4-the-l0ve-0f-art

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

"You were a daydream inside a nightmare."

Chapter 4: A New Chapter (Metaphorically!)

Word count: 1.1k

Trigger warnings: none

Ao3 Link Chapter Links for Tumblr

You sank into the warmth of your bed after a long day of discussions with the head butler and doing house chores. Your meeting with Mr. Rodderdinger, or Mr. “Rod” as others liked to call him from what you found out, was quite the shocker.

“My, oh my! This painting! You have captured the beauty of the royal horses and knights quite perfectly!” He exclaimed after a thorough look at the creation resting on a sofa in his office.

“You painted this in a day, you say? I can’t imagine the beauty you could capture with more time on your hands!” 

You were taken aback at the blatant praise. A more rushed and dismissive conversation was what you expected from an authority figure considering you weren’t from a noble family, but he was proving himself the opposite.

“I’m glad it’s up to your standards. It would’ve been pretty awkward if I carried this all the way here just to find out it wasn’t satisfactory.” You replied with relief. 

“Is there any specific location or scene you would like me to paint?” You continued discussing the specifics of your commission with him for about two hours. The scenes, funding for material, number of paintings that might be expected, prices, and all that.

As you were about to leave, he asked you a question. 

“I almost forgot! I heard you talking in the hallway before coming in. Did you need someone’s help with carrying this?” He gestured to the painting.

“..Yeah. This is a bit embarrassing, but I keep on getting lost around here.” You smiled awkwardly. “And I don’t live near the palace so I had to carry it all the way here along with the materials.”

“Does that mean you would have to carry your items every time you’re here to work? Now, That’s quite the chore.” He rested his elbow on the table and rubbed one side of his moustache with his gloved hand. It looked like he was thinking of something. “It’ll also cost you precious time you could spend focusing on your work instead of commuting.” 

“It’s not too bad, honestly. I can manage just fine.” That was a lie. Commuting with your endless supplies back and forth was, in fact, a chore.

“Nonsense! A contractor of the royal palace should not have to go through unnecessary hardships alone. I offer you this; you live in our staff quarters to save yourself the time spent on commuting. We already have the majority of our everyday staff living here to improve their efficiency, so it will not be a problem to provide you housing.” 

This was unexpected. 

And so, it was decided. You won’t have to travel back and forth to the palace everyday anymore. A rushed decision, but considering this seemed to be a long and time consuming commission, you would be a fool to give up the offer. You were shown around the staff dormitories by Nancy as requested by you and moving in the next few days was a done decision.

The events of the day made it difficult for you to fall asleep, but the next few days were going to be long, and you needed the energy for it. You also wanted to savour the comfort of your home before the move in, and so, you drifted off to dreamland soon enough.

-

Late into the night, a lone man stood gazing out the window in his office. The oil lamp on his desk was back to life, casting a warm glow around the room. He watched as fireflies danced around in the garden below, buzzing with life in the quiet of the night. Not a soul was awake at these hours, and mother nature came to life at the most peaceful times. He witnessed the beauty of nature alone, just as he always does, without anybody to share it with.

And yet, his mind wasn’t quite there. Rather, it was focused on the beauty of a certain individual instead of mother nature. He couldn’t help himself, his tired mind venturing off into a little hidden corner of its own, exploring the sights of a greenhouse, a fountain, and a woman struggling to hold a canvas half her size. It was thinking about the weight of the canvas as he carried it with him, leading her to her desired destination.

And it was thinking about the answer he gave her, wondering if she would be enamoured by the sight of fireflies dancing carefreely in the garden, as much as he is.

-

The next few days were full of packing and trips between the palace and local markets to get what you need. The room provided to you in the staff quarters was small but cozy, furnished with a single person bed and a study table and chair. You even got a view of the mountains in the distance from your north facing window. A beautiful and inspirational sight for an artist, and a pleasure to wake up to everyday.

Setting up your belongings wasn’t a difficult task. Meals were provided from the staff cafeteria and you could even use the kitchens yourself as long as you tidied up after yourself (the chef who showed you around seemed to be putting an emphasis on the last part. Makes you wonder what horrors he might’ve witnessed happening in the kitchen.)

You found comfort in knowing Nancy was living just two rooms down yours. Knowing you could ask her for help anytime, a much needed reassurance from a blooming friendship. (“You know, you can just call me over if you need anything! I’m here to help.” Said by the ever-enthusiastic and welcoming maid-knight. You were afraid you might just end up bothering her a little too much to her liking because of how friendly she was.)

You bought a few storage items to put away your clothes, art supplies and whatnot in your room cleanly. Your easel was set up right next to the window, ready to paint the sight of ice-peaked mountains whenever you got the chance in the middle of your palace showcase series. Sketchbooks were already neatly stacked alongside stationery on the desk, crucial for whenever you needed to jot down an idea from bursts of inspiration. 

Your items added a touch of familiarity to the room. If you were going to live here, you would need to get used to it and get comfortable while you can to avoid unnecessary homesickness. And regardless of the unfamiliarity and changes that come with living in a new environment, one thing was for certain. You were starting a new chapter of your life.

A lot of new experiences and memories were in store for you.

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

chapter 4 will be uploaded in an hour or two :') just finished it so i'm gonna wait for a while to proofread it and avoid reading what i want to read instead of what i actually wrote

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

On a side note, regardless of whether the company is investing their revenue from the game into the game itself, I hope it's at least getting used to pay the artists and other people working on this beautiful game ‼️‼️

I keep on getting burnout from love and deepspace so here are my thoughts on why I dislike the gacha mechanics in this game so much!!

Now, I KNOW what I signed up for. It's gacha. It's literally a pay 2 play concept but that doesn't stop me from complaining 😔✊

Most of the games ive played long-term are gacha (granted most have been hoyo games which are known to be more f2p friendly compared to other gacha games) but i genuinely dislike LADS in particular for varying reasons

Don't get me wrong, the game is absolutely amazing. The storytelling, graphics, gameplay itself whether it's combat or playing through memories is literal art and they've made their characters come to life unlike any other game. But i hate how quickly infold releases their banners and cycles through events

That in itself wouldn't be a problem if:

There were more ways to get gems. There's literally no way to get gems aside from abyssal chaos (which has limited gems which you get through quickly if you play daily) and daily/weekly commissions. Even the events barely give you anything unless it's a free 4 star log-in event which is great! But there's not much of a game to play there aside from playing through the audio story once you get the card. There's also the gems you get from completing orbits but we'll get to the issue with that later

The amount of time spent grinding for gems or even paying to get the card doesn't seem worth it at all. (I'm f2p so i can't exactly speak for players who spend money on the game but I'm sure there's complaints there too from their own perspective)

Let's say you spent an hour daily on the game, doing daily quests and weekly minigames to get gems/chocolates, or spend lots of money to get a card, for what? A 10-15 minute story with sped up audio and movement in EN? And barely any lore or voiced mc? (What was the voice customization option for if you're not gonna use it?) Varying/inaccurate translations between languages?

The issue with getting gems from the orbit trials:

You need to level up your cards as you get to higher levels in the trials. But there is way less resources available and no way to farm them (locked behind stamina) to actually be able to level up your cards especially once you reach around 60-70 levels

It takes weeks, and i repeat WEEKS to get enough of those bottle thingies to level up your card once you reach level 80. For a single card. Forget about leveling up your cards for all the LIs, you can't even do it for one.

No resources to level up = no way to earn gems. No way to earn gems = no way to pull for cards in a card based game (do you see the problem?)

My 3rd issue with the banners being cycled through too quickly is:

There is no gameplay if you're not able to pull for cards. There is literally nothing to do except wait for the main storyline to update, which took half a year to start expanding into the LI branches since the game released

Even when it did started releasing, the quality of it was just.. Unexpectedly low. It wasn't horrible by any means, but the sped up audio and movement (again? In the main storyline this time?) And no voiced mc (where did that go? Wasn't she voiced in the starting?) And did I mention the quad and solo banners completely unrelated to the main storyline being released at the same time?

So much of their lore is locked behind myth cards. The issue with myth cards is there is no way to get the limited myth pairs once the banners have ended because it's almost been an year and they haven't introduced any rerun mechanism yet. Not to mention you need to upgrade your cards to play through the myth episodes which you can't do if there aren't enough ways to get resources.

That's literally it. The problems are repetitive and interconnected and i love the characters so much but i get burn out easily because of the issues faced which I personally don't think are worth experiencing to literally just play the game 😞

Real footage of me yapping to a wall LMAO

I just like to be greedy with my games atp

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

I keep on getting burnout from love and deepspace so here are my thoughts on why I dislike the gacha mechanics in this game so much!!

Now, I KNOW what I signed up for. It's gacha. It's literally a pay 2 play concept but that doesn't stop me from complaining 😔✊

Most of the games ive played long-term are gacha (granted most have been hoyo games which are known to be more f2p friendly compared to other gacha games) but i genuinely dislike LADS in particular for varying reasons

Don't get me wrong, the game is absolutely amazing. The storytelling, graphics, gameplay itself whether it's combat or playing through memories is literal art and they've made their characters come to life unlike any other game. But i hate how quickly infold releases their banners and cycles through events

That in itself wouldn't be a problem if:

There were more ways to get gems. There's literally no way to get gems aside from abyssal chaos (which has limited gems which you get through quickly if you play daily) and daily/weekly commissions. Even the events barely give you anything unless it's a free 4 star log-in event which is great! But there's not much of a game to play there aside from playing through the audio story once you get the card. There's also the gems you get from completing orbits but we'll get to the issue with that later

The amount of time spent grinding for gems or even paying to get the card doesn't seem worth it at all. (I'm f2p so i can't exactly speak for players who spend money on the game but I'm sure there's complaints there too from their own perspective)

Let's say you spent an hour daily on the game, doing daily quests and weekly minigames to get gems/chocolates, or spend lots of money to get a card, for what? A 10-15 minute story with sped up audio and movement in EN? And barely any lore or voiced mc? (What was the voice customization option for if you're not gonna use it?) Varying/inaccurate translations between languages?

The issue with getting gems from the orbit trials:

You need to level up your cards as you get to higher levels in the trials. But there is way less resources available and no way to farm them (locked behind stamina) to actually be able to level up your cards especially once you reach around 60-70 levels

It takes weeks, and i repeat WEEKS to get enough of those bottle thingies to level up your card once you reach level 80. For a single card. Forget about leveling up your cards for all the LIs, you can't even do it for one.

No resources to level up = no way to earn gems. No way to earn gems = no way to pull for cards in a card based game (do you see the problem?)

My 3rd issue with the banners being cycled through too quickly is:

There is no gameplay if you're not able to pull for cards. There is literally nothing to do except wait for the main storyline to update, which took half a year to start expanding into the LI branches since the game released

Even when it did started releasing, the quality of it was just.. Unexpectedly low. It wasn't horrible by any means, but the sped up audio and movement (again? In the main storyline this time?) And no voiced mc (where did that go? Wasn't she voiced in the starting?) And did I mention the quad and solo banners completely unrelated to the main storyline being released at the same time?

So much of their lore is locked behind myth cards. The issue with myth cards is there is no way to get the limited myth pairs once the banners have ended because it's almost been an year and they haven't introduced any rerun mechanism yet. Not to mention you need to upgrade your cards to play through the myth episodes which you can't do if there aren't enough ways to get resources.

That's literally it. The problems are repetitive and interconnected and i love the characters so much but i get burn out easily because of the issues faced which I personally don't think are worth experiencing to literally just play the game 😞

Real footage of me yapping to a wall LMAO

I just like to be greedy with my games atp

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

WHO WAS GOING TO TELL ME THAT XAVIER PLAYING THE PIANO IS CANNON???? OH. MY GID??

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

made a navigation post for the chapter links :)

"You were a daydream inside a nightmare."

Pairing: knight!Capitano x artist!Reader (gendered terms like Miss, Woman, etc. used, no anatomy described)

Word count: 1.3k

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Slow Romance, Alternative universe: no vision, Tragedy

Rating: General Audiences

Trigger Warnings: Depictions of Violence

Summary:

It was raining. Your eyes closed as he held your shivering body in his arms. Droplets landed on your face, your body feeling ice cold to his touch. Capitano watched, trembling, breathing heavily. “My love.” Capitano’s voice came out in a hoarse whisper. “No.. please, no.. stay with me, love, stay with me..” He watched as peace took over you. It felt like he just woke up from a daydream in the middle of a nightmare. Capitano’s world shattered into pieces in the blink of an eye. OR, An artist and a knight falling in love. The story of two separate worlds colliding.

Ao3 Link Chapter Links for Tumblr

Chapter 1: Happenings in the Royal Palace

Sunlight shone through the palace halls. It was the start of a new day, and the aroma of freshly baked goods lingered near the dining halls. The palace was bustling with activity in the early hours of morning; maids running around hard at work to keep everything clean, the noise of pressure cookers and ingredients being listed out loud in kitchens, knights doing exercises in the fields.

And amidst it all was you, the freshy appointed palace painter, roaming around in halls which led to the.. servant quarters? Oh boy, you were lost. This was definitely not the dream gardenscape an artist such as you should’ve been standing in.

To be completely honest, you had no idea how you ended up here, in the middle of a hall busy with maids running around carrying unfathomable amounts of laundry and cleaning supplies in one go, making you wonder if they were really maids instead of knights. Their strength while lifting those carriers and boxes truly seemed to be on par with one.

“Excuse me, Miss, you don’t seem to be from around here.” A sweet voice from behind called out to you. “Are you lost?”

You turn around to see a young, brown haired girl dressed in a maid’s..no, a knight’s armour? ..Maid armour?

“Oh, I really am.. This place is huge. Would you mind showing me the way?”

She smiled and bowed elegantly. “Of course. My name is Nancy, maid of the Royal Knights of Khaenri’ah. Where would you like to go?”

Her gentle demeanor was truly welcoming. “I was supposed to paint a scene of the cavalry knights and their horses in training. Could you show me the way?” 

“Oh! You must be the palace painter. I heard there was a new hire. Please, follow me.” She gestured opposite towards the direction you were previously going in.

You talked as you walked next to her. “That’s me. I haven’t been in a place as big as this before, so it’s easy to get lost..”

“It is. If you need help navigating palace grounds, feel free to ask for help from me or any other caretaker around.”

She led you to an open field with horses being groomed and taken care of by their caretakers. Some were trotting around in the middle, following commands shouted out by knights mounted on them. There was a long set of stables surrounding the area.

“Thank you for your help, Nancy. I would’ve been stuck trying to find this place the whole day without you.” You smiled at her.

“Of course! You’re welcome. Please enjoy your time here.” She bowed again, and you waved as she walked out of sight.

-

You had recently scored the biggest commission of your life, and a time consuming but rewarding one at that. Your artworks had somehow reached the Royal Family’s eyes and they were thoroughly impressed, requesting you to paint mundane scenes from around the palace grounds to showcase in their royal halls. It was the greatest honor an artist could achieve in your kingdom and you would be a fool to say no. And that is how you ended up in the corner of a busy field full of trotting horses, shiny manes, and proud knights. Lot’s of beautiful greenery too, of course.

You decided to set up your easel and painting supplies here for the day. By some unknown miracle, your commissioners were generous enough to give you as much time as you need to create as many beautiful paintings as possible, something about “Time and patience is the true essence required to create extraordinary art.”, and you were keen on spending that time wisely.

For your first day, you decided that cavalry knights, the pride and joy of the Royal Guards of your kingdom, would be a good start. And so, here you were, trying to decide on the best angle of the field and subjects within. You studied your surroundings after setting down your supplies.

Boundless beauty was waiting to be recreated on a canvas by you.

-

Somewhere on the other side of the Grand Palace was a man dressed in black armour from head to toe, knight’s mask covering his face, and adorning a cloak with the finest fur and dragon scale design on it. An expensive choice in fashion indeed. He watched as his platoon got ready to engage in combat of various types, studying their form and technique with excruciating focus.

A knight from a nearby group called out to him, looking with respect and admiration in his eyes. “Captain, I request a friendly duel with you. Everyone here is eager to witness you in action and I would be honoured to start the day learning more directly from you.”

Capitano glanced at the rest of the group. They seemed to be waiting for his reply. He thought it over for a moment. It would be a good opportunity for his soldiers to go all out in training.

He nodded. “Very well, then. It would be best if you tried to keep up.” 

His cloak landed in the hands of a maid nearby, her balance wavering slightly from the unexpected weight of metal ornaments and fur. She stared at the scene unfolding before her, eager to witness The Captain in action like the rest of the group.

He unsheathed his sword and stepped into the middle of the field. 

A long day of training was awaiting them.

-

It was lunchtime by the time you were halfway through your painting. Your back was aching from painting for too long and rats were running around in your stomach, committing hunger warfare. It was time for a break.

The horses were back in their stables for mealtime and the field was isolated aside from the occasional sweeper. It seemed like everyone had decided they didn’t have time to bask in the autumn breeze, instead opting to stay indoors.

You, on the other hand, had decidedly packed your lunch in advance and were now ready to roam the gardens in search of a scenic picnic spot. An opportunity to enjoy a lovely meal, and scout for more scenes worth painting. A peaceful day like this was rare and you were going to make the most of it while you could. 

You cleared away your supplies and put them aside in a corner to come back to after your meal. 

Walking through a long hallway, lunchbox in hand, you were ready to conquer the beauty of this extravagant palace with your eyes.. Until you heard some sort of sounds from a pathway on your right. As you got closer to the end of the pathway, the clashing of metal against metal became clearer, and a huge field with a crowd of knights huddled together came into sight.

They were cheering quite loudly.

“What a powerful blow! No one could match our Captain in combat.” 

Someone loudly gasped. “How is Commander Guthred not knocked out yet?!”

“Can’t believe he’s already defeated so many of us, man. It’s been a few hours already and he’s still not showing any signs of tiring out.” “This has to be the best training day. Getting to watch him in action happens once in a blue moon.”

“Hush now, you’re distracting me!”

Curiosity took over you. Wanting to see what everyone was ogling at, you made your way to a side of the field where the knights weren’t blocking the view. And what you saw in front of you took your breath away.

A tall man covered head to toe in armour, chains attached to his belt clanking around and long black hair swaying in the wind, dealing quick blows with his sword towards a knight in a defending position. Swords clash and cheers rang around.

The only way to describe him was mysterious, skilled. The embodiment of strength.

And immensely attractive.

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

Chapter List: "You were a daydream inside a nightmare."

Ao3 Link

Tumblr Links:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

more coming soon!

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

"You were a daydream inside a nightmare."

Chapter 3: A Helping Hand

Word count: 1.4k

Trigger warnings: none

Ao3 Link Chapter Links for Tumblr

The next day, you entered the palace with a mostly-finished painting in hand, ready to get critique and any required changes from your client. But first, you needed to find the Head Butler’s office. It was going to be a hassle to walk around with a canvas half your size in hand. The journey to the palace was long enough, yet you still haven’t reached your desired destination.

The palace was full of life in the morning hours, a sight you were not yet used to. Gorgeous carriages with what you assumed would be important guests were lining up at the main entrance, gardeners were hard at work maintaining the endless landscapes, servants busy keeping the pathways clean, and knights could be seen patrolling the grounds. And somewhere in the middle of this vibrant environment was you, lost yet again.

You had followed a pathway which you thought was the same one that led you to the exit from yesterday, but this time, you ended up in the middle of some kind of open greenhouse or private garden. This place was truly questioning whether you’re directionally challenged or not.

There was a circular fountain in the middle of the greenhouse, surrounded by a gravel pathway and wooden benches. Your arms were starting to get tired carrying the supplies and painting so you decided to set down your items on the closest bench. Walking around the fountain, a pathway leading deeper into the greenhouse came into sight right behind it.

You decided to check it out and see if there was anyone else inside to help you find your way in the palace. Walking deeper into the greenhouse, the smells of various plants surrounded the air. Some you recognised as a typical flower scent, mixed in with wet soil and other floral scents you weren’t familiar with. At the end of the pathway, a pond came into sight. 

And on the edge of it stood a man you could recognise anywhere, his back facing you, with his dragon scaled cloak and signature long black hair, his dark appearance looking out of place in the middle of a place full of greenery.

He turned around before you could debate whether to approach him or not.

-

Capitano was startled awake when he heard a loud knock on his office door. 

“Captain, an advisor from the court is looking for you.” A pause. There was no reply from the inside of the office. “Capitan?” 

The first thing he felt was a slight ache in his neck from falling asleep while leaning back on his chair.

“Agh..” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sir, are you alright?” The voice on the other side of the door called out.

“Yes- I..” An ache was forming in the sides of his head. “Tell them to schedule a meeting in advance if it’s not anything urgent.”

“As you say, Captain.” 

The sound of footsteps fade away.

Capitano stared at the stacks of documents on his desk. He had fallen asleep while working on paperwork nonstop into the early hours of the morning, and the lamp on the desk had run out of oil at some point during his slumber.

He decided to take a walk to clear his mind.

-

Capitano froze as soon as he saw you.

“..Did I disturb you? Sorry, I’ll just..” Not sure what to do, you decided to turn around to leave.

“Wait.” He spoke before you could take a step.

“..Yes?” You glanced back. You couldn’t see his face but it seemed like he was looking at yours.

“You.. were there yesterday, weren’t you? At the training grounds.” With a lunchbox in hand, staring at him. He decided not to add that last observation.

You turned back around, conversation now seemingly inescapable. 

“Oh, yes. I didn’t realise you noticed..” You replied sheepishly, rubbing your neck. A nervous tick you developed growing up. 

No one said anything for a while. The silence was loud. You didn’t know where to look so you just stared past him, at the pond.

Just as you were about to mentally bury yourself and never wake up again, he asked you a question.

“Are you new? I haven’t seen you around before.” 

“I am.. To be honest, I keep on getting lost around here. That’s how I ended up at the training grounds yesterday and now I’m somehow here.”

Capitano walked closer to you. You thought he was coming closer to talk, but then he walked past you.

“Come. I will show you out. Where do you want to go?”

Startled, you hurried to his side, maintaining appropriate distance. “I was looking for the Head Butler’s office. You don’t have to if you’re busy, I can find someone else.”

“It’s in the main palace building. I was heading there anyway.”

As you reached the fountain roundabout, you stopped at the bench to pick up your supplies and painting.

“Are you an artist?” He asked.

“I am.” You introduced yourself to him, your name and what you were commissioned for. “You’re the Captain of the Royal Knights, right?”

He nodded. 

“You may call me Capitano.” He glanced at the items you were picking up.. Or at least that’s what it looked like from the direction of his face. “..Have you been carrying all this by yourself?”

“Yeah, It’s a painting I need feedback on today.” You were awkwardly struggling to find balance between the painting tucked under your arms and the bag of supplies in your hand.

He reached his hand out. You looked up at him, not sure what he meant.

“..The painting. Let me carry it.”

-

On your way to the other side of the palace, you took the initiative to converse to prevent the silence from festering. You walked alongside him with your painting under one of his arms, and your supply bag in your hands.

“So, uhm–Do you have any recommendations on what to showcase? Considering you work here, you would know this place pretty well.” You weren’t sure whether it was okay to talk so casually to the Captain of the Royal Knights, but he didn’t seem to have a problem with it so far.

“A scene to showcase from the palace?” He asked. You replied yes.

He went silent. You glanced up at him. You weren’t sure if he wasn’t going to reply or if he was just taking a moment to think.

You kept on walking in silence this time, deciding not to disturb the peace.

-

With a stare or few on the way, you finally reached the hallway in which you assumed was the Head Butler’s office, stopping at the entrance.

He broke the silence first, pointing to a set of double doors at the end of the hallway. “That is where you should be going.”

You reached to take the painting from him. “Thank you so much.” You bowed. “I owe you one.” He handed you the painting. 

The conversation felt like it had come to an end, so you started walking ahead. 

“Wait.” He suddenly called out, startling you. This seemed to be a trend with him. You turned back around, looking at him.

“..A garden behind the main building. The fireflies look beautiful there at night.” He paused. “See you around.”

You stared at him for a moment. “Thank you.” You bowed again. “See you too.”

He nodded, turned back, and left.

A smile made its way to your face.

-

You somehow managed to knock on the office door with all the baggage you were carrying.

“Enter.”

You pushed one of the doors open and entered the room. A man sat behind a desk, reading glasses in hand, squinting at some papers in the other. He had the whitest slicked back hair and a moustache so long and sharp it could cut through glass. He looked up, his eyes brightening at your sight.

“Oh! You must be the painter!” He stood up, his moustache moving as he moved. He walked over to you and bowed with his right hand resting on his left chest and the other behind his back. “Call me Rodderdinger. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His coattails swayed at the elegant bow.

What an unusual name, you thought. This place is full of interesting characters. 

You politely introduce yourself.

“Please, please, take a seat.” He walked back to his desk. “And my, those items look quite heavy. You can set them down on the sofa.” He said, gesturing with his hand.

And so, you began your meeting with Mr. Rodderdinger.

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

"You were a daydream inside a nightmare."

Chapter 2: New Friendships and a Masked Man

word count: 1k

trigger warnings: none

A/N: chapter 3 is a little longer. will post a new chapter every 3 days or so :)

Ao3 Link Chapter Links for Tumblr

With one final blow, the opposing knight lost his balance and landed on his arse, sword flinging out of his hand. The dust around them cleared and the Captain straightened his posture, sheathing his sword away, as the knight (Guthred?) couldn’t stop panting. He was trying to catch his breath like his life depended on it while the tall man didn’t even break a sweat.

“You’ve improved, Guthred. Well done.” He addressed his now defeated opponent.

“Th-hah-Thank you, Captain..” Guthred chuckled. “But, it seems I’m still nowhere near a match for you.”

“You have more room for practice, of course. But this is enough for now. Take a break.” He turned and addressed the crowd of knights. You watched as a maid handed him a cloak and the beautiful scales on it shone under the sunlight as he put it on.

“All of whom did not participate in a duel or group training and instead opted for spectating duels since morning shall delay lunch and run 10 laps around the palace walls on foot.” The group of knights stiffened as he continued. “By tomorrow, You will be expected to present all you have learned from watching the duels today. Anyone who fails to do so will be taking patrol night shifts for the rest of the month.” Sad groans could be heard from the crowd.

“Am I clear?” The Captain asked with hands behind his back, watching the knights.

They straightened their posture immediately. “Yes, Captain!”

And with that, the crowd dispersed, and a man carrying a messenger’s bag entered the view and whisked their Captain away.

-

As you zoned out, the brush you were holding mid air dripped paint onto the ground. The clashing of swords still rang in your ears, and the confidence and respect commanded by the mysterious man flashed in your mind.

“Miss, your paint!” A familiar voice snapped you out of your daydream. 

“Oh, Nancy!” You quickly put down the brush and wiped your hands. “How long have you been standing there?”

“For a few minutes. Are you okay?” She asked worriedly.

“Yeah, sorry, just... a bit distracted.” You replied, smiling awkwardly. “Do you need anything from me, Nancy?”

“I was just returning to my quarters when I spotted you here. Are you going to continue painting still? The sun’s going down, and it gets cold here quickly in the evening.” 

You looked up at the dark blue tinted sky. “Wait, you’re right–I was so distracted I didn’t notice the time..” You stared at your painting. “Well.. I’m mostly done with this so I’ll just finish this at home.” You got up and decided to pack.

“Oh, let me help you!”

-

You inquired Nancy about the man as she led you through the palace halls again.

“Nancy, could you tell me a little bit about the Royal Knights?

“Of course, miss. They’re responsible for protecting our country’s borders. There are many different platoons ranging from border and street patrol to palace guards. They also go on expeditions abroad for many reasons.”

You smiled. “You’re quite knowledgeable.”

“Of course! I love my job. And taking care of the people protecting us is a part of it.” Then, she looked at you quizzically. “What’s with the sudden interest, though?”

“Oh! Um.. I happened to stumble across their training grounds today. It was quite the sight, there was a duel going on between a commander and a captain.” You felt your cheeks heat up slightly at the thought of it.

“Hmm..” Nancy looked lost in thought for a moment. “That must be Commander Guthred’s platoon. They were supposed to be training directly under the Royal Captain today, according to the training grounds schedule.”

The staff exit to the palace grounds was just around the corner. You decided to ask one last question.

“Could you tell me a little more about their captain?”

You watched as her eyes lit up in admiration, a similar expression to the knights you saw in the crowd.

“Everyone here, even the royal family, agrees he’s one of the best leaders in the history of the Royal Knights. He’s amazing.” You rounded the corner. “Oh, and he’s rumoured to have the prettiest of faces under that mask of his! No one has really seen him ever take it off, though.” 

“Well then, miss! Please enjoy the rest of your evening.” She clapped her hands together energetically. 

“Your energy is contagious.” You laughed. “See you next time, Nancy.” 

And as you made your way home under the setting sun, the thoughts of unfinished paintings, dinner time, and a man under the knightly mask wandered around in your head.

-

A few hours earlier, in a luxurious office room inside the palace, stood two men. One was masked, and the other carried a bag full of royal scrolls. He read one of them out loud to the other.

“A message from the commander of the north borders: The unexpected increase in Abyssal attacks reduced just as quickly as it increased. We do not know the cause of the inconsistencies yet, however, there were no breaches in the defense lines and monster activities have returned to normal as of now. Alternatively, this has allowed us to learn more about the monsters and gives us an advantage in knowledge if this were to happen again. Everything else is going smoothly and the troops have not sustained any serious injuries.”

“I see.” Capitano nodded. “Inform the commander; Any written reports and observations of the abyssal monsters shall be sent to the archives to be recorded and studied. Supplies for surviving the coming winter can be sent as he requests.” 

The other party noted everything down and left a few other unimportant scrolls as he exited, set aside to be read later.

Capitano sat down to do paperwork. As he worked through the various documents, feather quill in hand and the desk lamp casting a warm glow, a sense of tranquility settled into his office. His mind wandered off to the day’s happenings and tomorrow's tasks.

And, in the middle of his thoughts, was a woman standing with a lunchbox in hand, a face that stood out between the group of knights from earlier that day.

She lingered in the back of his mind.

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

"You were a daydream inside a nightmare."

Pairing: knight!Capitano x artist!Reader (gendered terms like Miss, Woman, etc. used, no anatomy described)

Word count: 1.3k

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Slow Romance, Alternative universe: no vision, Tragedy

Rating: General Audiences

Trigger Warnings: Depictions of Violence

Summary:

It was raining. Your eyes closed as he held your shivering body in his arms. Droplets landed on your face, your body feeling ice cold to his touch. Capitano watched, trembling, breathing heavily. “My love.” Capitano’s voice came out in a hoarse whisper. “No.. please, no.. stay with me, love, stay with me..” He watched as peace took over you. It felt like he just woke up from a daydream in the middle of a nightmare. Capitano’s world shattered into pieces in the blink of an eye. OR, An artist and a knight falling in love. The story of two separate worlds colliding.

Ao3 Link Chapter Links for Tumblr

Chapter 1: Happenings in the Royal Palace

Sunlight shone through the palace halls. It was the start of a new day, and the aroma of freshly baked goods lingered near the dining halls. The palace was bustling with activity in the early hours of morning; maids running around hard at work to keep everything clean, the noise of pressure cookers and ingredients being listed out loud in kitchens, knights doing exercises in the fields.

And amidst it all was you, the freshy appointed palace painter, roaming around in halls which led to the.. servant quarters? Oh boy, you were lost. This was definitely not the dream gardenscape an artist such as you should’ve been standing in.

To be completely honest, you had no idea how you ended up here, in the middle of a hall busy with maids running around carrying unfathomable amounts of laundry and cleaning supplies in one go, making you wonder if they were really maids instead of knights. Their strength while lifting those carriers and boxes truly seemed to be on par with one.

“Excuse me, Miss, you don’t seem to be from around here.” A sweet voice from behind called out to you. “Are you lost?”

You turn around to see a young, brown haired girl dressed in a maid’s..no, a knight’s armour? ..Maid armour?

“Oh, I really am.. This place is huge. Would you mind showing me the way?”

She smiled and bowed elegantly. “Of course. My name is Nancy, maid of the Royal Knights of Khaenri’ah. Where would you like to go?”

Her gentle demeanor was truly welcoming. “I was supposed to paint a scene of the cavalry knights and their horses in training. Could you show me the way?” 

“Oh! You must be the palace painter. I heard there was a new hire. Please, follow me.” She gestured opposite towards the direction you were previously going in.

You talked as you walked next to her. “That’s me. I haven’t been in a place as big as this before, so it’s easy to get lost..”

“It is. If you need help navigating palace grounds, feel free to ask for help from me or any other caretaker around.”

She led you to an open field with horses being groomed and taken care of by their caretakers. Some were trotting around in the middle, following commands shouted out by knights mounted on them. There was a long set of stables surrounding the area.

“Thank you for your help, Nancy. I would’ve been stuck trying to find this place the whole day without you.” You smiled at her.

“Of course! You’re welcome. Please enjoy your time here.” She bowed again, and you waved as she walked out of sight.

-

You had recently scored the biggest commission of your life, and a time consuming but rewarding one at that. Your artworks had somehow reached the Royal Family’s eyes and they were thoroughly impressed, requesting you to paint mundane scenes from around the palace grounds to showcase in their royal halls. It was the greatest honor an artist could achieve in your kingdom and you would be a fool to say no. And that is how you ended up in the corner of a busy field full of trotting horses, shiny manes, and proud knights. Lot���s of beautiful greenery too, of course.

You decided to set up your easel and painting supplies here for the day. By some unknown miracle, your commissioners were generous enough to give you as much time as you need to create as many beautiful paintings as possible, something about “Time and patience is the true essence required to create extraordinary art.”, and you were keen on spending that time wisely.

For your first day, you decided that cavalry knights, the pride and joy of the Royal Guards of your kingdom, would be a good start. And so, here you were, trying to decide on the best angle of the field and subjects within. You studied your surroundings after setting down your supplies.

Boundless beauty was waiting to be recreated on a canvas by you.

-

Somewhere on the other side of the Grand Palace was a man dressed in black armour from head to toe, knight’s mask covering his face, and adorning a cloak with the finest fur and dragon scale design on it. An expensive choice in fashion indeed. He watched as his platoon got ready to engage in combat of various types, studying their form and technique with excruciating focus.

A knight from a nearby group called out to him, looking with respect and admiration in his eyes. “Captain, I request a friendly duel with you. Everyone here is eager to witness you in action and I would be honoured to start the day learning more directly from you.”

Capitano glanced at the rest of the group. They seemed to be waiting for his reply. He thought it over for a moment. It would be a good opportunity for his soldiers to go all out in training.

He nodded. “Very well, then. It would be best if you tried to keep up.” 

His cloak landed in the hands of a maid nearby, her balance wavering slightly from the unexpected weight of metal ornaments and fur. She stared at the scene unfolding before her, eager to witness The Captain in action like the rest of the group.

He unsheathed his sword and stepped into the middle of the field. 

A long day of training was awaiting them.

-

It was lunchtime by the time you were halfway through your painting. Your back was aching from painting for too long and rats were running around in your stomach, committing hunger warfare. It was time for a break.

The horses were back in their stables for mealtime and the field was isolated aside from the occasional sweeper. It seemed like everyone had decided they didn’t have time to bask in the autumn breeze, instead opting to stay indoors.

You, on the other hand, had decidedly packed your lunch in advance and were now ready to roam the gardens in search of a scenic picnic spot. An opportunity to enjoy a lovely meal, and scout for more scenes worth painting. A peaceful day like this was rare and you were going to make the most of it while you could. 

You cleared away your supplies and put them aside in a corner to come back to after your meal. 

Walking through a long hallway, lunchbox in hand, you were ready to conquer the beauty of this extravagant palace with your eyes.. Until you heard some sort of sounds from a pathway on your right. As you got closer to the end of the pathway, the clashing of metal against metal became clearer, and a huge field with a crowd of knights huddled together came into sight.

They were cheering quite loudly.

“What a powerful blow! No one could match our Captain in combat.” 

Someone loudly gasped. “How is Commander Guthred not knocked out yet?!”

“Can’t believe he’s already defeated so many of us, man. It’s been a few hours already and he’s still not showing any signs of tiring out.” “This has to be the best training day. Getting to watch him in action happens once in a blue moon.”

“Hush now, you’re distracting me!”

Curiosity took over you. Wanting to see what everyone was ogling at, you made your way to a side of the field where the knights weren’t blocking the view. And what you saw in front of you took your breath away.

A tall man covered head to toe in armour, chains attached to his belt clanking around and long black hair swaying in the wind, dealing quick blows with his sword towards a knight in a defending position. Swords clash and cheers rang around.

The only way to describe him was mysterious, skilled. The embodiment of strength.

And immensely attractive.

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

"You were a daydream inside a nightmare." (sneak peak)

sneak peak for my next knight!capitano x artist!reader fic <3 (posting chapter 1 on monday) It's here! link to the fic <3

It was raining. Your eyes closed as he held your shivering body in his arms.

Droplets landed on your face, washing away smeared blood. Capitano watched, his body shaking, breathing heavy. 

“My love.” Capitano’s voice came out in a hoarse whisper. “No..please, no..stay with me, love, stay with me..” 

He watched as peace seemed to take over you. 

It felt like he had just woken up from a daydream in the middle of a nightmare.

His world had shattered into pieces in the blink of an eye.

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

done with the first 2 chapters!! going to post chapter 1 on monday after proof reading. i want to try stocking up on chapters so that i feel motivated to write more rather than let the story rot like i did with the nuevillette isekai fic

Inspiration hit a bit too good so I might or might not have started another capitano x reader fic.. Completely different setting than "captains beloved" And might be long

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Inspiration hit a bit too good so I might or might not have started another capitano x reader fic.. Completely different setting than "captains beloved" And might be long

update: sneak peak is here! and official fic tag <3

update 2: link to full fic

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I wish it was you.

[4-the-l0ve-0f-art]

Chasca's gameplay is so simple and fun. I usually wait till I have a decent enough build to farm for characters using the character itself but i just knew I had to lock in and use her this time (get it? Lock in? Because you lock her gun on enem-) ok ill shut up 😭

Ended up pulling for chasca so it's not guaranteed for mavuika anymore but at least I still have over 80 pulls left 😔

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Ended up pulling for chasca so it's not guaranteed for mavuika anymore but at least I still have over 80 pulls left 😔

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I need a deep dive analysis on the power of bromance or whatever at the end bc WHAT was that??