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elizabethrobertajones · 16 days

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A Dragoon's Work Is Never Done part... three? four? I did not caption the first in this series with that and so I can't even find it now.

Anyway the important thing is this seemingly completely normal diplomatic mission from Radz-at-Han where the Satrap has brought his sister for Fete Day over to visit the dragons in the other city state perched on a rock with a long history of dragon relations for good or ill. Estinien is refusing to dress up as a diplomat, which he is now when it comes to dragon things, whether he likes it or not. He claims he's just here for the Fete food. G'raha is here because he's glued to Frog and likes witnessing history happening in nice ways.

Day 6: Celebrations | Holidays

Oh, wait the above images were a spot the difference

#I'm so interested in Estinien's and Frog's relationship (platonic) and how he fits into the puzzle now that she and Aymeric are A Thing @lilbittymonster

OKAY this will be unnecessary long to explain why Aymeric is getting so smirky.

So way way way back I did actually ship Estinien and Frog a bit, because I'd done dragoon 50 before HW and was therefore Completely Normal about the Estinien/WoL relationship. But I couldn't quite make it stick in my heart, and for whatever reason despite Estinien actually being, I personally think, the character with the closest bond to the WoL on the deepest levels bar the characters who are literally part of the WoL (you know, like, the 3-5 of them we cram in there), it ended up feeling more like just an unbreakable platonic friend bond. *shrugs* sometimes your heart just decrees stuff.

In Frog Canon this translates to the Stormblood 70 Dragoon quest being a moment where after sharing the dragoon eyeball tether for the first time, Frog and Estinien are riding an absolute high of connection and feeling really good about accomplishing Good Dragoon Things (and the reason I keep captioning Estinien and Frog doing dragon stuff as "work never being done" is them chasing that high again by tying up loose ends like taking Vrtra to visit Hraesvelgr or Middy, or taking Azdaja and Middy out for curry together).

That night on the steppe, they camped out together and shared a drink and the spoils of a hunt, Orn Khai was asleep by the fire. And completely unprompted Frog and Estinien both decided at the same moment to swoop in for a kiss, which lasted roughly 3 seconds and they broke apart like "woah, no, that was weird. We don't need to do that again. Nope. Sorry." and they instead solemnly vowed their friendship, and then laughed about it and decided to take that incident to their graves.

(At this point Frog had no idea Estinien had literally ever had a relationship in his life, never mind having been with Haurchefant as well and technically at the same time as her since Haurche had only nebulously mentioned "other partners"; Estinien did know she had been madly in love with Haurchefant, and Aymeric, who in turn Estinien had his suspicions was madly in love with Frog since like, seeing them interact once even in early HW. So it was a bit of a shock to her but he'd been idly contemplating her place in all this now for a while. But since he, Frog and Aymeric were all technically single or on a break or whatever Estinien thought he was doing while ghosting Aymeric for his own mental health SB > ShB patches, there weren't any of those connections to actually like. Build anything on.)

Fast forward to Endwalker, and I'm fully on the "Ysayle needs to know she won and Estinien has gone full dragonfucker" train, because he and Vrtra are an incredible power couple and it really represents to me a sort of final stop on Estinien needing to come to terms with everything that happened to him ever in his life and having accepted all sides of both the grand scope of history and also his own relationship to dragons, Nidhogg, and relations with dragons. He returns to R-a-H post-EW very very intrigued by what Vrtra wants with him, and they pretty much immediately get together.

I think by this point he's also encountered Aymeric enough times to have started to realise they never really broke up so much as stopped seeing each other, and Aymeric is exactly as devoted to him as he was last time they met, and Estinien only actually feels guilty about avoiding him so long, and mostly because Ishgard itself gives him the heebie jeebies immediately after HW and nothing to do with what Aymeric has done or not. So he's completely ready to resume that and just needs an excuse.

Which of course is Vrtra suggesting gently that there's a valuable connection there for Estinien and for the future of the two cities. AND Frog is on his case about seeing if Vrtra wants to meet the Dravanian dragons. Which he does. And then it only belatedly occurs to him when standing in Ishgard with Aymeric that maybe Frog also was manoeuvring. (I actually credit more G'raha machinations that Frog enacted, if you dig deeper :P)

Aymeric sort of ends up the orbiting twin star to the centre of the Frogicule, since he's the connection to all that and brings this whole side in, and considering all the pining on Frog's side to others, he's really got the more stable side of it all somehow...

She's glad of it because most of why she broke Aymeric's heart in the first place post-HW is because she thought it was cruelly unfair how little time she could spare for him and that he would only be mistreated by her coming in and out of his life at random.

The solution? A SECOND partner who comes in and out of his life at random and has very little tolerance for being in Ishgard! \o/ Between the two of them, maybe they add up to one full time partner?

(cue both of them getting on ships to Tural without consulting each other)

I don't think she goes out of her way to avoid seeing Estinien and Aymeric at the same time or finds it at all uncomfortable (low boundaries between them after all), but also she and Estinien are mutually uninterested in each other romantically and only passingly physically so aren't really interested in anything more than perhaps sharing a bed for platonic sleeping with a nice comfy buffer of Aymeric. It's easier just to enjoy spending time with them doing fun things like hanging out in the Firmament chatting to dragons and eating fair food, then take her catboy and leave. To the catboy's eternal disappointment. (Sorry G'raha, now this post isn't about you and we're talking Estinien today!)

Aymeric is here at this party realising he'd bed literally anyone there including Big!Varshahn (jury out on how he'd take to actual dragonfucking but it's like. A Catholic guilt loophole meeting a dragon who looks like a guy.) I don't think Vrtra and Aymeric are quite ready for anything but the simple fact of his existence is like an accessory that's making Estinien 1000x hotter in Aymeric's eyes I guess. Ser, that's a fellow head of state, please stop objectifying him.

Aymeric can not believe his luck that in a matter of months he's gone from staring forlornly out of a window alone to glancing between his hot girlfriend and his hot boyfriend, and is suddenly thrilled to go down in history as Ishgard's most eligible bachelor (never married, so many close friendships, all his letters and diaries spontaneously combusted on his death, how sad).

... as stated before, I am such a fan of Aymeric being a messy bitch who lives for drama and also is full of Secret Yearning and Weird Thoughts and would do wildly unstable things while projecting an aura of control and calm. Literally who knows if five to ten actual years down the line he and Vrtra end up publically married to unite their countries forever or something, but for now, this is where we're at.

Frog is just happy everyone is happy, and lacking the Ishgardian upbringing had given zero thought to Vrtra as a sex object and actively restricts herself from patting big!Varshahn on the head like he is still tiny. Little-brother-gender dragon snares another big sister. Estinien's love life remains a blissful mystery to her except for occasionally comparing calendars with Aymeric and swerving around the weekends he's blocked off for Estinien.

#ffxivpolyamweek24 #ffxivpolyamoryweek2024 #ffxiv #endwalker spoilers #shadowbringers spoilers #stormblood spoilers #heavensward spoilers #vrtra #estinien varlineau #aymeric de borel #g'raha tia #bounding frog #posing in the firmament is great because there's 10000000 actors in the open world but also terrible #because people will be running up to Ehll Tou with custom deliveries #posed at 8am GMT on an American server :P

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toaarcan · 28 days

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Ian Flynn's Eggman

I have a funny perspective on the way Ian Flynn writes Eggman.

Because in practice, I hate it. It's born out of a still-bubbling resentment for the last big arc of the preboot, and how he was handled as the villain for that (Arcan Grumbles About Mecha Sally: Part 2 will be about the villains, so I'll go into more detail there), and how it echoed both his earlier appearances from Issue 175-177, and how he's still characterised in IDW sometimes.

Flynn writes Eggman as this incredibly weird mix of a hypercompetent genius and a bumbling fuckup that averages out to a mostly-invincible villain who is usually only defeated by himself.

This is a bit like the game version that he's trying to base this character on, as I'll elaborate further down, but it's missing a few pieces, like the part where Eggman's downfall is usually because Sonic legitimately beats him. In the games where Eggman is finished off by a greater threat, it's normally after Sonic has already broken his final weapon. Contrast the Metal Virus arc in IDW, where Eggman's defeat is entirely because he screwed up, and if he hadn't deployed the Metal Virus as soon as the first test worked, and instead refined it into something he could control, he would've won, as Sonic was losing more and more ground to the infection, and the heroes needed the assistance of Eggman, Metal Sonic, and Starline's Warp Topaz to actually win the day.

Both Archie and IDW have moments where it's established that Eggman at least believes that he can win entirely at any moment of his choosing. IDW Eggman claims it, Archie Eggman proves it, and I have to say, I view this as one of the worst villain tropes ever.

If the only thing stopping the villain from wiping the hero off the board permanently is the villain's own unwillingness to do so, then the hero is a failure and the villain is an idiot. Congrats, you've fucked over your entire series

But what makes this unique is that, if you listen to Flynn talk about Eggman behind the scenes, it's clear that he really does understand the character at a core level.

Because here's the thing: Flynn is absolutely right about Eggman being a fuckup. I know some people really hate the idea that Eggman is not the ultimate BBEG of the Sonic universe, that he gets usurped by other villains so much in the 1998-2009 games (and now again in Frontiers) , but "Eggman unleashes something he can't control" was used for more than a decade of straight releases, at this point it's not a writing failure, it's characterisation.

Eggman is a mechanical genius. He builds fantastic robots, massive flying battleships, incredible weapons, giant mech suits, the works. But some of these machines he comes up with are very obviously the first-draft versions. He's deployed the Egg Dragoon twice in canon, and has never fixed the giant glowing weak spots. He's used the "swinging ball on a chain below the Eggmobile" design at least four times (three of them as himself, once at the hands of Mecha Sonic), and the only refinement he's made to it after all these failed attempts is replacing the ball with a sawblade for the fifth attempt.

His strategy usually boils down to "Bum-rush the objective with an army of robots" or "Make a big show of force with a new superweapon and demand everyone surrender" or "Throw something massive and destructive at his target to create free real estate." He's had some clever plans before, but only a handful.

And his propensity to unleash ancient evils that he cannot possibly control is, at this point, well-established. Because his most fatal flaw is his ego. His arrogance. He believes himself to be superior to everyone else, including ancient monsters and artificial gods and sentient superweapons. And Sonic. And he's wrong. He thinks he can make something more powerful than Perfect Chaos, he's wrong. He thinks Shadow is working for him, he's wrong. He thinks there are no consequences for upgrading Metal Sonic over and over and over again, he's wrong. He thinks he can control a Gizoid, he's wrong. He thinks if he builds a Gizoid of his own, that'll fix the problem, he's wrong.

He thinks he can beat Sonic, he's wrong.

Like, for all Eggman's self-aggrandizing boasts about being the greatest scientific genius in the world, he's not even right about that. SEGA themselves have established that. They gave Eggman an IQ of 300 (and yes, I know, IQ doesn't work that way), and then gave Tails an IQ of 400. By SEGA's own logic, Tails is smarter than Eggman.

And I think I get what Flynn is aiming for. He's trying to write a version of Eggman who is the grand villain of the series, who is the greatest threat to Sonic and friends, and is the antagonist who makes Sonic sweat the most. He also wants to sprinkle some SatAM Robotnik in there too, because well, guy is a SatAM fan (and hey, I really can't hold that against him, I am too), and that results in this hypercompetent, sadistic, borderline invincible Eggman. But he also wants to be true to the SEGA version, who isn't really any of that. So we get the bumbling self-sabotage thrown in, except this time they're the singular flaws in Eggman's armour, and he ends up mostly defeating himself, which is just frustrating for me to read.

So yeah, contrary to where other people who don't like Flynn's Eggman, I'm taking the stance that his take on Sonic's most persistent enemy actually isn't enough of a fuckup.

#Sonic #Sonic the Hedgehog #Eggman #Dr. Eggman #Ian Flynn #Dr. Robotnik #Archie Sonic #IDW Sonic

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e-dragoons · 2 years

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i already posted a bunch of pics from this photoshoot but i'm going to talk about them under the cut because i love them a normal amount. i will separate by expansion for their relationship in case anyone reads and wants to avoid spoilers.

a realm reborn they met early on, according to the canon dragoon job quests; lehna took alberic's job stone and nidhogg's eye called to her the same way it did estinien, making her an azure dragoon. they carefully befriended one another until the eye showed estinien that alberic was partially responsible for the events at ferndale, and lehna refused to let estinien hurt alberic. she defeated him in battle, and he disappeared. heavensward it took lehna time to trust estinien again, but she eventually did. the two of them just fought so well together, and she was not afraid to call him on his shit. he was also the first person to ever stand up for her best interests when he called alphinaud out for wanting to send her to fight ravana without a second thought. they grew close once again, and lehna tried to urge him to see things from ysayle's perspective. during this time, lehna had a will they/won't they relationship with haurchefant; there was far too much going on for her to want to make things official, so she never acknowledged her feelings. when haurchefant died, she and estinien both wanted revenge. after defeating thordan, when estinien was possessed by nidhogg, lehna panicked--realizing that after haurchefant and ysayle, she could not lose him, too. so she promised alphinaud that they would save estinien no matter what. when estinien was starting to feel better, lehna refused to make the same mistake she did with haurchefant and ended up sleeping with estinien. he fled the next morning without saying goodbye and it broke her heart, but she did her best to understand. stormblood aside from other events that happened throughout stormblood, lehna followed the dragoon quests. she avoided talking too deeply about her feelings for estinien (even though seeing him again, she could not deny that she still loved him) as they did their duty. estinien was starting to feel more comfortable with the idea of staying near her, and the two of them ended up sleeping together again, despite lehna's initial hesitation. this time, however, she was the one to leave. lehna was not in a good place mentally throughout the entirety of stormblood, and she felt like estinien had taken advantage of her emotions even though she knew that was not what he had done, and that he never would have hurt her like that on purpose. shadowbringers in my main canon for lehna, she is not the wol that the exarch summons; instead, she is brought to the first around the same time as alphinaud. she grew close with thancred and picked up gunbreaker after temporarily losing her connection to nidhogg's eye. she finally began to heal from the events of heavensward and stormblood. estinien, meanwhile, realizes that she is gone and finally starts to realize how much he does care for her. he wants to try to be better and help her in any way he can, so he does so (it helps that tataru and krile blackmail him lol) when lehna returns to the source and they eventually meet up with estinien in ishgard, she feels comfortable talking to him like they used to--like they are partners once again. endwalker things are not exactly awkward between them, but not exactly perfect, either. it's clear that they both care about one another, but estinien is hesitant to reach out to her, and she is hesitant to re-open old wounds with him. finally, one night he visits her rooms and they talk about everything that happened between them. the fact that estinien is willing to talk about their feelings at all makes lehna resolve to ask him if he's willing to give Them a chance, and estinien agrees. he stays over that night, but they do not do more than hold each other until they fall asleep. after the events of endwalker, lehna worries that estinien might leave again--but he instead invites her to thavnair with him, and the two of them spend time there together training the radiant host and just trying to be happy together.

conclusion they're in love your honor lehna has to acknowledge that estinien's leaving in heavensward really had nothing to do with her, and rather everything to do with everything going on in his own life. she has to learn that estinien cares about people in his own way, and how to be her own person.

estinien has to learn how to openly care for someone else. he has to learn how to read what lehna needs from him, and how to share his burdens with someone that he truly trusts.

they are very different people, but ultimately they love each other and they will do anything to make it work. on the battlefield they fight as a team, always in sync and reading what the other is going to do without a second thought. they can tease each other and beat the shit out of each other in the training ring because they know that there are very few people out there that can challenge them the way they challenge each other.

#LMAO SORRY THIS IS WORD VOMiT LOL #oc: lehna #otp: wyrmwind romance #i didn't proofread this at all so hopefully it makes sense :')

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fremedon · 2 years

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Brickclub 4.11.5, “The Old Man”

Once again, Gavroche is singing and I have no idea what to make of it--except that it seems ominous. It’s hard to follow whether all the animal references refer to the same animal, but it sounds like it’s about a tiger eating, or at least glad at the prospect of eating, two drunken sparrows, who either become or are called wolves while intoxicated. This... seems like a bad omen.

The chorus of the song lists places--two customs tollgates (Passy and Pantin, which is argot for Paris), and two things I think are villages? (Chatou and Meudon)--with nonsense rhymes and the refrain “I have only one God, one king, one sou, one boot.”

The king is also interesting--Gavroche has sung about kings before, but it’s surprising to hear him owning one, even in a fairly nonsensical song.

I really don’t know what to do with this song; if anyone has ideas or links I’ve love to see them.

I also cannot find any reference to the Rue Bassompiere that Enjolras & co. escape down. The Boulevard Bourdon, where the Amis are when the dragoons charge, is the portion of the Boulevard that continues south of the Elephant of the Bastille, next to the canal; the Rue Lesdiguières, where they meet Mabeuf, is parallel to it with no intervening parallel streets, and the connection between them is the end of the Rue de la Cerisaye. The 1830 map I’m getting all of this from does not list a Rue Bassompiere anywhere in the key--there is a Rue Basse-Saint-Pierre, which would have been pronounced as Bassompiere, but it’s all the way over by the Champs-Elysées. Gavroche’s progress down from Ménilmonant follows the map, but as soon as the Amis appear the geography starts getting weird--in the next couple of chapters, they’re somehow going to miss Saint-Merry despite going right past it, and the Rue de la Chanvrerie where they build the barricade is Hugo’s own spelling for what the map calls the Rue de la Chanverrie and Hugo will insist was originally the Rue de la Champverrerie.

And then there’s Mabeuf.

He’s weaving in the street like a drunken man, not seeing where he’s going. Courfeyrac tells him they’re going to fight, there’s going to be cannon-fire and saber cuts, and Mabeuf just says “Good.” And then--after establishing that they’re going to die--he asks where they’re going. Courfeyrac says they’re going to overthrow the government, and Mabeuf says “Good,” and his face gets blanker, but “Suddenly, his step became firm.”

The rumor spreads that he’s a Conventionist, an old regicide. He’s the farthest thing from it--but he’s found his way to the Revolution.

I am always surprised that we learn in passing that Courfeyrac has accompanied Marius to Mabeuf’s many times. In Marius’s POV, we never heard anything about this--his two friends were always contrasted with each other and kept quite separate. It’s one of a lot of examples where the narrator makes it sound like Marius hasn’t spoken to a living human being in months and then casually drops in a perfectly normal exchange with one of the Amis, and it really makes me question the reliability of everything else we see solely or mostly through Marius’s eyes--he’s so depressed and checked out that in his own POV, he’s completely alone and other people (besides Cosette) just aren’t making an impression; but clearly at least until the last few months, when he started to pull away from everyone including Mabeuf, he was still managing to keep up at least some social ties.

#brickclub #lm 4.11.5

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altaniadventures · 10 months

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Prompt #2 Contest - Au Ra August 2023

Just a little story about sparring. In my mind, this happens some time after the events of Stormblood.

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"You only think you want to challenge her, but really you should be praying to your Halone that she gets bored and finds something else to entertain her," said Baya. Estinen raised an eyebrow at her.

Altani's sister Bayarma had come to stay with her at her Ishgardian apartment for the next few weeks. Estinen wasn't sure what to make of the tiny Au Ra female. He'd thought Altani was small, but apparently she was the tallest woman in her entire family. Baya was an entire head smaller, and she was an older sister. Woman barely came up to his waist.

They had the same black hair, though Baya put hers in one large braid instead of a multitude of little ones. Her eyes were a softer shade of violet, and her skin was a dark pink. Unlike Altani, Baya did not enjoy fighting at all. Seemingly gentle and quiet, this was the first time she'd willingly started a conversation with him.

Estinen scoffed. "It's only a spar. We've watched her fight a few knights and she was normal. I've fought her before. I don't understand why you're worried. Afraid she'll beat me to a pulp? The other man is still standing. She's in control."

Baya looked over to Altani's current partner. The fully armored knight had pushed himself off the ground and was limping over to a grinning Altani, who was holding out her hand for a courteous shake. The young man was sweating, red faced, and had dozens of new dents in his armor. Altani was smiling, as fresh faced as when she walked through the doors an hour previous. She was not wearing any armor at all.

"That's because those are strangers and they don't pose any challenge to her. If you fight her, she will need to win," Bayarma said slowly. "It was bad enough before, but now it's only gotten worse." She hadn't wanted to come here in the first place, but Altani liked to start her day with a little training. She could hardly tell her baby sister no. The sounds of battle and clashing steel were a reminder of home. Altani might say she never wanted to come back to the tribe, but she sure did recreate her old life on the Steppe at every opportunity.

This dragoon beside her now reminded her of the men at home too. Terse, confrontational, and tall. She had to crane her neck to look at the man. He'd done a few rounds with other partners before coming over to watch Altani's bout with her.

"And while I don't know you like I know my sister, I do think you share it in common," she added.

"And what, pray tell, is that?"

Bayarma shrugged her shoulders. "A stupid desire to win at any cost. It will begin fun enough, but someone will draw blood, get angry, and then you two will stop sparring and begin fighting. There are no happy contests with Altani nowadays. Someone will get hurt, and it will most likely be you."

Estinen's eyes narrowed. He started a retort, but she quietly interrupted him.

"She hasn't been the same since Ala Mhigo," she whispered. "She won't talk about it, but I see it when she fights. Her eyes go glazed with fury, and I know she's seeing something else. I can't imagine what beast haunts her, because she looks so sad." She watched the dragoon's eyes widen with recognition. Ah, so he knew what it was that hung on her sister's shoulders. "Please. I know we are but strangers, but could we end these bouts for now? For her sake, at least."

There wasn't time to respond to that. Altani had come bounding up, her axe resting on her shoulders. Her grin was wide as she smugly addressed them both.

"Once again, I am the undisputed champion of the Ishgard training area. Either of you want to take a swing at the winner?" she asked.

Estinen and Bayarma glanced at each other before he responded.

"Of course not, Eorzean savior," he replied. "Truly we're all dazzled by your presence. Let's stop boring your sister with our pissing contests and show her the Firmament baths." He put his weapon on the rack and began to walk off towards the door.

Altani laughed and placed her axe on rack. "Good idea! You were starting to stink anyways. Let's get tea when we get there. Sorry about the wait, Baya. You know I can't stand leaving a fight unfinished. Hope Estinen wasn't too rude. He doesn't mean to be. He's much nicer than you think."

Bayarma smiled at her sister. "You know, I think you may be right."

#altani wol #altani writing #ffxiv oc #auraaugust2023

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whenyouhearthedoorcreak · 2 years

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Thoughts on the fact that when Arthur learned Merlin was a sorcerer in the finale, he was also learning that Merlin was the man who (he thinks) killed his father?

One) aaaah, thank you so much!! I love talking about arthur and the reveal and this relationship, so please!! if anyone has a merlin thing they want to rant about, I beg you do send!!

Two) sorry this took so long, I've been mulling it over since you sent it and only had this epiphany now as I was talking to someone in the replies of one of my other posts lol

I think there are a lot of things that would have taken more time for arthur to make the connection to, merlin being the one he thought killed his father being one of them. But I think this ties into a larger thought I have about the reveal and why arthur reacts the way he does.

Merlins "betrayal" holds a lot of feelings for arthur as he learns that one of the most important relationships of his life is sitting on an entirely different foundation than he thought.

In Arthur's mind his and Merlin's relationship is based on both of them largely ignoring their difference in station to form a bond of great trust and friendship, in telling arthur that he not only has magic but also stays with arthur because of a massive prophecy and fate is earth shattering. I talked about this in a reblog once, how arthur loves merlin in a distinctly normal and non-destined way, he views this relationship without any great fate attached but rather as a bond of pure love and devotion. so to hear that merlin is a great sorcerer who has been placed here by fate and stays to ensure a certain outcome and has done all of this in secret. It makes it all feel a little less personal right?

This is why I think the "I also do this, because you're my friend and I don't want to lose you" line is so important, why the conversation that finally turns arthurs mind around is merlin saying "I didn't want to put you in that position". These statements make it so incredibly clear that merlin didn't keep things from arthur to avoid him, but rather because he valued arthurs peace of mind, wanted to remain as something sure and easy in Arthur's life. He still wishes he knew sooner, wishes that merlin had felt safe enough to know that he could tell him, guilty for unknowingly hurting his friend all these years, angry that merlin never told him that merlin never tried to correct him, that merlin never trusted him enough to share this particular view. but mostly he understands, that merlin valued this relationship too much to risk it, just wanted to keep this the same way arthur did.

but to get back on track with what you asked. How does all of this reflect onto his possible feelings around realizing that merlin is the sorcerer who healed/killed his dad?

I think arthur spends his last day trying to reconcile the merlin he knows with the new power he now realizes merlin holds. He's probably thinking about a lot of things and moments in the ten years they spent together.

Arthur goes to Merlin and Gaius for a way to heal his father, and is led to Dragoon(aka merlin) and this old sorcerer tells him so many things about how magic can be used for good, about how all any sorcerer in camelot truly wants is to be free, and how he has faith in arthur to deliver that.

then his father dies, seemingly at Dragoon's hand, (because once again people needlessly keep things from arthur and no one tells him about morgana's enchanted amulet) and arthur is left with this rageful guilt over his hand in all this. and he vows to never forgive that old sorcerer or magic itself.

but then merlin is there, as Gaius announces Uther's death, and hes crying, and that night he tries to comfort him in his chambers, tells him maybe it is merely the cruelty of fate, maybe no one is to blame but the man with the knife. But what happens next? only one of the most iconic merthur devotion scenes of all time. Merlin spends the night on a cold stone floor waiting for arthur to come out of the grieving chambers. Merlin shows such deep loyalty to Arthur and to this relationship (however you define it), and that stays with arthur I think. It's one of those moments, like when they first met, or when they fight the dragon, or when he pulls the sword from the stone, that arthur is so certain of this, of them.

so when Arthur learns that Merlin has magic, and that Merlin and Dragoon are one in the same. and learns that merlin is fated to be in his life, but also loves being there, and remembers merlin's great loyalty, and sees how humble and kind and caring he is. I think he remembers what merlin said "maybe the spell went wrong, I'm sure that old sorcerer meant no harm" and remember tired eyes in the early morning light saying "I did not want you to feel that you were alone" how despite all the tyranny of Uther's reign, despite how much he hurt merlin, he had still tried to save him for arthur's sake. For the sake of maybe one day being able to tell Arthur the truth in a land where magic is free.

I think, like a lot of things with merlin's lies, arthur regrets his part in it, and hates that it happened, hates how merlin felt alone and he felt alone, and how the guilt they thought isolated them was more shared than he knew.

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galaxxiwrites · 3 years

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Excited to hear more from this blog! I'm curious about non-romantic headcanons for how the Ishgard elezen (Estinien, Haurchefant, Aymeric) would react to a teenage WoL still figuring out the world.

gosh you're all so darn sweet (´°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥｀)

warning: Estinien's hcs will contain spoilers for the ARR Dragoon quest line + post-ARR patches!!

Teenager WoL (ft. Estinien, Haurchefant & Aymeric)

Haurchefant Greystone

Haurchefant is twice as encouraging as he normally is. He understands that you're going through a lot right now, what with adolescence, being framed for murder and whatnot.

As a big brother, he has this sixth sense that tells him whenever you're troubled, and you better bet he's the first one to go talk things out with you when your mind isn't in a good place.

He spoils you and Alphinaud a lot, probably a bit too much. Whenever you ask about it, he'll scoff it off and say it's only natural for the hosting family to treat their wards well.

What he'll never admit though is that you and Alphinaud gave him a second chance to a big brother, because his half siblings never really accepted him.

Calls himself your big brother by accident on occasion, and quickly apologizes whenever he does let it slip.

Wakes you up every morning and makes you and Alphinaud breakfast. He's always wanted to do it for his own younger siblings but never had the chance to.

If he happens to see you up by the time he's home in the dead of night, he immediately gets worried and tries to help you get some sleep.

"I understand you have a lot on your plate right now, (y/n), but you should get some well deserved sleep. You won't be able to think straight if you're deprived of it."

Is 200% worried whenever you're off on missions alone. He knows you're somewhat of a hardened warrior, but he also acknowledges that you're still young and lacking a lot of experience. It's easy to slip up on the battle field and get injured.

Always so so supportive of your dreams and ambitions, and reassures you that he'll always be there to support you, no matter what. He even tells you that it's alright if you don't want to become the Warrior of Light, and that he'll be beside you regardless.

"All you need to do is follow you heart, (y/n). I'll take care of everything else and willingly become your shield whenever the entire world decides to become your enemy over and over again."

I'm not crying you are

Aymeric de Borel

Aymeric would be flabbergasted to find out Eorzea's greatest champion was but a youth, one barely old enough to be considered an adult but far from being a child.

This was one of the first things he said when he first met you. He reassures you that it wasn't meant to sound like an underhanded comment, he's just genuinely surprised that so many adults would place their faith in you.

This is the same reason why he is reluctant to ever rely on you in the beginning. To him, you're a citizen that must be protected, despite being only temporary.

That all goes out the window when he finally sees your deeds with his own eyes. When you take down Lady Iceheart and achieve what his own men could not, he can't help but feel ashamed.

He admits it was wrong of him to judge you even before you could prove anything, and it makes him realize that you two are quite similar.

Both of you had to face many trials and tribulations even at a young age, and were forced to mature quicker than everyone else because of such burdens.

Because of this, he wants to see you succeed as he once did.

Unlike Haurchefant who treats you like a younger sibling, Aymeric will treat you like a student. He teaches you all he knows, especially when it came to political disputes and conversations, and helps you develop into your own person without being too attached.

...Or so he believes, but everyone can see otherwise. Aymeric has actually grown very close to you as he guided you throughout your journey of self-discovery, and at some point he just became like a father figure to you.

If you accidentally call him dad he'd actually be very happy about it.

"I'm glad you trust me so much, (y/n). Though I'd like to have you know, I'm only 32." Aymeric jokes.

Don't tell him that's a normal dad age

Estinien Wyrmblood

If you think he was rude with an adult WoL, he'll be twice as hostile and rude with a teenager WoL.

He's a fully grown man, 32 years of age, and has been training as a dragoon for as long as you were alive and yet here you are, a snot-nosed brat, besting him in a battle of strength and his title of Azure Dragoon.

Ha, sore loser.

Will always remind that you're the Azure Dragoon whenever you're faced against a high wall.

"Is that all the new Azure Dragoon can do? Pathetic. Such a position doesn't fit you, much less being called Eorzea's savior."

He's always pushing you to achieve higher by becoming your own adversary and come out of the fight greater than ever.

It's rough, I won't lie. No matter your accomplishments, Estinien dismisses it. You start to wonder: will anything you do ever be accepted by this man?

When Haurchefant tries to talk to Estinien on his behavior and how it's been affecting you, he scoffs and says telling him is pointless, and that if you can't deal with a bit of pressure then you wouldn't make it far.

It's only until he sees you crying alone, far from the sights of anyone, that he realizes that he's been over the board with his scrutiny.

Seeing you by yourself in such a dark corner made him see himself and how he once was, and while he was used to leaving himself in the darkness, far from others, you weren't.

You were a teenager who was handed down a responsibility you didn't ask for, and because you were still naive and lacking experience, you were easily fooled and now you have the entire world as your enemy. You had to reach out to absolute strangers just for security.

Perhaps that it was because he saw himself in you all along that he wanted to push you to your uppermost limits and become a better person he will ever be, but if he continued you down this toxic path you'd fall even lower than him.

From then on, you notice a change in him. He started giving you compliments for your achievements- they weren't over the top, but finally being given validity for your hard work always lifted your spirits.

He even started calling you his partner, much to everyone's surprise.

#thank you for the request!#haurchefant greystone #ffxiv haurchefant #ffxiv estinien #estinien wyrmblood #ffxiv aymeric #aymeric de borel #ffxiv headcanons

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potassium-pilot · 3 years

Text

Prompt 24: Illustrious

“Is it done, Alphinaud?” Dia pestered excitedly.

“No, it is not.”

She waited for approximately five seconds before asking again, “How about now?”

“Do you really want me to rush through this?”

“You’re the Artist Alphinaud, I am your assistant; what else can I do if not make sure you finish?”

“Will you ever let go of that?”

“Never.”

Alphinaud sighed defeatedly and continued his drawing. He was commissioned to create a current portrait of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn to hang in the Solar. To their relief, he had everyone’s figures wrote to memory and therefore, did not require them to pose. That in mind, Dia couldn’t help but be a shadow to the boy, watching his artistry at work. The Warrior of Light was many things; an artist, she was not. It seemed the act of using a paintbrush did not come with the same ease as using a sewing needle, or a cooking utensil.

In the middle stood what he believed looked like himself holding a carbuncle while Alisaie stood on his right side at roughly the same height with her rapier held out in front of her. Dia towered behind him carrying Tataru on her shoulders (at her behest) with Thancred on her left with his arms crossed, Y’shtola on her right with a cane being wielded, Urianger on Thancred’s left with a book in hand, G’raha between Alphinaud and Alisaie with a big grin on his face, and Krile in front of Y’shtola to the left of Alphinaud leaning up against him.

“All right, I’m not done, but what do you think so far, Dia?” She scrambled from the Solar door to the desk to look it over with enthusiasm. “Ahh, I love it so far! Why’d you make yourself so short though?”

“What do you mean?”

“Alphinaud, you’re not that small. You almost made yourself into a lalafell compared to me.”

“It feels accurate to me…after all, ‘tis no secret I’m of a smaller stature in comparison to many of you.”

“Smaller stature, sure, but you’re not miniature. Give yourself more credit.” He shook his head before she inquired, “And where’s Estinien?”

“Oh…”

“What?”

“He…told me not to draw him…”

If her eyes could turn red in fury like Nidhogg, they would have in that very moment. “Give me but a moment, Alphinaud…” she told him quietly. She turned away from the smaller elezen and exited out the door in a seemingly calm manner, concealing her fury.

*********

Estinien, Thancred, and Urianger enjoyed a cup of coffee in the lobby.

“So you sort of just…wait for an assignment?” Estinien confirmed. The other two nodded. “Frankly, it’s been a bit more trouble to have the patience recently, particularly since our last assignment wasn’t exactly taken by choice”, Thancred stated.

“Indeed. Though we only aged some few moons in the Source, our souls hath lived on for years in the First, and kept us all plenty occupied, particularly when our friend finally arrived”, Urianger affirmed. Estinien made a hum. “What did you do while waiting before?”

“Oh”, Thancred began nervously, “Nothing too unusual. We just took our rest, did something leisurely, enjoyed ourselves whilst we waited.”

“Is that what thou calleth courting several maidens at once?”

Thancred scowled at Urianger while Estinien made a slight smile at the remark. Suddenly, Thancred and Urianger made horrified faces and scattered from their positions, abandoning Estinien to his fate: a furious Warrior of Light, wearing a look she wore when she killed gods.

“Do you want to explain your thought process here?” Dia confronted him.

“You’re under the assumption that I care to explain anything.”

“Look, I get you that you like to work alone; frankly, it’s understandable in a way. Twelve knows half the work I do needs to be done alone, lest anyone without the Echo be tempered, but I have news for you: you are not alone anymore!”

He growled, “I still don’t know what you’re talking about.” She placed her face in her palm, then explained annoyedly, “The portrait, Estinien.”

“By the Fury, you’re angry with me about that?”

“Yes, yes I am.”

“It’s a bleeding portrait. What does it matter?”

“It matters, Estinien! It matters a lot to me, to Alphinaud, to quite a few of us.”

His face betrayed his befuddlement. Not having been a Scion for very long, her irritation seemed misplaced.

“That portrait’s not my place”, he attempted to explain, “And quite frankly, I don’t understand why you all so desperately want this portrait in the first place.”

“We want to commemorate our little family.”

“This isn’t my family. It never was.”

“Never?” she repeated incredulously.

He raised an eyebrow at her tone.

“Estinien, Alphinaud fought for you after your possession by Nidhogg. I fought for you. When everyone seemed intent on killing you, even yourself, we did everything we could to keep you alive. We even entreated Hraesvelgr to help us save you when Aymeric seemed content with just stopping Nidhogg at any cost. Then you go and follow us through Gyr Abania, to the point where you even pushed back an Ascian in the body of Zenos yae Galvus, and pulled my comatose body out of a battlefield and back to the front. And on top of that, you helped take out Black Rose facilities for us while the rest of us were off in another world. You mean to tell me that meant nothing?!”

Estinien blinked.

“Guess what, dragon boy? You were a Scion before you even offered your lance!”

He looked away to the floor, pondering her words, irritated by the nickname.

“Don’t call me ‘dragon boy’…” he snapped.

“That’s what you’re taking from this?”

He remained silent, still thinking through. What in hells had he done? What did he get himself into? He let out a frustrated breath and walked away. She watched him get away from her in disbelief, and followed him as he aimed for the Solar.

Estinien opened the door and called, “Alphinaud?”

The young elezen looked up and away from his efforts. “Yes, Estinien?” The dragoon hesitated, then begrudgingly ordered, “…put me in your damn portrait.”

Dia flashed a huge grin, and Alphinaud’s eyes lit up in excitement. “I’ll do just that! Thankfully, I was still sketching, so I can find a way to add you.”

“Hm…good, I guess.” He closed the door behind him and glared at Dia, still chipper from his agreement. “You’re a pain in my side, Dia Sito.”

“You have to be to do what I do. Thank you, Estinien. He’s a great artist; he’ll do you justice.” He shook his head and stomped off while Dia hurried back inside the Solar.

*********

A bell had passed since Estinien agreed to be in the portrait. Making sure he wasn’t followed, he quietly slipped into the Solar where Alphinaud continued his work unabated. He sat down in front of the young artist and bade him, “How goes the portrait?”

“Quite well, all things considered. I did have to remake the idea a bit, but overall, I’m quite pleased with how it turned out.”

“I see.” The dragoon shuffled in his chair for a moment, unsure how to phrase his next question. “Alphinaud…you are doing this of your own free will, correct?” He brought his attention from his work to the question brought before him. “Of course I am”, he answered incredulously.

“You’re sure, Alphinaud?”

“I am. Why do you ask?”

“I want to make sure this is something that you truly wish to do. Dia has a tendency to be a bit dramatic as I’ve recently learned.”

“Fear not, Estinien. I’m under no influence but mine own.”

Estinien let out a long breath and asked, “I know her reasons, but what of yours? What does obsessing over a painting get you?”

Alphinaud smiled at him. “I get a chance to relax.”

“Really?”

“I do. The past few times I’ve drawn, ‘twas out of necessity in order to locate our missing comrades or to gain entry into forbidden cities. This isn’t like that at all. Despite our friend’s being a bit more enthusiastic than I’m used to, I feel no pressure.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself at the very least, Alphinaud. But is that the only reason why?”

Alphinaud brought his gaze back to the portrait. In particular, he focused on the outlines of two people; Dia and Estinien.

“When I lost command of the Crystal Braves…when I heard that everyone I knew had been lost to that bloody banquet, all I felt was hopelessness. I felt stuck in a dark abyss, where nothing could see me nor pull me from it’s shackles. That’s what I earned for dehumanizing those who would help me, for seeing them all as pawns in my game to unite Eorzea.

Then Dia pulled me out of it. So did Tataru and Haurchefant.

Despite everything I ever thought of her, despite the way I would send her out as though she were my trusty god-slayer from my toolbelt, she stood with me, and helped me find a new home. Had she not saved Haurchefant’s friend from the Inquisition, and slayed Shiva, and the dragon that threatened the gates of Ishgard, we would not have found refuge within it’s walls.

After everything that came of our tenure in Ishgard, the Scions became something different. Especially now that my blood family has forsaken me, the bonds I’ve formed with my comrades became a great source of comfort to me. Everyone has their reasons for why the Scions are their home. If we wish to commemorate that with a painting, I see no reason not to oblige.”

Estinien didn’t usually pry into this sort of business; that was Aymeric’s domain. Yet, he did find himself in a better understanding of Alphinaud after that. He met the boy when he was still so immature, inexperienced in many things that were obvious to him growing up with Ser Alberic. It was interesting to hear how he changed, and what he missed.

“So this truly is more than just Dia’s will being imposed on others, then.”

“Dia’s not wont to impose her will onto others. She merely expressed a wish that the rest of the Scions shared, myself included.” Alphinaud raised an eyebrow. “Now that I think of it…I’m not entirely sure what her will is on a normal day. What does she want?”

“I have no idea. Perhaps it’s best for that to remain her business, hm?”

“When this is all over, and the Final Days are halted, I mean to express my sincere gratitude to her in any way I can.”

“Heh. Good luck with that”, Estinien commented as he rose from his chair. “Well, I won’t pry from your work any longer. Keep at it, Alphinaud.”

“I will, Estinien, thank you.”

The dragoon turned away and left through the door to the Solar. Alphinaud returned his full focus to the portrait.

******

The days passed while Alphinaud took his time to focus on the painting. The Solar was nearly forbidden territory, with the exception of Dia, who nobody would dare try to stop. After nearly a week’s worth of effort, Dia finally opened the door, and approached her fellow Scions.

“If any of you would like to view the portrait and help us decide where to place it, that would be most welcome”, Dia announced to the group as they sat in the lobby. All but Estinien rose from their chairs and walked towards the Solar.

“That means you too, Estinien.”

“Your suggestion is noted.”

“Get in here, or I’m telling Alphinaud to put it on your bed.”

He stood up reluctantly and followed her into the Solar, where they beheld the group fawning over the portrait. Estinien and Dia looked to each other, Dia wearing a smile on her face, Estinien his usual stoic look. He slowly walked towards the portrait to join the group.

For the most part, the positions of everyone stayed the same with one notable exception; Estinien stood between Dia and Thancred with a smirk and with his hand placed on Alphinaud’s head.

“I’m glad he took my suggestion and made himself taller”, Dia mused. Estinien tore his eyes away from the painting and looked to Dia. “Didn’t he do a good job with you, Estinien?” He nodded, “Aye, he did.” He brought his attention back to his portrait self.

Is that how he sees me, he thought.

“All right, now the question remains: where do we place it?” Alphinaud asked the group.

Everyone took a moment to think. “What about up there?” Estinien suggested, pointing to a spot above the desk…the spot that once held Tupsimati. Most of the group shifted uncomfortably with the exception of G’raha and Dia.

“Well…” Alphinaud started.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Dia defended. The group made faces of disbelief towards her. “Look, I will never forget Louisoix, nor will I forget Moenbryda’s sacrifice. But that spot is perfect. Anytime we walk in, we’ll see us hanging there proudly. After all, Tupsimati’s not hung there in how many moons now. Why don’t we use that spot to honor a new legacy?”

The Scions considered her words. “Did I touch upon something sensitive?” Estinien whispered to Dia. “‘Tis a long story. You did nothing wrong”, she whispered back to him.

“All right. Perhaps it would be better for us all to let our own story be told. After all, we saved not just one world, but two. That should be worth a nice spot, don’t you think?” Thancred reasoned. The group nodded.

“Allow me”, offered G’raha. He took out his staff and levitated the portrait from it’s spot. Y’shtola took out her cane and prepared a nail for the painting to hang upon. The two combined their efforts, and in a matter of minutes, the portrait hanged proudly in the very same spot Louisoix’s legacy once stood, the legacy that Dia had unfortunately sacrificed along with Moenbryda in her attempt to destroy Nabriales.

“There. I like it there quite a bit”, Dia complimented. “Thank you, G’raha, Y’shtola.”

“Of course. Now would you care to explain to me why that spot seemed to cause discomfort?” G’raha questioned.

Dia smiled. “I owe you two an explanation, it would seem.”

#ffxivwrite2021 #ffxivwrite #ffxiv #estinien & wol #estinien & alphinaud #estinien wyrmblood #wol #alphinaud leveilleur #thancred waters #urianger augurelt #g’raha tia #ffxiv fanfiction #fanfiction #a writer is never late nor is she early she arrives precisely when she means to

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mca-attack21 · 4 years

Text

Surprise (Part 3)

Here is the third and final part to “Surprise”. Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, and my updated Masterlist is here.

Snoring. You were exhausted and in pain, but apparently you were not meant to get any sleep as Arthur was snoring. You forced your eyes open and tried to remember exactly what happened, but it was all a bit of a blur. You moved your hand down to your side to try to access the damage, that however was all but impossible when you were tightly wrapped in your husband’s arms. You tried unsuccessfully to sit up, but your body was still very weak. You contemplated waking Arthur up, however you knew that if he was sleeping this deeply it meant that he hadn’t slept much. Knowing that his worry for you was the cause of this made you feel guilty and obligated to let him sleep.

That being said, you were filled with relief as Merlin entered the room. He was surprised to see you awake and subsequently found it hard to contain his laughter at the predicament that you found yourself in.

“Help me,” you whispered with a laugh.

Merlin then helped to swap you out with a pillow. Immediately pulling you into a hug which caused you to inhale sharply and him to apologize. The two of you quietly snuck out of the room and down to Gaius’ chambers.

“Merlin what exactly happened?” you asked as the two of you made it into the hallway.

“What is the last thing you remember?” he asked.

“Arthur and I were riding horses, but after that it all gets a bit fuzzy.”

“The two of you went for a picnic and were attacked by Morgana’s men, they were planning to kill Arthur. Apparently you pushed him out of the way of a dagger that just so happened to be the most powerful evil weapon ever created,”

“So how am I still alive?” you asked as you neared Gaius’ chambers.

“Your resident warlock risked his neck to destroy the dagger and save the queen. The details aren’t important, all that matters is that you are okay,” he smiled.

As the two of you entered, Gaius pulled Merlin into his arms.

“I was worried that you weren’t going to make it in time,” he said, “and Y/n it is such a relief to see you conscious and on your feet, how are you feeling?”

“Like I fell off a dragon and landed here,” you said, pointing to your side.

“Ah yes, let me have a look,” Gaius replied, undoing your bandages which were nearly soaked through. “Now that the sorcery is out of the equation, I can actually treat your wounds.” He cleaned the area and applied something to it to fight inflammation and swelling. He then advised that you remain in bed until it was healed. To which you gave a hopeful glance to Merlin who placed his hand over your wound and muttered a spell.

“Thank you Merlin, can you help me with one more favor before I give you the day off?” you asked.

“Of course Y/n, what is it?”

“I would like to re-enact a picnic on the floor of my sleeping chambers. Can you get me the necessary items while I freshen up?” you asked, “Oh and Merlin,” you started.

“Yes Y/n?”

“Thank you for saving my life,” you added before making your way up the stairs. On the way up you bumped into one of your maids and asked her to assist you in changing. She was just leaving as Merlin was trying to figure out how to open the door with his arms being full.

“Ah Merlin, perfect timing.”

You laid a blanket on the floor and started laying out the food and drink.

“Help yourself to a plate Merlin there is more than enough here for Arthur and I here and it is well-deserved.”

He took a seat and began to make a plate for himself. You on the other hand went to the bed and pulled the Pillow away from Arthur before using it to smack him in the head. “Arthur it is a surprise that you get anything done around here with the amount of time you spend sleeping,” you laughed.

It took him all of five seconds to go from dazed and confused to shooting up and pulling you into his arms.

“You’re awake! How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Have you seen Gaius?” he asked refusing to let go of you.

“I am fine, thanks to Merlin. Apparently once the blade was destroyed the medicine was able to work and voila. That being said I do have some bad news,” you added, voice turning serious.

“What is it? What happened?”

“I gave Merlin the day off and permission to eat our food,” you said struggling to keep a straight face. It was then that Arthur looked past you and saw the “picnic” and Merlin with a plate full of food.

“Merlin!” he greeted pulling his friend up into a hug, “How did you pull this off?”

“Well you see the key is to say ‘The King has requested…’ when dealing with our kitchen staff. Then they will whip up just about anything,” Merlin joked causing both you and Arthur to laugh.

“Seriously though Merlin, what happened when you left? Where did you find Dragoon? How did he destroy the dagger? And what did he ask for in return?

“Well he asked for two things, one that I not reveal his location to you as he knows your views waiver when it comes to magic. The second was that you continue to be the king he always knew you would become. As soon as I reached him, he used a spell that disabled the enchantment on the blade. We then traveled to a place where he knew we could find a weapon that was forged in the dragon’s breath and used that to destroy the dagger once and for all,” Merlin explained.

“I wish I could thank him myself,” Arthur said. You reach out to squeeze his hand comfortingly.

“To Dragoon,” you said, raising your glass.

“To Dragoon,” Arthur and Merlin agreed.

“You know who else you can thank,” you hinted to Arthur.

“Yes, of course, thank you Y/n for saving my life.”

You rolled your eyes. “Yes of course, your welcome, and now…”

“Y/n, I am not walking all the way down to Gaius’ chambers before I’ve even ate my breakfast,” Arthur joked.

You rolled your eyes again.

“No in all seriousness, thank you Merlin, you risked your life to save Y/n and I will never forget it. You have always been a loyal friend and I hope one day to repay you,” Arthur spoke.

“You mean I get more than a day off?” Merlin laughed.

“Speaking of, if you wish to redeem that day off, you better get lost before I come up with a list of things for you to do. And take some extra food to Gaius for me will you,” Arthur returned.

“Right away Sire” Merlin said sarcastically and exited the room.

“Finally, some peace,” Arthur joked, “Oh, and the food, I am starving,”

You laughed, “I love you, you know that?”

“I love you too.”

Needless to say you both enjoyed your breakfast and eachother's company along with the privacy. Soon you were forced to return to your normal duties and helped Arthur get dressed for the day. There were important matters for him to attend to, especially now that Morgana was back on the radar. The fight for Camelot was far from over, and darker days were near, but you would enjoy this temporary victory.

#arthur pendragon #arthur pendragon imagine #arthur pendragon imagines #arthur pendragon x reader #king arthur imagines #king arthur imagine #king arthur x reader #bbc merlin imagines #merlin imagines #BBC Merlin #merlin imagine #bbc merlin imagine #Merlin

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voidsentprinces · 3 years

Text

Things I like about the “Roleplay” parts of the MSQ. People refer to each one Alphinaud, Hien, Y’shtola, Urianger, Alisaie, G’raha, and Thancred as “Watered down” versions of the Jobs but like, consider that this is just what a normal person can do without excess aether like Estinien and the WoL has. We’re practically the Jack of Trades, Master of None is far better equipped than the Master of One variety. Yeah we’re awesome and can accomplish what others can not. But the others clearly have the advantage of not relying too steeply on cool downs or job effects to do their stuff.

Alphinaud is sluggish as a Scholar but he’s better at diplomacy than at fighting, only being able to summon up his all once in a blue moon to unleash a Starshower. Plus he is ambushed and off guard. Given time I am sure Alphinaud could of unleashed a great SMN/SCH experience.

Thancred was also taken by surprise for Ran’jit and without Ryne giving him aether canisters, he was at 1/4 of his strength and you could feel it sluggish and pulling a batman gambit.

However, Hien fully came with a fight. His utility was better and more free flowing than WoL Samurai. He relied on potions but also had a good gap closer with damage over time we never could pull off without combos.

Y’shtola is always prepared making her skills effective even when taking on a tank we struggled with during the Nadaam. Keeping Hien alive and fighting off Magni with grace and talent.

Alisaie reflects her aggressive if not more combat experience than her twin by being able to just do Red Mage Melee at a drop.

Urianger is a closet show off limiting his AST tooltip to the essentials which we and him make the most of.

G’raha is as broken as we are but again he had spent a while connected to the Crystal Tower and has his memories of his Exarchhood and he switches and adapts to the flow of battle.

Estinien is ripe with aether and empowered by the remnants of being fueled by one of the First Brood. He was a quicker and arguably more effective dragoon. So taking down a WEAPON was simple for him of course.

While WoL Dragoon needs to rely on multiple combos, Estinien just drops a Stardrive whenever it fancies him and usually when he’s showing off (and THIS close to proposing for marriage to us).

The roleplay sessions capture perfectly each character in the moment. I am sure Hien lacked a limit break for the Elidizenos fight because he was mostly worn out from fighting across the Ghimlyt Dark by the time he ran into the possessed corpse.

So all-in-all, excellent use of each toolset.

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ressyfaerie · 3 years

Note

Tyka request: I love bit beast merging so the idea that Tyson has been forced to merge with Black Dranzer has always floated in my head. Kai arrives too late. Boris and his Grandfather found a way to break Tyson's will to accept Black Dranzer, probably to save Kai's life and Kai can only watch!

I LOVE THIS. I am the god of angst writing, so when you ask for angst, I’m bringing A N G S T. Anything in * are Tyson’s thoughts!

I’ve now written it all and- I just had so much fun with it. This was the kind of ask I was born for. Thank you for sending this to me- I hope you know I’ve been working on this all day lmao. It turned out way longer than I wanted it to be. But damn, it’s good. I’m going to keep the start in regular format, and put the rest in a read more, I don’t know if tumblr will even let me post this much LOL, but let’s try it:

“Hello, Tyson Granger. Welcome to BIC”

“Call it what it is Boris, BEGA- round two.”

“You know better Tyson, The Beyblade International Congress is so much more.”

Tyson scoffed, he scrunched up his face in Voltaire’s direction.

He had one hand in his pocket, where dragoon would normally be. Instead, his hand held emptiness, there was nothing, and no one, to comfort him now.

The room security had led him into was windowless. It could have been the basement or the hundredth floor of the building.

Tyson had lost all sense of direction since Dragoon was stolen from him, the feeling was nothing out of the ordinary.

The world champion wore an expression no one had ever seen before. Determined, enraged, vulnerable, confused, he felt everything all at once, there was only one thing he was absolutely certain of:

He had to get Dragoon, and his friend’s bit-beasts back, at any cost.

“You two know why I’m here.”

Boris grew a porcelain smile from ear to ear.

“To finally join our team of course.”

Tyson laughed in response, “I never had any intention of joining BEGA, which means its shitty counterpart is out of the question.”

“This child has grown up since we last saw him.” Voltaire leaned more on his cane, inspecting every bit of Tyson’s body.

Tyson felt like some kid’s science project in their backyard. He shuddered, terrified to think the abbey boys lived like this every day.

“I hoped he would have grown-up, Voltaire. It’s been almost three years after all.”

Boris waved his hand. The security guards that escorted Tyson turned on their heels and marched out the door. Tyson was left alone with two old men, but he still felt danger.

The silence that ensued was deafening, the glares they locked on Tyson made the hair raise on his spine.

He now understood Tala and Kai’s fear of these men. The pure power they confidently exhibited by just standing there, was compared to nothing he had ever experienced.

Two men, three times his age- two men who should be in jail, serving life sentences- one man who raised and abused his best friend, one man who was his best friend’s flesh and blood.

Tyson took a deep breath. He stabilized his voice before stating his demand.

“Give me back my bit-beasts.”

The men let out deep laughs, starting out as low grumbles, and ascending into loud chortles.

Boris spoke first.

“You think you can just waltz into my high-tech facility- and I’ll just give you back what I stole? And stole so easily mind you-”

“So, you did steal them.” Tyson’s firsts were curled, his fingertips formed indents in his palms, he wanted to lash out in anger, but he knew better.

“Of course, wasn’t it obvious?”

“I have proof- I’ll get the police-”

The men laughed again, this time louder.

“I own the police.” A shadow fell over Voltaire’s face.

For the first time, Tyson felt true fear.

No bit beast- no battle- nothing could compare to this.

Tyson’s heart sunk, as he became painfully aware his overconfidence, could be his downfall.

Now, he was trapped.

“Would joining my team sound better if I told you you could have Dragoon back?” Boris’ voice was coated with honey, but Tyson knew better.

Tyson’s eyes shot in Boris’ direction. He squinted his eyes.

“Without making a deal with me, you and your friends will never see their pets again.”

“I’ll never make a deal with you.” Tyson spat.

“Pretty soon you’ll have no choice-” Voltaire cut Boris off.

“How old are you now Tyson?” His voice had changed, he leaned more into his cane.

“Almost nineteen.” Tyson grinned, “I’m an adult now. You can’t hurt me.”

The two men gave each other a look Tyson didn’t miss. Voltaire spoke first.

“What if we told you we needed your help.”

Tyson put up his shields immediately, he raised an eyebrow. “Help? What could I possibly help two billionaires with?”

“Something that only a blader as strong as you can.”

“No.” Tyson refused.

“Hear us out.” Boris took a step towards him, Tysons swore he heard a door lock behind him.

“We have a theory- if that theory is correct, we can change the future of the sport- no, the future of everything.”

Tyson’s interest was piqued, but that wouldn’t change his decision.

“The answer is still no.”

Boris took a step towards him, “what if we gave you your bit-beasts back in exchange?”

Tyson saw through Boris’ trap, it was a deal he couldn't ignore.

Tyson just stared back at him.

Voltaire interrupted, “we have found a way to merge bit-beasts with humans.”

Tyson felt his heart stop.

Boris grinned, presenting his hands in front of him, “the possibilities are endless Tyson, imagine- superhumans. Beyblading would ascend to a whole new level. The history of warfare changed, just like that.” He snapped his fingers.

It was terrifying how a man could keep a smile while talking about changing the history of warfare.

“I’m not helping you experiment by changing people into weapons.” Tyson’s face wrinkled into a disgusted scowl, “what do you need me for anyway?”

“See, Tyson…” Boris continued, “the science has been researched for decades- but I’m fairly confident this process requires someone of a certain caliber…”

“Someone who already has a strong connection to bit-beasts.” Voltaire stated.

“Don’t you have tons of kids lined up in your arsenal? Why me?” Tyson’s voice grew louder.

“Ha! None of my boys are as strong as you and your team Tyson.” Boris chuckled before continuing, “you’re special, your connection to dragoon and other spirits is stronger than anyone on the planet. You are my missing puzzle piece, I’m certain you’ll be the right fit.”

“The other members of your team might work, but no one is like you.” Voltaire nodded,

“No. I refuse.” Tyson took a deep breath, “I’m not your pawn, I won’t help you.”

Silence.

Voltaire clicked his cane on the tile floor.

“I hope you are aware; if you don’t do this, we will make sure Kai will.”

Tyson swung his head in his direction, ready to scream if necessary.

“Ah, watch it Tyson.” Boris threatened the boy, Tyson’s chest heaved erratically.

“What do you mean?” Tyson said through gritted teeth. “He would never agree to this-”

“No, he wouldn’t.” Voltaire shook his head, then became totally still as his glare set on Tyson, “but I don’t need his permission.”

“You’re sick.” Tyson spat.

“It would be so easy.” Boris reached into his pocket grabbing a remote, he pressed a button, a screen rolled down in the large room.

The screen turned on, on it was a picture of Kai, and a ton of numbers Tyson didn’t understand, but what caught his attention, was a simple map, with a blinking red dot.

“We know where Kai is at all times,” Voltaire said in a low voice.

“If you refuse to help us, we will take him as needed.”

“That’s kidnapping.” Tyson pointed out the obvious fact, he should have known better, that stealing a person was one of the minor crimes Boris has committed.

“Not like I haven’t done it before.” Boris shrugged, as if he was talking about taking a candy bar.

Tyson swallowed, “he- he wouldn’t let this happen without a fight.”

“As expected. If he fights it, the process could easily mess up… Ideally we want someone who will work with us, but it’s not necessary.”

“I’ll find him. We will run away-”

“When I say we know everything about Kai I mean we know everything, Tyson.”

Voltaire looked to the ceiling, “We know when he goes for jogs.”

“Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings.” Boris raised a finger in the air.

“We know when he eats, when he sleeps, where he sleeps.” Voltaire emphasized ‘where’ maliciously.

Tyson growled. Voltaire hummed.

“That’s right Tyson, he’s been staying at your place frequently.”

Boris tried to suppress a laugh, “we even know what happened last Saturday-”

“Boris!” Voltaire hissed.

Tyson’s eyes widened, “How would you know that!? We were alone, in my room, in my home!?”

“We know everything, Tyson.”

Tyson met Voltaire’s eyes with disgust.

“It seems like a win-win situation, Tyson. I’m giving you a good deal, when you know I don’t have to.” Boris folded his arms. “You go through with this procedure, we give you- and your friends their bit-beasts back, and we leave Kai alone.”

Tyson’s body felt ice cold.

“I want you to know Tyson, Boris is too afraid to admit it-” Voltaire’s voice was draped in darkness, “we aren’t letting you leave here today without doing something.”

Tyson stopped breathing.

Boris confidently waltzed to Tyson’s side, Tyson didn’t move, he was paralyzed with fear.

The purple-haired man’s face was inches away from Tyson’s now.

“You either take the deal, or have it happen anyways- but if you take the deal, world champion, you must work with us willingly.”

Tyson was his height now, but he still felt small.

Boris placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t- touch me.” Tyson shrugged him off aggressively.

“Last chance world champ.” Voltaire clicked his tongue, “what will it be?”

Tyson met both their eyes, looking back and forth, his breathing showed anger, his fists clenched in frustration.

He was stuck. Trapped. Nowhere to go. He took a deep breath, held it, and let it out. He let his body accept defeat.

“Fine. I’ll take your deal.”

“Where did Tyson go anyways?” Max hummed to Ray while sliding his feet on the smooth wooden floors of the dojo.

“Is he with Kai again? They’ve been hanging out a lot…” Ray pointed out.

Kenny was sitting on the floor with his laptop open. “Tyson left just before lunchtime.”

“No lunch!?” Hilary snapped, “that’s not like him.”

“It’s not like him to miss practice…” Ray tried to hide the subtle worry on his face.

“I’ll try phoning him,” Max suggested, pulling out his rose gold iPhone.

“I’m sure he’s fine guys.” Hilary rolled her eyes, knowing the bluenette was always late.

“We can’t be too careful…” Kenny hesitated before saying his next words, “With Boris being back…”

The room fell quiet, the only sound was the ringing of Max’s phone.

“He’s not picking up.” Max hung up the call.

“Try Kai’s phone,” Ray smirked. “They’re always together now.”

Max flipped through his phone and put it on speaker. The phone rang a few times, they heard the click of it being answered.

“Hello?” They heard Kai’s familiar gruff voice.

“Hey Kai, sorry, are you driving?” Max spoke a little louder than usual.

“Yeah, but I have you on speaker, it’s fine.” They heard the sounds of the highway around him.

“Hey, is Tyson with you?” Ray asked, his voice shaking a bit.

“No, why?” They heard the sound of Kai’s blinker in the background.

“He disappeared before lunch, he's not here for practice yet.” Max eagerly awaited Kai’s response.

“That’s odd,” Kai remarked.

“Are you going to be here soon?” Ray asked.

“Yeah, I’m just coming down the road now. Have you tried phoning him?”

“I tried…” Max fidgeted with his open hand, “he didn’t pick up.”

“He always answers his phone.” The team detected a hint of worry in Kai’s voice. “I’m outside now.”

They heard Kai hang up the phone, without as much as a goodbye, but that was very typical Kai.

They sat in the same positions, wordless. They heard the front door open, the sound of Kai taking off his shoes. They heard the floorboards creak as he made his way down the hall to the dojo. The door slid open.

“Hey Kai!” Hilary tried to be cheerful, but she just sounded worried.

“Hey,” Kai responded. Without missing a beat, “where is Tyson?”

“No one knows.” Kenny stopped typing at his laptop to look up at the master blader. He readjusted his glasses.

“He left before lunch, he’s been gone a few hours.” Kenny had a hard time keeping eye contact with Kai, when Kai got serious- he got scary.

“It’s weird of him to miss practice…” Max fiddled with his thumbs.

Ray looked up at the ceiling, “not like we can do much practicing anyway.”

The room went quiet. They were all still in mourning over the unexpected loss of their blades. The day they woke up to discover all of their blades had been stolen, was the moment they realized Boris coming back now, in their late teens, was serious.

“I’m worried.” Kai admitted, he pulled out his phone, and began to phone Tyson.”

“That was fast, do you have him on speed dial?” Ray grinned trying to lighten the mood.

Kai responded seriously, “yes.”

They heard the phone ring a few times, before going to voicemail. Kai hesitated, before deciding to leave one.

“Hey, Tyson- It’s Kai. Get back to me soon, I’m getting worried.” He hung up the phone and held it loosely in his hands.

“Aw, Kai’s worried.” Hilary cooed.

“With Boris back, and our blades gone, we can’t be too careful.” Ray crossed his arms.

“What’s goin’ on here fellas?” Grandpa poked his head through the doors from the garden.

“Tyson’s been gone for a long time, he’s not answering his phone.” Kenny went back to his laptop, most likely trying to find out any information he could.

“When did he leave?” Kai asked Ryu.

“I told Kenny when he got here, right before lunchtime- Wait K-man didn’t you stay the night last night?”

The whole room went quiet.

“Yeah, but I was gone early in the morning,” Kai responded.

“You stayed the night?-” Max got cut off by Ray.

“Was he in an alright mood?”

“He was fine.” Kai knitted his eyebrows in thought, “now that I think about it, he was in his head a bit.”

The ground collectively became agitated, everyone knew a moody Tyson could be anywhere.

“Did you do anything to piss him off?” Ray squinted his eyes in Kai’s direction.

“No.” Kai knew for certain he didn’t hurt Tyson. After all, they had a great night.

Kai tried to suppress a smile, remembering how they fell asleep beside each other watching movies in Tyson’s room.

“You stayed the night?-” Max got cut off again by Ray-

“Are you sure Kai? You know you have a habit of annoying him.”

“I’m absolutely certain. Tyson was fine when I left this morning.”

“Was he up? How did you know?” Ray interrogated him more than questioning.

Kai hesitated, he didn’t know if it was okay to tell them they slept in the same bed.

“You *stayed* the night!?” This time Max yelled it, so he couldn’t be ignored.

Everyone stared at Max, “Why did you stay the night? Where did you sleep?”

“Um-” Kai tried to retort back, but suddenly realized he didn’t know what excuse to make.

They caught his awkwardness, it was unlike the silver-tongued boy to not have a sassy remark.

“Family troubles. I stayed in the spare room across from Tyson’s. He got up to eat breakfast with me- He was fine.”

All lies.

“I’m going to check his room.” Kai turned around to go upstairs.

When Kai was out of earshot, Max coyly asked Tyson’s Grandpa, “Did he really stay in the spare room?”

“Ha! No, that boy has been staying here often, and those sheets have never been changed- or used.”

The group followed Kai upstairs like a lost herd.

In Tyson’s room, Kai was scanning it, looking for anything off.

The whole team looked around, but only Kai knew what was out of place.

“Hey Kai.” Ray giggled.

On Tyson’s vanity, yes- Tyson had a vanity, because of course he did. He had a thumb-sized picture of kai stuck to the edge of the mirror.

“There are no pictures of us, just you- what’s up with that?” Ray pretended to act jealous.

Kai ignored him. He gave Tyson that photo when Tyson asked for a photo of him. It wasn’t his favourite thing to look at. When he looked at it he would laugh, because it was, simply, so Tyson.

Kai’s eyes landed on his pillow, it was poofier than usual. He ripped up the pillow and tossed it to the side. Under it was a book. Kai knew it was out of place, he had never seen Tyson pick up a book in his life.

He opened the book and flipped through it, everyone watched him, knowing something was up.

In the middle of the book was a note, Kai pulled it out, and threw the book to the side.

‘I guess if you’ve found this, you’re looking for me huh?’

‘That means I’ve been gone a while, sorry.’

‘I guess you should know, if I’ve been gone a long time, something has probably happened to me.’

‘I’m going to see Boris. I’m leaving at 11am.’

‘He invited me. I know it’s a bad idea. I don’t want to bring anyone else into this.’

‘Especially you Kai. You’ve dealt this enough shit from that guy.’

‘I know he stole our blades, even if we don’t have proof, I know.’

‘I’m going to get them back, no matter the cost, and I don’t want anyone else’s help.’

‘I love you guys! I love you Kai.’

Ray snatched the note from Kai and began to read it.

Kai put a hand to his face in shock. His eyes started to water. He was terrified, his body didn’t know how to begin to process this, but he knew he needed to go.

“Where is he?” Kai had a voice of white anger.

“We don’t know Kai.” Kenny recoiled.

“Boris, where is he.”

Kai picked up the book and flipped through it.

“We don’t know where his base is Kai-” Kenny blubbered.

Kai threw the book against the wall at full force.

“WHERE IS HE!?”

Ray flipped the note over, “there’s an address on the back.”

Kai ripped it out of his hands.

“I’m going-”

“No, you are NOT Kai!” Ray scolded him. “We’re going to go to the BBA, tell Mr. Dickenson, and call the police-”

“We don’t have the time for that!” Kai yelled at Ray.

The team was stunned, Kai had never been this angry.

He placed his hands over his face and pulled them down to cover his mouth. “I need to save him.”

“We don’t know he’s in danger-”

“I KNOW he is.” Kai was shaking.

Suddenly, Kai bolted out of the room with the address in hand-

“Kai!” Max called after him.

Kai frantically began to put his shoes on, the team barrelled down the stairs behind him.

“You can’t go in there without a plan, you moron!” Hilary screeched at him.

“Try me!” Kai yelled back.

“What’s going on?” Grandpa had come from the kitchen, Kai used the distraction to bolt out the door to his car.

He started the car as fast as possible and pulled out of the driveway. The team ran out to the street behind him, they watched him leave, worried they could lose both of them.

“Take it off.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your jacket, off- now.”

Boris pulled at the zipper on the front of Tyson’s jacket. Tyson sighed and pulled it down.

Boris helped him out of the jacket, he took it and wrapped it in his arms, it was oddly paternal. Boris looked him up and down, judging him, like he was looking for the best cut of meat in a shop.

He only wore a thin black muscle shirt now, and his dark ripped jeans, with the shoes he made Kai help him pick out. He was fully clothed, but he felt naked.

“Boris, what did I say about being creepy?” Voltaire scolded him, like a child.

Boris rolled his shoulder, still keeping his gaze on Tyson, “Sorry, can’t help myself.”

“Come into the lab.” Voltaire turned, heading for another door.

Boris gently pushed Tyson by his shoulder. Tyson followed willingly, worried what would happen if he resisted.

Inside the steel double doors was a dark room. The light turned on upon entry, to reveal computers, servers, chemistry equipment, and large water-filled tubes, big enough for a person, or a monster.

Boris threw Tyson’s jacket to a swivel chair, he turned on a computer, Voltaire stood beside what Tyson recognized as a large bey dish.

“I want to see my friend’s beyblades.”

“Of course.” Voltaire disappeared behind some servers, out of sight.

Boris clicked a mouse a few times, “huh, looks like Kai was in your bedroom. His heart rate has skyrocketed, do you have any idea why that could be?”

Tyson tried to hide his surprise.

*Could he have found my note? No- I don’t want him to come here.*

“I don’t know.” Tyson kept his eyes on the wall.

“Maybe he’s just doing something freaky.” Boris grinned.

“You’re disgusting.”

Voltaire reappeared with a black briefcase. He placed it on a table close to Tyson, but not too close. He opened it, to reveal Dragoon, and the rest of the blades delicately blacked in foam inserts.

“I want to see them.” Tyson reached his hand forward.

Voltaire slammed the case shut. “Not until you finish our task.”

Tyson scowled, all he wanted was to feel Dragoon in his hands again.

“Voltaire, come here.” Boris gestured to bring him over to the computer.

Tyson tried to follow, but Voltaire stopped him with an aggressive hand signal.

Voltaire leaned over the chair and inspected the computer screen.

“It looks like he’s heading in this direction.” Boris was deeply concentrated on the computer screen, clicking around fast.

“And he’s approaching fast.” Voltaire hummed, he rubbed his chin. “Stop the car.”

“Really?” Boris had a surprised expression.

“We can’t have him coming here can we?”

“Alright.” Boris began to type at the keyboard frantically.

Voltaire placed a chair in the middle of the room, he patted it, silently telling Tyson to sit down.

Tyson shook his head, Voltaire gave him an intense glare- Tyson approached the chair and sat down, making sure the men were still in his vision.

“Boris, are you done?” Voltaire demanded.

“Yes.” He reached towards a cupboard with glass drawers. He unlocked it and pulled out some medical supplies.

“What’s that?” Tyson asked, worried it was for him.

Boris swiveled over in his chair towards him. Voltaire grabbed a metal table with wheels and moved it towards Tyson.

Boris unwrapped a cloth to reveal four syringes.

“What are those? They better not be for me.” Tyson flinched as Boris picked one up.

“There’s magic,” Boris got a syringe ready, and grabbed a small damp wipe, “and then there’s science, today we will be utilizing both.”

He wiped the small cloth on Tyson’s bicep. He recoiled.

“Don’t be scared Tyson, it won’t hurt.”

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” Tyson was concerned, Boris got the supplies ready expertly.

“I used to be a doctor.”

Tyson’s focus lingered on ‘used to’.

“Don’t look if it bothers you,” Boris grumbled.

Tyson turned to look at the wall in the opposite direction as he felt the numb jab in his arm.

Kai had never driven faster. He swerved in and out of traffic to get to the building downtown. Flying down the highway with intense speed. He slammed his hand on the wheel.

“Fuck!”

He looked at the speedometer, it was going down, even though he knew he was accelerating.

“What the fuck?”

Kai felt his car lose power.

“No! No no no no no-”

The lights in his car dimmed, and suddenly the whole car lost life.

He pulled over to the side of the road. Slamming his hand on the radio as if it would help. He opened his door and got out kicking the wheels of the car in frustration.

He swore and cursed. He didn’t know enough about cars to know what went wrong, and he didn’t have time to fix it. He stared into the mass of buildings. He could make it.

He just had to run.

Tyon had four needles shoved into his arm in total. Boris refused to tell him exactly what they were, he only answered with ‘you wouldn’t understand even if I told you’.

Now, Voltaire watched the computer and Boris hooked up a few devices to Tyson. He wrapped a bracelet around his wrist, and something around his bicep.

“Take off your shirt.”

“Do I have to?” Tyson tried to give him a sassy retort, he might have been completely vulnerable, but he still wanted to keep his dignity intact.

“Yes.” Boris grinned, flicking the end of his shirt.

“No, you don’t have to,” Voltaire stated without pause.

Tyson narrowed his eyes at Boris.

“I have to attach something to your back.”

Tyson still wore a suspicious expression, but he did it anyway, he didn’t think he could feel any more naked than he already did.

Shirtless, he felt the cold of the lab prick at his skin. Boris attached a few small stickers to his back.

“There.” Boris smiled, looking Tyson up and down, “I’m done.”

“You didn’t have to take off my shirt for that.”

Boris nodded.

“How did I get stuck with a creep like you.” Voltaire squeezed the brim of his nose.

“I’m merging with Dragoon now?” Tyson’s skin prickled in anticipation of getting his bit-beast back, then he realized, his skin was prickling with a different sort of heat.

“Oh no- you won’t be merging with Dragoon.” Voltaire turned to look at Tyson.

“Dragoon is far too unpredictable, we haven't studied him enough yet, but there is one bit-beast who we know everything about.”

Boris turned to open a locked metal box on a table.

Tyson rose from his seat, staring at his forearm, his body felt- weird.

“What did you do to me?”

“Science.” Voltaire said just under his breath, “here.”

Boris held his hand upside down, Tyson held out his palm. He felt the familiar touch of a blade. Boris pulled his hand away, Tyson felt instant panic when he stared into his open hand.

Black Dranzer.

Tyson felt his whole world sway. His eyes felt heavy, but strangely, he felt strong.

“What did you give me? Am I allergic to it?” Tyson stared at Boris.

“No,” he laughed, “You’re fine.”

Voltaire gestured to the dish, “Tyson, launch it.”

Tyson felt the nerve endings in his hand, anything touching black Dranzer felt numb, completely void of power. He could see the veins on his forearm, sticking out more than ever before. He felt cold air enter his lungs, and exhale. Everything was enhanced. His world was spinning, but he felt invincible.

He could feel pulses from black Dranzer, the raw power emanating from it was toxic. Tyson could feel it begging to be used.

‘Use me, use me, use me.’

It pleaded with him. It felt addicting. Tyson now understood why Kai was so attracted to the blade, and he understood how hard it was to give it up.

He noticed Boris had been handing him a launcher for who knows how long.

Tyson took it, a blade and a launcher in his hands was his default state, but now felt foreign.

“Launch it,” Boris demanded.

Tyson turned to the dish near them. He stood in front of it. His pupils invaded his iris.

*The pure power of black Dranzer…*

He loaded it. He stood there, breathing erratically. He got into position.

Silence. Total silence. No sound existed, he forgot what it felt like to hear. He heard the screech of a bird in the back of his skull, and he let go.

A shockwave erupted as black Dranzer was released, finally, after years of being locked up. The equipment in the lab slid backwards, Boris and Voltaire almost lost their footing.

Tyson wobbled as he let the blade center in the dish, perfectly still, spinning so fast it looked stationary.

In front of him, he saw it, the dreaded bit-beast. It felt unnatural. Dragoon felt different, Dragoon felt right, black Dranzer felt… Sad.

*She’s not supposed to exist.*

“I can feel her.” Tyon felt tears roll down his face.

He held open his arms.

“I can save you!”

Black Dranzer screeched, with a powerful gust from her wings she soared into him. He felt a dark sludge seep into his veins, stopping his heart.

“AhK!” Tyson held his chest, suppressing screams.

Then, everything went black.

“Tyson!” Kai screamed in an alleyway behind the building he suspected Boris was holed up in.

He tried a back door, wiggling it frantically. His back was covered in sweat from running. It was locked, with no chance of it opening.

He tried another door, the same issue.

He could run in the front doors, but he would be noticed instantly.

“What’s that?!”

It looked to be an old laundry shoot, a lot of these old buildings had them. Before he could use his brain, he was scaling the shoot, it looked to be only a story and a half until it turned into the building.

He started climbing.

*Tyson, I’m coming. Just hold on.*

Tyson opened his eyes. Boris was beside him holding his shoulder shouting unintelligible phrases at him. Words meant nothing to him.

His head was pounding. He used his arms to hug himself, rocking back and forth.

“Don’t fight it Tyson. Accept it.” Boris whispered in his ear.

“N- No.” Tyson whimpered. His head felt like it had been split open.

His tongue felt different when he talked. His vision felt different, things felt… Wrong. He fell over to his side, letting the feeling overtake him.

Kai was running through the empty corridors. He had run past a training facility and dorms. He had viewed a map and determined where he thought Boris would have put a lab. He threw open a door to a stair corridor and flew down them, almost tripping. He just hoped he was right about the location of Boris’ lab.

He was right.

He found himself in a huge room, He stopped, placing his hands on his knees and gasping for air.

In front of him were two steel doors. He knew Tyson was inside.

With every last bit of his strength, he ran towards the doors, when he tried to rattle the doorknob it was locked, he kicked it, once, twice, three times. He took a few steps back and thrusted his whole body against them. The doors ripped open, shattering the lock in between them.

Boris wasn’t a surprise, but his own Grandfather-

In the middle of the room, Tyson’s body was splayed on the ground.

“What did you do to him!?” Kai screamed.

He ran over to Tyson, Boris tried to stop him-

“Fuck off!” Kai hollered landed a fist into Boris’ stomach.

Boris keeled over in pain.

Kai stopped before kneeling down.

The most important person to him- he didn’t look like himself.

His blue hair, now black. His nails, ebony talons. On his back, were black wings. Kai felt nauseous.

“Tyson…” Kai collapsed beside him.

He reached under his lower back and pulled him into a sitting position. Kai brushed back his long hair. He didn’t know what he expected coming here, but not this.

“What happened- what did-”

“He merged with black Dranzer, and he- is beautiful.”

“You don’t get to speak Boris!” Kai screamed but wouldn’t dare take his eyes off Tyson.

Tyson’s eyes flickered open, they stayed half-open, Kai shook him.

“Tyson? Tyson, answer me, please.”

Tyson didn’t move.

“We just got started- You can’t- Don’t you die on me.” Kai’s throat was dry, he could barely make out words.

“Change him back!” The blader who was most well known for being emotionless now threw everything he had at the world. Tears streaming down his face, screaming at the people who held him back his whole life.

“We can, but we won’t right now.”

To hear his Grandfather say it, somehow hurt more.

“Change him back, right now.” Kai shook, holding Tyson close to his chest.

Boris managed to stand upright after taking the powerful blow.

“We will change him back when it suits us.”

“Mm- Kai?”

Kai stared into Tyson’s eyes, “You’re awake!” Kai kissed his forehead, thanking the god he didn’t believe in.

Tyson’s wings seemed to shudder when it happened.

“I’m fine Kai, don’t worry about me.” Tyson held up his hand to stroke Kai’s face, his eyes grew wide when he saw his own fingertips.

“It’s okay- don’t look at them look at me- hey- me, look at me” Kai covered his hand with his own and made sure Tyson was focused on him.

Tyson choked back tears, “I love you-”

Kai closed his eyes and squeezed his hand.

Voltaire took a confident step forward.

“We don’t want to hurt you-”

“Look at what you’ve done to him!” Kai screeched.

“We just want you to join the new BEGA.” Boris wore a cheeky grin, he knew he won.

Kai’s chest heaved, “I’ll never join you, never again-”

“You’ll find you have no choice Kiai.” His grandfather tilted his head.

Boris laughed, his evil sinister laugh, the laugh Kai remembered from the abbey.

“BEGA owns you.”

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crimsonfluidessence · 3 years

Text

Prompt 22: Fluster

Content Warning: Shadowbringers Spoilers

When would people start making sense?

The answer was apparently never. People just didn’t think. All it took was some attractive individual to sweep them off their feet emotionally, and no one understood that infatuation wasn’t the same thing as love. This was a fact the perpetually shut off Esredes knew well, but no one around him seemed to.

“Alastor,” Esredes had tried to tell his foolish Miqo’te friend when he got back from rescuing his latest boyfriend from being tempered for the Ascians. He even put on a smile and that delicate tone, he was not upset in the slightest like he had been in the past when it was Haurchefant. “Are you sure you want to get married… this soon? You don’t want to take it a little slower, you know, give it some time so he can… readjust? This is a big commitment, and you haven’t exactly been able to talk recently, or you know… live normally.” But no, Alastor insisted. Their souls proved they were meant to be together. Esredes wanted to groan. “Your soul also dated a man who wanted to kill everyone, and you killed him.” Esredes said. “Just because you were compatible in a past life doesn’t mean your reincarnations are.” And so they were married. Esredes ultimately shut his mouth and just enjoyed the outdoor scenery of the Shroud, but he couldn’t help but sigh to himself. There really was nothing he could do to convince that Miqo’te to think properly before he acted.

This just happened over, and over again.

The earlier phases of the Iceheart movement. A couple allies had been captured, so had many civilians and uninvolved, and a Garlean base turned out to be at the center of it trying to perform experiments with the blood on people. So his people destroyed it— or more accurately, the scientist at the head of its brother did, along with the four other Garleans who turncoated with him.

What a pickle indeed. It wasn’t a situation where you could just execute someone who helped you- but did the man’s seemingly genuine apology about following his sister really make up for all the people permanently disfigured? Not really. So he tried an idea slipped into his head, even though he wasn’t sure it was a sound one. “Levi,” Esredes said to the man when he caught him at a good moment. “I have an idea as to how we can test the genuineness of Quincy. You should get him emotional and see what he says under pressure.” Despite kidnapping the man, Levi kept claiming Quincy cared for him and it was more his sister, even taking his own eye out to give him a chance to escape and be rescued by Esredes’ people. And there was little denying such drastic measures, but Esredes needed information, and it was hard to be certain merely asking the man was revealing everything. Levi was hesitant, but he agreed. He seemed pissed at Esredes afterward for it. And then he came back to him telling him they ‘worked it out’. Esredes was grateful until the others clarified what exactly ‘worked it out’ meant, and then he felt sick to his stomach. He had not asked that of him. Not with the person who he was a captive of. What the fuck, Levi. What the fuck.

Still, he probably didn’t get as sick to his stomach as he did that one time far more recently. When a Dragoon woman who introduced herself as Elodie had approached him at his previous workplace, and talked to him all about how she wanted to help people like him but wasn’t a counselor, merely wanted to make people smile, he had an idea he thought at the time was a good one. He gave her a couple names, names of people he knew he couldn’t get to, and sent her off to see what would happen.

The regret filled him like an ocean when he witnessed the man propose to her in front of him at a party. She threw her arms around Esredes later, thanking him for being such a ‘matchmaker’, despite the fact she had just said yes to who had to be some kind of sociopath who wanted to kill Esredes.

Why was it always the cheery and high energy types in particular? And Esredes could say nothing for fear of his own life. You simply didn’t play with Dragoons, they had a worse kill switch than he could ever.

At least he managed to save another from disaster at least once. At least Yulionne could realize, even through the harshest of methods, how she was making a mistake being with Murielle, that a heretic and Inquisitor could never be together. Maybe a heretic and two fellow monsters that were less annoying than him could be together, even if he had threatened or tried to kill both of them, as was the case with Heilyn that Esredes reluctantly came to accept later. Though not before telling Divah that he would never be with someone who literally stabbed him in the back, even if she couldn’t die. And maybe a forced heretic could be with a loyalist, as was the case with Murielle’s son falling for a woman who was hiding the blood. Unlike Murielle, it actually changed him, and he meant his word to not go against people like her ever again. Elouan and Baptiste had Esredes saying nothing at first, seeing an Elezen and Miqo’te together, but Esredes put his original feelings in a coffin and threw them into the ocean when he saw how much they really completed each other in their respective emotional issues. Yes, all right, it all seemed as illogical as the rest at first, but it eventually made sense.

He didn’t even bother to warn Vlamont about Seraphiaux, he knew Vlamont wouldn’t understand that his little brother was incapable of loving another person at the time, but even Vlamont sort of listened later on, when Seraphiaux came back. They took it slow, they felt out if they could try again or not. And Esredes said nothing as they slipped upstairs to have an alone moment at a Masquerade. It was their journey to take.

But most of the rest still didn’t make sense. At some point, he had to accept that people would continue to be spontaneous and illogical with their feelings, falling for the worst possible choices, and all he could do was keep trying to prevent fires before they happened.

At least he knew better for himself. As he continued to spark nothing at the thought of romance, even with his beloved Alise, he knew the world needed certain mistakes not made. And he was proud to help it out by not making them.

—

@thecalmnessandthestorms / @heartofthefury Heilyn, Alastor, Seraphiaux, Murielle, Trystan (unnamed mention), Lisette (unnamed mention)

@eternal-finis Divah, Yulionne, Vlamont, Ketuseki (unnamed mention)

@momokarp Levi, Alise, Quincy

Mystel Elodie

Arius Ivarault (unnamed mention)

@shieldbcund Elouan

@serdoctor Baptiste

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afangirlsmuse · 2 years

Text

Convergence Ch. 4

The Warrior of Light breaks the news to Estinien. Azem faces her end.

Named f!Wol/Estinien, f!Azem/Emet-Selch/Hythlodaeus

CW: Discussion of death and dying

Aerlinneal and Estinien were sitting down for dinner together in their chambers. This had become a tradition of theirs while they resided in Radz-at-Han. They had their dinner together every night. It felt almost bizarre to the two battle hardened warriors to be able to sit and sup together in peace, domesticity seemed so foreign after fighting to stop the end of the world. The change was a welcome one though as they sat together in what was usually comfortable silence. Aerlinneal seemed to be lost in her thoughts as she picked at her food.

“Is the food-”

“I’m pregnant.” Aerlinneal blurted out.

Estinien blinked a few times as he processed the news. “You’re sure?” He asked cautiously. This was something he had not considered. He never thought he would live to have a family of his own after Ferndale so consumed was he with his quest for vengeance. When his hunt was finally at its end, it was Aerlinneal that helped him pick up the pieces and carry on as he traveled anywhere the wind took him. She became his soft place to land despite all the time they spent apart. The thought of having a family felt a bit foreign, though it wasn’t an unpleasant one, and if there were anyone whom he wanted to have that life with, it was Aerlinneal.

She nodded, “Yes, the healer you sent yesterday ran a test to confirm.” Estinien couldn’t help but notice the lack of a smile on her face.

“Is this something you want?” He questioned further.

Aerlinneal took a deep breath before responding. “I’m not sure.” she responded honestly. “It’s not something I ever thought was an option for me” Estinien nodded, encouraging her to continue. “There isn’t anyone else I would want to have a child with though.” Hythlodaeus and Hades sprang to mind, but Aerlinneal was quick to push away the thought. This was her life, not Azem’s.

Estinien nodded, “I feel much the same. But I will support whatever decision you choose to make.” He laid his hand on top of hers affectionately. “Take time to sleep on it if you need. I’m not going anywhere” Aerlinneal nodded, turning her hand over to hold his. They sat there for a moment, the silence returning to the comfortable one they were familiar with.

“You need to eat. It’s important for you to keep your strength up.” He chided gently, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Aerlinneal looked into his eyes and nodded, she turned her attention back to her dinner and began slowly eating. It was heartening that Estinien felt the same about having a family as she did.

“Ysayle for a girl.” She said once the silence felt comfortable again, the corners of her mouth lifted into a smile. “Haurchefant for a boy”

“What about Hamignant?” Estinien asked.

“Your little brother?”

The dragoon nodded. “Aye.”

“We could use both names. Honor both of them” The warrior suggested. Estinien simply nodded and gave her a small smile and a kiss to the top of her head.

Their evening passed by as normal, ending with Aerlinneal curled up with Estinien in their bed. The remnants of Nidhog’s soul stirred within him. He felt the urgent *need* to protect the woman in his arms and the life now growing within her. His wife and future child. His *mate* and *brood.* While the need to protect was strong and heavy, the knowledge of what was to come in the future brought a light feeling of joy as he nuzzled his nose into Aerlinneal’s hair as they slept.

—--------

A red storm had settled in the skies as they burned, yet all was still peaceful in Azem’s memorial garden, her magic sustaining the flora she had created to honor her loved ones. She cast a spell over her garden, making it appear as if it was a beautiful spring day while she sat beneath Hythlodaeus’s wisteria tree in the bed of Hades’ marigold flowers. If there were ever a place she would want to meet her end, it would be here, surrounded by the memories of those who gave her life meaning.

She placed a hand over her lower abdomen, as she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the new soul growing within her. What abysmal timing; growing new life after so much life had been taken to save the star.

Their end had been stalled, yet more sacrifices were needed to return the flow of aether back to normal, and more were still being demanded to sustain this new god’s life. She couldn’t risk bringing a new life into their world as it was. Even if that new life was all she had left of either of the loves of her life.

Tears pricked at the corners of Calliope’s eyes as she heard the little soul’s aether sing within her. She drew her knees up to her chest and wept as she reached out, summoning her mentor to her side.

Venat had told Calliope of her plans to bring forth another god, to bind Zodiark and cease his demand for sacrifices. Calliope wanted no part of it. She knew her mentor had a grander plan, as she ever did, but she did not want to be a part of losing the woman who was the closest to a mother that she had ever known. So while Calliope did not support her plan to become Hydaelyn, she would willingly submit herself to the sundering that would be her end.

It wasn’t long before her mentor appeared. There was already a change in her aether that Calliope could hear. Yet Venat’s thoughts were as gentle and kind as they always had been. “This place is beautiful Calliope” she said, closing the distance between her and her student, taking a place beneath the wisteria tree next to her.

“I want it to be here” Calliope managed to say once she had composed herself more. “I want it to be as close as I can be to them” Venat reached out and pulled Calliope into her side, allowing her student to rest her head on her shoulder.

“So it will be.” Venat said.

“And my child?” Venat closed her eyes, easing Calliope off her shoulder before closing her eyes, sensing the aether of her adopted daughter’s soul.

“She is small enough that she will not be broken, sweet Calliope.”

“She?” Azem’s eyes went glassy with tears again.

“Yes. A daughter” Venat confirmed, sensing the presence of the stranger that appeared in Elpis with Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus growing inside the womb of her student. Venat knew what she had to do then. “She will always be a part of you”

Calliope nodded, Venat’s words bringing her comfort. “I’m ready.” she confirmed. Her teacher nodded.

“Close your eyes then. I’ll send you to your happiest memories.” Venat spoke softly, letting her power as the divine light come forward, gently starting the process of sundering her.

Azem let herself get tucked away surrounded by all her memories of love and happiness, it was bliss.

And then there was nothingness.

—----

Aerlinneal came to consciousness, not in her bed with Estinien, but drifting in a liminal space, not unlike the aetherial sea. She looked about orienting herself, and gasped. Standing before her, stood Azem, Calliope, her past self, and mirror image. Her ancient self looked at her and smiled before removing her mask.

“Hello Aerlinneal”

#ffxiv #ffxiv fic #azem x emet selch x hythlodaeus #ffxiv estinien x wol #estinien wyrmblood #estinien varlineau #ffxiv estinien #wolstinien #estinien x wol #ffxiv azem #Named f!Wol #Named f!Azem #azem/hades/hythlodaeus

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