thewrothode-if

[thewrothode-if]

A King's Bath

Water the color of earth swirls around him, warm and comforting, cradling him like soil does a tree. For a fleeting moment, he feels like a king. Yet the reality is far from regal. He is just a man, bathing in his own filth. The sight is shameful—a bright sheen of grease floating on the surface, catching the light like a mocking crown.

The moment abruptly ends. He plummets from his lofty perch, the harsh winds clawing at him as gravity drags him down. He shuts his eyes tight, clenching his fists until his nails dig into his palms.

“Raud, is this good?” your voice pulls him from the fall, embracing him gently as he floats back to reality.

He flutters his eyes open. Blurry vision grows focused with each blink until he sees the room for what it is. A wooden bath, short walls and gentle hands on his head, their touch soft and soothing as they massage him.

“Raud?” you ask again, and it is now that he realizes he forgot to respond.

“Y-yes.” He did not mean to stutter, but it is too late to try again. He sees the water once more and remembers the feeling of the fall. Shame crawls through the small hole of his chest until its ripping its way out.

You chuckle before speaking, “You are as dirty as a stray pup.”

His chest dips. He is filthy, he knows, but hearing someone say it is a knife to the heart. He feels himself sink into the water made of dirt, colored brown and oiled with his muck. His cheeks burn and when a warm hand slides under his jaw, forcing his head back, they burn brighter.

You arch a brow, your gaze fixed on him with such intensity that he begins to feel stripped bare, as though even his skin offers no cover. A smile tugs at your lips, soft yet teasing. "I love pups," you murmur, “much like I love you.”

Your fingers brush his cheek, wiping away a stray mark. He doesn’t mean to, but he leans into your touch. The gentle caress you offer is one he would savor for all of eternity if he had the choice.

“Are you comfortable?”

He nods, his eyes fluttering shut as he sinks into the warmth of your hand gently rubbing his head.

“Good. You deserve it.”

He almost opens his mouth to argue, the words forming sharp and ready, but a hand—your hand—rests gently against him, a quiet comfort that holds his protest at bay.

“From now on, I will make sure you get your baths.”

Raud frowns. “I am not a child.”

“You are not, but I know you well enough to know you will not take these baths without my command. You are my beloved, and I want my beloved to feel his very best.”

Raud shakes his head without meaning to. It’s an instinct, to refuse any kind words sent his way. A hand catches his jaw once more.

"You will feel clean, good. I will make sure of it," you assert firmly, tilting his head gently with your hand. "Understood?"

He bats his eyelashes. Your skin is so smooth… “Yes.”

“Good.” You smile softly, your eyes shining with a gentle light. “Now stand up, we are done.”

Raud blinks. Already?

He hears you shift behind him. Your hands fall from his jaw, and instantly he misses the feeling. The scalding water has been blown cold by time, no longer does it warm his skin as it did before. So leaving is not a challenge. He lifts himself from the bath, the water pulling at him to stay. When he steps out, he feels your eyes on him like a chilly hand.

You observe, slowing unraveling a rag, your eyes heavy with dissection. Raud forgets how to breathe. When you step up to him, finally meeting his gaze, he inhales sharply. You smile, tilting your head.

“Shy?”

He shakes his head even though he most certainly is.

“I have seen you naked how many times now?” you whisper, a coy smile tugging on your lips.

Raud gulps, he refuses to answer.

“Would it help if I were naked too?”

Yes. “No—“ Raud almost swallows his tongue. “N-no.”

Your smirk grows as your hands slither down your tunic. His hands move fast as they grip your own. He shakes his head again and you giggle. The sound dips his heart in a boiling cauldron.

“I tease.” You kiss his cheek, too fast for him. “I can undress later.” You wink, wiping him dry with the rag.

He feels shame to be so eager for time to pass by fast.

[thewrothode-if]

This is very late, but one of you wrote about a "crazy theory" that is very close to canon. VERY close. You just gotta think in a slightly different direction.

[thewrothode-if]

I am willing to be insane for ???. HE SHALL NOT ESCAPE ME I LOVE HIM AAAAHHWJSBWKSHBSKS

Keep your freaky self locked and bound plz.

[thewrothode-if]

I love this new story so much! It's so mystical, dramatic and suspenseful. I love the Viking theme and the chance to be different from what everyone expect.

My MC Rune from The Wroth Ode by @thewrothode-if

He is kind, truly kind. He has a caring, bleeding heart. Ever since childhood, he aspired for adventure and freedom. He is like a bird trying to fly around the world, but the chains hold him too well. Smart, attentive and reasonable. Resentment and pain, misunderstanding and loneliness remains in his heart. He tries to ignore these feelings, but it is a very difficult task for him. He often jokes and pretends that everything is fine with him. Cares about others. Not a fighter, but has a very sharp mind.

Born to be a free doe, forced to be a feral wolf

p.s. He has a difficult relationship with his father, but somehow, without even planning it, he wrapped every men around his little finger

[thewrothode-if]

Anne and an MC whose main skill is persuasion has to be my favorite paring in chapter 2.

MC anytime Anne says something because they can tell if someone is lying or not:

[thewrothode-if]

These were a delight. I genuinely had no idea what those words meant lmao. This is proof that electronic reading is superior to paperback.

The story is also so educational 👏.

Also damn mc. You plan to romance this man . Take a chill pill 😂😂.

Honestly, I'm learning alongside you. The amount of research I had to do for these insults is wild. Saying, "You're ugly and yo mama so fat," doesn't really fit the time period, does it?

I also regret making the vikings speak without contractions. :,)

[thewrothode-if]

My baby ??? Is not a red flag 😤Watch me create the most red flagest no black flag mc for their route. Those red flags about to seem like sunshine and daisies. Thank you for letting us play as an insane mc. Your doing the lords work.

Also can you tell us a name or username you’d like to be called/pronouns if it’s not too much? Thanks ☺️☺️

Writing an insane MC is so hard because their path deviates so far from the path of a normal MC. 😭

And you can call me Dix. I go by she/her.

[thewrothode-if]

I realized the berserker and not berserker scenes in the beginning are the same, but the berserker version you see the same people with animal heads. The boar is the first man you can question for gold, the wolf and the deer are the man and the young girl, the beaver is the woman who tries to run away...right?

Yes. 😎

[thewrothode-if]

hii i’m really sorry if this has been mentioned somewhere and i just missed it, but did gungir grow up with mc and raud? since there was no mention of him when we were a kid, did he arrive to the village later?

Gungir did not grow up with the MC and Raud. He came after Raud left. The moment Raud moved, everything went to shit. 😔

[thewrothode-if]

Somehow the red flags of ??? Made me feel more attracted to him. I may have a problem.

[thewrothode-if]

What type of red flag is ??? ? :D

🚩 Is not against murdering people. 🚩 Can't process emotions like normal people. 🚩 Manipulator. 🚩 Very narcissistic. 🚩 Not against cheating (but won't do it bc he wants to keep you close, you know). 🚩 Possessive but in a strange way. He has to be on your mind 24/7, he needs his name carved into your chest, he needs his soul to be one with yours, but he doesn't care if you sleep around with others. Isn't that strange?

[thewrothode-if]

Wait, just curious, how long has Leif and MC known each other for? 👀

That's a great question (and one I've never really thought about).

I think this answer would differ for a female and male MC.

For a male MC, I would like to imagine Leif popped into their life when they were in their mid teenage years, when those hormones were really working overtime. Just imagine a feral, teenage MC struggling in the tight embrace of a crazed, loving dude.

For a female MC, they met when she could finally go on a raid, which was in her early twenties. With Leif being so outgoing, the man probably annoyed the MC into being their raiding partner.

[thewrothode-if]

Excuse my arrogance 🫣 but is MC, like, attractive? 👉👈

That's up to your imagination because it's what's on the inside that counts. 🫶

[thewrothode-if]

Dude. Broski. Sister. Bestie I just found & played your demo and what the actual fuck??? I thought my adhd got better but now I have a new obsession and wtf do I do with myself until next update??? 😭😭😭

But I did want to ask something. I could only find one (1) mention of Leif on the forum. Could he be, like, our adoptive father maybe perhaps mayhaps??? 🥺🥺🥺👉👈 I love watching my fuvked up sinister little baby laughing along with Leif about beating someone up, like you can *see* the father-daughter bond materializing in thin air 🥰

Leif is basically already your adoptive father.

This is kinda random, but he is so Silco coded. That man would do anything for an unhinged MC just like Silco would do anything for an unhinged Jinx. His genuine care for the MC makes ME shed a tear. I love Leif so much (talking about him like I'm not the one who fucking wrote him 😭).

[thewrothode-if]

Hey, I just saw a post that dashingdon may be going down soon, you may have to transfer the game somewhere else, sorry to bring bad news.

What a way to wake up, goddamn. Pass me my black veil because I am now in mourning.

Thank you so much for telling me. I just now transferred the game to CoGDemos, so if any of you want to move over there, you're safe to do so.

LINK: here

[thewrothode-if]

For you guys:

"Go then, run." You cross your arms, attempting to goad her into staying. "Be the coward you are!" It doesn't take a second before she whips around, her tail smacking against your face as she runs off into the forest.

"You were not supposed to run!" you shout after her. She doesn't look back. With only a moment to groan, you turn back to the village.

[thewrothode-if]

I’m really interested in your IF but I’m nervous from the last ask. Is Christianity going to be forced on us often throughout the IF? I have a lot of religious trauma and don’t want my character forcefully converted while reading if that makes sense. Sorry and thanks.

You definitely won't get forcefully converted. If your MC is curious about Christianity, Anne will be very eager to teach you. However, if you aren't, she isn't the type to stuff it down your throat.

You will never be forced to love or hate anything—there is always a choice. So don't worry, mi amour.