#maybe homelander recognizes these traits in himself

[pavloathe]

thinking about butcher's weird relationship with nicknames. people that hold a particularly special place in his life get first named; becca, lenny, hughie, ryan.

then there are the others; kessler, starlight, MM, etc... and himself. we specifically see this with his hallucinations of becca & kessler. i notice becca refers to him almost exclusively as billy, while kessler refers to him as butcher. to me, this reads as billy separating the different sides of himself. "billy" is his perception of his own goodness, while "butcher" is everything else.

and then that train of thought gets me thinking on how homelander is really one of the only people to refer to him as 'william butcher.' he sees his depravity and his humanity all in one, he sees the ways his trauma has shaped him and still recognizes his inherently human nature. he might be one of the only people on earth who really sees him for how he is.

[useless-catalanfacts]

HI! Love your blog a lot!!💛❤️

I have a peculiar rant to make!

There are many motorsport events happening in Barcelona during the year, and they are often called "Spanish Grand Prix", and they are portrayed as the "home races" of people usually from other parts of Spain (most times these people are rich blokes from Madrid with links to Vox). I'm not Catalan, but that makes me so mad. It's once again the erasure of an entire history and culture. English-speaking media don't even make an effort to understand where they are, they are just happy to call it Spain and wonder why they're playing two anthems before the actual races.

But anyway, visca Catalunya i bona diada dels Països Catalans!

Thank you very much!

Yes, I completely agree with you that it's annoying. It's a way for the Spanish state (and every other state, because this happens to other occupied nations as well) to use the sports for propaganda and to cement the association "Catalonia=Spain" in the minds of everyone from around the world who's watching.

If I may, I will answer to your rant with another rant of my own. In general, most sports tend to be very state-centered. For example, for most sports you can't be a professional athlete unless you sign up for a specific state to represent it, wear its flag on your clothes while you compete, play their anthem if you win, the teams must be organized according to people who come from the same state, etc. And if you don't have one, then, bad luck, you either do it for the state that occupies your homeland or you don't get to become a professional sportsperson at all. But even if you have your own independent country that you identify with, still... why so much focus on it? Why is where these people come from so important that it becomes even more important that the person? Imagine if people did this with any other aspect of the athlete's background or identities: "Twilight fans won 5 gold medals this year, and Marvel fans went down to only 3". Or imagine if we did it by sexual orientation, conservatives would be so mad saying "why do you have to wave it in everyone's faces!?". All of those would be ridiculous, so why isn't this strong focus on what state they come from also ridiculous? It would seem more logical to focus on person, school/trainer, or teams that they could choose according to how they view the sport or how they think training works better or work better together. But we seem to just accept that the state (not even culture or nation, just a geographical-political administration unit) is the most defining trait.

That's why I personally never liked the Olympic games or world cups, it feels like it's more about nationalism than about sports. I used to follow them when I was young but I always felt like the gymnasts themselves weren't recognized enough because all the media was focused on "how many people from our country won", or "this sport was won by [country]". And Spanish media does this a lot, to the point that I think they are disrespectful to the sportsperson. Why do all Spanish people have to feel proud or like they won the games because someone from their state achieved something, but not when someone from another state did the same, even when someone from a state might be geographically closer to some parts of their neighbour state than other parts of their own? It's not like the random citizen who is supposed to feel like he himself won the games did, maybe he spent the whole competition eating chips at the sofa (that's me btw). It just never made sense to me. And even less for team achievements like F1 or MotoGP, where they play the anthem of the state that the pilot is a citizen of, but so much of that victory is owed to the rest of the team who worked on making and improving the car/motorbike, so it's a team effort but the anthem of the state of only one of them is chosen to be given the victory to. It makes no sense!

And if you're hosting on a city, it's the same. What does a state's anthem even have to do with an F1 racing? Why is it even there? Show the city and the area around it if you must show something, after all that's the people whose taxes are going to pay for that sport and whose lives are going to be inconvenienced by it.

Because that's another thing, events like the F1 race inside Barcelona (not on the actual track, when they made them fake-race on the street Passeig de Gràcia, afaik they were not even actually racing because the velocity limit was too low), the America Cup, etc contribute so much to worsening the worst problems of the city (touristic massification, gentrification, poverty, and pollution). For the America Cup, the neighbours of the Barceloneta quarter have to use cards that identify them as residents to be allowed in their own neighbourhood because that whole neighbourhood has been kidnapped by the America Cup people. And the F1 fake race thing in one of the busiest avenues of the city was very annoying to the citizens, too. It meant cutting a significant amount of the city's traffic, including public buses, and collapsing part of the metro system as a result. Some of my co-workers had difficulties arriving to our workplace that day because of it. Just so that cars can show off inside the city and pollute it, skipping the city's laws that aim to reduce air pollution by banning people whose cars pollute more than a certain amount (which in practise means old cars, the ones that poorer people are more likely to have). We can't use our cars in the city unless we can afford a green model, but they can cut off a whole avenue in the very centre of the city, asphalt it new just for them, and race there when they already have a track made for them to race in.

It's all part of the capitalist obsession with uncontrolled growth, they want everything to happen here for more and more people to come. Not just with sports events, but anything that will be used as an advertising for the city. Like the Louis Vuitton catwalk that was happening this month in Park Güell (a UNESCO World Heritage Site btw) and which damaged part of the architecture. Until now, the hotel lobby was the main promoter of many of these events because they wanted more tourists, but even the hotel owners are now saying that this has gone too far and the tourism monoculture model has become absolutely unsustainable and is ruining the city.

Don't get me wrong, sports are important and we need to support them and promote people practise sports, and it's good for entertainment purposes and we have to support people having fun (that's what life's about!). But the model that professional competitive sports use needs to be completely rethinked. I think every city that has gone through the devastating experience of hosting Olympic Games will agree with this.

Anyway, that's just my opinion and what you pointed out is definitely more offensive, but when I stop to think of it I can't but see how it's all.... not great. Sorry for getting out of topic but I have been personally very annoyed by these sports and fashion events this month.

Thank you for your message and your understanding, I read it on the Sant Joan but I'm answering late. I hope you had a good diada dels Països Catalans and that you're having a great beginning of summer 🌞

[kanohivolitakk]

Have you done Krekka for the ask game? I know you're a huge Nidhiki fan, curious if you have any thoughts on his partner?

I haven't gotten Krekka yet actually. So far I only done Toa Ignika and Axonn for the Bionicle ask game (which Im still accepting). That being said great choice. Krekka isn't necessarily a big favorite of mine (partially because I'm not that fond of the "dumb brute" archetype barring a few exceptions), but I have to admit I do have a soft spot for the big guy. Krekka is a relatively simple character when it comes to characterization/backstory/role in the story (especially when compared to Nidhiki), but that doesn't mean I don't have any "deeper" thoughts regarding him or that there isnt stuff worth discussing.

Anyways some thoughts/headcanons/general musings:

This is a weird thing to start with but... Krekka is kinda adorable for me. I think its kinda this ...overgrown puppy (bulldog??) vibe due to his loyalty and dumbness. I admit BOADH is a big reason for me feeling this way since it gave him a few moments that made me go "AWWW he's so cute". Just..love his loyalty so much.

His undying loyalty makes him stand out for me across the other dark hunters. While many dark hunters we ha e are opportunistic and schemy, Krekka is just...very loyal. Maybe too much so. But I love that he is loyal. Feels refreshing tbh.

And now I cant help but feel that TSO is just "guys stupid but at least he wont double cross me and is easy to keep in check" when it comes to him.

Not to go woobifying villains but I genuinely dont think the guys that bad. Hes just really stupid, overly loyal and doing his job. Its kinda like w Lariska being a decent person despite being a knife happy murder girl although to a much lesser extent since guys a literalminded fool and also just smashy boy.

I do like his backstory of being a former guard who lost his job and started wreck havoc until one day a dark hunter found and hired him. It isnt anything too complex but it works well for his character and explains why he is so loyal to Dark Hunters. It also helps bringing a bit more light to his homeland and I love when we get more info of places through character backstories, makes the world feel more real that way.

Also can Gorast please stop hurting charaxters I like. This is the reason shes my least favorite character in the 2001-2008 storyline that isnt just a glorified extra or a plot device.

When it comes to Krekka, one scene I always think of when I think of him is in BOADH where he temporarily forgot to fly and Nidhiki was just "WAIT A MOMENT LARISKA TOLD ME YOU CAN FLY????" and Krekka just goes "whoops I forgot". That was adorable honestly. You dumb idiot, forgot you could fly.

Also, I know he's kinda "the idiot character", and while I am NOT saying he isn't, I do think its worth pointing out that he's basically literal minded. In BOADH (again) when Nidhiki tried to do that training scenario Krekka basically was like "wait I’m here, there’s nothing there why should I move there". This is

Another thing I really like about Krekka is that how, despite being an absolute idiot and tool, he still is willing to sometimes not take Nidhikis bullshit, see preventing him from getting the Zamor launchers (geez BOADH did a lot for this guys characterization lmao)

I sometimes call him truck boy because his name is one letter off my languages word for truck.

Also unless canon/word of Greg says otherwise I don't think every member of his species is as stupid as him. Like possibly on similar level but still.

It is made pretty clear that Nidhiki couldn't stand Krekka at all, but I do genuinely wonder how Krekka feels about Nidhiki. Based on the little we have I'd say he liked him to some extent or at the very least, didn't hate him to the same degree. I also have to wonder how aware he was about Nidhikis haterd towards him.

I also love the idea that when Nidhiki was mutated, Krekka just...wasnt afraid of him at slightest, no fear in this dumb boy. (I also like the idea he didnt recognize him at first and Nidhiki just, had to explain to his thick skull who he was. It took a while but eventually he got it.)

On a related note, I find it interesting how the LOMN website describes him working with Nidhiki because guy knows where to get the good jobs or something rather than being his goverment (read TSO) assigned partner The way the twos relationship were described makes it feel that by this point the staff hadnt figured out what they wanted to do with Dark Hunters , or if it even was an organization or just these two tools.

Its really interesting for me how Krekkas characterization not only varies between the books/comics (where hes more intimidating and him being a simpleton isnt as pronounced) and the movie (where hes more of a dumbass) but also how his characterization evolved. Like, his loyalty wasn't that pronounced trait but now I feel its just as important part of him as him being a dumbass (which is to say, very interesting)

I remember how the aftoermentoined Metru Nui movie website described that Krekka hated toa to the point wouldve hunted them for free if Nidhiki didnt make sure the two would get paid. I feel this is somewhat early installment weirdness as it isnt mentioned anywhere else but at the same time Krekka being willing to fight without payment sounds 1000% in character if you ask me

Something I have been confused over: when exactly was Krekka recruited to the dark hunters??? The timeline is very vague about this and I wish we knew.

It's been AGES since I watched my home countrys dub of LOMN but what I recall I really liked Krekka's voice in that dub. He sounded more badass and I loved it, the VA had a pretty unique sound. Sadly dont think there is any clips of the LOMN dub, which is a shame. UPDATE: I rewatched the dub and I love the voice itself but felt the voice direction made him sound kinda inconsistent

This is more a "Nidhiki and Krekka related thought" rather than just Krekka related but one thing I really like about Krekka and Nidhiki is that how they are like a more serious and competent take of "those two evil henchmen with contrasting personalities" trope. Often these types of villains are rather goofy, but these two could be rather dangerous as well and I really like that. I also like their dynamic of just doing Nidhiki being done with Krekkas bullshit. One of the main reasons I wish LOMN was a miniseries rather than a movie is because I really wanted more screentime with the two.

On a related note can I JUST SAY I LOVE the way the two compliment/pararell each other. From design (Krekka being bulky mostly blue colored, Nidhiki being slender and monstrous, mostly green colored) to personality (Krekka being foolish and simpleminded but loyal Nidhiki being cunning and ambitious but treacherous) to powersets (Krekka being strong physical attacker, Nidhiki being weaker(??) but faster and more special attacker).Heck, even their backstories have similarities as they both lost their orginal purpose in one way or another and didnt have anywhere to go but Dark Hunters (the main difference being that Nidhiki inflicted his fate upon himself by betraying the toa while Krekka didnt really do anything iirc)

Now for something crossovery, Krekkas and Nidhikis dynamic reminds me a lot of Kronk and Yzma from Emperors New Groove. Yes I have drawn a parody of the "pull the lever kronk" meme, yes I intend to make more screencap redraws. They also remind me a lot of Mummymon and Archenemon from Digimon 02, partially due to the dynamic (smug spider that tries to be cunning and intimidating but gets outclassed by most other villains in that + loyal blue dumb boy) partially due to their ultimate fate being rather similar.

I don't know how familiar you are with the franchise, but Krekka reminds me a fair bit of Gamel, one of the four villain generals in Kamen Rider OOOs, mainly because "the dumb brute major villain that's kinda cuteish and loyal a f while everyone else is an asshole".

I remember reading a p good oneshot fic that was just him accidentally killing a civilian when all he wanted was a hug and...honestly that is p much what I imagine him being like. Guy may be strong, reckless and a fool but like I said I dont think hes all that bad and just a puppy. An overgrown, moronic puppy but a puppy nontheless

For AUs, I remember I have thought once of "What if Krekka survived but Nidhiki died" and just ...guy wouldve been very lost and confused and unsure what to do tbh. He would most likely returned to Dark Hunters but Mata Nui knows how say TSO wouldve felt about that. Its not too complex au yet but I am thinking of developing it further one day.

Thank you for asking.

Sorry this took longer than expected. I had too many thoughts and half of them were deleted so. I hope its worth the wait tho. I do have a lot of Krekka thoughts and tbh wasnt sure if I was even able to get them all here.

(I am still doing the ask game so if anyone wants to send me a bonkle I will try to give thoughts, meta and headcanons on them)

[hela-avenger]

poison & wine- part 1

Author: hela-avenger

Word Count: 1470

Summary: Prince Loki of Asgard is in need of a date to take back home. That’s where you come in with a task of your own to make the whole trip with an insufferable prince worth it. Too bad that things don’t always go as planned and you end up giving more than you can take. Fake-Dating AU.

A/N: Let me know if you’ll like to be tagged! This series will probably be a long one!

Hela-Avenger Masterlist

You must have looked like a fool. Smiling up at the sky with eyes closed basking in the warmth that the sun provided. You hear the clicking of the shade being moved and scowl as the sunshine on your face disappears. You pout and turn to Wanda who’s offering you a smile in return. 

“If you keep showing your face it won’t be long till someone recognizes us,” Wanda warns her as she fixed her sunhat. “Then we’ll really get in trouble.” 

“Yeah, like she said,” Natasha mutters as she hid behind a pair of sunglasses. “Anonymity is key.” 

“It’s a nice day out,” you remind them. “And for once you’re not on a mission. If you guys didn’t want to leave the compound then why are we even here.” 

“Two words,” Natasha states. “Bottomless mimosas.” 

You laugh in response knowing she had a point. 

Brunch was something the three of you enjoyed and something you insisted on doing in the city whenever you came to visit. Tony tried to change your mind saying he could provide everything in the compound and do it better but you persisted. You knew he was worried about the media and potential threats that could find you by leaving the safety of the compound but nothing has happened yet and nothing was going to happen. 

“Alright, now that that’s settled, can we finally talk about the elephant in the room already?” Wanda asks turning to Nat in question. 

“What elephant?” you ask. “What happened?” 

Natasha just offers a quirk of a smile on her lips and sips her mimosa slowly. 

“A certain god in the compound was trying to talk me into being his date for this Asgardian visit,” Natasha responds with a shrug. 

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” you comment. “And why would you say no to Thor? I thought you guys were friends.” 

“We are,” Natasha answers. “But he wasn’t the one who asked.” 

“Oh,” you whisper in realization. “It was Loki…” 

“Yes,” Natasha chuckles before turning to Wanda. “I don’t know how this one knows though. It was all hush-hush.” 

Wanda simply grins at the accusation. 

“It’s because he asked me first,” Wanda explains. “But Steve overheard his request and he was quick to tell him that I was needed here so I told him to ask you instead.”

Natasha shakes her head at hearing this, “He wasn’t surprised when I said no. Our history isn’t the best.”  

“He must be pretty desperate then,” you state. 

“He is,” Natasha agrees. “I don’t know why though. He’s gone back home before without caring about bringing a companion but now he suddenly needs one. It doesn’t make much sense.” 

“Wait this trip is to Asgard?” you ask interested now. “All expenses paid, free stay at the royal home in the realm of the Norse Gods...and you guys said no?” 

“It’s not worth going with the most despised god in the world.” 

You nod knowing she had a point but you couldn’t help but overlook that detail.

Asgard was a place you longed to visit. It held answers to the questions you’ve been holding on for so long in your life. This was your chance to liberate yourself from them. This may be your only chance.

“Earth to Y/N,” Wanda sings out. “Earth to…” 

“Sorry guys,” you answer as you shake yourself out of your thoughts. “Got caught up thinking.” 

“Thinking about what?” 

“About Loki’s request,” you answer. “He can’t be that bad, right?” 

“Have you even met him?” Natasha asks him. “Man reminds everyone he’s a God and that us mortals will never compare to all that he is. He also hasn’t apologized for New York and on top of all that, he’s just an overall ass to everybody.” 

“Yeah… that sounds pretty bad,” you mutter. “I’ve only met the guy a handful of times whenever I come around and we’ve never been on a mission before so I guess I don’t have the same experience you guys do.”

“He destroyed New York,” Natasha reminded you.

“I wasn’t here for that,” you shrug earning a glare in response. “Don’t worry, I get it. I completely get it. Loki = Bad Guy.” 

Natasha nods and changes the topic of conversation no longer wanting to give any more time or thought to the God of Lies. Unlike her, you weren’t unable to stop your mind from lingering on him. The equation still calculating in your mind but with a different result every time. 

Loki = Asgard. 

The return to the compound was as warm as the sun that had been shining on you all day. Your two closest friends besides the girls were hanging out in the living area waiting for your return. 

It had been a long time since you’ve come by for a visit. You didn’t tend to stay long not allowing them to get to close to you. You didn’t enjoy attachment especially not in this line of work.

“Hello you two,” you greet as you made your way in. “Is good to be back.”

“How long you staying, kid?” Tony asks with a knowing grin. You rolled your eyes at the nickname but let go of arguing against it. 

“Yet to be determined,” you answer.

“Well your room’s made up either way,” Tony states. “Stay as long as you like.”  

“Cool,” you whisper as you take a seat on the couch. Tony was serving himself a drink while Steve set his book aside to focus on you.  

“What have you been up to?” Steve asks as you make yourself comfortable. 

“Just the usual, traveling.” 

“Where to?” 

“Backpacking through Europe,” you mutter. “Not much has changed since the last time I was there.” 

“Where to next?” 

“Probably a trip to Asia next or maybe Australia,” you answer trying to sound excited. “Has yet to be decided.” 

“Getting bored already?” Tony jokes. 

Honestly, you were but you couldn’t tell him that. He would try to convince you to stay and start a new chapter of your life with them but you were not ready for that. You loved them. You really did. But staying was not a trait you held and he knew that. 

“No, not yet. In fact, I have made up my mind on my next adventure,” you assure him. “New cultures, new horizons, new… everything.” 

“And where is that?” Steve asks. “I thought you’ve been everywhere.” 

“I have which is why it’s time to expand those limiting horizons.” 

Tony and Steve share a look wondering what you could possibly be talking about but you don’t offer much of an explanation. You simply squeeze Steve’s shoulder and take your leave knowing you had a certain god to speak to.

Tony had set the Asgardian Gods aside in their own building seeing as their travels to their homeland and back kept ruining the landscape he so nicely paid for. You take your time entering the living area knowing that sudden entrances tended to startle the gods into action. You had never been a part of such an occasion but Tony and Steve had enough to say about it. 

“Anyone home?”

You can’t help but look around as you wait for a response. It didn’t look much different than the guest rooms you usually stay in when you decide to pop by but it was personalized. You took notice of the artwork and books that were not of the world you know. They were beautiful and you wish you could understand the inscriptions on them. 

“Don’t touch that.” 

You jump at the sudden voice and you can’t help but grow still in embarrassment. You hadn’t realized your right hand had been reaching to touch one of the many beautiful books on the shelf. 

“Sorry,” you apologize turning around to face him. “Got curious.” 

“Well, don’t.” 

You can’t help but chuckle starting to realize that maybe Natasha had a point. The younger prince was certainly a bit prickly but not enough to scare you away. 

“What are you doing here?” he asks as he scowled down at you. “No one invited you in.” 

“I knocked,” you pointed out. “No one answered.” 

“That’s because I was trying to avoid this,” Loki answers his scowl deepening. “Whatever this is…” 

You ignore his abrasive behavior and decide to rip off the band-aid already. There was no point in pushing this off. The more you interact with him, the more you were starting to believe that this might actually be a bad idea. 

“Look, I just… I heard you were looking for some kind of date to take to Asgard,” you state. “And I’m in. I’ll do it.” 

Loki’s scowl fades away as he narrows his eyes at you questioningly. He seemed to be considering it before he opened his mouth to speak.

“Who the hell are you?”

 Loki Tag:  @unicorniorosacomefrutillas​ @thesilentbluesparrow​ @oddly-drawn-muse​ @josiehosiedaninja​ @hp-hogwartsexpress​

All Works Tag: @not-zari-tak @jmb959​ @astudyoftimeywimeystuff​ @hellocookiecutter​  @steve-rogers-personal-hell​ @buckybarnesyard​

[threadofdestiny]

The opportunities we may take

(The picture was a comission i ordered from a friend. Check her out -> Fantasiamin_art on instagram)

Sinbad x OC

Soulmate AU

Part 9

Oh, beloved Sindria

---Kingdom of Sindria, Harbor---

Salome looked attentively over the sandstone-colored harbor as the ship was maneuvered under the hole in the cliffs, that surrounds the whole island. Unlike in Dalmasca, however, the interior of the island did not seem to end in another valley, but in the form of an ascending mountain on which a huge city was built. Above at the top of said mountain, the castle of Sindria was majestically enthroned, which she had already seen from the sea from afar. Several houses standing close to each other were spread out on the slope of the hill and it seemed that many buildings had already added more floors to accommodate the increasing population.

With a racing heart, Salome leaned against the railing and tried to grasp all the details at once, but no matter where she looked, it seemed like she was discovering a new and interesting facet every time. On the left and right of the banks, some fields stretched in the distance, which were cultivated by hardworking farmers. With the king's huge ship, they crossed paths with fishermen who drove their small boats back ashore and smaller ships on which the navy conducted their patrols. Beaming with joy, people stopped their tasks to wave when they recognized the king's Vessel, which was sailing past them. Sinbad, who stood next to her, returned the gesture of his subjects and smiled contentedly. He was completely in his element as he stood there with a proudly swollen chest against the wood of his ship and looked down at the people who were cheering him on. There was a lot of activity on the docks. People who were doing their daily work, freighting goods or checking the logistics could be seen on every corner.

Even before the ship had begun to enter the harbor, fanfares sounded from afar, which made the people aware that their king had returned.

Guardsmen in the colors of Sindria lined up on the widest of the stone-build jetties, keeping the curious and delighted in habitants of the island at a distance as the ship slowly docked. The people cheered with bliss and waved to their king to euphorically welcome him. Yamraiha, Masrur, Ja'far and Sharrkan gathered around Sinbad, who was still smiling next to Salome. With heads raised high, they smiled down at the people at the harbor as they flanked their king and remained silent. With a hint of awe, Salome's attention went to Sinbad again, hoping to see what made people love this man with every fiber of their souls. At the sight of his soft look and the joyful inhabitants of Sindria, her heart contracted painfully for a brief moment. That was what this man had worked for all these years. Here in front of her the perfect proof unfolded that the Rukh had been right. He had built this place with the help of his companions to create a place where people could live in peace. It was fascinating how various the traits of the different people who resided on the island looked like, a clear proof that this country has become a new home for all these people, no matter where they originally come from.

So many rukh fluttered around Sinbad and these lands as she had only known from Solomon's temple before. It was a sight that calmed her immensely as it was one of the few things that made her feel more familiar in this unknown situation. With a mild smile on her lips, Salome watched the little golden birds gather around her frame to greet her warmly. Excitedly they circled the young woman's body before changing their trajectory to fly around the man next to her as well. Sinbad's and Salome's eyes met as she watched some of the rukh fly past his face and she was surprised to find that his attention had already been on her. Several seconds they looked at each other, without saying a word. Uncomfortably touched by the attention, Salome tried to take a few steps back, knowing that an unbelievable number of people could watch the two of them look deep into each other's eyes for a few moments. Before the young woman could slide between Masrur and Ja'far, Sinbad's hand shot out to stop her.

"Stay by my side, please.", he asked gently, placing his hand on her back, turning her around to the crowds and pointing forward.

"I would like to introduce the rest of my generals to you right away!" Added Sinbad after he also turned back to the front. He didn't seem to care that half of Sindria could see how familiar they were with each other, despite the fact that they had only known each other for a few days. While some dockers started to place the plank to let the people off the ship, four imposing people lined up in the middle of the square to greet their king with a salute.

Sinbad had already told her about his remaining generals a few days ago, so it was easy for her to distinguish them from one another without having seen them beforehand. Just as Sinbad had said, one of them was a huge blue-haired man with a headband in his hair. He also wore blue clothes that reminded her of the attire of the northern tribalmembers. Judging by his looks, this had to be Hinahoho from the cold north. Beside him was an equally tall man who looked more like a lizard or a dragon than a human. Immediately Salome thought of her brother and remembered what Malik had explained to her about assimilation. Drakon, Sinbad had called him with a certain warmth in his voice a few days ago. According to the King's statement, this man was one of his oldest friends and came from the same homeland as himself. A young, blonde girl sat on the shoulders of the dragon-man, who jumped down gracefully, before standing up in front of them. In addition to the two people described above, she looked almost like a small child. Salome was certain that this had to be Pisti, the youngest daughter of the Queen of Artemyra and also the youngest member of the generals. Despite the imposing shapes of the other three members, the last of the eight generals actually fascinated her the most. It was a red-haired young man, probably under 20, with red chin-length hair, whose bangs covered one of his eyes. But it was his appearance that captivated her so much, because he was wrapped in silver armor, the high-quality metal of which she knew was only mined in a certain place. Involuntarily, Salome's fingers wandered to the eight-pointed amulet, which was resting openly on her chest. The metal from which the piece of jewelry was made also came from that place and so it was of course not the first time that she saw a knight from Sasan. As withdrawn as the people of Sasan were, they had cultivated an intimate friendship with Dalmasca long before she even saw the light of day for the first time. Because of their two strong religious foundations, both cultures have always met each other with the greatest respect in the past and had shared their knowledge and goods to a certain extent. It was said that long ago, they have shared the same beliefs, maybe even shared the same roots but over time both cultures evolved individually. Salome had been very young when she first caught sight of the Knight King, Darius Leoxes, when he was negotiating with the high priests about their continuing friendship. This young man reminded Salome of the king of Sasan and she was dismayed to find that the knight's sight made her feel a little wistful, but she tried not to show it.

"The knight from Sasan ... Spartos was his name, right?" Asked the young woman and looked at Sinbad questioningly. The latter nodded and cocked his head before answering: "Yes, that's right. Why do you ask?"

"Just because... it's a little strange to see an emissary from Sasan. I met the last one a few years ago. Knowing how long it has actually been... Well!", Salome explained carefully, shrugging helplessly.

It felt strange to leave the ship next to the king, while Salome felt several looks at Sinbad and herself. She couldn't help but hear the whispers of people speculating who the young woman was at their king's side. Some claimed that she had to be a princess from a distant country who would now serve as another vassal under their king. Others laughed at it and reminded their interlocutors that Sinbad was a womanizer and that she was probably just one of his affairs. Maybe she was the newest member of his harem? But only she, Sinbad, his generals and her brother knew that none of this was true. She herself didn't know what exactly to do next to him, only that time would reveal it at some point. Nevertheless, the speculations made her extremely uncomfortable and it did not help that Sinbad led her to his other generals, as if it were natural that his hand should rest on her shoulder blades. Suddenly the gesture felt incredibly intimate, despite the fact that he had done this very often in the past few days and she had never minded it before. On the contrary, she had often initiated physical contact by putting a hand on his arm, or something similar. But she had to keep in mind that this man was a king and not a long lost friend whom she had finally found again. If she took it seriously, they didn't even know each other well enough, and yet the connection they shared suggested that it doesn't matter at all. The incredulous looks with which the unknown generals looked at her made Salome feel even more insecure. It was like they were facing a ghost, and even if she could understand their reactions, it didn't make her situation any easier. Shyly, she raised her eyes and slowly let them roam over each individual, being careful not to look the Sasan knight in the eye, knowing that this would violate Sasan's rites, her being a woman and all. Drakon, the man who looked like a lizard, was the first to catch himself and let his gaze wander to Sinbad, step in front of him and then fell into a low bow.

"Welcome, my king! We are glad that you came back safely!" He announced, breaking the silence with a surprisingly cultivated voice.

"Ah, Drakon! My friends! It's nice to be home again. I hope there wasn't too much of a problem in my absence?" Sinbad greeted his friends and slapped Drakon on the shoulder with a brotherly clap. A mild smile spread on the dragon-man's features before he shook his head and cleared his throat: "Not in the least, my king!" Drakon replied calmly before his eyes shifted discreetly to Salome. Nodding contentedly, Sinbad followed the man's gaze as his hand moved from her shoulder blades to her upper arm to pull her a little closer to his side. Clearing his throat as well, Sinbad pointed with his free hand at the young woman, who looked up at Drakon with wide eyes. "May I introduce you to Salome and her brother Malik? Salome, Malik, that is Drakon, Hinahoho, Pisti and Spartos.", the king introduced the two parties to each other as if they weren't being watched by countless people. Malik had stood behind Salome on the left and bowed his head respectfully, while Salome gave a slight curtsy and lowered her head in greeting.

"I-It is a pleasure to finally meet you!", Salome appreciated formerly as she smiled shyly at his remaining generals.

It was Pisti who moved next and looked at Salome with wide eyes. "Wow, you look the same as in the moving pictures of this blue thingy!" The young girl said in surprise as she looked up at the young woman. The young general approached Salome without shame and reached out to poke her arm on which Sinbad's hand rested.

"Looks like you're real this time, eh? But you don't look older at all." Pisti stated grinning before her eyes swung to Salome's brother. Pisti's expression slowly changed from curious to excited as she examined the man closely. Before anyone could react, the young girl started and jumped towards Malik. "Oh my God! Are those things on your back, wings? Can you fly with them? I love to fly! I want wings too! Are they real?", the girl squeaked and tried to grab Malik's wings, who took a lunge to the side and skilfully avoided her.

"Oi, stop that!" Malik grumbled, while he dodged her again before suddenly an arm wrapped around Pistis middle, as she was jerked over Hinahoho's shoulder, to stop her shenanigans.

"Let me down, Hina!" The girl whined as she kicked her legs and drummed her little fists on the back of his thick neck. The tall man didn't seem to be impressed, however, and gave the two newcomers a warm smile as he rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss Salome, Mr. Malik," he nodded before turning to Sinbad, who watched this scene with a fond expression on his face."My king there are carriages ready. How about moving this conversation to the castle?" "Ah, yes perfect. Come on, Salome, you're driving with me. The faster we are in the castle, the faster I can show you around." Sinbad replied enthusiastically and started to pull Salome to the carriages. Reluctantly, she glanced at Malik, who shrugged unobtrusively before she turned back to the king.

"Shouldn't Malik and I first see to find a place in an inn?" Asked the young woman uncertainly, almost tripping over her own feet when Sinbad suddenly stopped. Confused, he lowered his head towards the young woman and raised his eyebrows.

"An inn? How so?"

She let her gaze wander around nervously, to find that the generals looked curiously at her, as well. Clearing her throat, she shrugged helplessly and looked again at her brother, who stood silently beside her and crossed his arms over his chest. Well, he was not a great help at all.

"We need a place to stay, don't we?"

She was surprised to find that Sinbad's hand on her upper arm stiffened somewhat before he reluctantly releasing it, only to reach for her hand and smile at her brightly. "Of course you and your brother will live with me and the generals in the castle.", he replied matter of factually. Speechless, Salome raised her hand to her lips and started to shake her head in denial. "But ... we can't accept that!"

Sinbad, however, also shook his head: "I insist!", he replied before heading back towards the carriages, pulling Salome behind him and turning to Ja'far, who was following them: "Ja'far, as soon as we are back in the castle, I want you to have the two best available rooms in the Purple Leo Tower prepared." Salome watched uncertainly as surprise appeared on most of the faces of the generals. Ja'far, however, just nodded and seemed to be planning what he'll need to do, when they finally arrived at the castle.

.

.

.

The whole trip to the castle, Salome had looked out of the window curiously in order to get even more impressions of Sindria, ignoring the feeling to cause inconvenience. If she hadn't been so tired from the adventurous journey, she would have asked to explore the streets of Sindria on foot. This was something Sinbad had probably been able to read from her facial expression, because he had offered her in the middle of the trip that he would like to take her on a tour around his city within the next few days. He told her about the bazaar and the different districts as he went through the places he wanted to show her first. It was nice to see how enthusiastic this man was when it came to the country he ruled.

Sinbad and his generals had withdrew for the time being after showing Malik and her which rooms they would move into. They had planned to hold a short meeting to bring each other up to date, so she had been told that she should rest a little until dinner was ready. She would be picked up, the maid had promised, but the longer Salome had stayed in her pompous chambers, the more uneasy the silence had made her until she had finally fled out of her new room. In search of a place to get some fresh air, she had started walking back to the guards, who had been posted at the ground of the tower to ask for an exit. Relieved that she was given further help, she followed the man's descriptions and luckily found herself now at the entrance to one of the gardens. Taking a deep breath, Salome took slowly one step after another until her sandailed feet touched the grass. In silence, she let her surroundings take hold of her by letting her gaze wander over the flora of the small garden. The various flowers, bushes and trees were adapted to the somewhat warmer climate of Sindria, but she recognized some plants that she had also grown in Dalmasca. With a slightly calmer breathing, she strolled past the bushes and flower beds, running her fingers over the taller plants, to let them tickle the flesh of her tips. A bit further away, under one of the tall trees stood a big rock that seemed to be a memorial stone on closer inspection. It was standing on a paved surface that had been covered with various colorful plants, to decorate the ground. A stone bench stood a few meters in front of the structure. Upon closer inspection, this little garden looked far more private than she liked and she couldn't help wondering whether she was even authorized to enter this place. But why would have the guards otherwise described her the way to the nearest of the gardens if this place had been of limits for her. Rejecting the thought, Salome stepped closer to the memorial stone and began to read the names that had been engraved on it. Only then did she notice that some rukh flew around the structure and seemed to caress it gently.

"Vittel ...

Mahad ...

Mystras ...

Rurumu ...

Serendine", she had read aloud some of the names, which adorned the smooth surface of the high-quality stone in artistic writing. A feeling of melancholy overwhelmed her as she watched as the rukh followed the rhythm of her voice. It was like she should have known these people in another life. As if she had a chance to count all these people among her as acquaintances if she would have taken the oppurtunity in the past. Sadly, Salome sat down on the stone bench and silently imagined what kind of people they had been, whose names were immortalized on this structure. Unconsciously, the young woman glided her fingers around the bracelet in which her Djinn, Alexander, was resting. Reluctantly, she bit her lower lip before silently speaking to the Rukh:" Would you tell me something about those people?", she asked in a whisper. The golden birds reacted immediately and began to mingle with those who followed her around, before they readily shared their knowledge with her. She listened for a few moments until she suddenly heard heavy footsteps behind her. "Ahh, there you are. Sin and your brother were very upset when they didn't found you in your chambers!"

Startled, Salome whirled around and got up hastily to move away from the memorial stone.

"I'm sorry ... I didn't want to be curious and be a burden to you!", Salome apologized, as if she had been caught stealing the last cookie from the can. Ashamed, she looked up at the rough-looking man from the northern tribes, who had put on a surprisingly soft look on his face. "You didn't do anything wrong. Calm down, Miss Salome." Hinahoho replied soothingly as he got closer to the young woman. He peered from her to the artful structure before settling nonchalantly on the bench. Witha deep sigh, he stretched out his long, muscular legs before resting his arms on his knees.

"The stone is engraved with the names of those who once gave their lives in the struggle to create a peaceful Sindria.", said the man in a smoky voice, without Salome asking him about it. The young woman silently listened to the huge man, who was circled by some of the Rukh. He didn't seem to notice them, which indicated, that he wasn't some sort of magician. 

"My wife ... was one of them, you know?" he added, his eyes gaining a sad glow before he laughed a little humorlessly. "I don't know why I told you that now. Actually I normally don't talk about it.", he muttered, eyebrows drawn together as he rubbed his neck awkwardly and took a careful look in her direction. Swallowing, she looked back as she clasped her hands over her chest.

"Rurumu..." 

Salome murmured her name hesitantly before closing her eyes and listening to what the Rukh whispered in her ear. She didn't notice how Hinahoho's eyes widened when she said the name if his deceased wife.

"She knows that you still mourn today and it hurts her a lot..." Salome began to say carefully. Her heart was racing, maybe out of fear that she was going to make him angry, but she couldn't help but follow the  rukh's request.

"I-if she could, she'd hit you on the head for continuing to live in the past. Like hitting you with a... ehm well, a Rurumu-chop...? knocking some sense into that... head of yours." She recited quietly and blushed as she tried to ignore how Hinahoho inhaled sharply. Squinting her eyes even more tightly, Salome did not notice how Alexander's vessel lit up on her wrist, while the Rukh began to fly wildly around her, as if to confirm her statement.

"She... says that she loves you very much, but she has been part of the flow for a few years now and she asks you to keep your eyes on the future without regret's!" She continued to recite while tears rose into her eyes, that squeezed through her narrowed eyelids. Salome didn't know, why she was starting to cry, but the words that tumbled out of her, made her unbelievably sad. Was it her own sadness? Or was it the feeling that the rukh conveyed to her? Startled, she opened her turquoise eyes, when two huge callused hands gently closed around hers. With wide pupils, she looked at the Tribesman kneeling in front of her.

"Is that what the Rukh are whispering to you? Is she here with us?" He asked incredulously. Sinbad must have informed his generals of her abilities, because Hinahoho looked excited but seemed not to be surprised. Judging his heartbreaking look, he believed her words, wanting to know what Rurumu wants to tell him.

Salome nodded cautiously as she bit her lip.

"She is ... very proud of you. How excellent you are at bringing up your children...Always watching that they are showing their good manners. How you helped to build this place that you have all dreamed of building ...How you manage to stick together and give each other strength.", she whispered, watching compassionately as the rough-looking man's golden eyes became glazed with unshed tears. Sadly, she looked away, toward the entrance to the garden. The kings adviser stood there next to Sinbad, staring at her with a fixed look. If she didn't saw his lower lip trembling slightly, she would have thought that Ja'far would've want to blame her for saying something like that. But his own eyes glazed somewhat after he heard her following words.

"She is so incredibly proud of how much you all grew and for never giving up! Actually they all are... They... will allways be here beeing a part of the flow, that watched over their beloved sindria and their familys"

All three man looked at Salome in awe, keeping their silence as the rukh fluttered around her in love.

[winnerloser]

according to @drmagnolia​ ; 

“  How does it affect Victor’s life to be an Asian person in Galar? Does he get linked with Kabu when people talk about it? “

[Lonnggg infodump about Vic’s ethnicity & race & appearance and oouuhhooooo]

tldr; vic is white-passing so no, he doesn’t get inappropriately lumped in with kabu or other “asian” figures for superficial reasons or otherwise. quite the opposite, his roots are generally glossed over or downright ignored. people don’t really talk about it, or they don’t really consider the implications of “the champ being from hoenn.” (that he, himself, is half) he gets the privilege of not facing microaggressions or anything of the like because, again, he looks like a fully white galarian boy. (not to mention i feel like galar seems like itd be somewhat diverse? or at least beyond overt racism for the most part lol?) he does however feel detached to his home region and its culture despite it being very integral to who he is as a person. in this essay i will- (*links the actual essay*)

First and foremost, Victor takes after his father quite heavily- if not an “equal” amount as he takes after his mother; but the traits he inherited from both of them tend to lean towards what is stereotypically deemed Anglo-Saxton (even though Eastern Asians very easily could be born with them as well.) Lighter brown eyes and medium-brown hair, double eyelids, etc. aren’t race-exclusive, but most usually associate those traits with the former since common belief is that they’re rare to appear in the latter or more likely to appear in the former (which isn’t necessarily 100% true either way, but.) He gets his double eyelids and facial structure from his dad; eyebrows, eye and hair color from mum. His height isn’t very “typical” for an asian young man either, so it could be likely to have come from his mum’s side if anywhere.

His dad is 100% of Hoenn descent, say, 5+ generations- Mum’s background is probably a mix of Unovan and Galarian here-and-there but... say 100% Galarian for simplicity’s sake. She’s fully Galarian with parents whose grandparents may have immigrated from elsewhere.

If he told someone he was mixed and had a father of Hoenn descent people would read that as totally reasonable and identifiable (”ohhh I can see it”), but if he didn’t say so himself folks would probably just assume him to be full-Galarian. So in a sense, he’s white-passing. 

With that in mind, his appearance really isnt any target identity to any form of microaggression or ignorance that could come with being a foreigner or minority in Galar. People can maybe recognize that he doesn’t quite look from around here, but... he has a good amount of “white” physical traits, so they could just write him off. It may raise questions from some curious people but not everyone  feels the need to care. Any ignorance directed towards him would be insensitivity over the fact that he’s mixed and is asian or just.. diminishing it I guess. Him feeling (not pressured, but) inclined by society to not express that side of him out of self-consciousness of it being pointed out as an oddity, or like he’s not doing it right, or that he’s not “authentic” because he’s mixed. 

Victor feels a bit of awe and/or excitement when met with opportunities to “prove” himself or get to first-hand experience aspects of Hoenn culture that he misses from his childhood or never really got to experience at all in the first place due to moving away so early and being deprived of any role models that could guide him through it. Like, when he met Kabu he probably wasn’t star-struck considering he wasn’t a big League fan that early into the game (more on that in another post(tm)), but he did feel a sense of homeliness from Kabu.

He didn’t feel like it was his place to... connect with him in any way though? He could’ve very well reached out to him and introduced himself in his first language and spoke about Hoenn, see if the man had any adages or things he could share with him in the form of smalltalk- but even that inoffensive of a gesture seems like it wouldn’t be permissible for Victor to do. What if he embarasses himself? What if Kabu thinks he’s weird or reaching- what if Kabu thinks he’s inauthentic? It’s not like Kabu would think anything bad about it- it’s just that... implicitly asking to connect with someone based on their common background can be. odd feeling. especially when you don’t quite look the part.

So when it came to interactions with Leaf and Red thus far, he allows himself to express under the guise of utility- it’d be more convenient for the other person (or maybe necessary) to communicate if he spoke his first language and so forth, so it has a justifiable excuse (not like he should even need one). Also for crack/him talking to himself and/or in private, that’s sorta different case dfjgdn (permit: i do what i want)

...

That being said—— there’s two sides to the same coin. If Victor went back home as he was, people may be in awe at how fluent the Galarian boy is at Ranseigo, even though he was born there. They may comment on his features inoffensively, but it does leave an imprint on you even if it’s not grating or even hurtful at all. Like, it can go for anything. If someone comments on the funky look of your smile, it makes you want to do it less, subconsciously or otherwise. 

Overall it’s a complicated thing to really get the whole concept of and explain but I tried to articulate it to the best of my current ability.

Basically- Galar doesn’t acknowledge him as asian; Hoenn would likely not acknowledge him as asian either. Regardless of how well-educated he is on his family’s culture, he may not ever be regarded as, well, asian, because of his outward appearance. Doesn’t help that his dad isn’t around anymore and he lives with his mum in her homeland. His outward influences are all Galarian and he’s a bit conscious about being pointed out by other Galarians for... being a try-hard? I guess? Performing for other white people who won’t appreciate or understand in the first place? Meanwhile go the other direction and it sure as hell feels a bit weird being called “cute” and being talked down to and babied for being a “white boy” speaking a language that you have every right to call your first.

^ gets clowned no matter what

[jenovahh]

KYKM - 12 Months, 20 Days

The buzz about the town is audible, even past the double doors of the workshop as Zenos glares at the two men stand across from him.

“And pray tell, what do you want from us, my lord?” one asks, a slight tremble to their voice.

“My lord?” The other mocks, with a chuckle.

“Not all of us are so used to being rebellious children and defecting from their homeland Garlond. This was a superior to me but a year ago.”

He can’t kill them, he reminds himself once more. As much as he’d like to threaten them, he can’t. That would only make matters worse.

Nero tol Scaeva and Cid nan Garlond stand a casual, but safe distance across from him in their large workshop, one eyeing the door every so often while the other stares him down.

“I came here expecting information, Scaeva.” Though Garlond did not seem to be easily intimidated, as Nero had said he was still a superior in his eyes.

“Pertaining to...?” Cid prompts, clearly seeing his game at pressuring Nero and stopping it.

“What else? The Warrior of Light.” it takes all of his control to keep his voice calm and even, not letting any of his frustration or impatience slip through. 

“Is it matter of that you cannot find them?” Nero asks, running a hand through his hair nervously. “The Garlean hunter, unable to find his quarry” he murmurs to himself with a chuckle, making Zenos growl audibly.

“They are obviously hiding some place I cannot find them. And I will not lower myself to speak with savages to ask for their whereabouts.” he continues haughtily, not missing a beat. Cid lets out a loud laugh at that, clutching his sides.

“You mean the remaining Scions won’t tell you where they are. I’m sure you must’ve scared poor Tataru witless.” Cid chuckles, clearly amused. He misses the look of disbelief Nero throws him, at having the audacity to openly ridicule the prince of their former nation.

And sadly, it was true. He had spent days searching for you, unable to find hide or hair of where you had gone. He had searched over every town, every region, every nation and it was as if you had turned into mist. As if you had left the realm altogether.

“How are you to know I did not slaughter her where she stood?” he growls, hand already itching to draw his blade.

“Because I am still alive. And naturally we would have any reports about any happenings with the Scions.” He shrugs, his own glare sliding back into place. “It’ll take more than a mean look to scare me prince. I’ve been by the Warrior’s side fighting gods and Garlean forces alike. Which is why I must now ask; why should I tell you where the Warrior of Light is?” Cid inquires, his stare hard and cold.

Zenos only regards Cid coolly, seeing just how it was so easy for him to abandon his homeland and all he had known. With an iron will like that, it would be easy to turn from all you had ever known. He finds himself building a begrudging respect for him, if only to calm his blood to keep the thoughts of slaughtering him at bay. “They owe me a duel.” he states simply.

“I’m sure there are many who have challenged the Warrior to a duel.” Cid responds in turn, making Zenos clench his teeth at this how stubborn he was being. Perhaps it was a Garlean trait, rather than familial.

“I’m not the only one who cares for the Warrior of Light. Just the one with the least responsibility.”

The dragoon’s words floated through his head, and now it made more sense as to why he could not scare the answer out of them.

Even in the face of what could be certain death, they cared and it was probably more than obvious that something occurred between you two when you ran to wherever you were without him.

“Seven moons ago the Warrior had their Magitek armor repaired.” He begins, watching recognition dawn on Nero’s face. “They had described that it had a problem; a lurch. They had brought it here to have it repaired.”

Recognition and shock now shows on Cid’s face, his jaw agape as he continues. “Scaeva gave the Warrior a list of items that they would need to repair the armor. I chose to remain.”

The two are speechless, processing this new revelation. A shite-eating grin slowly spreads on Nero’s face, while Cid’s mouth still hangs open in disbelief.

“By the emperor...I knew it!” Nero nearly shouts. “That cadence was unmistakable! One unique only to Lord Zenos!” he pauses for a moment as another thought hits him, looking over to Cid. “Then that means...”

“Twelve above...” Cid whispers, his voice torn between anger and awe and...amusement. “You’re in love with the Warrior of Light.”

The accusation hits him like a physical blow, too stunned to immediately retaliate. Baring his teeth, he growls low, nearly ready to throw his consideration for your friends to the wind. “Do not try my patience.” he seethes, reaching for his blade.

Cid starts forward, being held back Nero. “And do not play us for fools, prince. It all makes sense. Why you’ve spared anyone close to the Warrior. Why you had followed them everywhere, why they looked at you with stars in their eyes,”

“Perhaps you should speak in a way our, ahem, friend might understand, Garlond.” Nero murmurs, having not stopped his grinning for a second. “My Lord, if you would allow me, I can explain how Garlond would come to such a...conclusion.” He’s obviously entirely amused by the prospect of the situation, but he’s at least showing him some semblance of respect.

Taking his silence as the go ahead, Nero continues, “You see my Lord, though it might not seem so, we could recognize the signs of something more than just being traveling companions when you two had arrived. It was in the way you two moved around each other. The way how you spoke to the Warrior, the way you looked at them. We meant it when we said the Warrior’s wont was to travel alone, and to hear they had a longtime travelling companion made you special.”

“Speak plainly, Scaeva.” Zenos growls, heart thudding in his chest.

“What I mean my Lord, is that the actions you exhibited around the Warrior of Light are ones of affection. Love.” Nero says hurriedly, quickly averting his eyes.

“Impossible.” Zenos spits, teeth bared. 

“Or you do not know what it is to be loved.” Cid finally interjects, his eyes a tad gentler now. “Maybe even, you do not know what you are like in love, to see the signs. How would you know something you’ve yet to experience? What other reason would the Prince of Garleans leave Garlemald, descend upon Eorzea without a care, all to ask where the Warrior of Light is?”

That thought alone silences him, alongside with being unable to feel like he can refute the two men’s words. He could deny it with words, but each time he thought about it his tongue felt like ash, his heart twisted in pain. His memories fluttered through his mind, assaulting him in striking clarity. 

Could Garlond be right? He had never wiped anyone else’s tears. Never before had he allowed someone to be held against his person only to enjoy their nearness. Never had he reveled in the joy of training with anyone else. The feeling he had felt blossoming in his chest...could it be love?

Pursing his lips, he looks away from his former countrymen, unsure what to say. He was far too prideful to acknowledge that they were right, but couldn’t deny the truth without it paining him to do so.

“The Warrior of Light is in a place you cannot reach.” Cid speaks up, pulling him from his daze. Nero looks to Cid in confusion, but otherwise says nothing. “The Scions have fallen to a mysterious deathless sleep, and the Warrior of Light has left the realm altogether to find them.”

Pausing to scratch his head, Cid releases a reluctant sigh. “I only tell you this as a favor to the Warrior of Light.” At his continued silence, he sighs once more. “I’m not the best one to assume the Warrior’s feelings, but it’s safe to say that they were seriously hurt by you hiding your identity, now that I have the truth. You owe it to them to make it up to them.”

“As I said earlier, this is your mistake to fix. I’m sure you know that. You know as well as I do that they’re waiting on you. Don’t let them down.”

“It would seem I have to find a way to journey to this realm then.” Zenos rumbles, already pouring over theories and ideas. 

“Start at the Crystal Tower. That is the last of my help I will give you.” Cid finishes, staring the prince down.

“Very well.” Moving to leave, he pauses at the door, knowing that a crowd is waiting to see if the two men inside still remain alive. He cannot blame their assumptions, his own reputation proceeding him after all. However, he has much more important matters to take care of than slaughtering two defectors. “I will say you are still mistaken Garlond.” he calls, pulling the door open to a throng of people standing outside.

“I do not love the Warrior. They owe me a duel.”

[meggannn]

@ferociousqueak @steinbecks funny enough I was in a mood to talk about my Shep, so you’re both mind readers :D

-- LYDIA SHEPARD

10. Neuroses? Do they recognize them as such?

(TBH I have difficulty understanding neuroticism because people seem to use the word a lot to refer to a lot of things, people, and symptoms. Even reading and listening to doctors’ explanations doesn’t help, but I’ll try to answer this.)

It’s weird, she does have some serious personality issues that make her a little left of normal, but IIIIIIII wouldn’t call all of it neurosis? She’s not overemotional, doesn’t have anxiety, and she’s not strictly a negative person. But she can be paranoid (from ME2-onward), cynical, and obviously has serious PTSD throughout the series; I wouldn’t say she’s depressed until maybe ME3. I think she knows all of these things: she has a pretty realistic grip on her strengths and flaws, and she knows when she’s not in a good headspace to make certain kinds of decisions, etc. It’s what makes her a good leader but it gives her a contradictorily low opinion of her own self-worth outside of her title. I think she starts treating herself a bit like a machine, like, she only eats well because she knows she has to; she makes herself sleep well because the consequences will be worse later if she doesn’t; she’s loyal to people but doesn’t expect (or sometimes even want) people to be loyal to her.

20. Childhood illnesses? Any interesting stories behind them?

I don’t have anything particularly juicy to report here. No diseases when she was a kid, whether out of luck or extermination of modern diseases in the 22nd century. But she did suffer from malnutrition and anything you would expect to come from that: anemia, fatigue, etc., especially as a biotic. They were probably worse, though manageable, when she was a teenager, but got better once she joined the navy with a steady diet and exercise.

30. Reaction to sudden intrapersonal disaster (eg close family member suddenly dies)

She goes to work on autopilot. Shepard is a very action-oriented person, so an ever-present thought for her is always going to be “What next?” Kaidan’s dead, but we still need to stop Saren. Legion and Thane and Mordin are dead, but we still need to stop the Reapers. Anderson, my friend and mentor and only father figure and probably the person who knows me best in life, is dead, but I still need to activate the Crucible. I think part of it is just made easier because she accepts this is the reality of her work. If it’s a death for a good cause, it hurts, but it’s easier to swallow.

Shepard’s ‘resurrection’ might be the most complicated and fascinating intrapersonal tribulation I might have ever seen a character go through, and imo I love it when Shepards handle it TERRIBLY. This workaholic trait is why she was able to get back to work as soon as she woke up from the dead, but it comes at the risk of her own emotional sanity, imo. Some of it she might be able to release by yelling at The Illusive Man, but that’s it; I think she’s too good a soldier to risk a mission by being reckless just to work off stress, so pouring herself back into work by doing the best job she can is the only avenue she sees available. Grief, if/when it comes, usually comes months later; at most she might lock herself in a room, have a moment, and then get back to it.

40. Would you say that they have a superiority-complex? Inferiority-complex? Neither?

Weirdly both? It comes with having a high opinion of her abilities and strengths, and almost no opinion of herself outside of the uniform just because she doesn’t know who that is. (To her credit, she is rarely wrong about her skills, just because it’s literally her job to know her limits. As an N7, she isn’t exactly incompetent; the only time I would say Shepard miscalculates her own abilities is on Aratoht.)

50. Is this person afraid of dying? Why or why not?

*cracks knuckles*

Pre-service: Yes, though she wouldn’t say she’s afraid of dying, just specifically starving.

Enlistment: No opinion. She wants to do better, but she doesn’t have much going for her. If she’s a little fish in a very big universe; if she can at least die for a better cause than a gang war, she’d be fine with that.

Akuze: Yes. Oh god yes. She doesn’t know what she was thinking before.

Villa Militar: Slowly, surprisingly, no, but in a peaceful way. She’s only reluctant to die because she knows she has worth now alive, she has a mentor and a team of people who support her now, and doesn’t want to let them down.

ME1: Not anymore. Not to quote a psychopath, but along the lines of “Did you put on that uniform thinking you wouldn’t be asked to kill?”, Shepard has come to an understanding of “Did I put on that uniform thinking you wouldn’t die in it?”

ME2: hahhahahahHAHHAHAHHAH she’s not thinking about it. She’s not thinking about what happened after she “died,” she’s not thinking about how she saw nothing felt nothing WAS nothing. In fact she’s so good at Not Thinking About It, she’s snaps at anyone who calls their tour a suicide mission, even jokingly. She will not lose an entire crew for the third time, she will not she will not she will NOT.

ME3: The closest I can get to is... Dying in war for her would feel unfinished and restless. Dying after it’s over would be the closest thing to finally having peace that she can imagine. (She gets her wish.)

-- ATEM

9. Makeup?

Oh of course. Have you seen him? Both ancient world Atem and modern day Atem go all out. Atem is also fascinated by nail polish. Fortunately Yuugi is the fantastic encouraging partner that he is and doesn’t mind sharing a bathroom space with a guy who owns ten different kinds of mascara.

18. Favorite beverage?

Atem’s favorite food is his homeland is falafel which is basically like the modern day casual equivalent of a hamburger, so I’m gonna guess his favorite drink is also something extremely common, like beer, esp since the Egyptians drank so much. modern-day, I think he would also be oddly fascinated by and have a small obsession with like, a random sports drink, like Gatorade or something.

27. What is their biggest regret?

If accepting the Orichalchos/sacrificing Yuugi isn’t number one, it’s definitely at least in the top three. I think not being able to save Mahaad and his friends is another, and the Dark Games/his s0 behavior is a final third.

36. What makes them feel guilty?

Letting down his loved ones; for him it’s more than just failing to protect or do right by them them, I think it’s also failing the image he puts on for himself. He puts on a brave face because he knows he has no other choice. When he falls short of that, it means his friends sacrificed themselves for nothing, it means the Ishtars have been putting their hopes on a fraud, it means he’s not the man he thought he was.

45. Superstitions or views on the occult?

Well this guy believes in the Egyptian pantheon and is pretty accepting of any random ass magic that crosses his path -- and then usually masters the random ass magic within like, twenty minutes -- so I think that he’s got a pretty open mind where that’s concerned. For him, duel monsters is literally religious, so I think he has a great respect for unknown forces in the world.

THE EXCESSIVELY DETAILED HEADCANON TUMBLR MEME

[askascarlettletter]

Solo Para: Tortuga

Katie grew up with the knowledge that she could have anything she wanted, if it was material.  Her mother, Scarlett, had been a fearsome pirate in her time, but it seemed that now that her business was…targeted, there was less of a need for her to sail the seas.  So while Katie had the faintest memories of her toddler years on ships, voyaging about the world, most of her childhood was spent in Tortuga.   There were plenty of single parents on Tortuga, so Katie always had someone to play with.  And everyone knew who Scarlett was, and Scarlett always kept Katie dressed in the best of everything.  Katie didn’t know why, Maybe it was to give Katie everything Scarlett hadn’t had as a child. and her mother never offered up any reason.  All she knew was that if the latest fashions from Paris came in, her mother often had a crew ransack a ship and dressed the two of them to impress.   And impress they did, because Katie always had a group around her in Tortuga.   But were they her friends, strictly speaking?  Katie wasn’t sure.  They were the children of pirates, and at least in the Caribbean, pirates told their children to take what they could, and give nothing back.   Unless it was explicitly defined in the Code, they’d sell one another out in a heartbeat to save their own skins.   Katie learned that too.  

But while Katie’s mother gained her infamy, Katie’s father gained her jeers- though not to her face.  No one would dare mock James Norrington in front of her (nor would they suggest Scarlett had poor taste, unless they wanted to meet Scarlett’s sword),  but she heard the whispers.  James Norrington was a traitor, people said, to his homeland, and then to piracy.  He was washed up, foolish, and gave away his chance at eternity.  Never mind that a 100 years of servitude to the old Davy Jones was worse than any death.  Pirates simply couldn’t fathom leaving the seas.   Katie balled her fists as she heard yet another group of pirate teenagers discuss her father, listening from around a corner: “He was an idiot,” snorted one pirate, “Gave up his life for a woman who didn’t even love him back.”  He shook his head, flipping a golden doubloon between his fingers.

“He could have been immortal-” a second pirate teen agreed, sipping at a mug filled with something that Katie strongly suspected had been stolen from Scarlett’s tavern.  

“But he wasn’t, mate,” retorted the first teen,  “Just died on the Dutchman.  Pathetic.”  He pocketed the doubloon and crossed his arms.  

“He’s still part of a story.  Part of a legend,” a third teen protested, referencing the War on Piracy.  

“Yeah,” the first teen sniffed disdainfully, “The forgettable part.”  

At that, Katie felt her cheeks go red.  It was rare she let embarrassment show- it was an emotion relatively foreign to her -but she realized with a shock that even if she wanted to defend her father’s memory, she couldn’t.  She didn’t know him.  She never had.  She knew nothing about him, except the very basic traits that were passed down in the stories about the War on Piracy.  

Katie knew more about Elizabeth, Will, and Jack than she  knew about her own father.

What would he think of me? Katie wondered then, Hiding in an alleyway while people made fun of him?  She didn’t know, and somehow that was worse than knowing he might have been disappointed in her.   Wiping the tears away, Katie got a hold of herself.  Sure, she didn’t know what James Norrington would have thought of her (and she didn’t care, she told herself, she completely didn’t care), but she did know that he’d given her his name.  And in Tortuga, no one insulted Scarlett’s daughter, whoever her father was.  

Katie drew her sword and rounded the corner, pointing it at the group, “What are you lot doing, then?  Gossiping like a bunch of fishwives?”

“Katie!” the second teen gasped, who Katie recognized as the son of Cotton.  

“Thought you especially would have learned not to tell tales,” the girl menaced, jabbing at him with his sword, “Especially after what happened with your father-”  The younger Cotton merely swallowed, holding his hands in surrender as he backed away from her, cowed at the thought of having his own tongue cut out. The first teen- who Katie now observed was the son of Scrum -raised an eyebrow at her, “What’s got you upset?”  He genuinely seemed perplexed, though Katie noted his hand went to drift towards his own sword.   “I find it rather sad that you are sitting here on a bunch of barrels, mocking other people’s role in ‘legends.’  What have you done to make yourselves memorable?” Katie asked, though the question was obviously rhetorical, “Nothing.  Just chatting.  And you call yourselves pirates!”  She rolled her eyes.  

“Wait,” the third teen, one of many erstwhile daughters of Sao Feng, interrupted, “This is about Norrington?”  Unbelievably, the younger Cotton and Scrum Jr. began to laugh.  

Katie turned her nose up at them, “This is about you remembering your place.  You’re nobodies here.”  

Scrum Jr replied, “You’re mocking us for not being legends yet, but what makes you so different?  You haven’t done anything worthwhile.  You’re just relying on your mum’s reputation!  When was the last time you sailed on anything?  When you were four?”  Although Scrum Jr had a point, Katie didn’t flinch.  Instead, she shrugged and noted:

“My mother has no reason to sail as much as she used to.  She doesn’t need to go searching out treasures- the treasure comes to her.  But you wanna judge her for being a…” Katie trailed off, searching for the right phrase, “Stay-at-home pirate?  You going to judge Captain Teague for doing the same?”  At the mention of Captain Teague- Keeper of the Pirate Code, and Jack Sparrow’s father -Scrum quieted.  Captain Teague had once been a terrifying force on the seas, but in his older age had settled down in Shipwreck Cove.  Still, even the Brethren Court knew not to mess with him, and Katie just knew if she could carry their words to his ears, the teens around her would be dead.  They knew it too.   “We would never say a word against Captain Teague,” Feng’s daughter interjected slowly, trying to diffuse some of the tension. “That would be a wise decision, mate,” a familiar voice drawled, and Katie rolled her eyes.  She pasted a smirk on her face, then turned and strode toward Jack Sparrow.  

Leaning in towards him, she hissed:

“I don’t need your help!”   Katie was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and she did not need her mother’s on-again, off-again boyfriend saving her neck.   Scarlett might fall for Jack Sparrow’s charms, but Katie was wary of him.  He was a very intelligent man, behind all the hand-waving and speech-making. 

Jack, nonplussed, doffed his hat to her, “Wouldn’t dream of thinking you did, love.  But that doesn’t change the fact that young Cotton here has made off with my rum.  I want it back, you savvy?”

A long moment passed, then Katie spun around on her heel.  Striding towards Cotton the Younger, she sheathed her sword. The teen had a moment to breathe out a sigh of relief before Katie snatched the mug from his hands and whacked him in the head with it.  He howled in pain, but before his compatriots had time to react, Katie had bashed each of them in the heads with the mug as well, spraying room all over their clothes.  Feng’s daughter shrieked as her silk was ruined and Scrum Jr held a hand to his head.  

“That was for telling tales!” Katie declared, “You do it again, and I’ll cut out your tongues and make you eat them before ensuring you are dead.  And for good.”   With that, she walked away, shoving the now empty mug in Jack’s hands.   “Why,” Jack muttered under his breath, “is the rum always gone?”  With a theatrical sigh, he began to follow Katie back to Scarlett’s tavern, ignoring the high-pitched coos of the prostitutes who tried to gain his attention.

“I knew James Norrington, you know,” Jack said casually, “As a friend of a friend, as it were.  Or an enemy of an enemy.” Katie crossed her arms, ignoring him.  She wasn’t in the mood for one of Jack’s rambles.   Unperturbed, Jack sauntered around her and continued, “He was ambitious, chivalrous, and an excellent swordsman.  Loyal to himself and those he cared for.   And, you know, he had quite a habit of learning from experience?  He once called me the worst pirate he’d ever seen,” Jack recounted cheerfully.  Despite herself, Katie began to slow her pace, curious to hear anything about her father.   “-but that was, of course, before I escaped.  He shouldn’t have felt as bad as he did though; he wouldn’t be the first or the last person I’ve escaped from.  I am Jack Sparrow after all,” Jack shrugged, “I can say this for him: he didn’t give up.  Chased me through a tempest- by the way, love, and this is my professional opinion, do not ever do that unless you’re me; you’ll lose your ship and your crew and possibly your commission, if you care about that sort of thing, which he did.  But the thing about tempests is they pass.  All tempests pass.” “Is that supposed to be some sort of profound advice?” Katie queried, raising her eyebrow. “No,” Jack shook his head, “Just years of experience.  Go for the treasure- or the pirate -after the storm ends.  James Norrington probably wouldn’t have liked this comparison, but he kept to a code of his own.  He might have made a good pirate, except for an insufferable self-sacrificing streak.  It was that that got him in the end.”  

“Scrum said it was love that made him lose his life,” Katie admitted uncertainly, as she stood in the doorway of the tavern, “That he gave up his life for love.”   Jack shrugged again, “Like I said, Norrington kept to his own code.   Self-sacrifice was built into it.  And love’s not so bad.  For example, I love the sea.  I love rum.  And I’m still standing.  You’ve just got to be careful with love.  Make sure it doesn’t overwhelm you- ah, Scarlett!” Jack became distracted by the presence of Katie’s mother, who swanned to the front of the tavern at the first sight of him.    

“Jack,” Scarlett answered, halfway between annoyed and delighted, “I didn’t realize you were coming into port-”

Katie rolled her eyes.  Here they went again, “Mum, don’t fall for it-” Before she could finish the sentence, Scarlett noticed the redness in her daughter’s eyes:

“Katie, are you all right?  Are you- are you crying?” for once in her life ignoring Jack Sparrow, Scarlett looked at Katie and murmured, “Tell me who did it, and I’ll make sure they regret it.”   “No, Mum.  I’m fine.  Thanks.  I’m just- I’m gonna go to bed early.  Feeling a little under the weather is all.”

“Are you sure?”  Scarlett asked doubtfully.  As Katie walked up the stairs to the tavern’s third floor, she called, “You haven’t touched any doubloons, have you?” Accusingly, Scarlett looked at Jack, and he replied:

“No!  No curses for me, and when would I ever give up a doubloon?  You know me, Scarlett.”  He gave her most charming smile, and Scarlett promptly slapped him.

[beavforts]

"𝔞𝔰 𝔦𝔣 𝔦 𝔫𝔢𝔢𝔡 𝔞𝔫 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔡𝔲𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫. 𝔦 𝔴𝔞𝔫𝔱 𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔬𝔣 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔞𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔦'𝔪 𝔡𝔬𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔟𝔶 𝔯𝔢𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔰𝔱 𝔰𝔬 𝔡𝔬𝔫'𝔱 𝔰𝔞𝔶 𝔦 𝔫𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔡𝔦𝔡 𝔞𝔫𝔶𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔶𝔬𝔲. 𝔦 𝔪𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔟𝔢 𝔥𝔲𝔪𝔞𝔫 𝔞𝔤𝔞𝔦𝔫, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔡𝔬𝔢𝔰𝔫'𝔱 𝔪𝔢𝔞𝔫 𝔦 𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔠𝔞𝔫'𝔱 𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔶 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔪𝔶 𝔟𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔰 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔦𝔣 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔰𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡𝔫'𝔱 𝔱𝔢𝔰𝔱 𝔦𝔱. 𝔥𝔬𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔩𝔶 𝔦 𝔡𝔬𝔫'𝔱 𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔴 𝔴𝔥𝔶 𝔦'𝔪 𝔴𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔪𝔶 𝔟𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔥. 𝔦 𝔯𝔢𝔣𝔲𝔰𝔢𝔡 𝔞 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔪𝔞𝔫 𝔰𝔥𝔢𝔩𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔟𝔦𝔱𝔠𝔥 𝔠𝔲𝔯𝔰𝔢𝔡 𝔪𝔢. 𝔰𝔥𝔢 𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔫𝔢𝔡 𝔪𝔢 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔬 𝔞 𝔥𝔦𝔡𝔢𝔬𝔲𝔰 𝔟𝔢𝔞𝔰𝔱. 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔬𝔩𝔡 𝔪𝔞𝔫 𝔰𝔱𝔲𝔪𝔟𝔩𝔢𝔰 𝔦𝔫 𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔡𝔞𝔶 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔥𝔞𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔞𝔲𝔡𝔞𝔠𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔱𝔬 𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔞𝔩 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔢. 𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔱𝔲𝔫𝔞𝔱𝔢 𝔢𝔫𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥 𝔱𝔬 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔞 𝔡𝔞𝔲𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔞 𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔶𝔯 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔢𝔵 𝔰𝔬 𝔰𝔥𝔢 𝔱𝔬𝔬𝔨 𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔭𝔩𝔞𝔠𝔢. 𝔦𝔫 𝔞 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢 𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔰 𝔴𝔢 𝔣𝔢𝔩𝔩 𝔦𝔫 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱.. 𝔲𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔩 𝔴𝔢 𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔡 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔥𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔥𝔬𝔩𝔢. 𝔞𝔫𝔶 𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰? 𝔤𝔬𝔬𝔡 𝔡𝔬𝔫'𝔱 𝔟𝔢 𝔰𝔱𝔲𝔭𝔦𝔡. 𝔫𝔬𝔴 𝔦'𝔪 𝔩𝔢𝔞𝔳𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔢𝔠𝔞𝔲𝔰𝔢 𝔦 𝔫𝔢𝔢𝔡 𝔞𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔥𝔬𝔩 𝔞𝔣𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔯𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔱. 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔨𝔰 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯𝔰 𝔴𝔥𝔶 𝔦'𝔪 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔫𝔦𝔠𝔢. 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔦𝔰 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔭𝔢𝔫𝔰 𝔴𝔥𝔢𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲'𝔯𝔢 𝔫𝔦𝔠𝔢"

So what did happen after happily ever after? 

To put it simply everything changed. The man formerly known as “the Beast” started with his name and I guess with good reason too. In Fabletown he’s known as Cain Jonah Beaufort and if you were curious as to why, look no further.

( 𝓒𝓪𝓲𝓷.  a Hebrew name meaning spear or possessed. Both of which he felt described himself when he moved to Fabletown. Specifically he felt as dangerous as a spear, but not quite himself - as if he were possessed. Once he lost Belle he felt that he lost everything including his sense of self. There are moments in the day that he doesn’t even recognize himself or feels that he’s in some dream watching someone move his hands and his legs.

( 𝓙𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓱. a Hebrew name meaning dove. There is a lot of irony as the last thing he feels is peace and is under no impression that he brings peace to those around him. The meaning he was more interested in was the sailor’s nickname for bad luck. Of course it went both ways. He felt that there was some bad luck on his part that he had to move and watch his life change, but a smaller part wonders if it’s less about the circumstance and more about him or that he deserves it for everything he’s done.

( 𝓑𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓽. a French surname meaning “beautiful” and “strong place, fortress”. This was the one piece of himself that he kept from the Homeland and was possibly the only thing he was proud of or felt that he emulated. He felt that his physical appearance was the one thing he had for his advantage in Fabletown. The second part was more of a reminder that he once was strong like a fortress and wants to get back to his own self or at least the version of himself he was when he was with Belle.

I know you’re thinking. “but that doesn’t sooooooound like the Beast.” Listen it all checks out. Here’s his birthday and character traits and you can compare for yourself.

Cain and The Beast share the same birthday of October 31, 1981 making him 37 years old and a 𝓼𝓬𝓸𝓻𝓹𝓲𝓸. His sun sign isn’t surprising to anyone. While he can be 𝓅𝒶𝓈𝓈𝒾𝑜𝓃𝒶𝓉𝑒 and 𝓂𝓎𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒾𝑜𝓊𝓈, he has an easier time fitting the negative stereotypes of scorpios. He’s more known to be 𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓿𝓮, 𝓰𝓾𝓪𝓻𝓭𝓮𝓭, and 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓯𝓾𝓵 above all else. 

Yeah, it’s no wonder he’s been harboring so much anger and negative energy since Belle left. Just how much did our prince fall? Well since you asked..

Heading Gaston’s words, he vowed that if he were going to be painted as a beast, then he was going to show them a 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓽. In Fabletown he didn’t hesitate to align himself with the 𝓿𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓼 and fit in quite easily. To everyone’s surprise, he got a job working at 𝓦𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓭 as a 𝓭𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓻 by night and a 𝓶𝓸𝓭𝓮𝓵 by day. Having never worked a day in his life, it was even stranger to hear that he hasn’t quit yet. The reason he’s kept these jobs is simple. It’s a consistent source of validation that his ego especially needs and although he would never admit it, it’s nice to feel wanted. Having people’s eyes on him at Wonderland is a different feeling than it was in the Homeland. Back there he was only seen as a monster that held a woman in his castle against her own will. Here, in Fabletown, he almost feels appreciated... even if both parties are under the influence of alcohol and other drugs.

I know, how sad! Don’t you worry, young one. He’s more motivated than ever. Just look for yourself.

As silly as it sounds, he main motivation is to win Belle back because he thinks that is the solution to all his problems. With his logic, that would make everything go back to the way it was before they moved to Fabletown. Which was possibly the only time he recalls being truly happy 

Once he realizes that isn’t the answer, it’ll change to focus on proving himself to anyone that will listen and also himself. He currently doesn’t think he’s capable of much else right now and at some point he’ll hopefully prove himself wrong by getting out of his current mindset and pushing himself outside of his comfort zone.

All of his current motivations are centered around regaining control over his life and getting his self esteem back. It’s less about the nostalgia and more about feeling of being untouchable again. Which is what he intends to do. 

What? Did I forget something? Oh you want the tea. My God, Cain was right you are needy, but very well. Sip away.

Eventually (when he gets past this hurt phase and drug abuse) he’ll realize that he can be the person he wants to be without Belle or anyone really. Finding his autonomy would be the first step in his “recovery” which would ideally lessen his drug usage as well and maybe he wouldn’t overcompensate at the gym anymore either. It’s amazing what the fear of getting a beer gut will do to someone.

He would also find another outlet for his aggression (probably not something creative like art, but we’ll see if that’s actually his style) and once that inner peace is restored it would help him switch sides since he would cease to do things out of spite.

He’ll realize his mistakes and (finally) grow as a person. Even though the original version of him that he wants to go back to was somewhat of an achillean, the final stage of his “recovery” would be to recognize he isn’t invincible and be able to sit with that thought. It’s a dark rabbit hole Cain doesn’t quite let himself go down yet

To avoid getting hurt his general relationships (if any) at the moment are quite superficial and even then he’s still pretty distant. Part of that is because he’s afraid of what other people will see when he lets them in and the other part is that they’ll leave him as a result. He’d never admit it but he secretly wants someone to love him and accept him as is.

All in all, he’s generally an asshole to most people he encounters to drive them away so they don’t even have a chance to get to know him before leaving. This also benefits him as it’s his way of making everyone as miserable as he feels thinking it will help fill the void he feels (which it does not)

I hope that satisfied your needs, but since I’m feeling generous today I’ve included his interview post Exodus. Enjoy!

INTERVIEW WITH CAIN AKA THE BEAST.

ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕕𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔼𝕩𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕤?

Cain shrugs. It was the first time he’s really given the question much thought. “It was leave or die. So I guess it was an inconvenience more than anything,” he responds after a moment. Comparing his life in Fabletown with his old one doesn’t do him much good. He can see the similarities especially with the isolation and for a moment he wonders if anything’s really changed since he left. “How am I supposed to feel about it? Excited? Scared? Fables were disappearing so I wasn’t planning on staying there.”

𝕎𝕒𝕤 𝕚𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕕 𝕒𝕕𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖𝕥𝕠𝕨𝕟? 𝔻𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕?

“No. It was pretty similar,” he replies without entertaining other thoughts. His answer wasn’t a lie either. He believes he acts pretty much the same in both worlds. “The only thing that changed was my employment which I thought I’d never do.” It’s the second part of the question that makes him hesitate. A flood of memories suddenly wash over him to remind him of a simpler time, one when he thought he was genuinely happy, and had everything he ever wanted. Then as quickly as it came, he forces himself to come back to reality and a lie immediately escapes his lips, “no. I don’t miss it.”

𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕗𝕒𝕧𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕖 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖𝕥𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕠𝕣 ℕ𝕖𝕨 𝕐𝕠𝕣𝕜?

It suddenly felt as if Cain were in Fabletown for the first time again. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t quite remember the name of any place - or perhaps he just never paid attention. It felt that he fell into the same routine of going to work, getting drunk or high, going home, and repeating. After a while a name comes to mind and he lets out a chuckle in the irony. “I hate to admit it, but it’s probably Gaston’s Tavern. There’s not a lot going on in his head, but he knows how to make a proper drink.”

ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕕𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕞𝕒𝕘𝕚𝕔? 𝔻𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕚𝕥 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕓𝕖 𝕓𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕕, 𝕣𝕖𝕘𝕦𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕, 𝕠𝕣 𝕟𝕖𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣?

Much to his dismay, he’s engulfed in more memories.This time he’s forced to remember turning away the fairy that ended up changing his life. He can feel his anger sink into his stomach and his fist clench momentarily. He releases the pressure as he considers the question what if I had let her stay? A small part of him believes nothing would have happened, but another part knew she sought him out and would have casted her spell on him anyway. After taking a deep breath, he answers the question that was actually asked. “Magic should be heavily regulated. On the other hand, unsolicited magic should be banned. If we can have laws on consent, it should apply to magic as well.”

𝕎𝕙𝕠 𝕕𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕃𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 ℝ𝕖𝕕 ℝ𝕚𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℍ𝕠𝕠𝕕?

“Who?” He immediately asks. He was never good with names or so he wants people to believe. Of course he remembered her. After a brief pause, he continues speaking,”if she’s careless enough to wander through the woods by herself without even glancing around to see what’s there, she’s careless enough to get murdered.” To his surprise he remembered her story better than he thought or at least remembered the version he rewrote for himself. “Anyone really could have done it. She didn’t seem all that bright or attentive. It was almost like she asked for it.”

[wowheadquarters]

Top 10 favorite Characters

For @thedeerfish. This list was slightly problematic. While I know exactly what characters are among my favorites, I never had the need to sort them into any kind of order. That is, until now. Oh, by the way, there is only one Top N list waiting in the queue, so if you like seeing these, you might go and suggest some. As long as it is Warcraft related, it’s good to go. Before you start reading this list, let’s play a game: Write down 10 characters you think I like. For each character on your list that appears here, you have a point. What’s your score? What's your most failed guess?

10. Griftah - He is a simple cheating shopkeeper selling useless things, sending clueless heroes to Zul’Aman. He has good lines. Ever since I’ve met him at the Shattrath Lower City, I wondered each new expansion locations “I wonder what Griftah is doing.” Given I play mainly Rogues, I was really happy about him being in WoD and later in the Underbelly. Let’s face it, where else would Griftah supposed to be than Underbelly? He isn’t much of a deep character with plenty of revealed lore, but he is one of those characters you just remember. Plus, with him the lack of lore and known personality traits doesn’t feel as bad writing but more as part of... What Griftah is keeping from us.

9. Har’koa - Cat mom. She is beautiful, she is a goddess, she is a mother. I have a lot of feelings about the adventures in Zul’Drak, especially about helping Har’koa. Plus it’s one of the few female characters I don’t feel Blizzard fucked up despite giving them some space. While it might be because she is there for like, 3 levels or so and then never seen again, I personally am of the opinion it’s because she was constantly in a form of a gigantic snow leopard and therefore couldn’t be stuffed in the practical female armor™ . Another thing is that Har’koa was never weak, even when she was trapped, and never stopped being kind and a goddess. I would really appreciate seeing Har’koa again. I would also appreciate an update on what is going on in the whole Northrend.

8. Maladaar - I haven’t got much reasoning here actually, I just happen to like him. On outland he was one of my favorite dungeon bosses and I was really sad about his whole story, despite I am not usually much into the “meant well but it went bad” backstories. Having Maladaar back on WoD was great and mainly the reason why I began to really like him. I mean, not only he is the Speaker for the Dead (which is, hands down, an awesome and a bit depressive title to hold) but he is also an active warrior, not just inactive priest who is defensive at best. He actually seeks justice. Maladaar deserved more space.

7. Chronormu - No such a list is, I think, complete without a dragon. There are plenty of dragons to choose from in WoW, so you can pick one to your taste. I like Chromie, the enthusiastic “let’s try again but better” dragon who decided not to be a boring elf but a Gnome (maybe she has a think for science?). She isn’t everywhere but she is everywhen, which is even better. She is cheerful even at the darkest hour without being an invasive optimist. Also Chronormu might and might not be trans. The -ormu suffix is, aside from Chromie, used only for bronze dragon males, while we always see Chromie as a woman. (How do you recognize a gender in a dragon when they are in a dragon form? You hardly do, they are reptiles, they don’t really have their gender visible.) Also I have a bet going on that when Nozdormu becomes Murozond, Chromie is going to become the next Aspect (or well... leader, since Aspects are no longer a thing).

6. Garrosh - First thing to remember: He fucked up everything he touched. Twice. He was given many opportunities for rising to greatness and also for redemption and he pushed every single one aside. He is a bad person. He isn’t a problematic fave, he is a total disaster and I absolutely disagree with what all he did. I don’t like for what he did, but because he is a damn interesting character (and mind you, it took me rather long to learn). And to me he is also to an extent very relatable, because I too used to view everyone around me as an enemy and tried to live up to my very awesome parent held in high regards by others who expected me to be exactly the same. So he made into the top 10 because he is a very interesting character, but I don’t really favor him as much as the others, because he is a bad person. I am still very salty about his death. I could have written it better.

5. Nozdormu - The only reason I don’t like Nozdormu more is because we don’t see much of him. He watches over time, travels through it as well. And he also looks damn fine. Like... damn damn fine. There is a picture of him in Troll appearance and that looks even better, but well, if he wants to be an elf... He is wise, he knows how and when and why he is going to die and he also knows he can’t do anything about it. Which is very heart-breaking, especially for him who just wants to protect Azeroth and time. He is in fact the most responsible person there is. A true Lawful Neutral. We all know what happens when he tries to change the history to be a better one (see Culling of Stratholme dungeon). Nozdormu is damn interesting and damn damn beautiful and I want to take him home and care after him so nothing bad would happen to him. He could do me the favour and be there more often in the game, me being the Champion Hero Adventurer and all, he could make some time for me.  

4. Ortell - The first time you meet this dude, he is almost naked sitting in a cave in Silithus and he translates the encrypted Twilight texts for you, because he realized those fuckers are no good, so he abandoned them. Hermit Ortell was quite a nice character and I liked visiting him in his cave, always brought him some papers to translate and read, because he then sent me a mail saying how nice it was I remembered him. Like, one of the few persons who actually liked to see me. And the boom baby, he is now Elementalist Ortell at Mount Hyjal, helping to infiltrate the cult he once used to call home. He also got some very ominously sounding lines. I loved hearing he is well and still on his bullshit. BfA is going to be about the Old Gods, I personally am of the opinion that Ortell should appear again - let’s just throw him at N’zoth, that tentacle fucker is just gonna run for momma in fear of Ortell. In our house goes a meme: “Little (out)house, little (out)house, who is inside?” - “Elementalist Ortell!”

3. Oculeth - A prime example that first impression matters. His first instinct to seeing a suspicious armed stranger is to put him in a deadlock bubble. In that very moment as the bubble was rising my main slowly to the ceiling, I thought “I know him for only ten seconds, but if anything happens to him, then I’d kill everyone on this server and then myself.” Oculeth is a walking disaster, this close to just losing it, but he is still brilliant and not giving up, he is a gigantic nerd and just loves things that move around thorough telemancy. Let me show to him the Wester and Eastern Earthshrine, please! Let me make my mess of elf happy!

2. Kel’thuzad - The sassy intelligent founder of Scourge (more or less) who isn’t paid enough to deal with all of this bullshit. Having read the Road To Damnation, I now know he didn’t actually want the power but the knowledge. Knowledge seeker. I can relate. But he isn’t actually a tragic character (by canon interpretation at least) which is somehow really... amazing. Life and death both threw stuffs at him and he just kept all of them for later use. And we knoe he has a cat he loves, and when worried then floats around like a distressed nurse in a field hospital . Now when Bolvar is in charge of the Scourge, Kel’thuzad is, technically speaking, a good guy. Or a neutral guy at least. He serves the Lich King (he doesn’t have much of a choice) and that’s all there is. Plus I always had a thing for necromancy and liches and this dude has been among my favorites since Warcraft III (when I couldn’t even read, not to mention understand English) and like hell am I going to change that now just because he is seen as a problematic character. Of course he is a problematic character, all characters have flaws of some kind. If they didn’t they’d be all the same and boring.

1. Vol’jin - DAMMIT BLIZZARD I DON’T CARE YOU ARE BRINGING HIM BACK IN THE BATTLE FOR AZEROTH! YOU HAD LITERALLY NO REASON TO KILL HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE AND NOT GIVING HIM MORE THAN 5 MINUTES OF SCREENTIME AND JUST ONE BOOK IS INEXCUSABLE! Okay, now I have calmed down a little. He is a strong character, both physically and mentally. He lost his son, his homeland, his homeland v. 2, his best friend, his homeland v. 3, the he had to kill the said best friend, then he had to leave Orgrimmar and his race was treated poorly in the Horde he helped to form... And nothing of that broke him. Just like Garrosh, for him everyone around was an enemy. But he didn’t kill them outright, he negotiated, he calculated, and he waited. Instead of enemies he sought opportunities, he was flexible. Yeah fine, until MoP he wasn’t all that accepting to people but he was proved wrong and he admitted it and that is something even real people have problems to do. Vol’jin is truly an inspiring character who was never afraid to call out anyone on their bullshit while keeping to both law and moral. His greatest weakness was his own damned intellect when he had the tendency to make things more complicated then they actually were. He was never my Warchief (I personally think that Cairne or Saurfang should have been the Warchief, later Baine), but he is someone whose orders I would do without questioning, knowing that all the questions I would have asked him, he asked them himself too, twice.

Honorable mention: Taedal - I have this sort of feeling I am obligated to list him here, since I am his creation mother. When you think about it, Taedal si actually just an OC I made for a punchline of a list and wanted to keep him as a running joke. He developed into a full character since then and you all have just sort of... accepted him and no longer question his presence, not even you guys who are new here (maybe you have read the FAQ but I don’t believe it, nobody reads the FAQ). When you think about it, his character, as it has developed, shouts Mary Sue (or the male version Gary Stu) miles around. He is described as pretty and everyone seems to get along with him aside from two or three characters who are just porely biased and Taedal keeps proving them wrong. He is intelligent and handsome enough to get laid, but he doesn’t do it often. And he has a special ability (to break the 4th wall). He is a rebelling demon, for Light’s sake! And somehow... Somehow nobody really minds. Maybe it’s because I present him as sort of a semi-official character, and when we get down to it there are canon characters with less believable backstory. Somehow this character seems natural in Taedal’s case instead of bad writing. I have plenty of other WoW OCs whom I love more than Taedal, but they aren’t on this blog so most of them doesn’t know them, so no reason to put them here. Plus, I really like the world I have built around Taedal. That demon wanted his own datadisc, so he has it. With the help of me and some other volunteering people who don’t mind contributing to the BaDW wiki. (This motherfucker is greedy as hell tho, and wants a second expansion now. Slow down, lizard man, I am not finished with the first one yet!)

[viviandroidcardigan]

HUGE post about Drautos

My speculations about Drautos based on little number of canon facts we have but still remaining mostly in headcanon space. MANY gifs.  

However you look at it, Titus Drautos is a man of ideas, or maybe better to say mental constructs. He put himself under immense pressure, being a double agent for 10+ years leading a major force for two opposing armies. Successfully leading both, I can’t stress that enough, because that’s just crazy. And for what? What possible motivations could he have had?  

There are two major ideas he seemed to be living by. Both artificially constructed and absolutely disconnected from him by the end of the movie.  

Personal grudge against king Regis and the wellbeing of his homeland.  

First, I just want to say that it’s very clear to me that neither pure power nor any other personal gain was ever his goal. And there was no loyalty or other positive feelings towards the Empire. That much is clear from his words and his actions. 

I’m going to take the majority of what he says at face value because some offhanded phrases were revealed to be meaningful later on and I think he is trying to tell the truth as much as possible not to get tangled in a web of lies as any respectable spy would do. 

Also I regard the majority of his words about someone to be actually about himself as it is a customary way to show character’s motivations in any story.    

Like here. Drautos is feeling he has no power without the magic on loan from a person he hates. That was probably the reason he started working with Niflheim in the first place, to get an alternative which he got in a form of his armor.    

The one thing he is passionate about is ending the war. He could be acting for sure but there is no real reason for it. Other Glaives showed all the spectrum of emotions ranging from rage to uncertainty to derision and none was considered a suspicious behavior. The best choice of emotion for a captain close to the King in some respect, would seem to be a reserved contemplation. But he is emotional and in not just words but also his posture and movements. That’s the most fidgety and unsettled we see him for the whole movie. I believe it’s because he really want’s for the fucking war to end and... he doesn’t feel all that great about his next order to Crowe. Though from his perspective her death is essential for the plan and thus for stopping the war. 

In my favorite scene Drautos is obviously probing Nyx for any discontent he can use to stir him his way. He’s not really working to get Nyx to his side because as far as we know that’s the only talk of such nature between them and it’s really far too late for it to work. Drautos has already recruited his merry band of traitors long ago and has a role for Nyx to play, but he is still hopping for something. I would say, to check if Nyx can be persuaded to work with him afterwards, when everything would work out accordingly. 

Also, Drautos is not a super emotional guy but the flatness of his expression now in this particular (otherwise relatively lively) conversation indicates to me that he may be thinking how HE wasn’t happy to give up his home, back when it happened the first time. 

My personal take on his age is around 45 (his actor’s age) it’s somewhere there anyways. And seeing that the Wall was retracted to cover only Insomnia in 725 and he was said to loss his home 30 years ago that would make him 14-15. Not most pleasant teenage memories for sure.                

I love the fact that he is genuinely baffled by the idea that Nyx wants to return to Galahd. His reaction makes it clear that he wasn’t even considering it to be an option. Neither for Nyx, nor for himself. And he tells right away why he thinks so. He is sure that without magic they won’t be good for much at home but he is well aware that soon he would be permanently without it. 

So here goes the first mental construct: Cavaugh his homeland.   

He may be the one to invent or at least put emphasis on the moto: For hearth and home. And he later claims the Empire made promises regarding giving their lands back but he exhibits no particular cultural signs of that place, unlike very prominent Galahdian ancestry Nyx and Libertus bask in. I don’t think he has any family left and sure he had no chance to visit it in decades. He clearly had no plan to come back to it soon or maybe at all. For the place he is putting his life and honor in line for, he shows very little care for it. 

It’s more like it was something he cared deeply for long ago, in his formative years. Something he built his life around to protect but it’s merely a ghost of an idea by now. This is also something he never actually got to understand.            

“Yeah, always wanting to save somebody” another: I’m talking to you, but I’m actually remembering myself long ago when I wanted to save everyone and couldn’t. He used to be that, but now he IS the one who is winning wars, because he learned to align with a strongest forces and play the dirtier way. 

This argument is actually a huge proof to me that Drautos cares about Nyx to some extent. He is basically showing his hand a bit with the next phrase especially, just to warn him a little bit, not about what is coming but about the danger of being too moral in an immoral world. Something hard learned. 

Can we take a moment to appreciate Nyx’s eye roll during his captain’s speech? This little shit!        

And here, another instance of talking about his own unanswered prayers, because he knows that “The gods do not listen”.  

This one is interesting. He has no reason to tell Luna anything. He came to take her and he will, no reason for additional intimidation and he is not a man to drop vague unnecessary ego busting phrases.  

The only reason to do it in my opinion, as if that prayer did piss him off a great deal and he reminds himself how close he is to finally reaching his goals - something gods never granted him so he went and got it for himself.      

Again talking about the struggles he couldn’t overcome. It pains me to think how he faced this arguments alone, never getting a chance for a fair fight and still choosing the right thing to fight for. 

He is a Niflheim general commanding the infantry, he knows what MTs are, what daemons really are. Well he knows much more than Nyx at least. Drautos is not afraid of them but he understands how truly overpowered that enemy is.      

“Giving a future to those who want to see it is everything”

And now about the second construct: hatred towards Regis.

Regis was undoubtedly a very unlucky man, because his actions were dictated mostly by his knowledge of unimaginable fate of the world and his own son. And many of those actions looked very much like cowardice and hypocrisy from outside of what he was totally aware of. 

Alas, Drautos was not privy to that information, in his younger years at least. And in all honesty I think his hatred started before Regis even could take any of those actions. I’m reasonably supposing that Drautos had lost his family during that war 30 years ago. When Morus abandoned the lands beyond the wall and recalled Regis back to Insomnia from the front lines. 

So Drautos actually started hating the Lucis Caelum dynasty for something that wasn’t Regis’ fault, ironically I think it was said that Regis was not happy about that development himself. But that time Drautos saw him as a coward and nothing could change his mind ever since.         

Also these words mean that Drautos in fact still enlisted into Lucis army. I don’t think he talks about the recent armistice, he surely has no ground to talk about betrayal there. That’s why I think there was another incident, something after he enlisted and served loathing and before he actually snapped. I have MY version of what that was (read Chapter 11 of H&H when I get there xD) but anyways there was something. And for Drautos it looked like he was betrayed multiple times before his own retaliation.   

But the point is, for many years in charge of Kingsglaive Drautos was in position that required close work with Regis and certain active protection of his name before the Glaives, who were prone to be dissatisfied with king’s actions. Like at the start, Drautos again and again repeats that the king is a supreme power and wisdom. Whether he believed it or not at first is of no matter because he sure as hell had to at some point to admit it at least partially. Because he is not stupid and he is honorable in his own way and being in close quarters with Regis he had to recognize a good man in him. And I think that he did. Because despite his angry words in the end, he did give him a quick death and a fucking salute. TWICE. The second one so long that he, in fact, had lost Nyx and Luna because he was doing it. Also that cathartic cry for a man like Drautos? Lots of emotions I interpret as anger, relief, closure and regret.        

So yeah. Drautos wasn’t in fact hating Regis, more like he was hating the idea of Regis and all that he represented. But same a constructed idea of his homeland it was so deeply set he could have never objectively rethink it. Every trait he developed, every action he took was built onto these two things: the future for the place he never meant to return to and the hatred toward a person who never actually deserved his scorn. 

Something he probably realized on some level but couldn’t afford to doubt, because it was too late to change and would have resulted in self-destruction of the core of his personality. He was stuck in the past, molded around the ideas he fought for all his life, alone, for the right cause but missing all the crucial information about what was to come and therefore without a hope to ever truly succeed. And that is very sad if you think about it.