. Still either of you cares or move. On that night jin sleeps next to you for a first time since your childhood while hugging you and whispering sweet nothings to your ear. ~ Even though your break up with Mark broke you a little you also feel relieved that pressure of your marriage has been lifted from your shoulders. JIn was the one to tell your father what has happened and you had been avoiding him in fear of judgement. You were once again heading for the human village only few day after your last visit when you had met jungkook in person for a first time. This time you had given up wearing a dress and were wearing a more comfortable attire, ap pair of leather pants and a black shirt paired with brown jacket. When you arrive on the meadow you raise your brows in surprise. You really didn’t except finding Jungkook practising with wooden spear against a doll made of heavy and a bright red target painted to it chest. Jungkook was sweating and panting heavily while practising strikes and dodges with the target. ‘’Hi.’’ You approach Jungkook waving shyly at him. ‘’Hi, where did you came from?’’ Jungkook asks panting and swiping a sweat from his forehead. His shirt is wet with his sweat and clinging dangerously to his chest revealing his abs. You try not to stare but are caught if you can say anything about Jungkook’s satisfied smirk. ‘’I was just hanging nearby,’’ You tell trying to avoid the subject. ‘’So what are you doing?’’ You try to change a subject and it seems working. ‘’I’m practicing for a test to become one of the King’s watch.’’ Jungkook tells. You act like you have heard it for a first time.’’ A king’s man that sound exciting but don’t you think how it's weird that no one has seen the king's face?’’ ‘’I know that the king is wearing a mask but so is his closest servants.’’ Jungkook shrugs his shoulders. ‘’I think he must have a good reason for it after all he has been a good king for past eight years.’’ He continues sounding certain. ‘’Well if you say so…’’ ‘’If he trusts me enough maybe one day I will be able to see his face.’’ Jungkook beams with excitement. ‘’Maybe. Hey I noticed few mistakes with your postures, do you mind if I help you?’’ ‘’Sure.’’ Jungkook agrees surprised. You take the spear from his hands and straighten your posture. Jungkook watches quietly your movements and admires you in seacret. He had thought that you were a pretty while wearing a dress but now you were even prettier while moving confidently with the spear in your hands. Ever since that day you had showed up in early morning to practice with Jungkook and even at some point Jackson joined you after recovering from the surprise that you knew each other. The two weeks deadline was almost over but you tried not to think about it and spend all your free time with Jungkook. Even if he was suspicious from your origins he didn’t say anything and instead enjoyed spending time with you after all his best friend has left and he has been feeling lonely despite of Jackson offering his company. With you he felt close as he felt with Jimin and maybe even closer in some ways. Without even noticing Jungkook's feelings had developed into more deep than a friendship. You were following Jungkook into the woods giggling. You both were tipsy after Jungkook had bought a booze into today's training session and you both had felt the effects. Somehow you had thought that hide and seek in the forest would be a good idea so now you were hiding behind of huge spruce hardly able to hide your laughter. Even though the taste of alcohol Jungkook had offered wasn’t that good it was quick to get you both drunk. You laugh loudly when you feel arms around you and Jungkook raises you from the ground spinning you around.

‘’Kookie put me down!’’ You laugh and Jungkook obeys with a low chuckle. You are spun around in Jungkook’s arms and you both look each other breathing heavily. Jungkooks lips finds yours and you answer hungrily for his kiss. Even though you are insecure with your actions and your kisses are more sloppy than his he doesn’t seem to mind. You pull away panting and smile at each other. ‘’I have wanted to do this for a while now.’’ Jungkook tells gaining courage from the alcohol. ‘’Me too.’’ You admit shyly. ‘’Good.’’ Jungkook answers and peeks your lips again. His hands begins to wonder on your body and measuring all of your curves. When Jungkook’s hands stops on your butt giving you a squeeze you gasp softly. ‘’Is this okay?’’ he asks stopping his actions. ‘’Yes, please keep going.’’ You beg and Jungkook is happy to oblige. His hands pulls hem of your shirt and slides underneath of it his thumbs brushing your skin slightly making you shiver. Jungkook presses himself harder against you and you can feel his hardening bulge against your lower belly. Jungkook’s lips finds your once again and you move against his in slow rhythm. You are feeling a new things in your body that you haven't before but you are definitely enjoying them. ‘’Jungkook.’’ You whine against his lips. ‘’Tell me what you need.’’ Jungkook tells his voice husky. ‘’I-I’m not sure.’’ You admit embarrassed. ‘’It’s okay, I got you if you let me.’’ Jungkook smiles softly. ‘’I trust you.’’ You admit and it is all he need as permission to push you against the tree behind of you. Jungkook’s hands find your pants and slides gently among the trim. He slips his index finger in slowly his face observing your reactions for a whole time. You part your mouth slightly when Jungkook’s finger slides on your outer lips. ‘’Tell me if you want me to stop.’’ He tells and dips his finger between your folds. Jungkook moves his finger around your clit collecting your juices with him. You shudder when he adds his thumb into the mix rubbing your clit lightly. You feel your stomach making flips and a moan escapes your lips.You try to keep quiet biting your lip bu Jungkook stops you. ‘’No let me hear you.’’ He tells and you obey letting even the smallest noises to escape your lips. Jungkook slips his index finger slowly into your hole and it sucks it right in and it's no wonder after all you are getting really soaked. At first you feel uncomfortable with the invasion but your displeasure is quick to turn around after he starts to pump his finger in and out slowly while his thumb keeps working on your clit. Soon you need more and tell that to Jungkook who slips second finger inside of you. This time the stretch is wider and you cling to Jungkook's arm while he keep working to bring you nearer to your peak. ‘’I think I’m close.’’ You moan and squeeze his arm tighter in your fist leaving small half moon mark from your nails. ‘’Y/N it’s okay to let go, come for me.’’ Jungkook assures and presses his thump harder against your clit while moving his fingers and finally you snap. You mewl loudly when you are pushed over the edge and you close your eyes almost falling from the intensity of your orgasm. Only thing keeping you up is the tree trunk behind of you and Jungkook's strong hands which have left your pants. When your high finally settles you look Jungkook panting. ‘’That was amazing.’’ You tell your eyes wide from emotion. ‘’I’m glad you think that. Y/N I’m late to ask this but are you a virgin?’’ Jungkook asks blushing. ‘’Oh, I’m.’’ You admit blushing. ‘’That’s okay, I had to know so I go slow.’’ ‘’We aren’t done?’’ You ask surprised. ‘’Not even close.’’ Jungkook smirks. ‘’Can I remove your pants?’’ He asks his hands wandering to your waist. ‘’Okay.’’ You are quick to agree after the pleasure you just experienced. You being a werewolf have made you used to being naked with other people and that fact also helps you with your shyness. Jungkook kneels to remove your boots and then pulls your pants away from you legs. You feel embarrassed after your juices clings to your pants and thighs but Jungkook just shakes his head slightly and smiles. Jungkook pulls his pants lower freeing his member and you can’t help but stare. His member is already leaking with precum and his tip is angry color of red. ‘’Turn around.’’ Jungkook tells and bend you slightly so you are taking support from the tree your ass on display. ‘’You have a really pretty butt.’’ he tells and smacks it slightly which makes you moan. ‘’Oh you like to be spanked? We can explore that kink later but right now I need to be inside of you or I will literally explode.’’ Jungkook spears your legs wider so he fits better in between of them and slides his cock up and down your outer pussy lips to collect your juices. He pushes the tip of his member in making you sift and whine in discomfort. ‘’Do I need to stop?’’ Jungkook asks halting.

‘’No, just be slow.’ You assure already feeling the familiar heat in your belly. Jungkook obeys and slides inside of you slowly spearing you wider. When he is fully seated he halts and brushes your hair out of way kissing you neck. After you feel comfortable enough you speak. ‘’You can move now.’’ Jungkook is quick to follow and slides almost all the way out and then slides slowly back in. He repeats the motion for few times until you get impatient. ‘’Go faster and harder,’’ ‘’Are you sure?’’ ‘’I'm just please Jungkook I need-’’ You moan when his thrust gets more speed and strength. ‘’Say my name again.’’ Jungkook tells burying his hands into your hips so hard that he is surely leaving marks. ‘’Jung-kook.’’ You pant when Jungkook pounds inside of you without mercy. Jungkook moans for that and for a while only sounds that fills the forest are your both needy moans. You feel the tightening feeling nearing you again. ‘’I’m close.’’ You warn and Jungkook's hand sneaks around your body to find your clit. With the extra simulation you came seeing stars behind your eyelids. Your insides squeezing Jungkook’s dick hard like a wine makes him careless and he comes right there inside of you. Jungkook pulls away from you shuddering his seed leaking out of your used hole. Jungkook curses and blames the alcohol for him being careless. ‘’What’s wrong?’’ You ask after you come back to the ground again. ‘’I came inside of you.’’ Jungkook tells feeling guilty. ‘’Oh, its okay I can’t get pregnant right now.’’ ‘’How you are so sure?’’ Jungkook asks worriedly. ‘’I just am.’’ You assure, you can’t just tell him that you can’t come pregnant outside of your heat. A small yawn escapes your lips and Jungkook spins you leaning against the tree so you are facing him again. Jungkook helps your pants back up quietly and adjust his own. He pulls you on the ground him leaning against the tree this time and putting you to his lap without caring the coldening air. You yawn again and relax in his arms. You are almost asleep when he whispers. ‘’Don’t worry if you got pregnant i take the responsibility.’’ Next morning you wake up in Jungkook’s loud scream of horror. You open your eyes your body in full alert and ready to attack anyone who is threatening you. ‘’Oh my god, did a wolf eat Y/N last night and I didn’t hear a thing?’’ He shudders and backs of crawling from you. You look him with wide eyes feeling confused when it hits you at once. you had changed in to your wolf form while sleeping your previous night's clothes torn around your form. You curse at yourself, you never turned in human if you slept as a wolf but it happened sometimes other way around. You try get in to standing position but Jungkook shakes even more in fear seeking his belt and a knife which is hanging there loosely. At that moment you know what you have to do. Your bones start cracking and joints popping in front of Jungkook when your fur crawls back inside revealing a human skin. When your change is complete Jungkook looks you with shock. ‘’Y/N!’’ He whines and faints on the ground. You carry Jungkook’s unconscious form on the border of meadow and run away in your wolf form back to your village. You run through your village as fast as your paws carry you and bark in to your home to find Jin reading a book in the living area. ‘’Y/N what’s wrong.’’Jin asks worriedly and gets up from his seat. You sift in front of him without caring being naked and Jin covers his eyes quickly picking a blanket from one of the seats and throwing it at you. ‘’In sake of Luna cover yourself.’’ Jin screams. There is some limits that even werewolves follows and the one is being to avoid seeing your siblings naked even though you can’t sometimes avoid it. You are just in too big shock and denial to register your actions fully and you would surely be ashamed later on. You tie your blanket tightly around you and only by then Jin looks back at you again. ‘’Jin.’’ You cry and walk to your big brother's open arms. ‘’Tell me what’s wrong pup.’’ Jin uses a nickname that he hasn’t used in years. ‘’Jungkook knows what I’m now.’’ You tell crying and Jin keeps hugging you and petting your hair. ~ You return to the human village and this time Jin is following you in his wolf form just in case. It's the day that Jungkook is supposed to leave to the capital and you are terrified of losing him. You don’t expect much but feel warmth spearing through your body when you see Jungkook sitting in middle of the meadow staring the forest deeply in his thoughts. He has a heavy bag back next to him and he is weared for a traveling. Jin snuggles you with his snot to step out of the woods and he stays behind waiting for you. When Jungkook sees you stepping out of the forest he gets quickly up from the ground. You stop leaving a space between of you and Jungkook so he would feel more secure. To your surprise Jungkook takes a closing steps and without a word pulls you into his embrace. ‘’I thought that I wouldn’t see you again.’’ he breathes into your hair and loosens his hold so he can see your face. ‘’I thought that I would scare you.’’ You say confused. ‘’You could never scare me. I admit I was shocked and didn’t take it well but I felt really broken after I woke up alone and you were nowhere to be seen.’’ Jungkook admits. ‘’At least now I know the wolf who was so brave to sleep next to me.’’he adds with small chuckle. ‘’I’m happy that you feel that way.’’ You admit and glance his bag sadly. ‘’Are you leaving?’’ ‘’I have to but I promise to get you when I can.’’ Jungkook tells feeling guilty. ‘’It’s my dream to serve the king.’’ ‘’I know.’’ You smile sadly and a tear slips from you eyes. ‘’I will always come back to you my wolf girl.’’ Jungkook tells pressing his lips against your he also crying. A bark from the forest line pulls you apart and you see your brother who has stepped out form the meadow and gesturing you to follow. ‘’It’s my brother.’’ You tell to confused Jungkook. ‘’Oh.’’ Is all that Jungkook can say measuring the huge wolf in front of him. Even though he said that he accepts you it doesn’t mean that he adjust in a seconds. ‘’I will be always waiting you by the treeline.’’ You tell stepping away from Jungkook. ‘’And I will be always calling my wolf.’’

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beautifulterriblequeen · 4 years

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I’m really intrigued by Rayla’s moonshadow assassin peers. I especially am interested in Andromeda because I think she is the only other girl in the group? Do you have any headcanons in how these teen/young adult assassins interacted? Do you think Rayla isolated herself from them because she was always iffy about taking a life? Also TDP finally colored their map and I know you live maps, find any new cool stuff? I especially love how there’s a frozen sea north and a spinning sea south, imagine the powerful Magic’s that channeled to make them.

Okay, so I jumped straight to the map, did 80% of it, and wandered away for a few weeks. I apologize, anon. Let’s get this going again:

I’ve got a few headcanons on the Moonshadow assassins! It seems likely that they hang out mostly with each other, when they hang out, to reinforce their teambuilding and to give them some socialization, since assassins tend to keep others at arm’s length. So I kinda figure they tend to roam as a pack on their evenings out in the village, if they’re not married to a non-assassin like Runaan is.

I think that could be part of the reason that Rayla might not have hung out with the others as much, too: Runaan wanted to be either training or at home with Ethari, so Rayla probably spent a lot of time doing those things just because he did them. And when Runaan was doing more serious training or missions, that’s when Rayla had her free time to run around the forest and make adoraburr friends.

Runaan could’ve probably insisted that she do something more assassiny with her free time. Shadow an assassin, do more studying, practice certain prescribed skills on her own. But he didn’t. He let her play. Soft assassin is soft!

Listen, anon, I have a fun headcanon for you about Andromeda--and by fun, I mean it’s really angsty half a second after you start thinking about it. Ready?

What if: Andromeda is Runaan’s half-sister. If they’re both Lujanne’s children by different assassin dads who kept dying in battle, but a Moon mage needs an assassin leader partner to defend Xadia with, and Lujanne knew her son Runaan wasn’t old enough to lead yet, so she burned through three or more husbands protecting him until Runaan was well trained enough to lead the assassins himself and had fallen in love with a mage who adored him and would be his partner in her place.

Andromeda looks a fair bit like Lujanne, too:

Along with Runaan, they all have long hair, side tails bound in silver cuffs, and some form of braids. Andromeda’s hair is sectioned in front similarly to Runaan’s. Her accent sounds more British than Scottish, though she only has the one line: My eyes for truth. And Lujanne and Andromeda are the only two Moonshadow elves we’ve met who have medium blue horns, while Runaan’s are dark blue. Almost everyone else’s horns have purple or pink as their base color.

But then, see, Andromeda went on Runaan’s mission, and she died. Her spirit was the most aggressive in TTM, usually closest to Rayla with her sword out, as if she hated Rayla the most. If she had a vested family interest in Runaan’s mission succeeding, and then it went pear-shaped because of Rayla, that would make sense.

No matter if she’s related to Runaan or not, she’s wearing horn cuffs, so she was in a dedicated relationship of some kind, and that’s so sad. Someone’s missing her the way Ethari’s missing Runaan. :’((((

Anyway, it’s just a headcanon, but since you asked, there ya go.

Okay, on to my thoughts on the map, of which I have a normal and healthy amount:

The Map Border:

Everyone doodles in the borders. I love to see what they put there.

Starting in the upper left and going counter-clockwise, the five human crowns are cool

Cornucopia swirls center left look like an homage to Cabbage Man from ATLA

Bait is staring at Evenere. his home? Or maybe he just wants to eat the dragonfly on its logo

Human defender has a beard. Hairagorn. He's very heavily armored but has no helmet. Long hair is braided to rest on front of shoulder, like the blond elf in the painting at the Moon Nexus. Old timey hairstyle?

He’s defending Katolis Castle specifically. I wonder if the little white building is kinda random or if it’s supposed to represent the Banther Lodge. Nah, I have a better guess: that’s where Viren grew up

The crack in the map looks meta. It's been repaired somewhat. Makes me wonder if it's an in-world map, whose, who ripped it, and who fixed it. Sir Phineas Kurst seems like the kind of guy to almost shred his really cool map

The star behind Zym's egg has seven points

The two ships on the southern waters are western and eastern respectively. Tidebound elves from Singapore? Jack Sparrow would be proud

There is land just south of the Dragontail, wonder what’s there?

The leaves around the human figure are small and numerous while the Moonshadow elf has fewer but bigger leaves

The elf is standing in the way of one of the six leaves growing out of the rune rose and that leaf's curly tip seems to have been replaced with a curl of the elf's very long hair

The human pose is more offense and the elf pose is more defense. But the elf has two swords, and one has some wicked hooks in it.

Elf has 4 fingers instead of 3 so whether it’s in-universe or meta, they were drawn by a human :DDD

The elf's braid winds around their horn and I think that's clever

High collar shirt under protective layer, bracers and elbow gloves, bare biceps, complex shoulder getup, ornate hair that's butt long and partly braided, two long slightly curving swords... horn cuffs too. This is a Moonshadow assassin in the same gear Runaan's got, poised to defend the Xadian half of the map as the human is poised to defend his side

The rune rose isn't a compass. It has a two sided pointer and six primal runes. Just decorative I guess. ;)

More lettuces on right center.

Maybe a portaling caterpillar on the center knot? Little bug pal, I see you

“The Five Human Kingdoms” lettered in red, “Xadia” in blue. Giving me Stratego flashbacks. Even the flowers on their banners are color coded

Banners in the corners are similar but Xadia has more fluttery tips

Thunder drawn all attacky top center, does he have anything to do with the Frozen Sea being frozen?

Compass rose under Thunder’s wing

Dick island near the compass. Well, Duren is the breadbasket of the human lands. A most excellent cartography joke! 10/10 would chortle wholesomely again

The Human Kingdoms:

Neolandia

Capital Eboreus seems to be a lake city below a mountain and I'm here for all the Lake Town refs.

It's also the eye of the elephant shape

Not a lot of trees, mostly grasses or desert. Only borders Duren across a couple rivers/estuaries/sea channels

Heart shaped island next to elephant trunk

Land generally broken into several sections by sea/rivers

If it’s rivers, they seem to generate from the capital’s lake and flow in several directions. And they say there’s no magic left in the western lands! ;)

But if there was exactly one source of freshwater in a desert land, it makes sense that you’d find a way, magical or mechanical, to spread that lifegiving water in as many directions as possible so your people can thrive so kudos to Neolandia’s ancestors/Tidebound elves/whoever managed that, it’s brilliant

I can and will make up explanations for anything on a map. I adore worldbuilding

Del Bar

Two named locations. Since Del Bar’s national symbol is a serpent, I guess Serpentongue is the capital.

Hinterpeak is a sweet name. Looks like Helm's Deep with that retaining wall. What’s it for? Are there dwarves in this land? Is it an Earthblood stronghold? Maybe it’s like the Mines of Moria, and the Earthbloods were chased out and/or killed inside and now it’s full of nasty orcses but someone left a MacGuffin down there so *nudges hero* Off you pop.

Nice forests around the southern mountain range but northern DB is more arid or grassy lands like Neolandia.

Considering that crops grow well in Duren, which is farther north, I assume there is a massive meteorological gyre over the human lands, with a southern wind blowing down over the western realms and keeping them icy until the mountains of Hinterpeak block and divert them, protecting Evenere. The winds don't blow eastward without warming right up-- and causing thunderstorms in Katolis how about that-- because there is a warmer side to the gyre over Katolis and Duren, blowing tropical warmth and moisture north and providing rain for trees and crops alike. Most years, anyway.

How does the weather fail in Duren for seven years in a row, anyway? That seems like a Thunder issue. Unless it’s a Sunforge issue, which I’ll get to below.

Ahem.

Borders Neolandia, Duren, and Katolis across rivers, but most border is coastline.

Serpentongue probably got its name from the two river heads around it

Cluster of dead little cracks spawns a single river. Looks like someone cracked the tub and it drained away. I wonder how much of this landscape has been affected by the Mage Wars. Big watery basins have flooded and other spots seem dead. The lands may or may not actually touch depending on how deep some of these waterways are

Evenere

Looks like someone punched holes in the land with a giant pencil to make it a separate island. Broken outline with scattered islands

That Pawprint Isles has only four toes

Moon-shaped island is very crescenty indeed

Are these isles home to refugees or outcasts from Xadia? Listen, I want pirates and that sea looks pretty Caribbean to me

No capital city, hmmm what's that about? Is it underground, does it move? Maybe Fareeda’s capital is on the back of a world turtle and she’s constantly on tour around the island?

That arm of land ending in a peace sign, please can we get surfers

The hills emanating from that claw shaped headland look like something is sleeping under the island, hello yes I am here for giant immortal creatures please

Katolis

its capital is also called Katolis, the only human realm to use the same name twice

Weeping Bay could be a ref to the tears the humans shed after they reached the west. Or the Moonshadow elves as they left their forest for the east. Or both. Both, in this case, is bad but balanced

Boomerang island next to the Dragontail

The river the Dragaang rode on was going uphill

The watery slash in the land between Katolis and Del Bar is awfully straight. So is the one between Del Bar and Neolandia. I call magical warfare.

Katolis has a bunch of mountains in the east, part of an old natural border before the lava one appeared

Mt Kalik is probably volcanic. It's a standalone mountain and it's really tall. Rex Ignius maybe? Oh, probably not, I think I see him peeking on the other side of the map

The trees of Duren and Katolis are different then the western lands. Softer green, deciduous. And the land itself is yellower, warmer in tone

Forests centered on Mt Kalik

The Moon Nexus looks like an eye on a dragon head near the Dragontail, and Evenere looks like a severed wing (Yes I am still wondering where Luna Tenebris went, why do you ask)

Weeping Bay looks like the most natural body of water in the western lands

Three red little trees scattered around the Katolis map. Fruit trees? How very Moonshadow.

Duren

The only land border among all the human kingdoms is between Duren and Katolis. Maybe it used to be further south along the river?

Capital is Berylgarten, set on a lake. Beryl is a stone that’s usually green, blue, or yellow in color, very gardeny

Second smallest realm but the breadbasket of the human lands. Has several little forests and great tilled fields

Being a farmer in Duren is probably as awesome as being an assassin in the Moonshadow Forest; you do what you do for all your friendly kingdoms

Northernmost land is cold and craggy, named Skall's Hook along the sea

Third ship in the Frozen Sea is icebound and crushed. Looks western, indicating no possible passage

Lots of colored trees and shrubs as if fruitbearing, I keep comparing Duren to the Yakima Valley in Washington State

Where the lava reaches the Frozen Sea, it melts the ice next to Duren's mountains

Northern Xadia:

Lux Aurea

Most of the center lands of this map has warm tones for its ground. Maybe that’s because of the long reach of the warmth and light of Lux Aurea’s Sun Nexus, and only the lands that are just too far from it are truly cold and icy. It would explain why Duren is a breadbasket realm so far north--it’s just across the border from Lux Aurea.

If there’s anything to that, then I suddenly worry for the fate of all the human lands now that the Sunforge has gone dark. It’s early summer now in Xadia, and crops in Duren will be ripening soon... Unless the sun’s magic was helping them grow. This coming winter could be rough. Next winter, people will die. Unless they can purify the Sunforge again.

Also, I have to wonder if Duren’s seven years of famine had anything to do with Sunforge shenanigans. They’d have happened at Khessa’s command, and we know she despises humans. If she was responsible for all the struggles that humans had to go through without enough food for seven years, and then their desperate attempt to fix the problem by invading Xadia for a Magma Titan’s heart which extended and exacerbated the war, I can see why Aaravos might feel Queen Khessa deserved to die

The city’s shaped kinda like an Egyptian pectoral necklace on this map, and that’s super pretty and not at all ominous

Also that’s a lot of gold for a whole city and I wonder how they got it all

The Shiverglades and the Shards

These areas are north of Lux Aurea and seem cold but not very icy, even though the Frozen Sea is right there. More thoughtful glances at the Sunforge over this one. Is it warming the land, or not warming the sea? Both?

Shiverglades is a play on Everglades, so this is a cold swamp, which sounds super fun I’m sure. Permafrost, tundra maybe?

The Shards seem to be rock islands with ice mountains. Glaciers are cool.

I wonder if something broke those islands off on purpose. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy worldbuilding? Yeah, well, I like world-wrecking, too.

Storm Spire

Has a good view on everything that happens for miles, including Lux Aurea, the Midnight Desert, the Shiverglades, the Black Tundra, the Uncharted Forest, and Drakewood.

Defensible position, no other tall mountains nearby

Also able to alert others to danger, especially since Avizandum could teleport like lightning

The Midnight Desert

It’s pretty big! And it looks like it’s littered with ruins of columns and dead palm trees. Like something else used to be in that great space and then something Very Bad happened to it. Maybe there was one great city where all the elves could mix together, and then it got utterly obliterated and the elves all fled to their respective safe places around Xadia. A city of black stone, back when Aaravos wore a crown? Now pulverized to dust and surrounded by not one, not two, but three primal nexuses? Hmmm...

All the wisps could be heat from the sand, or spooky spirit hints, or just an ominous sign of danger from the snakes below, but the overall effect is that the land is unhealthy if not cursed

The oasis is marked, and it must contain a spring since it runs a river out to join the river that passes through the Moonshadow Forest

Also the actual oasis kinda resembles a blue lizard which is adorable and probably also terrifying

Moonshadow Forest

The Silvergrove is the only village marked in the forest, so in keeping with the other lands and general map legend rules, it’s likely the capital/central village for the Moonshadow elves

The village is marked by four round-roofed homes between two tall leafy trees that shelter and hide them. It’s a hybrid balance between the blocky manmade castles of the human lands and the actual forest around them, showing a blending with nature that even the Sunfire city of Lux Aurea did not embrace, with all its golden buildings

It’s a good-sized forest, and it kinda stretches thin to the east but there it tentatively connects to the Drakewood Forest

Moonstone Path to the west just chilling in the lava like a blank alignment chart. Moonstone Path is Chaotic Hot.

Southern Xadia:

Ruins of Elarion

Elarion is a city, and it’s been lost to the humans for a thousand years

The building outlines are squared-off towers like the more modern castles in the west, suggesting that humans in Xadia built for strength and defense as soon as they could. They felt vulnerable and created protections in their architecture. The three elven cities we see also play to their strengths, but those strengths include magic. Elarion’s humans had to find a different strength, and they went with craftsmanship and ingenuity

It seems to be the only human city from before the border was drawn

“Ruins” doesn’t necessarily mean no one lives there at all, but it’s been emptied of humans and no one else has maintained it since

It had a great position on a vast lake, with sheltering hills and easy sea access

Sea of the Castout

This inland sea has five inlets and outlets. It’s hard to be sure which is which with some of them, with the way the water is drawn on this map. But I’m kinda liking the idea that all the water swirlies are places where Tidebound magic has been placed over the millennia, so the water can do whatever it needs to do depending on circumstances. That goes for the human lands, too. Katolis backward river, you’re off the hook.

With a name like "Castout,” I wonder if it was some kind of universal toilet to flush away things you didn’t want--including humans--who might wash up near Elarion and start to build there. Yeesh.

The rivers that flow into this sea pass through or near the Moonshadow Forest, the Midnight Desert, the Storm Spire, Drakewood, and the Uncharted Forest. That’s a lot of drainage.

It’s pretty far from the Tidebound Archipelago, so maybe its name is referencing Tidebound elves who have left their home colony

Was this always a sea, or did something that Xadia wanted to forget get flooded and hidden in the depths?

The land around it seems open and hospitable. It could be a good place to build/rebuild in a time of peace.

The Far Reaches

Open grassland with low hills

Two of the hills look like giant boot prints

Several colorful trees which I hope are fruit trees

Bounded by two rivers from the Sea of the Castout

Looks homey tbh, great spot to retire to get away from everything if there were a war that really shook you up

Ocean Point

There’s a Star rune here, and it could mean many things

The closest other marked location is Elarion

If this was where Aaravos lived of his own free will, I can see why he’d take a shine to the humans. They were his neighbors.

If he is imprisoned here, it’s literally the furthest point in Xadia from the other elven realms, with the Moonshadow Forest being the closest one and Umber Tor not too much further but in a totally different direction. If they were trying to isolate him physically with a portable mirror to watch over him, that’s a good spot for it

Possible location that the cube is leading Callum toward? Portal to the Star Touch home plane? Aaravos’s seaside B&B? Trap street?

Eastern Xadia:

Drakewood

Umber Tor looks to be the tallest mountain in all of Xadia, save possibly for the Storm Spire. It’s more traditionally mountainy, with a nice snowcap. Since it’s labeled, I’m guessing it’s the Earth Nexus, under which an Earth Archdragon sleeps

Also there’s a giant yellowish-brown dragon chilling next to the Tor. Yeah, he seems nice. Rex Igneous, I presume?

Or maybe not, since the neighboring forest is called Drakewood. Maybe this woods is just where a bunch of Earth dragons hang out? Ezran and Pyrrah flew off and returned with a crew of Sun dragons from somewhere, so dragons must have communities too

The mountains that edge the sea are shaped roughly like a stone dragon in flight

Drakewood seems to be the forest closest to Umber Tor, with both deciduous and evergreen trees, though there’s a huge swath of wooded land here, to the north and to the southwest. I wonder what the locals consider the border where the Drakewood becomes the Uncharted Forest and why. The way the evergreens are drawn almost looks like a border, a sort of kingswood set aside for a specific use. Rex Igneous’s best toothpicks?

Uncharted Forest

Okay this is a properly magical name, very mysterious. But uncharted by whom? People with charts? This might be a Sir Phineas Kurst name, which is outsidery, and it makes me wonder if the locals/neighbors have their own name for it, which the human explorer never learned, a la “Thunder” for Avizandum

Maybe “Uncharted Forest” just means no one ever turned those trees into charts though, old growth ftw

If no one lives here, will someone move here? If someone lives here, who are they? Earthblood elves? Moonshadow elves? Humans? This mystery, it calls to me

the trees are mostly deciduous and fill basically all of this whole section of land, up against the mountains and the rivers, so it seems very fertile land indeed

Earthblood elves could live here, but there is no city marked. Maybe because we haven’t gotten that far in the show, or maybe that’s the wrong sort of descriptor for how the Earthbloods live and organize. Maybe the whole forest is their city, like Pando, the interconnected quaking aspen clone forest

The northernmost part of this forest lies right between the Storm Spire and the Tidebound Archipelago, so it might get a regular flyover route for migration or messages

Yes, this forest is the most interesting place in Xadia to me, I desperately want to learn more about it

Black Tundra

Yeah this place isn’t ominous

Similar to the Shiverglades, but where that has shrubbery, the Black Tundra has single dead trees and creepy curving spikes. Scorched? Poisoned? De-magicked?

The water north of this area isn’t frozen, and with a lake to the south and a river and a moderate mountain range, the whole area looks like it would otherwise be decently habitable, but instead it’s cold and black

Is climate change a thing here, or will we get a nice horrible disaster instead?

Tidebound Archipelago

These islands have dotted lines around them, like they’re submerged at high tide, or maybe made of shifting sand that literally moves around like sand dunes across a desert, or perhaps they’re exactly at sea level with half their civilization in the air and half underwater or in cool bubbles, or maybe the islands actually float

Maybe the Tidebound elves even sank them on purpose for defensive purposes

The archipelago is about even latitudinally with the Storm Spire Lux Aurea, Berylgarten, and Eboreus so they probably get pretty nice weather

There’s no ice in sight here in any direction along Xadia’s east coast, so presumably the prevailing current is a warm one

do they have bridges connecting the islands? Ferries, animals who give them a lift across?

the islands have quite a bit of space on them. I wonder if there’s a big population, maybe a shifting population? Do Tidebound elves migrate up and down the coast like gray whales and return to the islands for certain holidays or social events?

This is probably the hub of the Tidebound elves’ culture, but the sea surrounds the whole land and infiltrates it with many rivers and lakes. The Spinning Sea and the Frozen Sea are pretty firm Do Not Enter signposts, but a determined Tidebound could get around either one if they wanted to

What I’m not seeing here is a city. Either it’s not been marked yet, or that’s not a thing that Tidebound elves have in their culture. If they don’t have a city, they’re possibly migratory in family groups, or maybe they stick to small villages like the Moonshadows do, but with even less central leadership

#asks #map of xadia #i love maps okay #xadia #andromeda #rayla #runaan #lujanne #moonshadow elves #moonshadow assassins #tdp angst #angst #through the moon spoilers

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lunarthedragon · 4 years

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Demon!Jaskier Part 2

Part 1: here

+++

He had been so many things in his past. So many iterations and forms. So many bodies and lives.

A boy with bones so fragile he needs braces to walk, but who never dies. Never dies. Never dies. His smile bringing joy to his small village.

A girl, deaf, who is shunned by her family but taken in by the sirens that cannot sway her with their songs. She is vengeance on the tide, her hands louder than her tongue.

A man filled with anger - at the world, people, himself - who sets into motion some of the most gruesome wars known to man.

A woman with thunder in her steps, mighty and heroic, wearing armor forged by poor workers and wielding a damaged sword she found lodged in her father’s ribcage.

An elf who slips along the blood-drenched fields, washed with the screams of his people, delivering mercy upon the suffering and as his tears mix with the blood.

So many lives. So many timelines. So many worlds.

Nothing ever looks the same, feels the same, but it is always him-her-they. Returning and returning, wanting to live and learn and grow in a way his brethren refuse to.

He will be better.

+++

Sometimes, when people want to get at Geralt, they choose the cowardly method of going after his bard. They believe him to be an easier target and hope for an easy prize.

Geralt always worries, even though he never says it. Jaskier can feel it, wafting off of him as he charges into the temporary prison and sees the dead bandits-mercenaries-fools already strewn across the ground.

Over the years the Witcher has learned and accepted that Jaskier has a profound talent for getting into trouble, but also getting out of it.

Still he worries.

Even when he knows of Jaskier’s true nature.

A group of bandits abscond with him to their camp, set to bribe the Witcher.

The night has barely fallen when Jaskier runs into Geralt on his way out of the bandit camp, blood smeared over his hands and face, yet his clothes miraculously untouched.

“Are you okay?” Geralt still demands, reeking of concern.

“They tore one of the buttons out of my doublet. How do you think I am doing?” Jaskier grumbles, ignoring the concern, even though it makes him feel all warm inside. Like the shadows are stretching with a brighter sun. Like some of the darkness boils back.

It is a good warm.

He does not need worrying, though. He does not need rescuing. He has been a damsel before, but he has never been in distress.

Still... it can be a little nice... on occasion.

+++

Jaskier tells Geralt some of his own stories.

His words have been prettied and empty for so many years, the occasional story bracketed from when “Jaskier” began and the present.

Now, he tells Geralt anything and everything. Of worlds far beyond his own. Places hidden away unless you know where to look. History long forgotten.

Geralt pretends not to listen, but his awareness is firmly planted on Jaskier when he talks of these things. It appears these stories can even intrigue a grumpy, old Witcher.

“The monsters in your song,” Geralt suddenly cuts in one night when Jaskier is recounting his life as Damalt, a “Wastelander” from far, far away many years ago, where he hunted monsters not unlike a Witcher. “I said they didn’t exist, but...”

The Witcher looked deep in thought and it takes Jaskier a moment to realize he is talking about when they first met. “You were not incorrect,” he assures, smiling, “They do not exist... in this world. Alas, I occasionally get my histories jumbled up when high on adrenaline. Terrible habit, that.”

“It must happen often, then,” Geralt huffs. His pride is wounded. He is meant to be the monster expert, and yet...

“I often call out the wrong name in bed,” Jaskier replies with a shrug.

“That’s hardly terrible,” Geralt’s lips twist and a brow arches.

Jaskier shrugs. “Sure, unless you say it like, ‘G̸͙̅̀Ŕ̸̠̖ḥ̶̀͋h̸̘́K̸̥̇͒̐͛͋͗̏b̶̥͕̠̪͉͛̆ą̶̘͈̟̼̰̟̓̌̀̐T̶̝̠̙̍̽̈́̄̈́C̶̥̫̝͐̄͋́̏̀ḧ̶͍̟̟̠̫̎́̇̈́h̸̬̅́Á̸̬̱͎̗̓̃͂̇͊͠L̴͕̗͛̀̓̔̾̂̈́ͅ.’”

Geralt has leant back as if smacked, his eyes so wide the whites are visible all around his irises, and his mouth is hanging open.

It makes Jaskier laugh for five minutes straight.

+++

He cannot eat salt. It will not kill him, but it causes the closest thing to an allergic reaction in him that he could ever have.

It burns where it touches tongue or skin or organs or bone. He feels it deeper than the flesh, the body, and he writhes, like a black, foaming slug. It makes him screech but no one hears, air running cold until icicles form but no one shivers, a chittering vibration that sets ears bleeding but no one cares.

He cannot eat salt.

+++

The thing in the mansion is ancient. Almost as ancient as him. He can hear it long before the mansion - dilapidated, abandoned, hopeless, taken back by nature - comes into view.

Geralt doesn’t hear it. He keeps walking, looking out for the monster on the contract.

The monster is gone, if it was ever here to begin with. Dead, dead, dead. Like the air and the earth and the sea. Dead but ancient and crawling without moving.

And Geralt doesn’t hear it.

“We shouldn’t go closer,” Jaskier finally says - voice not-quite-right at the edges, like a burning photo - because Geralt knows. Knows what he is. Accepted what he is. It is fine to speak up and protect that which he holds dear. That which he cares for more than he should.

Geralt is looking at him now, confusion in his eyes, and he wishes he could put into words that they need to stay away from that mansion because the thing inside will be the Witcher’s undoing.

He can move on, find a new body, find a new life, but the flesh bodies with the fleshier souls of mortals do not have that privilege. And he quite likes this particular mortal.

“What’s wrong?” Geralt asks, voice low, stepping towards Jaskier as if to protect.

“E̴v̵e̶r̴y̷t̵h̷i̶n̴g̸,” his voice twitches around something too big and forces it back down. “It will kill you. You need to get away.”

“Is it a spirit of some kind?” Geralt asks, his face set in concern. Jaskier offers a nod. “Is it like you?” Jaskier opens his mouth to reply and it rushes out.

“Me but not - screaming where I whisper - the fly in your soup the fly on a corpse - bear trap on your leg gnaw it off gnaw it off - viscera from an eye split in half - war as bloody as birth - ”

Geralt grabs ahold of his arms and drags him away, sprinting in the opposite direction as the mansion, and Jaskier has never sensed fear on the Witcher like he does in that moment.

They don’t return to the town they came from. They never completed the contract. There was no monster to kill.

Instead, in complete silence, they make camp and Jaskier curls up tight to Geralt’s side under a thick fur. If he shakes a little, drained from a battle that never happened, Geralt doesn’t say a word and only holds him closer.

+++

Djinn are an ancient spirit as much as Jaskier is. Not horrors, but rather entities. Embodiments. Powerful and feared and unable to flee from the imprisonments of man.

They hate the things that Jaskier is. Envious of him and his brethren. They are not as ancient as he, but they possess powers long forgotten.

Jaskier should have stopped things sooner. “I can’t sleep,” Geralt had said as he fished for a djinn. Jaskier had seen the problem, seen the issue, knew the outcome, and he should have just stepped in forced a stop.

Instead, he tried to talk Geralt down. Claim a lovely cup of chamomile tea with honey and whiskey would do the trick! Perhaps a back rub to sweeten the deal? Just please get away from the water. Please.

It doesn’t work and the jug in Geralt’s hands sends Jaskier into a panic, shooting out to grab ahold of it and tugging. Geralt doesn’t let go. Just glares at him.

“Seriously, Geralt, you’re being ridiculous! This isn’t going to help you. They’ll trick you and put you to sleep for good, never to rise again. How can you not see--”

The jug opens with a “pop!” The engraved lid in Geralt’s hand, jug in Jaskier's, and he can FEEL the energies around them shift. Compress. Tug and squeeze until it is hard for him to breathe.

“Nothing happened,” Geralt growls to himself, looking around, growing more and more frustrated, but Jaskier’s attention is glued to the surface of the lake. There is a shadow there that hasn’t taken form. Watching without eyes. Laughing without lips.

A djinn’s aura is not a scream or a cry. It is a vibration. A roll of thunder and the long, belting roar of a giant.

They stare at each other, through eyes beyond this plain. Eyes that see each other for what they truly are. Wind is picking up, actual wind, the sky darkening, and with the first bolt of lightning the djinn attacks.

He screeches, unholy and enraged, as claws-talons-teeth, dig into the parts of him that go unseen. Black veins form on his body, growing and growing and growing, hands and eyes pitch black as he lashes back. A piece of him catches on a piece of them, rendering-cutting-ripping, until lightning flashes above like a scream. Like a scar.

Black oozes from his mouth with the next clash, veins surging along his face, his stomach, his legs, everywhere. His hands are grasping without moving - so many hands, too many hands - and he tears the djinn in two, flinging it away, but a bolt of lightning like a blade severs an arm. A leg. There’s a hole in his chest that bleeds black.

He hears a voice, deep and frantic in a way he isn’t used to. Terrified. He’s not meant to be terrified. Not for Jaskier. He...

“Stop!” Geralt yells out, loud as the storm, and time holds still. The djinn is still there, present, hovering, deliberating, before it pulls back and away with a thin smile despite having no lips.

Ah. Geralt has the wishes.

Isn’t that lovely?

“Jaskier,” Geralt says, sounding desperate and too close and Jaskier looks to his side to find he is laying on his back and Geralt is kneeling beside him. He looks horrified, his emotions apparently so sudden and strong he is unable to hold them in.

“Hi,” he says, black blood gurgling out with the word, smiling in such a way his dark eyes crinkle. He doesn’t think it puts Geralt at ease, though, with the way he seems to flicker. Stutter. Then lurch forward like he wants to hold Jaskier but stops himself short.

“You’re... you...” Geralt isn’t one for words, but when he does talk he doesn’t usually stutter. Jaskier doesn’t like this.

“Djinn and demons like me do not get along,” he offers. He feels tight in his skin, too much wanting to leak out. To crack more of his skin and ooze free. Fill the air. Fill the world. Fill everything.

He holds it in, but he can feel more of his body turning dark with more and more veins. The hole in his chest hurts.

“Could you pass me my arm and leg, please?” he asks kindly and, apparently too shocked to argue or question, the Witcher lurches sideways to scoop up the severed limbs. He hands them over and Jaskier takes them gratefully, before setting his arm to the bleeding stump.

It stinks, like rotten eggs, and Geralt’s nose wrinkles up but he doesn’t move away. Jaskier wonders if he’s in shock.

The limb knits back onto his body, slower than usual, but not unexpected for a wound like this. He does the same to his leg, pleased to have all four limbs back, less of himself wanting to leak out. He is still covered in black veins, though, with dark eyes.

Still, he turns to Geralt, who looks lost. He reaches out to lay a hand against Geralt’s cheek, the Witcher flinching but then pressing back into his palm. “See? I am fine. Death means very little to me,” he assures, his voice still full, like he has too many teeth-tongues-throats, but far more normal than it once was.

“You have a hole in your chest,” Geralt says lowly, seeming unable to speak much higher. Jaskier tries to think about what this must be like from Geralt’s perspective. His only friend, a demon of unknown power, changing horrifically and having a fight with an invisible force. Then, being torn apart before his very eyes...

Yes, perhaps this response was a bit more understanding...

“It will heal,” he says, but looks down at the hole, black blood gushing from it still, coating his front and back. He hadn’t gotten that from a bolt of lightning. This was a cursed wound.

Not enough to kill something like him, but enough to be a nuisance.

“I may abandon this body,” he considers aloud, “Find a new host. This will take years to heal.”

“No,” Geralt says suddenly, moving forward and grabbing Jaskier’s shoulders. “No. Tell me how to help. This is my doing--”

“This is not your doing,” Jaskier says, head tilting.

“I should have listened.”

“You should have,” he agrees, “But this is still not your doing.”

“Just...” Geralt looks down and away, avoiding eye contact. Jaskier still tries to catch his gaze anyway. “Tell me what I can do...”

“It is a magical wound,” he begins and brings a hand up to run his knuckles over Geralt’s jaw. It is so close and vulnerable, he can’t help it. “It needs magical treatment so that I might do the rest. I sense a sorceress in Rinde, the next town over. Powerful.”

Geralt looks up, listening intently. His face is set again, under control as it usually is, and his eyes are determined. He nods. “To Rinde,” he says as he stands and carefully urges Jaskier up, too.

There is a sense of vertigo upon standing and the black veins flair, spreading then receding. He feels disoriented, deep to the core. Perhaps the cursed wound was doing more to him than he thought.

“I think...” he begins slowly as Geralt leads him towards Roach, who is far enough away not to be spooked by the fight, but close enough to still be within sight. Geralt has a firm hand on his closest arm and the other arm wrapped around Jaskier’s shoulders, trying to support him.

“I think I need to pass out, now.” And he goes down to the sound of Geralt’s worried exclamation, the world blurring until it is void. It is nothing. It is all.

+++

Definitely gonna make a part 3! Also likely to put them all together, eventually, and put them on Ao3 later! Tell me what y’all think!!

Tagged users that commented on part one: @meody90 @zoeyszone @patrycjami-chan @emthegiantnerd @onelonelyforgottenbiscuit

#the witcher #the witcher netflix #jaskier #geralt #geralt of rivia #geraskier #demon jaskier #nonhuman jaskier #fanfic #part 2

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grailfinders · 4 years

Text

Fate and Phantasms #20: Cú Chulainn (Prototype)

Welcome back to Fate and Phantasms, where we’re bringing every servant in Fate Grand Order to life in D&D 5e! Today we’re building Ireland’s Child of Light (again)! We have three goals for this build:

Rune Magic: Cu needs some magic mojo. Not as much as Cascu, but enough for a little spice.

Warp Spasm: You don’t think of them as anger issues, more like anger solutions.

Hound of Culann: You’re still training the puppies of that dog you killed, which is all the justification I need to give you cool stuff that is barely touched on in-game.

As usual, a spreadsheet for the build can be found here, and an explanation is below the cut!

Race and Background

Since you’re the same person, your background is going to be pretty similar to original flavor Cu (shocker, I know). You are a Fallen Aasimar thanks to your Godfather, giving you +2 Charisma, +1 Strength, 60′ of Darkvision, Necrotic and Radiant resistance, Healing Hands (Touch to give your level in HP), and the Light Cantrip, which uses your Charisma. You’re a Soldier, giving you proficiency in Athletics and Intimidation. We said this the first time around, but while you’re technically a knight in name, you kind of just go around whaling on whoever pisses you off the most, so that background doesn’t really fit you.

Stats

We’re using the standard array for consistency, feel free to roll if you want to, but keep multiclassing in mind. Put Strength first, chucking a spear straight through someone’s rib cage is pretty labor intensive. Then Dexterity; you’re supposed to have a higher dex than your other self, but that would give you an odd strength score, and odd numbers make me sad. Wisdom is next for multiclassing, followed by Intelligence. Chalk the latter up to having less time for drinking. Put your next score in Constitution because we don’t want to dump that, and finally dump Charisma. You’re still a teenager, which means you’re pretty awkward. Don’t worry, you’ll grow out of it. Probably.

Class Levels

1. Ranger 1: As a Revised Ranger you have proficiency in Strength and Dexterity saves as well as three skills from that list. Pick Animal Handling to make raising those puppies easier, and Survival and Perception for hunting prowess.

You get a Favored Enemy, pick beasts because this time it’s not a funny coincidence, you’re actually good at hunting animals. You get a +2 bonus to damage when attacking your favored enemy, and have advantage on checks to track and recall information about beasts. You also learn one extra language, but since beasts don’t have one feel free to pick what you want.

You’re also a Natural Explorer, letting you ignore difficult terrain, have advantage on initiative checks, have advantage on attacks against creatures who have not gone yet, ignore difficult terrain while travelling, avoid getting lost, stay alert while traveling and doing something else at the same time, move stealthily at normal traveling pace while by yourself, gather twice as much food, and track creatures with greater skill.

2. Ranger 2: You get a Fighting Style, grab Defense for the extra AC. You’re clearly wearing armor this time around, which is precisely why monk is out of the question. You also gain Spellcasting, using wisdom as your ability. Grab Hunter’s Mark for more damage and Longstrider for more movement.

3. Ranger 3: You gain a Primeval Awareness, letting you convey simple ideas to animals, figure out their short term needs, and sense your favored enemies within a 5 mile radius. That last part probably isn’t super useful for you, considering 9 times out of 10 the answer is just going to be “there’s a lot of them”.

You also have a Necrotic Shroud, courtesy of being half-god. At this level, you can use your action to transform yourself, forcing every creature within 10′ to make a charisma save vs. a DC of 8 + your proficiency + your Charisma modifier or become frightened until the end of your next turn. This transformation lasts a minute or until you end it, and during it you can deal extra necrotic damage equal to your level once per turn. You can only use this once per long rest.

Third level rangers get a subclass, and your’s is the Beastmaster. You get yourself a wolf pup at this level, which uses your proficiency for its attacks and skills, and also adds that to its damage and AC. It has proficiency in all saves and two skills (for simplicity’s sake I went with what it already has in its stat block, Perception and Stealth), and also receives ability score improvements when you do. It also gains an extra hit die, and the HP increase that comes with it when you level up. In combat the wolf has its own turn, with its actions decided by you. Who needs extra attacks, when you can just have extra characters? You do. Don’t worry, we’re getting both by the end of this.

For your spell this level, grab Cure Wounds in case you have any issues taming your buddy early on.

4. Ranger 4: Use your ASI to improve both your Strength and you wolf’s more more damage and accuracy. I know it’s a bit underwhelming compared to last level, but I’m glad every level doesn’t need that much text.

5. Ranger 5: You and your wolf now have a Coordinated Attack. When you attack and your wolf is nearby, they can use their reaction to attack as well. It doesn’t have to be the same target either, so feel free to divide and conquer.

For your spell this turn, grab Pass Without Trace to make you an even better hunter.

6. Fighter 1: Moving to our next class, fighters get another Fighting Style. Grab Dueling for an extra two damage while using your spear single-handed. You also get a Second Wind, letting you use an bonus action to heal 1d10 + Fighter level HP.

Because Revised Ranger hasn’t been balanced for multiclassing yet, there isn’t a hard and fast rule about whether or not taking other class levels will give your companion more HP. You should have a talk with your DM about it, but since the RAW don’t specify Ranger levels we’re going to say the wolf gets the health. They’d be pretty anemic otherwise.

7. Fighter 2: You gain an action surge, letting you add an extra action to your turn once per short rest. This doesn’t give your wolf another reaction though, so they won’t get another attack with you.

8. Fighter 3: We already have one UA class, so why not two? (Not any more, Rune Knight’s in Tasha’s) Grab Rune Knight as your next subclass. Is it insulting to lump norse mythology and celtic mythology together just because they use runes? Almost definitely. But we needed runes, and here they are. (Also untrue; Scathach taught Cu norse runes. This is surprisingly in character) As a rune knight, you can carve runes into weapons, armor, or handheld objects(once per rune per day) to give them special effects while the object is being carried or worn, and can be invoked by the wearer once per short rest for further benefits. Any saving throws made thanks to runes have a DC of 8 + your proficiency + your Intelligence modifier.

You start with two runes, so grab the Frost and Cloud runes. The former gives advantage on animal handling and intimidation checks while worn, and the wearer can invoke the rune as a bonus action to increase their strength and constitution saves by 2 for 10 minutes. The cloud rune gives advantage to sleight of hand and deception checks, and you can react to invoke the rune when someone within 30′ of you is being attacked, redirecting the attack to someone else within 30′ of you, regardless of the attacks normal range.

Finally, you gain Giant Might, making you a large creature for one minute as a bonus action. This gives you advantage on Strength checks and saves, and you deal an extra 1d6 damage when making a weapon attack once per turn. You can use this a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency modifier.

9. Fighter 4: You get another ASI, use yours to buff your Constitution and your wolf’s to buff their Strength.

10. Ranger 6: You gain a Greater Favored Enemy. Unlike the last one, there isn’t really a best canon pick, so pick whichever of the following suits the campaign better: Aberrations, Celestials, Constructs, Dragons, Elemental, Fiends, or Giants. You get a +4 bonus to damaging the enemy you choose, another language, and you have advantage against saving throws caused by those enemies.

11. Barbarian 1: Because you didn’t have enough super modes yet, you now have the ability to Rage, using a bonus action to get advantage on Strength checks and saves, deal an extra 2 damage with melee attacks, and resist bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. Rages last for one minute, or until you’ve gone a full round without attacking or being attacked.

You also have Unarmored Defense, making your base AC 10 + your dex mod + you con mod. This might not come in handy that much since your armor can hold your runes, but it’s nice to have something to fall back on.

12. Barbarian 2: You might not have Gae Bolg yet, but you can get close to it with a Reckless Attack, giving yourself advantage on attacks now in exchange for enemies having advantage on you until your next turn. You also have Danger Sense, giving you advantage on Dexterity saves caused by effects you can see.

13. Barbarian 3: You become a Totem Warrior and Spirit Seeker, letting you use Beast Sense and Speak with Animals as rituals. You also gain a Wolf Totem, giving allies advantage on attacks when they’re aiming at something within 5′ of you. Now the whole party can get in on the fun you and your wolf buddy have been having this whole time!

14. Barbarian 4: Use this ASI to improve you and your wolf’s Constitution for more health all around.

15. Fighter 5: You gain an Extra Attack (I told you we’d get around to that).

16. Fighter 6: Use another ASI to improve your Intelligence for better runes, and round out your wolf’s Intelligence and Dexterity.

17. Fighter 7: You learn how to make a Runic Shield, letting you use your reaction to force an attacker to reroll their attack if they’re targeting someone within 60′ of you. You can use this a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency modifier.

You also gain a third rune. The Fire rune doubles proficiency on tool checks, and you can invoke this rune on an attack to shackle the target. They must make a Strength save or become restrained, taking 2d6 fire damage at the start of their turns. They can repeat the save at the end of their turn to try and escape.

18. Fighter 8: Use your last ASI to improve your Intelligence for better rune magic, and your wolf’s Constitution for more health.

19. Barbarian 5: You get an Extra Attack, which is worthless to you, and Fast Movement, adding 10′ to your speed as long as you aren’t wearing heavy armor.

20. Barbarian 6: Use your final level to gain an Elk Aspect, doubling your travel speed.

Pros: Having two bodies on the field is pretty useful, not only is your wolf an extra two attacks per turn, it can also be a help action, or running away with an enemy wizard’s spellbook while you fight them. You’re also pretty good as a noncombat support role, giving your runes to other party members to improve their strengths. I mean, doubling the thieves’ tools proficiency of a rogue who probably already doubled it on their own? Nice. Finally, you have a pretty strong super mode available. All your transformations stack, so you can be a large, scary monster that can deal an extra 1d6+24 damage per turn, with a bunch of resistances to make things harder for your enemies.

Cons: If you can’t talk your DM into fudging the rules even further than UA already takes it, your wolf is going to be pretty anemic. You also don’t have much in the way of magical or ranged attacks, so magic enemies will probably give you plenty of trouble. Using your full Warp Spasm is also going to take a while. You need two bonus actions and a normal action, meaning you’re going to waste a full turn beefing yourself up before you can even use it. Finally, your turn is going to be super crowded. You have bonus action transformations, reaction runes and defense buffs to worry about, and an entire other turn and character to work with too. I guess you should enjoy burning the candle at both ends while you’re young enough to do so.

#fgo #fate grand order #dnd #cu chulainn prototype #Fate and Phantasms

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